Nafsiya Reflections: Your Final Exit

Welcome to Nafsiya Reflections: Your Final Exit

Death! We will all experience it. There is no hiding from it. Our bodies will stop functioning and we will be placed in the grave which eventually our bodies will start to decompose. Will we be prepared for it? If we can rewind our life and take a look back, will we like what we did? Will we contempt with the good we implemented in our daily life?

(قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ)

“Say: The Death from which you flee will truly overtake you: then will you be sent back to the Knower of all things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that you did!” [Al-Jumu’a:8].

After death comes the eternal life of Paradise or the Hellfire (God forbid we ever see Hellfire). We can’t return back to fix our prayers, wear our Hijab correctly, forbid the Munkar, give charity, repent, etc. Allah (swt) mentions,

(وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ وَلاَ الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُوْلَئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا)

“Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds, until death faces one of them, and he says: “Now I repent” nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them have we prepared a painful torment” [An-Nisa: 18].

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏:‏ كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَىُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَكْيَسُ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لِلْمَوْتِ ذِكْرًا وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ لِمَا بَعْدَهُ اسْتِعْدَادًا أُولَئِكَ الأَكْيَاسُ ‏"‏

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“I was with the Messenger of Allah (saw) and a man from among the Ansar came to him and greeted the Prophet (saw) with Salam. Then he said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the believers is best?’ He said: ‘He who has the best manners among them.’ He said: ‘Which of them is wisest?’ He said: ‘The one who remembers death the most and is best in preparing for it. Those are the wisest.’”

As time goes by, we surely are in the state of great loss except the ones that do righteous deeds and steer clear from the path of sin. We need to stay patient in being righteous no matter how difficult life can get because of the bigger picture that we shall meet Allah (swt). We at times should remind ourselves of death and we can surely do that by visiting the graves. The Messenger (saw) said:

 ‏ زُورُوا الْقُبُورَ فَإِنَّهَا تُذَكِّرُكُمُ الآخِرَةَ ‏"‏ ‏ "

“Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.”

This helps to remind ourselves of the true purpose and once that happens, we tend to ignore or remain patient to what life throws at us. Life is not fair and trials are part of the struggle but how our beloved Prophet (saw) said:

" الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْعَاجِزُ مَنْ أَتْبَعَ نَفْسَهُ هَوَاهَا وَتَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ "

"The clever person ids the one who subjugates his soul, and works for what is after death. And the incapable is the one who follows his desires and merely hopes in Allah."

[He said:] The meaning of his saying: "Who subjugates his soul", is to say the one who reckons with his soul in the world, before he is reckoned with, on the Day of Judgement. It has been related that 'Umar bin Al-Khattäb said: "Reckon with yourselves before you are reckoned with, and prepare for the Greatest Inquisition. The reckoning of the Day of Judgement is only light for the one who reckoned with himself in the world." And, it has been related that Maimun bin Mihran said: "The slave (of Allah) will not be a Taqi until he has reckoned himself, just as he would account for where his business partner got his food and clothing.

We need to remember that we are travelers in this life and as one travels one can experience stress, exhaustion, poverty, humiliation, as well as laughter, joy, tranquility. This is part of a traveler’s path but the traveler knows he/she will return home in a matter of days. This is life! Death, we shall experience so it’s how one prepared for this journey and how he/she will present it to the Lord of Mankind. Remembrance of Death is not crying but is about the Believer imagining he/she will meet his Lord and will be held accountable for every second that he lived. Allah (swt) said:

(حَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَهُمُ الۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارۡجِعُوۡنِۙ‏ * لَعَلِّىۡۤ اَعۡمَلُ صَالِحًـا فِيۡمَا تَرَكۡتُ​ؕ كَلَّا​ ؕ اِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا​ؕ وَمِنۡ وَّرَآئِهِمۡ بَرۡزَخٌ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُوۡنَ‏ * فَاِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّوۡرِ فَلَاۤ اَنۡسَابَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَـئِذٍ وَّلَا يَتَسَآءَلُوۡنَ‏ * فَمَنۡ ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَازِيۡنُهٗ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ‏ * وَمَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَازِيۡنُهٗ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ الَّذِيۡنَ خَسِرُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ فِىۡ جَهَـنَّمَ خٰلِدُوۡنَ​ ۚ)

“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: “O my Lord! Send me back (to life), in order that 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 Partition until the Day they are raised up. Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another! Then those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose their own selves; in Hell will they abide” [Al-Mu’minun: 99-103]

May we be among the ones who work tirelessly for our Akhira!

Ameen!

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