08-23-2003, 10:40 AM
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Seize the Day, Tomorrow is not Yours
Sumayyah bint Joan
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Upon hearing about the death of a fellow Muslim, it suddenly struck
me how
very fleeting life is, and that I was only a twinkling of an eye away
from
where he is now.
Death is the reality from which none of us can escape. It draws
nearer every
day, every hour, every minute. So I had to ask myself, if I were to
die
today, would I have done all that I could to ensure Allah's Favor,
and to
evade His Wrath? Unfortunately for me, the answer was a resounding
NOOO.
At the end of the day, I ask myself, what good have I sent ahead for
the
benefit of my soul? And again, the answers usually, very little.
Time, it
seems, is moving by so quickly. It seems just like yesterday that we
started
the "New Year," yet we're already almost a third of the way through
it. A
month seems like a week, a week seems like an hour and an hour feels
like
just minutes. This is why I've resolved to try my utmost, with the
aid of
Allah to take advantage of every opportunity to do good deeds, and
not to put
off until later, what I can do now. Death is coming, are you ready?
Allah says, "Every soul shall have a taste of death, and only on the
Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only those who are
saved
far from the Fire, and admitted to the Garden will have succeeded.
For the
life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception." [3:185]
It is so easy for us to get caught up in the comings and goings of
our
everyday lives, that we tend to forget that we don't have forever in
this
worldly life, and get distracted away from our true aim and purpose.
We tend
to forget that we are here to worship Allah and to avail ourselves of
the
various opportunities He gives us to store up for ourselves treasures
in
Heaven. For He, subhanahu wa taala, also says,
"O you who believe! Revere Allah, and let every person look to what
he has
sent forth for the morrow; and revere Allah. Allah is well Aware of
what you
do. And be not like those who forgot (disobeyed) Allah, and He caused
them to
forget themselves. Those are the disobedient. Not equal are the
dwellers of
the Fire and the dwellers of Jannah. It is the dwellers of Jannah who
will be
successful." [59:18-20]
He also tells us that we do not know the hour of our own deaths, or
in what
land we will die. But He through His unending Mercy toward us, has
given us
ways to prepare for the inevitable now, because once we've passed
from this
life to the next, there is no coming back to do the things we should
have
done. For Allah says,
"Until death comes to one of them, he says, 'My Lord, send me back.
Perhaps I
may do good in that which I have left behind.' No, it is but a word
that he
speaks, and behind them is a barzakh until the day when they are
raised up."
[23:99-100]
Allah has given us ways to protect ourselves from the punishment of
the
grave. One of these ways is by fighting in the Cause of Allah. It is
reported
that a man asked the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, "O
Messenger of
Allah, why are all the believers tested in the graves except a
martyr?" He,
sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "The flashing of swords over his
head was
a sufficient test for him." (An-Nasai)
This may be difficult for most of us to do in this day and age, but
Allah has
provided us with many other ways to earn ease in the next life. These
include
reciting Surat ul-Mulk, because the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam,
said, "Surat Tabarak is the protector from the torment of the grave."
(Al-Hakim) He, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, also said, "When a human
being
dies, all of his deeds are terminated except for three types: an
ongoing
sadaqh, a knowledge of Islam from which others benefit, and a
righteous child
who makes du'a for him." (Muslim)
Another way to earn a continuing reward is by reviving a lost Sunnah
of the
Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. He, sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam, said,
"He who initiates in Islam a good way gets his reward for it, as well
as
rewards similar to those who follow him into it, without reducing any
of
their rewards." (Muslim) For those of us who know of fellow Muslims
who have
already begun their journey, or who are about to enter, into the next
life,
there are things we can do to make the transition easier,
insha'Allah. These
include performing the Janazah prayer for the deceased, fulfilling
the
deceased's vows, payment of the deceased's debts and the
supplications of the
Muslims.
This life is fleeting. Death is coming. Let us get ready.