DEATH

The subject of death is very important to all of us. Every one of us has to die. In this regard Allah mentioned in the Quran in Surah Al-Zumar that everyone has to die including the Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) himself: "Truly thou wilt die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one day) (Quran 39:30).

Also Allah said in Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider) that everyone has to die: "Every soul shall have taste of death: In the end to Us shall ye brought back" (Quran 29:57).

No one knows when and where to die. No one even knows how he is to die. In this respect Allah says in the Quran in Surah Luqman: "Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with God is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things)" (Quran 31:34).

It is understood that Allah alone is the One Who gives life, and it is He Who takes off life. In this regard, Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Mumin (The Believer): "It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, 'Be,' and it is" (Quran 40:68).

The life of a Muslim on this earth is a short one, but his deeds and actions are eternal if he knows how to channel them in the right directions. As far as the life span of a Muslim is concerned, our beloved Prophet said: "The life span of my followers is between sixty and seventy. Very few of them do exceed this age" (Tirmizi).

While the life span of a Muslim is short, and while the deeds and actions do stop normally after death, a Muslim may continue to earn rewards for certain things even after his death. These are perpetual charity, a useful knowledge, a good child that prays for him, a mosque that he built, teaching Quran to another person, a house he built for public use, a water fountain or a river that he rent and made it free for people, or a charity that he gave during his life while he was in good health. All these and similar others are the ones that may follow him even while he is in the grave. In this respect, the Prophet said: "When a child of Adam dies, his deeds are over except through three things: perpetual charity, a useful knowledge, or a good child to pray for him."

In another Hadith in Ibn Majah, the Prophet said: "Some of the deeds and the rewards that follow a believer after death are: knowledge that he taught or published, a good child that he left behind, a Quran that he inherited to someone, a mosque that he built, a house that he built for the wayfarer, a river that he rented (to be used free), or a charity that he gave from his wealth during his good health and his life; these are the ones that follow a person after his death."

Remember that death is a process of rest for both the believers and the wicked. We hope and pray that we Muslims obey Allah in our private and public life. We hope and pray that Allah will be happy with us. We pray that when death comes to us, we are ready to face it with courage. We hope that when we die, we will die as loving sincere Muslims. Ameen.

BY AHMAD SAKR

'A SHEIKH was delivering a lesson(bagi ceramah), but in the middle of it, he suddenly collapsed. From the unauthentic source, he was claimed to be dead. Try to see his forehead. AL FATEHAH...