In a similar analogy, the human being’s behavior towards death is clustered into three types (see Table 1): Occupied with life activities, Repentant, and Mindful. The Occupied person with life activities has no time to think of life journey and its objectives. He/she is always running from one business to another neglecting his/her purpose in life. Such a person dislikes death because he/she never prepares for and always runs away from remembering it. Those are the type who flees from death as mentioned in the verse:
                                                                                                                                      قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (8) سورة الجمعة
Chapter Al-Jumaah (8) Say, "Indeed, the death from which you flee - indeed, it will meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you about what you used to do."

The Prophet (SAS) also mentioned such type as those who dislike to meet Allah (SWT), He also dislikes to meet them:
وعنها (عاءشة) قالت ‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏من أحب لقاء الله أحب الله لقاءه، ومن كره لقاء الله كره الله لقاءه‏"‏ فقلت‏:‏ يا رسول الله ، أكراهية الموت‏؟‏ فكلنا نكره الموت‏!‏ قال‏:‏‏"‏ليس كذلك، ولكن المؤمن إذا بشر برحمة الله ورضوانه وجنته أحب لقاء الله ، فأحب الله لقاءه، وإن الكافر إذا بشر بعذاب الله وسخطه، كره لقاء الله وكره الله لقاءه‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah abhors to meet him." I ('Aishah) said: "O Messenger of Allah! So far as the feelings of aversion against death are concerned, we all have this feeling." Thereupon he said, "I do not mean that. What I meant is that when a (true) believer is given the glad tidings of the Mercy of Allah, His Pleasures and His Jannah (at the time of death), he loves to meet Allah, and Allah also loves to meet him. When a disbeliever is given the news of the Torment of Allah and His Wrath (at the time of death), he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah also abhors to meet him." [Muslim].
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The Repentant is the one who commits sins and shortcomings, then, repents to Allah to forgive him/her and accept his/her repentance. S/He often remembers death to a certain degree. Then, he/she might forget again and get busy with life activities and so on for the entire life. Such type of human beings may hate death for fear of dying before repenting fully, preparing well for life after death, and fulfilling all their duties in this life. Such a person hates death and returning to the Almighty Allah (SWT) due to his/her shortcomings, which is, to some extent, justifiable. Most of us are in this category, may Allah (SWT) forgive us all and grant us success in all our lives.

The Mindful is the one who always remembering death because he/she is eager to enjoy the company of the Almighty Allah (SWT). In a supreme state of the Mindful people, they completely trust what the Almighty brings to them, i.e. they love what Allah likes and dislike what He hates. Such people always accept what Allah sustains them with. I pray to Allah (SWT) to guide us all to be Mindful and to always remember death. This is the true and wisest believer, who is always thinking about death and continuously working hard to prepare for the lives after death. Let us all pray to Allah (SWT) to make us Mindful.

Based upon the above analogy, remembering death is critical to the success in all lives. A person asked one of the scholars “why do I hate death?” He responded “do you have money?” The asker said “yes”. The scholar said “give it as a charity because your heart is tied to your money; if you give it today for the sake of Allah (SWT), you would like to follow the money to the Hereafter and if you keep the money, you would like to stay with such money in life.” Another scholar said “Whatever you like to accompany you in the Hereafter, offer it today as a charity. Leave what you would hate to see in the Hereafter and what causes you to dislike death. At this moment, you won’t be afraid of death.”

The example of Mindful is symbolized in the companions of the Prophet (SAS) and their followers. They were continuously remembering death and used it as a positive motivation for success in all life activities. They correctly understand the purpose of life as to spread Good all over, to forbid any bad actions, and not to follow their desires. This is clear in Allah’s order to Prophet David to be just and not to follow desire else he might get astray:

                                                   يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَىٰ فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ (26) سورة ص
Chapter Sad (26) "O' David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah." Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.

