In the Name of Allah the All-Beneficent,
All-Merciful
The Good End
Praise be to Allah whose Mercy embraced each
and every thing and who
keeps account of all things (i.e. He knows the
exact number of every thing).
He had mercy on whom He willed through that
which he enjoined (on them to
perform) on this world which (if they perform
them) consequently raise their
ranks on the Hereafter, so they (Muslims) were
perseverant in His obedience
and strove in His worship; if they are
inflicted with calamities and show
patience it will be good for them (in the
Hereafter), and if favours are
bestowed to them [by Allah] and they are
thankful and grateful [for Allah], it
will be good for them in the Hereafter, and
concerning them Allah said:
“Only those who are patient shall receive
their
rewards in full, without reckoning”. [Az-Zumar
(10)]
I bear witness that there is no true God but
Allah who has no partner, and I
bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger who sent as a
mercy for the Alamin, prayers from Allah be on
him, his household and his
reverend Companions.
A portion (of good) for a man in this world is
his lifetime; if he makes good
use of it in things that benefit him in the
eternal abode (Paradise), then his
trade will be of a great profit. But if he
misuses it (his life) by committing sins
and disobedience till he meets Allah in such a
state, he is surely of those who
are losers; how many of them in the graves?!He
who is of a sound sense calls
himself for account before Allah calls him to
account (on the Day of Account),
and fears his sins (and consequently get
faraway from them) before they lead
him to destruction (i.e. HellFire). Ibn
Mas'ood said:
“The (true) believer sees his sins (and
himself) as if he
is sitting at the side of a mountain which he
fears it will
soon fall upon him” [Bukhari (11/88-89) and
Muslim]
How many a man who persisted on committing a
small sin and was familiar
with it and considered it to be nothing, and
never thought of the greatness of
the One whom he (the sinner) disobeyed and so
it (this small sin) was the
bad end (of his life and so he was admitted to
Hell-Fire). Anas Ibn Malik
said:
“You do deeds, which you consider smaller than
a hair,
we used to consider as major sins at the time
of Prophet
” [Bukhari (11/283)]
Allah the All-Mighty drew the believers
attention in the Holy Qur'an to the
importance of the good end (of one's life and
deeds); He says:
“O you who believe!Fear Allah [by doing all
that He
has ordered and by abstaining from all that He
has
forbidden] as He should be feared, and die not
except
in a state of Islam [as Muslims] with complete
submission to Allah.” (Qur'an 3: 102)
He also said:
“And worship your Rabb [Lord] until there
comes unto
you the certainty [i.e. death].” (Qur'an 15:
99)
The order (in the previous verses) to fear
Allah and worship Him (Alone)
continues till one dies so that good end (of
one's life and deeds) could be
achieved. The Prophet
informed us that there are some people who strive in
doing obedience for a long time of their lives
but shortly before they die they
commit sins and disobediences and end their
lives in such a state (and
consequently they are admitted to Hell-Fire).
The Prophet said:
“A man may do deeds characteristic of the
people of the
(Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the
distance of
a cubit between him and it, and then what has
been
written (by the angel) surpasses, and so he
starts doing
deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise
and
enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do
deeds
characteristic of the people of Paradise, so
much so that
there is only the distance of a cubit between
him and it,
and then what has been written (by the angel)
surpasses,
and he starts doing deeds of the people of
(Hell-) Fire
and enters Hell-Fire.” [Bukhari (11/417), and
Muslim Narration
no. (2643)- I translated the complete hadith
for more benefit to the
reader (Translator)].
Sahl Ibn Sa'd As-Saidi ,
narrated that during one of his battles, the Prophet
encountered the disbelievers (polytheists,
pagans, and idolaters), and the
two armies fought, and each of them turned to
their army camps. Amongst
the (army of the) Muslims there was a man who
would follow every single
isolated pagan and strike him with his sword.
It was said: “O Allah's
ger!None has fought so satisfactory as
so-and-so (namely, that brave
Muslim).” The Prophet
said: “He is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire.”
