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Friday Talks |
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Friday Talks |
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136 |
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Remember Death
Written by: Sk. Omar Kadrawi
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
28 Jumada Al-Thani 1431
11 June 2010
Death is the most truthful and certain to come
{And indeed We have created man, and We know what his ownself whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). (16) (Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions)[] (17) Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).[] (18) And the struggle of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!" (19) And the Trumpet will be blown — that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given). (20) And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness. (21) (It will be said to the sinners): "Indeed you were heedless of this, now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!" (22)} 50:16-22.
Dear faithful brothers, it is the absent and yet present fact. Death is absent but is the most definite to arrive. And it is amongst us at every time. Every now and then we say good bye to a relative or a neighbour or a friend. We hide them away under the earth and we come home as if we have done nothing. The messenger ppbu said: {remember plenty the destroyer of pleasures, death. For whenever any one remembers it in a difficulty of living then it gets eased, and whenever any one remembers it at an ease then it gets tighter}. This indicates that remembering death is a religious obligation. Death is not associated with a particular age. The young person ought to remember death; the man ought to remember death and the old man ought to remember death because remembering death is worship. Death is the real event which has to happen in every human's life; the strong dies and the weak dies, the rich dies and poor dies, the healthy dies and the sick dies, the aggressor dies and the victim dies. It doesn't matter how long the night is; dawn has to come. Every creature dies and only the Almighty shall remain.
1) Death shatters pleasures.
Death splits between a son and the parent, and between one and the siblings, and between one and his loved ones. Always remember death, and remember that no matter how long you live or shall live in this life, and how much money you have accumulated, and how many palaces you have or will build, and how many high jobs and positions you have achieved, and no matter what you have said or done; you will end up to death. One day people will say about you: He or she has died. Do you know and do you think of this fact? It awaits each and every one of us, after saying many times that someone is dead, is now being said about you. Death is a major issue and people ought to remember it and never forget. The problem with people is that they always see death as a distant event. Death does not need a person's permission to approach him or her. When you wake up some morning one day you may not make it to the evening. And when an evening approaches, for you the following morning may never come. Death comes so sudden and no one knows when death will come to them, or when they will die. One day a plague hit some town and a young man decided to escape it and he left for another town. His father told him to stay with his people and what ever happens to them will go for him; and that Islam guidance is not to exit from a plague so not to carry it and spread it to others. He insisted to escape death and he left. On the way he took a break a slept under a tree; and a snake bit him and he died. His father said: “Seeking safety he ran away from death but he died. Death seeks the young man no matter where he goes. To you everything becomes lethal when you meet your time of death".
Allah says: {and spend in charity off what we gave you before death approaches one of you. Then he shall say: God, can you put it off for a short time in order for me to donate for charity and be amongst the good}. Do good deeds and give in charity before time of death approaches you. Then your life becomes so little and your age shrinks and wish if you shall be given one more day or even a part of a day, just so you would do a prayer, or donate some money, or even given time to praise and glorify Allah, or say: "praise be to Allah, all thanks be to Allah, and no other God but Allah, and Allah is the greatest", but no such a chance. Allah says: {Allah shall not delay a soul when its time comes, and Allah is an expert with what you do}. Allah also says: {and when their time comes they shall not be one hour early or late} and the word hour here means moment of time rather than hour as in sixty minutes. Allah also says: {Allah's appointment when it comes it does not get delayed if you just knew}.
2) Death is a true must for all creations.
Heart becomes rusty just as iron does. Reciting Koran and remembering death is how to clean and the heart and makes it shiny. Remember death for no one escaped it ever. Not even a sent messenger, or a king in his throne. Allah says: {You are dead and they are dead, and all of you will on the day of resurrection arguing before your Lord}. If it is possible for anyone to escape death then Muhammad ppbu would have escaped it. He willingly accepted death because he had done good deeds with Allah. The messenger ppbu while dying said: {La Elaha Ella Allah} three time. Then he said: {Death is a struggle, O Allah, help me overcome the struggles of death}.