We thank Allah (SWT) for these blessings that clear our way and lead to happiness in all our lives. Remembrance of death is the most effective treatment for our hearts, souls, and body in this life, and helps us to achieve the best in the Hereafter. Let us renew our intention to change our attitude towards life and be Mindful. It is our opportunity to effectively follow Allah’s perfect and clear guidance for a better tomorrow.

What’s next?
In the upcoming sections of Article 2 ‘Death: the most forgotten and unwelcome truth’, 84 Verses and 342 authentic Narrations, which deal with death, are reviewed to describe the misconceptions and facts regarding death, the continuous remembrance of death, the benefits of remembering death and finally, the moment of death. The article will end with a recommendation to implement in our daily lives.

I will start the series of articles about the human journey to Paradise with “Death”. This is an unusual start and many of you might consider this a negative approach. Or an approach that might lead to frustration and distress. On the contrary, it should be considered a very positive and constructive approach since it motivates us to increase our repentance and closeness to Allah (SWT). It also improves the excellence of our worship to Allah (SWT) and our behavior towards others. Therefore, remembering death leads to happiness in both lives, i.e. this life and the Hereafter. The remembrance of death also treats the illnesses of and softens the heart. The Prophet (SAS) confirmed such concept in his response to the companion who asked him about the best believer and the wisest, he said the wisest is the one who remembers death the most:
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 ‏"‏ سنن ابن ماجه (حديث حسن)
Ibn ‘Umar said: “I was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man from among the Ansar came to him and greeted the Prophet (ﷺ) 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.” Sunan Ibn Majah (Hasan).

The example of death to the human being is similar to the example of course deadlines to students and the job milestones to employees. If students start the semester with well-known course objectives, deadlines, expectations, content, and examination procedure, they will be very relaxed during the semester with enough time, knowledge, and information to prepare and succeed in the course. Similarly, the employees will be more prepared and therefore more successful if they know the work expectations, knowledge, and promotion criteria. In the same way, every human being should know and always remember death as an essential milestone in his/her life because life after death is fully dependent on the life before. Our time of death is also unknown and usually comes unexpectedly without warning or notice. Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAS) made the phases and expectations of our journey very clear to us through the Quran and Narrations. I pray to Allah (SWT) to guide me explore these teachings and properly present them to you through this series of Articles.

The behavior of human being towards death is also similar to the behavior of students towards their courses and employees towards their jobs. Assuming that the students have a well-defined course content/outline and the employees have a well-defined job description and promotion criteria, their behavior is classified into three main categories (as shown in Table 1): Inconsiderate, Modest, and Achiever. The Inconsiderate has a careless behavior towards his/her course as a student or his job as an employee. This might lead to failure for both of them. The Modest has uncertain behavior towards his/her course or job, which sometimes, he/she does well and sometimes not. This category is a borderline in terms of success as he/she might be successful or not, i.e. ambiguous. He/she is for sure in a better, average, situation than the inconsiderate, but risky. The Achiever knows and prepares well in advance for the deadlines and milestones from the first moment of his/her work. Those are the winners in all fields of life. One of the successful students, who achieved high marks, was asked how you accomplished such success, he responded “I did not forget the examination moment for the entire semester.”

Chapter Al-Mulk (2) [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.

In life, human beings have been asked to follow the commandment of Allah (SWT) and have been assured that one day they will die. If they do well and obey Allah (SWT) in their life, they will have great reward after death and vice versa. Some questions might come to mind: What is death? When does it come? Does it come suddenly? There are several answers to these questions. For example, one might say “death is the end of life”. Another might say “death is the beginning of life” considering that the true eternal life is in the Hereafter. Yet another might say “death is the day of harvesting what you planted during life.” All of the above leads to one conclusion, death is an essential true event at the end of one’s current life and the beginning of others, i.e. life in the grave and the Hereafter. Death is an inevitable truth that will happen to every one of us as revealed in several verses of the Quran and many Narrations. This is evident as described in the following:

1- Allah (SWT) decreed death to all lives, i.e. every being who is alive on Earth and in Heaven. He (SWT) indicated to the Prophet (SAS) that he will die and so will all human beings:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ (30) سورة الزمر .
Chapter Al-Zummer (30) Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.