Then a man from amongst the people said:
"I will follow him and accompany
him in his fast and slow movements." The
(brave) man got wounded, and
wanting to die at once; he put the handle of
his sword on the ground and its
tip in between his breast, and then threw
himself over it, committing suicide.
Then the man (who had watched the deceased)
returned to the Prophet ,
and said: "I testify that you are the
Messenger of Allah." The Prophet said:
“What is this?!” The man told him the whole
story. The Prophet said:
“A man may do what may seem to the people as
the
deeds of the dwellers of Paradise, but he is
of the
dwellers of Hellfire and a man may do what may
seem to
the people as the deeds of the dwellers of
Hell-Fire,
but he is from the dwellers of Paradise.”
[Fath al Bari the
explanation of Sahih Bukhari (7/538-4202) page
538. The first
edition of Dar Ar-Rayyan (1988)].
Allah the All-Mighty, described His believing
slaves (in the Holy Qur'an) as the
ones who joined between fear of Allah's
punishment and sincerity in worship
in their hearts. He the All-Mighty, said:
“Verily!Those who live in awe for fear of
their Rabb
[Lord]; And those who believe in the Ayat
[proofs,
verses, lessons,...] of their Rabb; And those
who join
not anyone [in worship] as partners with
Allah; And
those who give that [their charity] which they
give
[and also do other good deeds] with their
hearts full of
fear [whether their alms and charities are
accepted or
not], because they are sure to return to their
Rabb
[for reckoning]. It is those who race for good
deeds
and they are foremost in them [e.g. offering
the
compulsory, Salat [prayers] in their [early]
stated,
fixed times and so on] (Qur'an 23: 57-61).
This was the state of the reverend Companions.
Ahmad narrated from Abu
Bakr-As,Siddiq that he
said:
“I wish I was a hair in a believer's body.”
And he used to hold his
tongue and say:
“This is the thing that led me to the ways (of
destruction).”
Ali Ibn Abi Talib used
to fear two things: the long hope, and following
desires. He said:
“Long hope makes (you) forget all about the
Hereafter, and following desires hinders (you)
from the way of Truth (i.e. Islamic
monotheism,
good deeds, obedience, etc.)”,
and also he used to say:
“Verily, this world has run away and the
Hereafter is coming forward (to us) very fast.
And
there are sons for each one of them, so be of
the
sons of the Hereafter [i.e. loving the
Hereafter
and do good deeds that Allah has enjoined so
that
He may admit you to Paradise], and do not be
of
sons of this world (i.e. who love this world
and
who live their lives committing sins,
disobedience, etc.) for in this world there
are
deeds and no accounts but Tomorrow (Day of
Account) there will be only account and no
deeds
(that could be done).”
Sudden death was a detested thing in Islam
because it comes to a person all
of a sudden and gives him no time (to repent),
he might be doing something
evil and so his life will end on such a state.
The righteous predecessors (the reverend
Companions and their followers)
used to fear the bad end of one's life with a
great fear. Sahl At-Tusturi said:
“The Siddiqun (truthful persons) used to fear
the bad end of one's life in any
move or at any moment and they were described
by Allah in the Holy Qur'an
as: ‘their hearts are full of fear’” [Qur'an
23: 20]
The fear of the bad end (of one's life) should
be present in front of one's eye
in each and every moment for fear induces (the
person) to work (i.e. do good
deeds). The Prophet
said:
“Whoever fears (should) walk at night (i.e.
begins early
and work very hard to complete his journey;
that is he
races for good deeds) and who walks at night,
reaches
home (Paradise). Allah's good is expensive,
Allah's good
is Paradise.” [At-Tirmithi no. 2452].
should have more hope in Allah and he should
look forward to the meeting
with Him for whoever likes the meeting with
Allah, Allah likes the meeting
with him. The Prophet
said:
“None of you (Muslims) should die but having a
good
thought of Allah, the All-Majestic, the
All-Mighty.”
