Muslim Brothers/Sisters: Every creature in this life has a known provision and a life term, when one’s provision and life term are over, then it is his death time.

Say (O Muhammad peace be upon him): “Say, “For you is the appointment of a Day [when] you will not remain thereafter an hour, nor will you precede [it].” [Sabaa 34:30]

Transliteration: Qul Lakum Mīādu Yawmin Lā Tasta’khirūna Anhu Sāatan Wa Lā Tastaqdimūna

What have you prepared for your death?

This is a station to stop at a while for reckoning!

Most of the people pass this station without stopping at it!

Life! The passing guest and vanishing shadow!

Life! Vanity house! And sorrow home!

Life! Its loyalty is fake! Its love is fake!

Life! Its new things are to be worn and happiness to be sadness!

People in this life are like guests who are departing shortly!

Ibn Massoud, May Allah, be pleased with him said: Every one of you is a guest, his money is borrowed, this guest shall depart and his borrowed money must be paid back!

Hudhaifa, May Allah be pleased with him, said: Every day and night, there is a caller saying to the people: oh you people, prepare to depart, prepare to depart!

Allah, the Al Mighty says: “Indeed, the Fire is of the greatest [afflictions] (35) As a warning to humanity – (36) To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind.” [Al-Muddaththir74:35-37]

Transliteration: ‘Innahā La’iĥdá Al-Kubari (35) Nadhīrāan Lilbashari (36) Liman Shā’a Minkum ‘An Yataqaddama ‘Aw Yata’akhkhara

Death! A sure promise and truthful meeting!
Death! A decisive decree and judgment!
Death! An arrow that ever reaches its target and a follower that never feels bored!
Death! A cup that all the people must drink from!

What have you prepared for the death agonies?
What have you prepared to its terrible events?
Did you remember its bitter taste?
Did you remember its sadness?

Abou Al Dardaa, May Allah be pleased with him, said: Whenever you remember the dead, consider yourself one of them.

Ibrahim Al Taimi, May Allah be pleased with him said: “Two things disturbed my joy in life, remembering death and standing before Allah, the All Mighty, for reckoning.

Ashaat said: When we visited Al Hasan we found him only preoccupied with the matters of fire, the other day or remembering death.

Oh you Muslim brother/sister: Do not you see that every day a friend or a loved person passes away.

Did that move your heart?!
Did you take admonition from that?

If all the people in the life exerted all efforts
To protect you from death, they shall never be able to do that
Death is a pool of water that you dislike to swim in
But soon you shall plunge into it forcibly

Ask yourself as you have a mind: what did I prepare for death?

Reckon yourself before you depart and before you are buried in the earth! The journey starts when you remember death and its terrible events!

How many persons heedless of these moments?
How many persons who forgot these moments?

Hamed Al Lafaf said: Any one, who much remembers death, shall enjoy three things: repenting soon, being satisfied with what Allah provided him and being active in worship. And any one, who forgets death, shall be punished with three things: delaying his repentance, being unsatisfied with what Allah provided him and being lazy in worship.

Oh you who have mind, if you know that you shall return to your Lord, the All Mighty, beware this hour and prepare for it before you shall regret!

“[For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord, send me back (99) That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier (Barzakh) until the Day they are resurrected.” [Al-Mu’minun : 99-100]

“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that – then those are the losers. (9) And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, “My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.” (10) But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” [Al-Munafiqun (The Hypocrites) 63: 9-11]

Transliteration: Yā ‘Ayyuhā Al-Ladhīna ‘Āmanū Lā Tulhikum ‘Amwālukum Wa Lā ‘Awlādukum An Dhikri Allāhi Wa Man Yafal Dhālika Fa’ūlā’ika Hum Al-Khāsirūna (9) Wa ‘Anfiqū Min Mā Razaqnākum Min Qabli ‘An Ya’tiya ‘Aĥadakum Al-Mawtu Fayaqūla Rabbi Lawlā ‘Akhkhartanī ‘Ilaá ‘Ajalin Qarībin Fa’aşşaddaqa Wa ‘Akun Mina Aş-Şāliĥīna (10) Wa Lan Yu’uakhkhira Allāhu Nafsāan ‘Idhā Jā’a ‘Ajaluhā Wa Allāhu Khabīrun Bimā Tamalūna

Alas for a man who passed away while he did nothing good in his life!

Oh you, who have minds, consider your matters and look into yourselves, how shall you meet your Lord, the All Mighty if you gave nothing but sins?

How shall you meet the King of kings if you were of the heedless who diverted away from Allah’s Path?

Beware of the agonies time! How tough they are for the sinful! How terrible they are for the heedless!

It was narrated that Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said to the angel of death: Can you appear to me in the form you appear to the sinful when you take their souls?

The angel of death replied: You can never bear that. Then the angel of death appeared in the form of a black man whose hair is upright. With dirty smell, wearing black clothes and his mouth and nose emit flames and smoke!

Upon seeing that, Ibrahim, peace be upon him fainted, when he regained his sense, the angel of death appeared in his first form, Ibrahim then said: oh you angel of death, if the sinful are punished only by seeing this when they die, this punishment is really enough!

Oh you Muslim brothers/sisters, what have you prepared for these moments?

Do you think these moments are beyond?

How many healthy persons died suddenly?

How many persons in welfare passed away suddenly?

Death in this life is a must
This life is not for ever
Your lives have ends
So run quickly as horses so as to benefit from it
As much as you can before you die
Do not be happy when you stay under a shadow that will vanish
You are only travelers in this life
Those who think they can live happily forever in this life
Only builds castles in the air
The rail life is only when you quit it
When you enter the most honorable house (paradise)

Oh you people of mind, prepare yourselves to the Hereafter, prepare for the agonies time, it is a day in which nothing will help you but the good you rendered. It is an appointment which you shall never avoid but only through good deeds.

Do not be tempted by good life or healthy body, you see that death does not differentiate between a sound or sick body/

It was reported that Muaaz bin Jabal said to the Prophet, peace be upon him: oh Prophet of Allah, advise me, the Prophet said: “Worship Allah as if you see Him, consider yourself one of the dead, remember Allah at every stone, every tree, and if you commit a sin, make a good deed , if you make a sin hidden from the people, do a good hidden from the people and vice versa.”

In his speech, Omar bin Abdul Aziz said:

In every journey, one has to take provision with him, so take your provision from this life to use in the Hereafter, this provision is fearing Allah, be as if you see Allah’s Reward and Punishment, fear Allah and have hopes in Him, do not let your hearts be cruel if you live long and do not follow your enemy.

The good people were that they prepared for the departure day and collected their provision for the Hereafter.

Abou mosa Al Ashaari worked too much before his death, the people asked him: why you do not have some mercy upon yourself? He then replied: if the race horses come near to their target, they run forcibly and exert all the power they can ever show. My case is the same, my ending is so near.

He kept on doing that till he passed away. He always said to his wife: Do your best, there is no bridged on hell to pass through.

Al Qaaqaa bin Hakim, may Allah bestow His Mercy on him, said: “I had been preparing myself and waiting for death since thirty years ago and if my death time is now, I would not like to delay it.

Al Thawry said: I saw an old man in Al Koufa mosque say: I had been waiting the death in this mosque since thirty years! If it is death time now, I shall never beg it to delay me or prevent it from anything, I do not owe any one and no one owes me anything.

Anyone who is about to travel, has to take provision for his travel, so Muslim brothers, did you prepare for the journey to the Hereafter?

 

To be continued…