Allah (SWT) also mentioned that all beings on Earth and in Heaven will cease to exist. Nothing will remain except Himself (SWT).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ (26) . سورة الرحمن
Chapter Al-Rahman (26) Everyone upon the earth will perish.
                                                                                                                                     وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ ۘ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ ۚ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (88) سورة القصص
Chapter Al-Qasas (88) And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.

Allah (SWT), in another verse, informed us that He decreed death to all beings. Scholars, in interpreting this verse, said that this covers all beings on Earth and in Heaven.
                                                                                                                                                                                                نَحْنُ قَدَّرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْمَوْتَ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ (60) سورة الواقعة
Chapter Al Waqiah (60) We have decreed death among you, and We are not to be outdone.

2- Human beings can’t avoid death. Also, your money, children, status, kinship, position, followers, friends, and all kinds of security can’t protect you from death as mentioned in the following verse:
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ ۗ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِندِكَ ۚ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۖ فَمَالِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا (78) سورة النساء
Chapter Al-Nisaa (78) Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to them, they say, "This is from Allah "; and if evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Say, "All [things] are from Allah." So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?

3- Death is the first step towards the Hereafter. Therefore, it is a very critical event for all of us. This is clear in the response of the Prophet (SAS) to the Bedouins and what Uthman, may Allah be pleased on him, heard from him (SAS) as follows:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِنَ الأَعْرَابِ جُفَاةً يَأْتُونَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَيَسْأَلُونَهُ مَتَى السَّاعَةُ، فَكَانَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَصْغَرِهِمْ فَيَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنْ يَعِشْ هَذَا لاَ يُدْرِكْهُ الْهَرَمُ حَتَّى تَقُومَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَاعَتُكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ هِشَامٌ يَعْنِي مَوْتَهُمْ‏.‏ رواه البخارى Narrated `Aisha: Some rough Bedouins used to visit the Prophet (ﷺ) and ask him, "When will the Hour be?" He would look at the youngest of all of them and say, "If this kid should live till he is very old, your Hour (the death of the people addressed) will take place." Hisham said that he meant (by the Hour), their death. [Al-Bukhari 6511].

عَنْ هَانِئٍ، - مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ - قَالَ ‏:‏ كَانَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ إِذَا وَقَفَ عَلَى قَبْرٍ يَبْكِي حَتَّى يَبُلَّ لِحْيَتَهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ ‏:‏ تَذْكُرُ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ وَلاَ تَبْكِي وَتَبْكِي مِنْ هَذَا قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الآخِرَةِ …..‏سنن ابن ماجه
It was narrated that Hani’ the freed slave of ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan, said: “When ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan stood beside a grave, he would weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: ‘You remember Paradise and Hell, and you do not weep, but you weep for this?’ He said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. …...” [Sunan Ibn Majah (Hasan)].

4- After death, human beings will return back to the Almighty Allah (SWT) to be held accountable for their actions during life as indicated clearly in the following verses:
                                                                                                                                                                                                         كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ(57) سورة العنكبوت
Chapter Al-Ankabout: (57) Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.
                                                                                                                                                                          كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ (35) سورة الأنبياء
Chapter Al-Anbiyaa (35) Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.
                                                                                                                              قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (8) سورة الجمعة
Chapter Al-Jumaah (8) Say, "Indeed, the death from which you flee - indeed, it will meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you about what you used to do."

5- Death is an essential event that separates one life, where you can perform actions, and other lives, where you will live the consequences of those actions. The reward primarily relies on the type of action during life. If you do good, you will be rewarded accordingly and vice versa. Death is considered the harvest day for our deeds during life as shown in the following verse:
                                                                                 كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ (185) سورة آل عمران
Chapter Al-Imran (185) Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.