But most of the ignorant Muslim common folk
depended on Allah's spacious
mercy, pardoning, and forgiveness and kept on
committing disobedience and
did not abstain from doing sins, on the
contrary, their knowledge of Allah's
attributes (i.e. Forgiveness, Mercy, etc.)
induced them to commit more sins
and this is a destructive mistake and a
destructive inference (of Allah's
Attributes) for Allah is the All-Merciful, the
Oft-Forgiving and (He is) the
severest in punishment as Allah, the
All-Mighty, stated in many of His Holy
Verses; He the All-Majestic said:
“Declare [O Muhammad] unto My slaves, that
truly, I
am the Oft-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. And
that My
Torment is indeed the most painful torment.”
[Qur'an
15: 49-50]
And He also said:
“Ha-Meem. The revelation of the book [this
Qur'an] is
from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Knower.
The
Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance,
the
Severe in punishment,...” [Qur'an 40: 1-3].
Ma'ruf Al-Karkhi said: "Your hope in the
mercy of the One whom you do not
obey is foolishness and disappointment (for
you)." Some of the scholars said:
"The One who enjoined that your organ
(i.e. your hand) should be cut off for
the stealing of 3 dirhams (1/4 of a gold
coin), do not feel safe of his
punishment in the Hereafter that it would be
the like of it."
A Muslim should always be keen to pay back
people's debts and give them
their due rights for whatever right is with a
person which is due to his
(Muslim) brother, the latter will surely take
it back on the Day of
Resurrection. If the former has no rewards in
his scale, the latter's sins will be
laid on the formers scale of sins (and
eventually be admitted to Hell). The
Prophet informed (us)
that the believer's soul is hindered (from getting into
Paradise) by his debts till they are paid on
his behalf back to its owner.
The Bad End
Now I will explain things that cause the bad
end (of one's life):
First - Delaying Repentance:
Turning in repentance unto Allah from all sins
is an enjoined duty on every
mature Muslim at any moment as is stated in
the words of Allah:
“And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all,
O
believers, that you may be successful.”
[Qur'an 24:31].
The Prophet used to ask
Allah's forgiveness one hundred times every day
although Allah has already forgiven him his
sins. Al-`Aghar Al-Muzni said that
the Prophet said:
“O people!Turn in repentance to Allah.
Verily!I turn
in repentance to Him one hundred times every
day.”
[Muslim 2702].
The Prophet stated that
the one who turn in repentance to Allah (sincerely)
from a sin is as the one who has (committed)
no sin. [Ibn Majah (4250) and this
(hadith) have a sound chain of narrators]. One
of the Satan's tricks by which he
beguiles people is delaying repentance. He
(Satan) insinuates to the sinner to
delay his repentance for he has enough times
to do that and if he wants to
repent now and commits the same sin afterwards
then his repentance will
never be accepted again, and he will be of
those who are admitted in Hell. Or
he (Satan) insinuates to him (sinner) that who
he (the sinner) reaches the
age of fifty or sixty he may then turn into
repentance - sincere repentance -
and may retire in the mosque (for optional
prayers) and may do many
optional good deeds, but now he is in his
youth hood and his golden age. So
he should entertain himself and not to exhaust
it with obedience.
These are some of Satan's tricks by which he
induces people to delay their
repentance. Some of the righteous predecessors
(reverend Companions and
their followers) said:
“I warn you of ‘I will’ (i.e. do not say I
will repent later)
for they are (i.e. these words) one of Satan's
most
atrocious forces. The similitude of the firm
believer who
turn in repentance to Allah from each and
every sin
and at any time out of fear of the bad end (of
his life)
and out of love to Allah, and the careless one
who
delays his repentance as the similitude of a
group of
people who are on a journey and entered a
village; the
firm believer bought whatever helps him to
complete
village) and the careless one would always
say: "I will
get ready tomorrow." Then the leader of
the journey
announced the departure and this careless one
has
nothing (to help him continue his journey).
