All the thanks and praises are due
to Allah(swt), Who said:
"Know that the
life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual
boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and
children." (57:20)
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Life has beautified itself for those who seek its hand in
marriage and became like the bride, to whom the eyes are staring,
the hearts are directed and the souls are dedicating their love.
How many a lover of this life has it destroyed? How many are
those who rejoice in it only to be betrayed soon after? How many
are those who rejoiced in it only to be betrayed soon after?
Therefore, look at it with the eye of truth, for it is a dwelling
that has many traps, and even its Creator has belittled it. The
new of this life soon becomes old, its kinship quickly vanishes,
its mighty becomes disgraced, its abundant becomes little, its
affection dies out and its pleasures perish.
"He who counts tomorrow in his life term, will not have
considered death its due consideration. Verily, how many persons
start a day, but do not finish it, and how many persons hope for
tomorrow, but do not live to reach it? If you contemplate about
the end of life and its unpredictability, you will hate long
hopes and the deceiving role they have.
(Jami 'ul- 'Uloom wal-Hakim, p. 465, Sifwatus, vol 3 p. 103 &
Sharhus-Sudur, p. 21)
Having long hopes is a reason behind laziness and weak resolves,
promting many to delay repentance until tomorrow, but they die
before tomorrow comes. Also, there are many of us who often
proclaim that after this, they will repent. However, death comes
to them, before repentance occurs.
"And you do not know as you ensue on any mission, in which part
of the earth your demise will be."(poetry)
Bilal bin Sa'd used to say when he advised people, "O people of
eternity and everlasting existence! You were not created to
perish, you were created to remain forever. You will only be
transferred from one dwelling (this life) to another (the
Hereafter).
(Shar'hu as-Sudur, p. 12)
O son of Adam! Have you thought
about the day when you will perish and move from this life, from
vastness to smallness, when your friend, companion, brother and
relative will leave you alone? This is when you will be taken
from your bed and covers to nakedness, when you will use sand and
dirt as a sheet instead of comfortable blankets. O you who
collects money and of erects buildings, all what you will end up
with is the shroud. The things you collected and built will go
away and your body will be left exposed to dirt and your final
destination. Where will the wealth you collected be at that time?
Will it avail you against the horrors to come? Rather, you will
leave your wealth to those who might not thank you for it, while
it will bring forth your sins to He Who might not accept your
excuse.
(At-Tathkirah, p. 10)
There was a king who wanted to travel to a land, and he ordered
that he be bought clothes to wear for the journey. He did not
like the clothes he was brought and asked for other clothes,
until he was brought what he liked and changed in to them. He
also asked that he be brought an animal to ride, but he did not
like the animal he was brought and was brought other animals, he
rode the best one among them.
Shaitan came to him and blew pride in his nose, and the king
responded positively. The king proceeded in a royal procession of
horses, and he did not even look at his subjects, out of pride. A
man with modest clothes came to him and greeted him, but the king
did not reply. That man held the rope of the king’s horse,
prompting the king to order him, ‘Release the bridle. You have
done a grave thing.’ The man said, ‘I have a need from you.’ The
king said, ‘Wait until I get down.’ The man said, ‘No, right
now,’ and kept his grip on the bridle of the king’s horse, until
the king said, ‘Mention your need.’ The man said, ‘It is a
secret.’ So the king lowered down his head and that man told him
the secret, ‘I am the Angel of Death,’ and the king’s face
changed colour and his tongue began to tremble. He said, ‘Let me
go back to my family so that I do some things and say good bye to
them.’ The Angel of Death said, ‘No, by Allah! You will never see
your family or estates again.’ So he captured the king’s soul,
and the king fell like a brick.
The Angel of Death went along, met a believing slave and greeted
him with Salam, and he returned the greeting. He said to that
man, ‘I have a need that I would like to mention in confidence to
you.’ He said, ‘Mention it’, and he said to him, ‘I am the Angel
of Death.’ The believer said, ‘Welcome for he whose absence was
long. By Allah, no absentee on this earth is dearer to me to meet
than you.’ The Angel of Death asked him, ‘Finish the job that you
went to fulfil.’ He said ‘I have no desire more beloved to me
than meeting Allah the Exalted.’ He said, ‘Then choose in which
state you want me to capture your soul.’ He asked him, ‘Can you
do that?’ The Angel of Death said, ‘Yes, for I was ordered to do
that.’ The believer said, ‘Let me perform ablution and pray, and
you capture my soul while I am in the state of prostration.’ So
Angel of Death captured the believer’s soul while he was in
prostration.’”
Al-'Ihya',
vol. 4 p. 496
Brothers &
Sisters, you have been travelling since the moment you were
brought into this life, have you prepared for your final
destination and got ready for the journey thereafter? By Allah,
death is an imminent, tremendous incident and an awful matter.
Prepare for the journey, in which you will be alone without
money, status, position, loved ones or friends, alone in your
grave where even the closests and dearest ones to you will not
provide company in your aloneness, is excellently fulfilled by
performing righteous, good actions.
A wise man once said:
There are four seas for for types of things.
Death is the sea of this life, the innerself is the sea for
lusts, the grave is the sea for sorrow and Allah's forgiveness is
the sea that covers sin (or decieves people by making them commit
sin and delay repentance, saying Allah is Oft-Forgiving.)
Tasliyatu Ahli Al-Masa-ib, p. 193
Taken from SILENT MOMENTS: The
Descriptions Of Before & After Death Aspects, By: Abdul-Malik Al-Qasim