Anticipating Death

©  Zakiyyah Blazey

If you ever get invited to a halal dinner party by a kafir, do make every effort to attend. Whilst laughing inwardly at their pleasant surprise over the advantages of socialising under sober segregation (since the lads will be in another room, enjoying their non-alcoholic pre-dinner drinks), don't forget to talk about death over dinner. Just watch how quickly your hostess changes the subject (unless she's 'Gothic')! Expect to be berated for being, "So morbid, darling!" because this topic, along with religion and politics, is taboo at the dining table. Even if your thoughtful contribution is tactfully ignored, do see if you can spot a glamorous doyenne choking on her falafal!

    This attitude exists partly because most healthy, young people are scared by the prospect of death and so they do not even like to think about it, let alone talk about it (unless it involves something more pleasant, like how much money the deceased left behind). But why is this the case, when the news is full of fatalities every day and after all, death is the one 'sure thing' in life. Could it be because our society revolves around money and greed, so that we the consumers are constantly encouraged to 'Live Life to the Fullest' and 'Spend! Spend! Spend!' (count the television commercials for bank loans one evening).

    This state of affairs brings to mind the narration of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (r), that the Prophet (s) once grabbed his shoulders and said, "Live in this world as though you are a stranger or a traveller (passing through it)," (Muslim). Meaning that just as the traveller always has his destination in mind to avoid getting lost along the way, so the true believer should focus on the akhira (Hereafter) and not get distracted by worldly affairs and possessions. Abu Hurayrah (r) reported that the Prophet (s) said, "This world is a prison for the believers and a paradise for the disbelievers," and that he (s) had also informed us to remember death often.

    So why are we - the Muslims - afraid to die? Is it because we are unprepared or unrepentant? Perhaps we are worried about being punished in the grave because death might come before we make the five prayers part of our daily routine. Perhaps we are half expecting a stopover in the Fire for the sins for which we did not repent. Or are we just busy living life to the fullest, like the non-Muslims?

    From all accounts, the Messenger of Allah (s) was a brave and capable mujahid. He eventually died as a martyr from the poison he was given at Khaybar. Prior to death, despite the severe pain he was in, he remained composed and was able to comfort his family and continued to guide the Muslims, commanding good and forbidding evil.

    Only hours before the Prophet's death, he (s) whispered to his daughter, Fatimah (r), something that made her cry and then he whispered something else, at which she laughed. After Muhammad (s) died, 'Aishah asked Fatimah about this incident and she answered, "The first time he disclosed to me that he would not recover from his illness so I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first of his family to join him, so I laughed," (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

    'Aishah (r) narrated, 'When Allah's Messenger (s) was in good health, he used to say, "Never does a Prophet die unless he is shown his place in Paradise (before his death) and then he is given life or given option." When the Prophet (s) was ill and his last moments came while his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious, and when he came to his senses, he looked towards the ceiling and then said, "With those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, with the prophets and the truthful ones, the martyrs and the good doers. O Allah, forgive me and have mercy upon me and join me to the Companionship on high." Then at intervals he said, "The most exalted Companionship on high. To Allah we turn and to Him we turn back for help and the last abode." Thereupon I said, "So he is not going to stay with us!" Then I came to know that his state was the confirmation of the narration he used to mention to us while he was in good health,' (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

    Neither Muhammad (s) nor his companions were afraid of death. A few months after the death of her father, on the day when Fatimah died, she bathed, put on new clothes, had her bed moved to the middle of the house, lay down and faced the qiblah. She calmly informed her companion Salma (r), "Mother, I will die now. I have washed, so do not let anyone uncover my shoulder." When 'Ali (r) came home, Salma told him what had happened to his wife. He said, "By Allah, no one will uncover her shoulder." He took her and buried her with that ghusl. She was just twenty-nine years old.

    Sumayyah bint Khubbat (r) became Muslim early on, before Hijra (Migration). She was the servant of Abu Hudhayfah and she was tortured to renounce her deen (Islam). However, she refused to abandon Islam and on the day she was bayoneted by Abu Jahl, she surrendered her life for her belief in Allah and His Messenger (s). She was the first martyr of Islam. At that time in Makka, slaves and those without family connections, were easy targets for the Quraysh (unbelievers), since their harassment did not result in tribal repercussions. New Muslims like Bilal, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Suhayb ar-Rumi, 'Ammar ibn Yasir (Sumayyah's son) and his father (r), all suffered extreme hardship which tested their faith, but alhamdulillah, they persevered and remained patient and staunch, knowing that the road to Jannah is disguised with difficulties. Subhanallah, if we took time to familiarise ourselves with the details of their experiences, then the difficulties we face in our society by wearing hijab will seem insignificant by comparison.

    When we study the lives of the 'asharat-ul-mubashshirun (the ten companions who were promised Jannah), we see that they were excellent Muslims and brave mujahideen, who strove unceasingly with their wealth and their lives in the path of Allah, even when they were greatly outnumbered by the enemy. Unlike the hypocrites, they were eager to enlist for jihad and in the heat of the action, especially if the Prophet's (s) life was in danger, the mujahiduun preferred to die than to leave the battlefield. Alhamdulillah, there were many brave Muslims in those days, perhaps due to a combination of strong iman and detachment from worldly pursuits.

    Youngsters, like Zayd ibn Thabit (who was scarcely as tall as his sword), 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar and Usamah ibn Zayd (r), were greatly upset when they were not allowed to enlist. Al-Yaman (Abu Hudhayfah) and Thabit ibn Waqsh (r), who were considered too old to accompany the army for the Battle of 'Uhud, decided to join the fight anyway, since they were hoping for martyrdom beside their Prophet (s). They were both killed that day at 'Uhud. Umm Ayman reacted upon seeing the defeated Muslim fighters entering Madinah by throwing dust in their faces and saying, "Here is a spinning wheel, take it and give up carrying swords!" She rushed to the battlefield to attend to the wounded, before becoming wounded also.