This
similitude is for the people of this world; the
firm
believer never regrets on any thing when death
comes
to him but the careless sinner will say when
he is
resurrected from death: "O my Rabb
(Lord), send me
back (to the world) so that I may do good
deeds in that
world (which I left behind).”
Second - Hope in long life:
It is the reason behind the misery of many
people when Satan beguiles them
and makes them think that they have a long
time to live and successive years
in which one can dream of things and achieve
them, so Satan induces them to
spend these years achieving their hopes and
making real their dreams and
forgetting all about the Hereafter and making
no mention of death and if one
makes mention of death they feel annoyed
because it makes their lives
distressed and spoils their desires. The Prophet
warned us of these two
things which is a great warning saying:
“I mostly fear for you two things: Following
desires, and
the long hope (in life); following desires
hinders you from
(accepting) the Truth (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism, etc.),
and long hope is (going to lead you towards)
loving this
world to a extent that you will stop thinking
in the
Hereafter and the Islamic obligations enjoined
on you.”
[Ibn Abu Ad-Dunya narration with a weak chain
of narrators. AI-Iraqi
(commentary) on AI-Ihya (4/433)].
If a man loves this world more than the
Hereafter, he will prefer it (this world)
and strive hard to gain its delights,
enjoyments and pleasures and forgets all
about the Hereafter and all about building his
`house' in Paradise near his
Rabb with those whom Allah has favoured of the
Prophets, truthful, martyrs,
and the righteous ones, and best are those as
a company.
Having short hope in life will appear (in
one's deeds) as stepping towards
doing good deeds and making good use of one's
life for the days of one's life
are preordained and one's breath is counted
already and what passes away
(of one's life) will never come back or
restored, and on the way (of one’s life)
saying:
“Step towards (good) deeds before seven
[obstacles
hinder you from doing them (deeds)]:
Do you wait but for abject poverty that makes
you
forget (Islamic obligations on you),
extravagant richness,
destructive diseases, detested senility,
death, or Pseudo
Messiah;
(these are all) absent evils that are being
waited or the
Hour (which is also being waited) and it is
more detested
and harder (on you than all these).”
[At-Tirmidhi (2408) and
he said: "This hadith is a sound
one"].
Abdullah Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with
them) said: The Prophet once
held my shoulders and said:
“Live in this world as (if you are) a wayfarer
or a
stranger (who will sooner or later leave the
town he is
staying in).” And Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with them)
used to say: “If you will live till night, do
not wait for
the next day (i.e. do not have hopes that you
will live
to the next day), and if you wake up in the
morning do
not have hope that you will live till night.
And take
(advantage) from your health for (the times
when you
are afflicted with) diseases (and can not
perform any
obedience) and take advantage of your life for
death
(i.e. do every possible obedience in your life
before
death comes to you for then no deeds can be
performed.” [Bukhari (11/190-200) and
At-Tirmidhi no. 2334].
The Prophet , guided the
believers to the way they should follow to get rid of
the long hope in life and to think thoroughly
of (the truth of our existence in)
this world; he ordered
them to remember death and visit the graves
frequently, to wash the dead before putting
them in their graves, to follow the
funeral processions, to visit sick people and
to visit the righteous people
because all these matters awaken the heart and
deliver it from its
unawareness and lighten it (with the light of
Truth and) with the things and
affairs he will later face (in the Hereafter)
in order to get ready for them. You
will be (dear reader) provided with some
details.
(A) - As for remembering death, it induces one
to lead an ascetic life, and
long for the Eternal World (in Paradise) and
consequently it induces the
person to strive in doing righteous deeds and
not to incline to one's forbidden
the Prophet said:
“Make mention of the destroyer of desires
(i.e. death)
very often.” [At-Tirmidhi no. 2049 and he
said: “This hadith has a
sound chain of narrators.” It is also narrated
by Ibn Majah no. 4258].
Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them)
said that a man from Ansar1 asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, who is the soundest of
people
and most generous (in manners)?" The
Prophet said:
“The soundest of people and most generous in
manners is
the one who makes mention of death very often
and
prepares himself fully for it; Verily, these
are the ones
who are the soundest of people. They gained
the honour
in this world and the glory in the Hereafter.”
