Musings of a Servant of Allah
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (13:28)Archive for Death
Do androids dream of electric sheep?
….who knows?
That book, written by the legendary Philip K. Dick, was loosely turned into one my favourite movies – Blade Runner.
Fantabulous movie. Will have to watch it again after Tuesday (eek! so close!). It raises some fascinating questions…the desire for these androids to want to become human – to desire humanity. Look at how we ravage each other and our planet. Why would anybody want to be human?
Or perhaps it is the fact that these androids have a preprogrammed lifespan of only 4 years, and cannot reproduce – these factors make them yearn for ‘immortality’, which in their eyes is humanity. Whereas immortality for us is literal never dying. But we will all die. That holds true, eternally.
Hm…
“It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?” – last line of the movie.
*
Speaking of the inevitability of death….how do you cope with that?
It’s surreal, almost. From what I’ve studied, I’ve learned that it doesn’t take very much for us to die. The human body is awash with intricacy…and all it takes is for one signficant malfunction for us to go ka-poop.
And then it’s over, red rover.
We’ve all been to funerals. Whether it funeral prayers, burials….just as birth is something we celebrate, death is something we mourn. No running away from our mortality. It’s the one guarantee in life. (That, and taxes)
Atheists believe that those of faith turn to religion to help us cope. Maybe. Some atheists believe that after death, there is nothingness. Those of the monotheistic tradition say au contraire! There is the Day of Reckoning, where all our deeds shall be paid in full. *insert religion ____ claiming that only their followers shall enter paradise, all else is doomed to hell* (personally, I believe that God is the one who judges, so no point debating matters of the Unseen)
“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.”
Robert Cody
Spirituality and health.
Have a listen to Spirituality and Health. Fascinating!
To all the atheists out there – and I know that a few are reading this – studies have shown that religious individuals recover quicker, have longer lives, and are better able to cope with long-term illnesses such as HIV/AIDS.
So, don’t give up on faith just yet 
Perspective
On the Remembrance of Death, and an Encouragement to Remember it Abundantly
Know that the heart of the man who is engrossed in this world and is given over to its vanities and harbours love for its appetites must certainly be neglectful of the remembrance of death. Thus falling to recall it, when reminded of it he finds it odious and shies away. Such are the people of whom God has said: Say: Lo! the death from which ye shrink will surely meet you, and afterward ye will be returned unto the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, and He will tell you what ye used to do.
’Now, men may be either engrossed [in the world], penitent beginners, or arrived gnostics. The man engrossed does not remember death, or, if he does, it is with regret for his world, and he busies himself with disparaging death. The remembrance of death increases such a one in nothing but distance from God.
The penitent man recalls death frequently, so that fear and apprehension might thereby proceed from his heart, making his repentance complete. It may be that he is in fear of death lest it carry him off before his repentance is complete and before his provisions for the journey are replenished; lie is excusable in his aversion to death, and is riot included in the saying of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace): ‘Whosoever would abhor meeting with God, God abhors meeting with him’. Such a man does not abhor death and meeting God, but only fears the meeting with God passing him by as a result of his deficiency and remissness. He is like the man who is made late for a meeting with his beloved by busying himself with preparations for the encounter in a way that will find approval: he is not deemed to be reluctant about the meeting! The distinguishing mark of the penitent man is his constant preparation for this matter and his lack of any other concern. Were he to be otherwise he would associate with the man engrossed in the world.
As for the gnostic, he remembers death constantly, because for him it is the tryst with his Beloved, and a lover never forgets the appointed time for meeting the one he loves. Usually such a man considers death slow in coming and is happy upon its advent, that he might have done with the abode of sinners and be borne away into the presence of the Lord of the Worlds.’ Such was the case with Hudhayfa, of whom it is related that when death came he said, ‘A dear friend has come at a time of poverty. Whoever repents [at such a moment as this] shall not succeed. O Lord God! Should You know that poverty is dearer to me than wealth, and sickness more beloved to me than health, and death more dear to me than life, then make my death easy for me until I meet You.’
Thus it is that the penitent man may be excused the aversion he feels for death, while another is excusable in loving it and longing for it. And higher than either of them is the degree of he that has entrusted his affair to God (Exalted is He!) and no longer prefers death or life for himself, for the dearest of things to him is that which is more beloved in the sight of his Lord. By virtue of profound love and loyalty this man has arrived at the station of absolute surrender and contentment, which is the goal, and the utmost limit.
