At the time of creation of Adam, Iblees refused to prostrate
(of respect) to Adam on the pretext of superiority. Allah directed Adam and
Hawwa to live in the Paradise but not to go near the
prohibited tree. Both of them defied the instruction, consequently, they and
shaiataan were ordered to go on earth and that they will be enemies of each
other. Adam was told that shaitaan will be his sworn enemy and that when
Guidance from Allah will come, the progeny of Adam should follow the Guidance.
Now, by leading a pious life, we should prove that Adam deserved the
prostration of respect.
Hence, we, the progeny of Adam should strive to follow the
Guidance, Islam, and prepare for our return to Allah’s Paradise .
In our “Usool-e-Deen” or Roots of Islam, Qiyamat or Day of
Judgment is one of them.
First let us examine those who do not believe (or do not
consciously focus) in Qiyamat.
Life on earth is like a farmer spreading seeds in his farm
and watering it in the hope of
a good harvest. Likewise, from the time we attain puberty
and are aware of the consequences of our actions till we die, we should be
ready all the time to account for our activities to Allah. We are aware of the
right path and wrong path. We are fortunate to have God appointed Fourteen
Infallible Guides. What we need is a continuous and conscious effort twenty
four hours to acquaint ourselves of our duties as required by Allah by reading
the Noble Qur’an, studying the life and commandments of our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
and our Infallible Imams.
Allah has kept the time and place of death of every human
being a secret from him. We have seen that death has come to young and old, so
we should not postpone the performance of obligatory and righteous deeds to old
age. Who knows when he will die?
Death:
Death is the separation of soul or Rooh from the body. Death
is a phenomenon solely governed by the Will and Command of Allah. The word
“Death” have been used in the Noble Qur’an for 165 times.
Allah says in the
Noble Qur’an, Surah Mulk Ayah 1-2: “Blessed is He in whose hands is the kingdom
(of the heavens and the earth), and He has power over all things, Who created
Death and Life that He may try you, (to prove) which of you is best in deeds.”
It is narrated in the tradition of the Me’raj that a plank
is placed in front of the angel of death, Izra’eel, on which names of all
creatures are written. When Allah wills death of any of His creature, his name
on the plank disappears, and Izra’eel does the needful.
The souls of some men are removed with ease while some experience
severe difficulty.
Surah an-Nahl Ayah
32; “Those whom the Angels cause to die good state, saying – Peace be on you,
Enter the garden (of Paradise ) for what you did.”
It is not necessary that the souls of all Momineen are
removed easily. Even a Momin who has done good deeds in his life time
experiences difficulty during death. This acts as a punishment for sins he has
committed for which he is atoned for in this very world.
Hatred for death and love of this world is the outcome of an
ignorant man who thinks that happiness of this world is the prosperity and good
fortune.
The Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said: “Verily, the love of this world is the root of all evils”
We should hold death dear and an opportunity of meeting our
creator – Allah. We should learn lessons from it. We should seek forgiveness
from Him and control the rebellious Nafs. As for those who have longer life, we
should thank Allah for giving opportunity to collect more good deeds for the
journey after death which is full of difficult paths.
The Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said: “O Ali! When the angel of death comes to take the Rooh of the
following Muslims, he brings a club of fire and the flames of Hell scream at
him:
- An oppressive ruler,
- Those who unjustly usurped the rights
of orphans,
- The bearer of false witness,
During death, man sees the effects of his good or bad deeds
and also some dying men become apostate (deflected) due to some of their bad
deeds. Surah ar-Roum Ayah 10: “Then evil
was the end of those who did evil, because they rejected the Communications of
Allah and used to mock them.”
Those deeds whose performance eases death
Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “If a person wishes that
his last moments should be easy, he should maintain cordial relations with his
kith and kin, and be kind to his parents. Whosoever does this, his death will
be eased, and he will never fall prey to misfortune in his lifetime.”
It is reported that the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.s.) visited a
youth who was at the death bed. He told the youth to recite Kalma-e-Tauheed
(There is no God but Allah) but the youth could not speak as his tongue had
turned speechless. When the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) repeated his order twice and the
youth could not speak then he turned towards a woman sitting near him and
inquired if she was his mother. The woman replied in affirmative, the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) inquired if she was unhappy with him to which she relied in
affirmative. The mother said that if the Prophet of Allah commands her she will
forgive him, to which he asked her to forgive her son. As soon as she forgave
him his speech returned and he recited the Kalema. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) asked
him as to what he saw? He answered that an ugly looking man who held him by the
neck. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told him to recite the following:
“Ya Man Yeqbilul Yaseera Wa Yafu Anil Kasira Iqbil Minniyal
Yaseera Wafu Anil Kasira Innaka Antal
Ghafoor ur Raheem.” (This is the part of Dua-e-Saher in Ramazaan)
When he did so, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) asked him as to what
he saw then. He answered that a handsome man had come to his rescue and was
comforting him and that the ugly man had left.
A lesson can be drawn from this narrative that the
displeasure of parents becomes the reason for anguish at the time of death. In
this case, even a companion of the Prophet while the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
was beside the dying youth could not escape the agony until his mother had forgiven
him.
References:
The Noble Qur’an
Manazel al-Akhera by Shaikh Abbas Qummi
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