[Ibn Majah
no. 4259 with a weak chain of narrators. Ibn
Abu Ad-Dunya also
narrated it with a good chain of narrators;
AI-Iraqi also narrated it in
his book “Takhij Ahadith Al-lhya"
(4/451)].
Footnote 1 ANSAR:
The Companions of the Prophet from the inhabitants of Madinah, who
embraced Islam and supported it and who
received and entertained the Muslim emigrants
from Makkah and other places.
The person then thinks thoroughly of these
dead people in the graves; weren't
they once those of strong bodies, and of great
wealth, commanding orders
and forbidding (things), and this day (in
their graves) their bodies are being
eaten by worms and their bones are perished.
Then this person thinks, can he
escape death or death will inescapably take
him and consequently prepares
himself fully for the Hereafter by doing
righteous deeds for they are the
beneficial currency in the Hereafter.
(B) - As for visiting cemeteries and seeing
graves, it is regarded as the best
admonition for the hearts, when man sees these
digged dark places and
when; he remembers the moment when the beloved
ones of the dead person
pour sand over him after placing him in his
tomb and closing it with some clay
bricks, then they disperse away from him and
inherit his money and own his
properties (according to the Islamic laws of
inheritance), and his women will
marry other men after his death and after a
little while he will be forgotten
although he was the one who is obeyed if he
ordered for something to happen
and the one who is not disobeyed when he
forbids something. When a person
thinks of all that while visiting the
cemetery, he will realize the benefit of the
Prophet's hadith: “Visit the graves for they
remind you of death.” [Muslim
narration no. 976]
Turning the dead body of the dead from one
side to the other while washing it
is a great admonition (for us and for the one
who does the washing) for when
he (this dead person) was alive, none could
turn him to any side or even get
nearer to him except with his permission, and
he may be of those who were of
a great strength and a tremendous awe but now
(as a dead) he is a unmoving
body that the washer can turn it to the side
he wants.
Mukhul Ad-Dimashqi used to say - whenever he
sees a funeral: “Go ahead
(i.e. and follow the funeral) for we will all
going to die, (this is) a great
admonition (for us), a swift unawareness (is
our state in this world), the first
and the last (of us) will go away (die)
bearing no mind (out of fear).” Usman
used to cry whenever he follows a funeral
procession and stands on a
grave. It was said to him: “When you make
mention of Paradise and Hell-Fire
you do not cry but whenever you stand near a
grave you cry!” He said: ‘I
heard the Prophet say:
“(Being in) the grave is the first stage of
the stages of
the Hereafter, if he (i.e. the dead person)
was
delivered [by Allah] safely from it, what
follows it is
much easier, but if he is not delivered from
it, then
that which is after (this stage) is much
worse.” Ahmad and
At-Tirmidhi narrated it. Ibn Majah and
Al-Hakim said: "It is a sound
hadith." [Al-Musnad (1/63), At-Tirmidhi
narration no. 2309]
(D) - Visiting Righteous People:
Visiting righteous people awakens the heart
and encourages the soul (to do
righteous deeds) for when the visitor sees how
the righteous people strive in
doing good deeds and how they compete each
other in doing obedience to
seek the pleasure of Allah only, and to win
His Paradise paying no attention to
this world and its attractions for these
hinder them from walking on the
honoured path (i.e. Islamic Monotheism,
obedience...). Allah, the All-Mighty,
ordered His Prophet to
accompany such people and show perseverance in
doing that:
“And keep yourself [O Muhammad] patiently with
those who call on their Rabb [i.e. your
companions
who remember their Rabb with glorification,
praising
prayers, and other righteous deeds] morning
and
afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your
eyes
overlook them desiring the pomp and glitter of
the
world; and obey not him whose heart We have
made
heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows
his
own lusts, and his own affairs [deeds] has
been lost.)
[Qur'an 18:28].