But whatever the situation may be, in the recollection of death there is reward and merit. For even the man engrossed in the world benefits from it by acquiring an aversion to this world, since it spoils his contentment and the fullness of his pleasure; and everything which spoils for man his pleasures and his appetites is one of the means of deliverance.
We do not belong here…
Inni lillahi wa inna ilahi rajeoon.
A close family friend’s father passed away last night. My brothers and I shall attend the funeral prayer today, inshallah. Taking a day off from uni is nothing in comparison to attending this communal obligation and to pray for mercy for this brother.
Inshallah when it’s my turn, people I know won’t hesitate to attend.
Subhanallah. On Sunday night, we spoke about him, and wanted to pay him a visit. “He’s been in hospital for 2 months now…the doctors say he’s doing okay…” Goes to show that nothing can alter the decree of Allah.
I weep, not only for his soul, but for my own, and for those whom I love. Alhamdulilah he has left behind pious children who will pray for him, increasing his only companion in the grave – his good deeds. Inshallah he has left behind continuous charity and knowledge. His time on Earth to do good is over now.
When will my turn come? When will my mother’s? My father’s? My siblings? My friends?
When will yours?
Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki sums it up perfectly.
“We the human race, are under the perception that we belong here, and this is our residence and home. We don’t know, or we don’t want to know the fact that we are on a train. The train is going through stations to another final destination. This world is only one of these stops, and one of these stations. But we do not belong here. We have a ticket that has 3 slips. We live in the womb for 9 months and when we come out, one slip is torn off the ticket. We live in dunya for a while then when we’re dying, the second slip is torn out. We then have one slip left, and that willl be torn out either in hellfire or jannah. And that will be our final destination. we do not belong here. We are travelling. That’s why Rasullah (saw) said “Be in this world as though you are a traveller.” He says the analogy of him in this dunya is of a traveller in the desert, saw a tree, took shade under it, and then continued with his journey. That is dunya. A few moments under this tree. Can you stop time? Time is evolving and it’s eroding of our existence. Time. The movement of time is an erosion of our existence in this dunya. It is ripping away and tearing apart from our own existence…for every second that passes by, it is taking part of us. We do not belong here, and we need to believe in the fact that we do not belong here. And we need to prepare for death.” (Topic of the series Al-Akhirah: The journey towards the akhirah)
Imam Anwar continues by saying that A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in a few sentences, gave a formula for powerful social and spiritual change:
If the first thing revealed in Quran was do not drink the people would have said we are never going to stop drinking. If the first thing to be revealed in Quran was telling the people do not commit fornication and adultery, the people would have said we are never going to stop committing fornication and adultery. But the first things that were revealed was surat Al-Muffassil….which talked about and mentioned hellfire and paradise until the hearts were attached to Allah SWT. Then the orders of halal and haram came down.
This comes from my heart to yours, and is as much a reminder for me as it is for you – don’t procrastinate. Death comes unnannounced. Start doing those things you’ve been putting off, whether it be memorising more ayats of the Quran, praying on time, paying back your fasts, mending broken ties of kinship, giving to charity, repent for all your sins, major and minor. A believer can do whatever it is that’s necessary to change, for the sake of pleasing Allah. Bad habit? Break it. Your akhirah is at stake.
Living in our secular societies fools us into believing that our ticket has worldly slips like graduating from high school, 18th and 21st birthday parties, graduating from university, getting married, having a child, reaching the pinnacle of our career, retiring, having our first grandchild…..how far we have drifted! There’s only one slip for dunya. Only one. And death can come at anytime, to anyone of us.
Subhanallah. Myself include…for so long we’ve had things the wrong way round. Everyone knows haram and halal. Yet putting it into practice can be so difficult. Children know the 5 pillars of Islam! It’s not just ignorance….it’s insufficient iman. Islam isn’t just an empty set of do’s and don’t. It’s a merciful guide for humanity…it’s a guide for us to reach our eternal home of bliss. Filling our heart with iman is the only way for permanent change. Let’s absorb the meaning of Akhirah. Let’s strive to be in dunya as though we can see Hellfire and Jannah before you, and use what is left of our short, short lives to please Allah.
May Allah save us from the torment of the grave and Hellfire. May we all be reunited in Jannah, inshallah.
“Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned.” (21:35)
“But We [i.e. Our Angels that take the soul] are nearer to him than you, but you see not.” (56:85)
“It is Allaah who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and [the souls] of those that do not die during their sleep. He retains those souls for which He has ordained death, whereas He releases the rest for an appointed term. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply.” (39:42)
“And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent’ Nor of those who die while they are disbeliever’s. For them we have prepared a painful torment.” (4:18)