    On his way back to Madinah from the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (s) was met by several women, to whom he disclosed news of the martyrs their husbands, sons and relatives. "To Allah we belong and verily to Him we will return," came the reply. Any personal sorrow they felt, they bore patiently and they were greatly relieved by the fact that Muhammad (s) was safe.

    After the Battle of Badr, Khubayb ibn 'Adi (r) had been captured and was to be put to death by the Quraysh as revenge for Badr. He requested that he be allowed to pray two rak'ah before being place on a wooden cross. The angry mob then set on him with their swords and spears. They taunted him by asking if he would prefer that Muhammad (s) was in his place, but Khubayb, managed to respond, "By Allah, I would not want to be safe and secure among my family while even a thorn hurts Muhammad."

    Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith (r) had initially opposed the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (s), who happened to be his foster-brother and cousin. He eventually atoned for his past hostility by his impressive fighting at the Battle of Hunayn. Just before Abu Sufyan died (when 'Umar was caliph), his family gathered around him and he told them, "Do not weep for me. By Allah, I did not commit any wrong since I accepted Islam." How many of us will match his confidence when we are upon our own deathbeds? At the Battle of Yamamah, Nusaybah, the mother of Habib ibn Zayd (who, whilst reciting the shahadah had been cut up alive at the order of Musaylamah the Imposter) was fighting bravely amongst the Muslim ranks, hoping to avenge her son's death by killing the Imposter herself.

    Also during the caliphate of 'Umar (r), 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah (r) was captured whilst at war with the Byzantines. He was brought before their ruler, who had heard of the Muslims willingness to die for Allah and His Messenger (s), and was promised freedom, only if he accepted Christianity. 'Abdullah furiously declined this offer, saying that death would be "a thousand times more preferable". The Byzantine tyrant made further offers and threats, but 'Abdullah remained firm, preferring to be boiled alive "as many times as the number of hairs on (his) body", than to become a Christian. At this display of courage, he was allowed to go free. Also around this time, Mu'adh ibn Jabal (r) was sent away from his family to Palestine, to teach the people about Islam. He contracted a fatal illness and as his end approached, he said, "Welcome, Death. Welcome. O Lord, You know that I did not desire the world or to prolong my stay in it. O Lord, accept my soul with goodness as you would accept a believing soul."

    When Asma''s son (r) came to consult her amidst fighting the Umayyads over the Caliphate, many of his companions had already been killed in the battle and others had begun to desert. Asma' bint Abi Bakr (r), by that time one hundred years old and also blind, advised her son to continue his fight for the Truth, even if it resulted in death, since he would not have been killed in vain. Since 'Abdullah felt his last few men could only hold out for another hour or two, Asma' told him to remove his cumbersome amour if he really desired martyrdom. He did so and upon leaving for the battlefield, he requested his mother make du'a (for the supplication of the mother is accepted by Allah). Asma' prayed:

'Abdullah bin az-Zubayr (r) died that evening and his mother died less than two weeks later.

    There are not many things that human beings agree upon, but the inevitability of death is very seldom, if ever, disputed. Even so, we have been warned by our creator and sustainer, Allah (swt), who promised us:

. And:

     For the Muslims, these are warnings which should be heeded, yet most of us ignore them and carry on as if we have at least another twenty or thirty years' breathing space left. Most of us hope to make it to next Ramadhan and we feel pretty certain that we will live to keep the appointments we have planned for next week. Anas bin Malik (r) narrated a very simple but profound hadith relating our worldly hopes to our actual life span: 'The Prophet (s) drew a few lines and said, "This is (man's) hope, and this is the instant of his death, and while he is in this state (of hope), the nearer line (death) comes to him,"' ( Sahih Al-Bukhari).

    We are hardly like the sahabi, who were more eager to attain martyrdom than to leave the battlefield for the safety and security of their homes and families. In reality, we act as if we know roughly how long we should live. There is even a fallacy amongst our community that the Muslims have some sort of personal alarm signal which goes off precisely forty days before their appointment with Malik al Mawt (the Angel of Death) so they have time to prepare for death (maybe fit in a few more parties and then make tawbah at the last minute.) a'oothubillaah! How can Muslims entertain such stupid ideas when the truth is that only Allah knows at what time His creatures will die?

    In sahih ahadith, we learn that the death pain of the martyr is similar to the pain we feel from an ant bite. We are also told that of the people who will enter Jannah, only the martyrs will wish to return to the world in order that they can be martyred ten more times, so that they receive even more honour. (It is important to note here, that since unpaid debts prevent even a martyr from entering Jannah, we should always be very careful to clear our debts at the earliest opportunity). Abu Hurayrah (r) reported that the Prophet (s) said, "Whoever dies without fighting in the cause of Allah and without even having such an intention in his heart dies possessing one of the signs of hypocrisy." Indeed, fighting in the cause of Allah is one of the essential parts of iman, as we can see from the following ayah:

     We ask Allah (swt) to spare us from the punishment of the grave and Jahannam, but we should take every opportunity to prepare for the akhira by increasing our good deeds and repenting for our wrongdoing, since there will definitely come a day when we will wish we had spent our time in the dunya more prudently, but by then it will be too late to change anything.

References:
Abdul Hameed, A. H. A., (1994) Every Soul Shall Taste Death, Birmingham: Al-Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution.
Al-Mubarakpuri, S., (1996) The Sealed Nectar, Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam.
Hamid, A. W., (1995) Companions of the Prophet, Leicester: MELS.
Ibn Sa'd, (1995) The Women of Madina, London: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.
Kazi, M. U., A Treasury of Ahadith