Assalamu’alaikum Warohmatullohi Wabarakatuhu...
Bismillaahirrohmaanirrohiim .....

Death: More Than Just An Individual's Life Being Taken Away

by Abu 'Abdir-Rahman Navaid Aziz
Al- Madeenah An-Nabaweyyah
The night of the 17th of Safar 1428

All praise is due to Allah, who reminds his slaves that their lives have an appointed time and that the successful ones are those who are saved from the Fire and entered into Paradise, when He says:

"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception." [Al-Qur'an 3:185]

And reminds them that death will reach them no matter where they are when He says:

"Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" [Al-Qur'an 4:78]

And reminds them that regardless of what their status in this world, they will face death. Even if they are from the greatest of warriors, or the most powerful of rulers, or even a Prophet when He addressed His Messenger, upon whom be peace, saying:

"Verily, you will die and indeed they shall die as well." [Al-Qur'an 39:30]

And reminds them that they should take heed, because a time will come where they will ask for respite to do more deeds yet shall not be granted this request when He says:

"And spend of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: 'My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give sadaqah of my wealth, and be among the righteous.' And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Qur'an 63:10-11]

And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but He and may His salah and salam be upon the Prophet Mohammad, his companions and those who follow their way in righteousness until the last day.

Death is indeed a reality that we all have to face one day. For most of us we will have to go through mourned times over our lost loved ones before we actually face our own destiny. And at that time, even though we may not realize it, Allah is bestowing a great favor upon us by reminding us that we to will one day face such a fate, so it is indeed time to be reminded.

Tonight Allah, the Most Exalted, bestowed such reminder upon me by taking away the life of my grandfather, may Allah encompass him with His infinite mercy and blessing and protect him from the punishment of the grave and the hellfire. Amin.

As my mother, may Allah protect her and increase her in righteousness, broke the news to me I could feel the ground being taken from under me, just as it had recently been taken from under her, and it was at that very moment that a sad reality hit me quite hard.

Death is not just an individual's life being taken away but rather it is so much more. It is a wife losing her husband, a child losing his father, a sister losing her brother, a grandchild losing his grandfather, one who was in need losing someone they would resort to, and the list goes on.

The only sadder reality than losing my grandfather, may Allah have mercy on him, was the fact that it took a close family member of mine to pass away before I realized the actual pain and anxiety that death causes. May Allah forgive us for our heedlessness in not sympathizing and empathizing with our brothers and sisters who die and lose loved ones everyday. Amin.

Even though it has just roughly been over two hours since I was informed of this great loss a lot of thoughts and reminders have crossed my mind which I feel are incumbent upon me to share with you today, in accordance to the statement of Allah, the Most High:

"And remind, for indeed the reminder benefits the believer." [Al-Qur'an 51:55]

Firstly: Never take your Islam for granted by not sharing it with your family and friends. When Allah blessed you with Islam, He placed upon you a responsibility to convey its message to all of mankind. And from the crux of the message of Islam is worshipping Allah alone. For it is indeed this very crucial element that is the criterion between entering Paradise or not. As Allah, the Most High, says:

"Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives all except that to whom He pleases, and who so ever sets up rivals with Allah in worship, has indeed committed a tremendous sin." [Al-Qur'an 4:48]

So which one of us, with the slightest bit of faith and true love, would want to see one of our beloved prevented from Paradise?

Secondly: Know, that by having come into this world Allah created a bond between you and your parents that no one can ever take away. And has placed upon you a responsibility that should not be taken lightly at the very least.

After having spoken to my mother, may Allah preserve her, I longed from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul to be there with her, comfort her, and take care of her every want and need.

But due to my currently being overseas, I must live with the guilt of not being able to have been there for her in her time of need. May Allah forgive all of us for our shortcomings. Amin.

As for those of you who have your parents alive and close by, I advise you as a well wisher to be as righteous towards them as possible, lest that you are ever away from them in a time of need, you will not be burdened with the guilt that you did not do your best while you were able to.

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.' " [Al-Qur'an 17:23-24]

Lastly: Do not be insensitive or inconsiderate of people. I know that the statement is very vague and ambiguous, but I believe it is its ambiguity and vagueness that makes it all the more powerful.

Approximately two minutes after I felt the ground was being taken from under me a close friend of mine, may Allah grant him forgiviness, called and jokingly said: "Do you have a disease that prevents you from answering text messages!?" At that very moment I was just awestruck and at an absolute loss of words to say the very least.

Even though I do not blame him for not knowing of my particular situation, I do feel it is very sad that we often fail to realize that someone may be going through hardship and not even attempt to give them the benefit of the doubt.

What I find even sadder in this situation is how having lost a grandfather to many illnesses and diseases, that we as conscious individuals, can joke, jest, and belittle any sickness or disease. May Allah forgive us for what our surroundings have made of us. Amin.

On a more pertinent note, when people lose loved ones they need the love and support of people around them to get over it. One of the best ways to do this is to just be there to talk to them in the initial stages of the shock, and as time goes on try to get them to re-adjust to their regular routines and daily lives.

One of the biggest mistakes that people, who want to do good, can make is to bring up the topic of a lost one when the family of the deceased have just begun to get over them. A loss of a loved one is like an open wound, it needs time and care to heal, so do be careful not to pour salt where it will only harm.

Indeed, the reminders found in death are many and thus some of our predecessors would suffice by just saying the word "death" in their Friday sermons. So I hope the few reminders I extracted were beneficial, fore mostly to myself. As like all other reminders if there is no physical implementation in regards to what is said, then its presence is just as good as its absence, and I pray to Allah that this is not the case.

May Allah have mercy upon all of the deceased of the Muslims. May He grant them firmness in answering. May He widen their graves and fill them with light and many pleasures. May he protect them from any punishment and harm in the grave or in the hellfire.