When the messenger (PPBU) died, Omar as if he was objecting to this idea said: “whoever says Muhammad is dead I will chop his head off”. But Abu-Bakr said: “whoever was worshiping Muhammad; let them know that Muhammad has died. And whoever is worshipping Allah, let them know that Allah is for ever alive, never dies”. Abo-Baker also recited: {And Muhammad is just a messenger like all those messengers before him. Is it that if he dies or gets killed then you would switch backward or retract? And this whoever retracts will harm Allah absolutely nothing. And Allah will reward those who are patient}”. Allah says: {Each and every soul will taste death; then you shall be returned to Us}. Allah also says: {Each and every soul will taste death; and We test you with the bad and with the good as temptation and then you shall be returned to Us}. Allah says: {Each and every soul will taste death; then you shall be given your entitlements on the day of resurrection. This who is shoved off hell fire and is entered into paradise then he would have won}. Indeed, that is the winner, not the one whose balance in millions or billions, or who built the palaces and got the highest positions and highest scale in this worldly life.
When Prophet Noah was dying, he was asked: How do you see life after this long age? He said: “I see it as if I entered into a house with two doors. I entered through one and went out through the other”. When Abu-Baker was dying; his daughter came to see him. She was overwhelmed with his situation and she recited a poem. He said to her, the poet has lied, and Allah says the truth. And he quoted this verse from the Koran: {And the struggle of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!"}. This is Khalifa Abd-Al-Malik at his death bed cried and recited the verse: {And all that they used to earn will do nothing for them}15:84. Then he said: “I wish if I worked in a laundry”. One of the scholars (Saeed Ebn Moseeb) commented on that by saying: “Thanks to Allah that made them flea to us at time of death rather than us fleeing to them. That is because they only wake up and become alert at this time of death. People are in a state of forgetfulness or absentmindedness and just as they are about to die they wake up and become alert”. Slaves of Allah, the smart and astute one is the one who prepares for this hour and not get fooled and deceived by youth and health.
3) Good deeds one builds what is after death.
Death ends everyone then comes the reconvening and judgment. Look at those who have moved on and how much they left of gardens, plants and lovely housing, which all has been given as inheritance to others. Neither the heavens nor the earth cried over them and their death was not to be postponed. In fact in the case of some, people were relieved by their death from aggression and wrong they used to commit. They earned the curse of Allah, and the curse of the people and angels. The one who the people cry over when he dies is the one who was good to the people, and the one people remember his good deeds and good words, and good morals, and good behaviour, and the good trace and aftermath on earth. One can live a long time after one dies if he or she leaves a good history and memories. Get a higher status for your self after death by doing the good deeds and by abstaining from sins. The messenger ppbu says: {when man dies his deeds ceases except for three: an on going donation, or a useful science, or a piet son who makes a prayer (Duaa) for him}.
Haroon Al-Rasheed one of the greatest kings of this life he used to challenge clouds in the sky. He say a cloud once over Baghdad and said to the cloud: “Hey, cloud, go east or go west and drop your rain where eve you wish. The income off the plants you water will come to me, either in a Muslim land as a charity (Zakah), or over a non-Muslim land as a tax”. When he got sick at the end of his life and the doctors did a urine test, he gave his urine sample with many other samples so they would not know which was his. The doctors identified the owner of one sample to be in his last days. And that was his. He recited poems to the meaning:
Doctors’ knowledge is only good as long as death is not due to the individual.
But as time of death approaches then doctors become confused and medicines betray And so it was, and that great mighty king was finished. No money, no authority, no army and no guards will be useful. Would those rulers and kings and those rich and those snobby people that without a shadow of doubt death is coming. Dear brothers we have to keep death right in front of our eyes, and to remember this mighty fact in our minds all the time so we would not be included with the forgetful and absentminded.
Notes:
Adhan - The call to prayer.
- The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
- is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)
Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh - Religious law.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.
Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman: belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.
Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."
Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.
Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.
Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.
Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.
Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam- Fasting
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Surah - A chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.
Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor - The Psalms
Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