Al-Hasan was asked: "O Abu Hasan (father
of Al-Hasan)!What shall we do?
Shall we sit with people who make-our hearts
in our mouths (out of fear)?" He
would feel safe later (in the Day of
Resurrection) is better than sitting with
people who make you feel safe (in this world)
till fear comes to you (on the
Day of Resurrection)."
Third - Loving the sin and getting used to it:
If a person gets used to any sin and ever
repents from it, Satan (Shaitan) will
seize his heart (over power it), and it (the
sin) will be the only thing that he
thinks of even in the last moments of his
life, and if his friends induce him to
utter the two testifications at time of death
- so that the last thing he would
say is “La ilaha-illa Allah [There is no God
but Allah]” - sin will have control
over his mind and he will utter only what he
used to commit of sins. The
following are some real stories:
There was a man who used to work as an
auctioneer in
the market. When death came to him his sons
induced
him to utter the two testifications [i.e.
saying:
“Ashhadu Anna La lllaha IllaAllah Wa'anna
Muhammadan Rasul Allah – There is no God but
Allah
and Muhammad is His Messenger]," the
father only
said: "Four and half, four and half.”
It was said to another: Say, “La ilaha-illa
Allah” she
said: “Many times she would say that she had
got
tired.”
It was said to a third person: Say, “La
ilaha-illa Allah”
but he sang.
And death may reach the person (who insists on
committing sins) while he is
committing the sin and he will meet Allah on
such a state and He (Allah)
would be angry with him. The Prophet said:
“He who dies on something (i.e. doing it),
Allah will
resurrect him on the same state (he was in)
before his
death.” Al-Hakim narrated it and he said: “It
is authentic according
to the conditions that Muslim put for the
authentic ahadith,” and
At-Thahabi agreed with him.” [Al-Mustadrak
(1/340)]
Fourth - Suicide:
If a Muslim is afflicted with a calamity and
shows patience and seeks Allah's
pleasure in that, this calamity will increase
his rewards. But if the Muslim
gives up (of Allah's mercy) and feels
unsatisfied with his life and thinks that
the best way to get rid of his problems and
agonies is to commit suicide, in
killed his own self without just cause.
Bukhari narrated that Abu Hurairah
said: The Prophet said:
“He who commits suicide by throttling shall
keep on
throttling in the Hell-Fire (forever) and he
who commits
suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on
stabbing himself
in the Hell-Fire (forever).” [Bukhari
(3/180)].
Bukhari and Muslim, may Allah have mercy on
them both, narrated that Abu
Hurairah said:
"A man witnessed the battle of Khaibar
with the Prophet
, and he said about a
man claiming to be a Muslim:
"This (man) is from the dwellers of
Hell-Fire." When the
battle began, the man [whom the Prophet talked about
strove satisfactorily and he was wounded
badly. Then it
was said to the Prophet :
"The man you talked about
earlier strove in the battle satisfactorily
and died (isn't
he a martyr?!)." The Prophet said: "To Hell-Fire (he
shall go)." Doubt sneaked to the hearts
of the Muslims.
While being in such a state, it was said that
the man did
not actually die but wounded badly. When night
came,
the man could not bear the pains and killed
himself (i.e.
committed suicide). The Prophet was told the matter
and then he said:
"I bear witness that I am Allah's
Slave and Messenger." Then he ordered Bilal to
announce for people that: "None will
enter Paradise but a
believer. And verily, Allah may support this
religion
(Islam) with a wicked (sinful) man."
[Bukhari narration
(6/125) and Muslim (111)].
Portents of Good End
The Prophet informed us
of some of the good end portents which if the
person's death was with one of them then it
will be a good omen and a glad
tidings. Some of these portents are:
(1) -To utter the testification of faith [i.e.
“La ilaha-illa Allah” - None has the
right to be worshipped but Allah] at the time
of death. Al-Hakim narrated that
Mu`ath Ibn Jabal said:
The Prophet said:
"He whose last words (in life) were ' La
ilaha-illa Allah',
None has the right to be worshipped but Allah
shall
enter Paradise” [Abu Dawud narration (3116),
Al-Hakim (1/351) and
regarded it authentic hadith and At-Thahabi
agreed with him].