May He enter them into the highest of paradise in the companionship of the prophets, martyrs, truthful ones, and the righteous. May He make the deaths of deceased a lesson for those they have left behind.

May He grant comfort, solace, and firmness to those they have left behind, and may He replace all of their sorrows and dismays with unlimited pleasure and joy in this life and the next. Amin. Amin. Amin.

"Their call therein will be, 'Exalted are You, O Allah' and their greeting therein will be, 'Peace.' And the last of their call will be, 'Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!' " [Al-Qur'an 10:10]

Was salam 'alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu

http://www.sunnahonline.com/library/purification/0112.htm

Assalamu’alaikum Warohmatullohi Wabarakatuhu...
Bismillaahirrohmaanirrohiim .....

Whatever Allah Does It Is For Our Best
And for Allah is the Highest example. (Surah Nahl:60)

So when Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala , in His Infinite Wisdom, tests us with a situation that we think is difficult or takes away something that in our mind was good for us, we need to remember that perhaps it may not be so. Perhaps if we had continued in our way, it might have been harmful for us and whatever Allah decreed for us is actually better for us, for He is All-Wise and All-Knowing. Allah says:

'...and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.' (Surah Baqarah: 216)

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: 'Do not resent the calamities that come and the disasters that occur, for perhaps in something that you dislike will be your salvation, and perhaps in something that you prefer will be your doom.'

Remember that we are dealing with the One who is Arham ar-Raahimeen, the Most Merciful of all that show mercy. All the mercy that we have in this world from Adam (Alaiyhi Salaam) to the Day of Judgment is only one hundredth of the Mercy of the Most Merciful. And He is Most Wise. He knows and we don't know.

So have faith in Him and trust in Him and although, sometimes we may not understand the reason behind certain things, know that as long as you obey Him, whatever He will do for you is, in fact for your betterment.

So if Allah didn't give you that big house, or that nice car you wanted or that big raise you were hoping for, know in your mind and believe in your heart that it is actually better for you. Who knows.....maybe that big house, that car or that money would have become a source of 'fitnah' (test) for you....Perhaps you would have become arrogant and conceited because of it, and Allah saved you from it. Because, you know that the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: 'Any one in whose heart is even a mustard seed's worth of pride will not enter Paradise.' (Muslim)

And if you have been sick and suffering, sure it is not easy. But again, know in your mind and believe in your heart that it is indeed better for you. For, if you bear patiently, it will be a means of expiation for your sins and a source of great reward. The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: 'There is nothing that befalls a believer, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allah will record one good deed for him and will remove one bad deed from him.' (Muslim)

And: 'On the Day of Resurrection, when people who had suffered affliction are given their reward, those who were healthy will wish their skins had been cut to pieces with scissors when they were in the world (when they see the immense rewards for the afflictions they suffered).' (Tirmidhi-Saheeh by al-Albaani)

If Allah took away a dear, loved one, believe, from the bottom of your heart, that surely this was better. For, you never know, had the one who passed away lived longer, may be his life would have been one of sins and disobedience and Allah, out of His Mercy, took him before that....in a state of Imaan.

And if life has been difficult, worries surround you and calamities after calamities befall you, hear the good news from the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam): 'Trials will continue to befall the believing man and woman, with regard to themselves, their children and their wealth, until they meet Allah with no sin on them.' (Tirmidhi-- saheeh by al-Albaani)

Subhaan Allah! No sin?! And what is it from this world that you wouldn't give up, just to meet Allah with no sin??!!

Remember that the One Who is testing you is the Most Wise, the Most Merciful and the Most Loving.....and that He did not send this calamity in order to destroy you....or cause you pain or finish you off. Rather, He is checking on you, testing your patience, acceptance and faith; it is so that He may hear your du'a and supplication, so that He may see you standing before Him....seeking His protection....filled with humility and complaining to Him, alone. The difficulties you face is a reminder for you to return to Allah and ask for forgiveness from Him. Who knows... if He didn't give you the difficulty, maybe you would have strayed from Him far, far away....

Ibn Taymiyah said: 'A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you than a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah.' Thus in our times of trouble, when we go through pain and suffering and in our times of loss, we need to trust Allah. We need to keep in mind that as long as we fear Him and try our best to obey Him, He will never do us wrong. He will protect us and guide us and do the best for us, no matter what the situation apparently looks like. Allaah says in a hadeeth Qudsi:

'I am as my slave thinks of me and I am with him whenever he remembers me.' (Agreed Upon).

It is actually a sign of our weakness and shortsightedness, that we tend to focus on the calamities themselves, without paying much attention to the benefits that they may bring. We also forget to look at all other innumerable blessings that we enjoy and see around us.

Our minds, our logic and our senses cannot even begin to fathom the Wisdom, the Knowledge and the Hikmah behind Allaah's decisions and verdicts. It is He who is the Wise....it is He who is the Just and it is He who is the Knower of the unseen. If we trust in Allaah, He will suffice and it is He who will grant us goodness in any situation and under any circumstances.


'And when someone puts all his trust in Allah, He will be enough for him.' (Surah at-Talaaq:3)

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: 'If you put your trust completely in Allah, He will arrange for your sustenance in the same way as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with their stomachs empty and return filled in the evening.' (Tirmidhi-saheeh).

So trust Him....for, there is much reward in trusting Him.....it is Jannah (Paradise). And there is sin in distrusting Him. Calamities and disasters are a test, and they are a sign of Allaah's love for a person. They are like medicine: even though it is bitter, yet, in spite of its bitterness you still give it to the one whom you love....

'The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allaah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.' (Saheeh al-Tirmidhi)

http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/whateverallahdoes.html