Pen’s down

Whether you live for one day on earth or for 100 days; whether you live for one year or for 100 years, finally, you will have to go through a stage called death.

Death is a truth or a reality that everyone accepts, regardless of their tendencies or religious beliefs. That is why the Qur'aan-e-Kareem called death as "Al-Yaqeen" which means certitude.

There are many things that are sure and certain but some of them are accepted by people just like there are some that people do not believe in. As for death, it is a truth that everyone believes in. That is why it deserves the name "Al-Yaqeen". It is as if there is nothing that is sure and certain besides death.

Allah Ta’ala said in the Qur'aan-e-Kareem that every living being will taste death. You will not be able to escape death. It will reach you without an appointment and without informing you, even if you hide in a well-preserved fortress.

If death is a stage that every living being must go through, this step should have been taken in a very normal way. Besides, many people are considering it as if this does not affect anything in their life. However, death is not a stage after which everything ends. It is from this itself that everything starts. That is, interrogation in Qabr or punishment in Qabr, etc., begins after death. So, death which is considered as the end, is in reality the beginning of all.

The statement that says "as long as there is life, there is hope" is very true because as long as a person is still alive, he has every opportunity and every occasion to improve his position in Qabr and in Aakhirah. However, as soon as he dies, he loses all these. It is as if he was in the examination room. The time that he had got to do the exam is over and "pens down" has been announced. Now, he cannot add nor subtract. That is why death is a very important and crucial step in the life of a Muslim who knows that he is accountable for everything that he has done on this earth. If he died in a good condition, there is hope that everything will be good after that. Otherwise, he will have a regret that can never be repaired.

Death is a means to separate you from your beloved ones. It makes you leave your throne, your job, your family, your friends, your home and your car, etc. in order to transport you on a long journey in a short time with just few meters of white cloth on your body. It all starts by sleeping in a grave of few feet in depth, called Qabr and by being under a considerable layer of earth. Therefore, death is a sign that our life on earth is temporary and it puts an end to all activities on earth.

An enjoyment that is followed by distress is not actually an enjoyment. That is why Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has recommended us to continue meditating on death in order to refrain from unjustified desires.

[English version of "Pen's down" – Al Jamiat – Vol.3 No.3]