(2) - To die as a martyr while striving to
Allah's word (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism) superior. Allah said:
“Think not of those who are killed In the way
of Allah
as dead. Nay they are alive, with their Rabb
and they
have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has
bestowed upon them of His Bounty, rejoicing
for the
sake of those who have not yet joined them,
but are
left behind [not yet martyred] that on them no
fear
shall come, nor shall they grieve. They
rejoice in a
Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah
will
not waste the reward of the believers”. [Quran
3:169171]
(3) - To die while preparing for a battle in
Allah's Cause, or while performing
Hajj (pilgrimage). The Prophet said:
"Whoever is killed in Allah's Cause he is
(regarded as) a
martyr (he will gain the reward of that of a
martyr) and
whoever dies in Allah's Cause, he is a
martyr." Muslim and
Ahmad narrated this hadith.
The Prophet said -
about the man who was performing Hajj and fell down
from his she-camel and died:
"Wash him with water and (the leaves of)
the lotte tree,
and shroud him with two sheets and do not cover
his
head for he will be resurrected on the Day of
Resurrection saying the "talbia "
(devotional calls recited
Labbaika Allahumma Labbaik..O Allah, here I am
responding, here I am worshipping You).
(4) - To die exactly after performing an
obedience to Allah (i.e. this
obedience be the last thing one did). Abu
Huthifa said that the Prophet
said:
“He who says ‘La ilaha-illa Allah’ [i.e. no
one has the
right to be worshipped but Allah] seeking
Allah's
Countenance (and pleasure) and is the last
thing he does
(in his life) will enter Paradise. And he who
fasts a day
seeking Allah's Countenance (and pleasure) and
happened
to be the last day in his life, will enter
Paradise. And he
who gives money as a charity seeking Allah's
Countenance
(and pleasure) and this was his lost thing he
did, will
enter Paradise.” (Ahmad 5/391).
(5) - To die while striving to defend the five
things that the Islamic law
preserved (for Muslims, i.e. none should
transgress to deprive a Muslim from
them) and they are: religion, soul, wealth,
honour and mind. Said Ibn Zaid
narrated that the Prophet said:
“He who dies while defending his wealth (from
the one
who wants to take it away from him by force)
is a
martyr, he who dies while defending his
household (from
those who want to cause harm for them) is a
martyr, he
who dies while defending his religion (i.e.
fighting the
disbelieving transgressors) is a martyr, and
he who dies
while defending his soul (from the one who
wants to kill
him) is a martyr.” (At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)
(6) - To die because of one of the epidemic
diseases. The Prophet informed
us of some of them; they are:
A - Plague: Anas Ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet said:
“Plague is a cause of martyrdom for every
Muslim (who
dies because of it).” [Abu Dawud (4772), and
At-Tirmidhi no.
(1418 and 1421)].
“Dying during fighting in Allah's Cause is
(the cause of)
martyrdom, Plague is (a cause of) martyrdom
(for every
Muslim who dies because of it), dying because
of delivery
is (the cause of) martyrdom (for any Muslim
woman) and
tuberculosis is (the cause of) martyrdom (for
a Muslim
who dies because of it).” (Ahmad 3/289)
C - Abdominal diseases: Narrated Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said:
“He (a Muslim) who dies because of an
abdominal disease
is a martyr.” [Muslim no.1915]
D - Pleurisy: Jabir Ibn Atik narrated that the
Prophet said:
“The one who dies because of pleurisy is a
martyr.” (i.e.
he will be given a reward equals to that of a
fight
martyr) This hadith will later be narrated
fully.
(7) - The dying of a (Muslim) woman because of
delivery or in her after-birth
state: Ubadah Ibn As-Samit narrated that the Prophet said:
“And the woman who dies because of her son,
after her
delivery, her son will drag her with his
umbilical cord to
Paradise.” [Ahmad (4/201) and (5/323).
