Semester A 17/18, 13 October 2017
- Throughout your life, you enter and depart through multiple stages and chapters. Very swiftly, the period of time you are at University will be over, and you will be looking for a career, a family, a new home
- However, one day there will be a brick wall in this journey, and the next stage of your life, will be the end of your life. Everyone, whether you are a man or woman, Muslim or non-Muslim, human or jinn
“Every soul will taste death” — Qur’an 3:185
It could be the reality that one morning you will be from the people of the Dunya, and then in the evening, you will be from the people of the next life
- Consider the parable of a person who is waiting for a train at a specific time, an intelligent person indulges in the relevant preparation such as booking the correct tickets, packing the right items and being productive with their time
- A foolish person wastes their time, distracted by unnecessary affairs, and at the last-minute panics, resulting in an extremely ill-equipped individual to catch this train
- One should be similar to the first scenario, if not better, in regard to their approach to their death
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to ponder a lot over death, as he said,
“Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures – death.” — Narrated in At-Tirmidhi
- So, next time you want to sin, reminisce over death. If you were to die in that state, would you want the final act of your life to be a sin?
- Last Ramadan, one of the most tragic catastrophes took place; the Grenfell Tower blaze
- Imagine the scene of a family in an apartment that is going to soon catch fire, therein a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a baby and an elderly person
- Each person is just minding their own business, probably watching TV, or spending time with other. None of them would have known what their ending would be
- Put yourself in their shoes, would you lament over the termination of your career, your qualifications or your wealth? Rather, you will contemplate over the fact that you are about to leave this Dunya, and wished you brought more forth for your Lord, the Almighty
- Do not make the mistake of delaying the affairs of the next life to when you are 60 or 70 years old. Act now before death comes to you when you least expect it
- Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “I’ve never seen a reality treated as if it’s not certain, like death.”
- Why? Because you hate to leave what you established, worked for, and sacrificed for in the Dunya, to end up going to what you destroyed (your Hereafter)
From the benefits of remembering death
- Understanding that death is inevitable will mould you to be satisfied with little, and realise the Dunya is just a means to attain the Hereafter
- It will teach you to have patience and be content with the calamities that befall you
- The regular remembrance of death and the thought that death can come at anytime will hasten you towards tawbah (sincere repentance) – so that when you stand in front of Allaah you are ready
- Time is like a sword, you either use it for goodness, or, it will destroy you
- Start off by returning to your heart to Allah before you return to Him, as opposed to returning to Him before you get a chance to purify the heart full of sin
- Ask yourself what actions have you left for tomorrow, as tomorrow is a reality that you cannot, and will not escape
May Allah make us from those who remember death often and use it to become closer to Him.