(8) - Dying because of drowning, being
underneath debris, and bums: Abu
Hurairah narrated that
the Prophet said:
“Martyrs are (of) five (kinds): The one who
dies because
of plague, abdominal diseases, drowning, and
the one who
dies underneath debris.” [At-Tirmidhi (1063)
and Muslim no.
(1915) the like of it].
Jabir Ibn Atik said that the Prophet said:
“The martyrs other than being killed in
Allah's Cause
are, (of) seven (kinds): the one who dies
because of
plague is a martyr, the drowned (Muslim) is
(regarded
as) a martyr, the one who dies because of
pleurisy is a
martyr, the one who dies because of abdominal
diseases
martyr, the one who dies because of being
underneath
debris is a martyr, and the (Muslim) woman who
dies
because of delivery is a martyr.” This hadith
was
narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nisai, and
Al-Hakim who classified it as an authentic
hadith and
Ath-Thahabi agreed with him.” [Ahmad (5/446),
Abu Dawud
(3111), An-Nisai (4/13-14) and Al-Hakim
(1/352)].
(9) - To die on the Thursday night or on the
daytime of Friday: Abdullah Ibn
Amru said that the Prophet
said:
“No Muslim dies on Friday or on the night of
Thursday
but Allah will deliver him from the trials of
the grave.”
[Ahmad (2/176) and At-Tirmidhi (1080) and he
said “This is a strange
hadith that has no connected chain of
narrators”]
(10) - Sweat on the Forehead: Narrated
Buraidah from Al-Husaib that he
said: The Prophet said:
“A believer dies with sweat on his forehead.”
[At-Tirmidhi
no. (982), An-Nisai (4/6) and this hadith has
a good chain of
narrators]
At the end of this book, it is better to sum
up some of the means that Allah
made ways to lead Muslims to the good end (of
one's life), and they are:
a) To fear Allah in secrecy and in public and
to hold fast with that which the
Prophet gave us (of
laws) for these are the ways of salvation. Allah, the
All-Mighty said:
“O you who believe!Fear Allah [by doing all
that He
has ordered and by abstaining from all that He
has
forbidden] as He should be feared, and die not
except
in the state of Islam [as Muslims] with
complete
submission to Allah.” [Qur'an 3:102]
And a (Muslim) slave should ward off sins
completely for major sins lead one
to Hell and persisting on committing minor
sins will make them major sins.
And the committing of minor sins and turning
not in repentance to Allah nor
asking his forgiveness will turn into
"Ran" (covering of sins and evil deeds) on
the heart. The Prophet
said:
“Beware of minor sins, (for they are) as
travelling people
who wanted to take a rest in a valley, this
brought a
piece of fuel wood and that brought another
piece of
fuel wood till they managed to cook their
bread (or
meal). If one commits minor sins persistently
they will
lead him to destruction (i.e. Hell-Fire).”
[Ahmad 5331].
b) Remembering Allah all the time:
He who remembers Allah all the time and the
last thing he says in his life
was: ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ [there is no true
God worthy of worship but Allah], he
would entertain the Prophet's glad tiding for
he said:
“He whose last words were ‘La ilaha illa
Allah’ enters
paradise. [Abu Dawud (3116) and Al-Hakim
(1/351) and classified it
as an authentic hadith and Ath-Thahabi agreed
with him].
Abu Dawud narrated this hadith and Said Ibn
Mansoor narrated it from
Al-Hassan that he said: The Prophet was asked: ‘Which deeds are the best
in Allah's view?’ He said:
“To die while remembering Allah very much with
your
tongue.” [Al-Mughni by Ibn Quadamah 2/450].
O Allah make our deeds (in this life) the best
ones, and the best of our days
the days when we meet You and make us of those
whom You have favoured
with bounties in Your Paradise and Your
Presence, and may Allah's prayers
and peace be on our Prophet Muhammad his households and Companions.
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