The Prophet (SAS) described the wise human beings as those who worked hard to have a good life after death even if this is at the expense of their time and effort during life. Being short and weightless, life is nothing compared to the Hereafter’s eternal life.
           عن أبي يعلى شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ الكيس من دان نفسه، وعمل لما بعد الموت، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها، وتمنى على الله الأماني‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏)‏‏‏‏.‏
Shaddad bin Aws (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires". [Al-Tirmidhi].

The above facts confirm that death is very close to us waiting at our doors for the decreed moment. The number of verses and narrations that support such facts and inform us about this continuously forgotten truth can’t be ignored. One question might come to mind: why does Allah (SWT) mention death in this large number of verses and similarly, so do the Prophet’s narrations? One verse or narration is enough to confirm death. Also, time and experience are enough for humans to realize that death is a truth. However, Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAS) are emphasizing and continuously reminding us to be vigilant towards this truth. Wake up! Death is coming very soon. Life is too short. Do not waste time and effort away from your purpose on Earth. Plant the good seeds today for a better tomorrow. Always be positive and constructive in this life. You should be a good constructive member of society by implementing your noble morals. You represent Allah (SWT) on Earth. You should carry this responsibility for the best of humanity.
  

Human beings have several misconceptions about death in terms of the time of their death and location, their ability to escape from death, and hatred in their hearts towards death. These misconceptions are summarized in the following points:

1- Human beings hate death for several reasons, i.e. it ends their life, it destroys their joy in life, they are not ready to meet Allah with complete repentance, etc. However, it is supposed to be the opposite since remembering death protects you from mistakes towards others; forbids you from disobeying Allah (SWT); prevents you from stealing things that are not yours; guards you against Satan and all bad actions; and pushes you towards Allah (SWT). This is clearly described in the following Narration:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ فَكُلُّنَا نَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لَيْسَ كَذَلِكِ وَلَكِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا بُشِّرَ بِرَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانِهِ وَجَنَّتِهِ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ فَأَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَإِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا بُشِّرَ بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ وَسَخَطِهِ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح مسلم
A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He who loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah abhors to meet him. I ('A'isha) said: Allah's Apostle, so far as the feeling of aversion against death is concerned, we all have this feeling. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: It is not that (which you construe), but (this) that when a believer (at the time of death) is given the glad tidings of the mercy of Allah, His Pleasure, and of Paradise, he loves to meet Allah, and Allah also loves to meet him, and when a disbeliever is given the news of the torment at the Hand of Allah, and Hardship to be imposed by Him, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah also abhors to meet him. [Sahih Muslim 2684a].

2- We are usually under the impression that death only comes to elders. Time of death is unknown to all Beings and comes suddenly without any notice(s). If it is not today, it is tomorrow or in a later time. It will be in a specific moment that only Allah knows. Some of us die in their sleep and while awake. Several die through sickness and others while healthy. Many die during childhood; others during youth; and many in their old age. Therefore, death does not discriminate by age, race, or physical state. The following verses and Narrations explain the above facts and misconceptions.
                                                                                وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ (145) سورة آل عمران
Chapter Al-Imran (145) And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined. And whoever desires the reward of this world - We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter - We will give him thereof. And we will reward the grateful.
                                                                  اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (42) سورة الزمر
Chapter Al-Zummar (42) Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.
                                                     هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا شُيُوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (67) سورة غافر
Chapter Ghafir (67) It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then [He develops you] that you reach your [time of] maturity, then [further] that you become elders. And among you is he who is taken in death before [that], so that you reach a specified term; and perhaps you will use reason. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ لَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَدِينَةَ وُعِكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَبِلاَلٌ - قَالَتْ - فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِمَا فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَتِ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ وَيَا بِلاَلُ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ قَالَتْ فَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ إِذَا أَخَذَتْهُ الْحُمَّى يَقُولُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مُصَبَّحٌ فِي أَهْلِهِ وَالْمَوْتُ أَدْنَى مِنْ شِرَاكِ نَعْلِهِ …….‏.‏ (موطأ مالك)
A'isha, umm al-muminin said, "When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to Madina, Abu Bakr and Bilal came down with a fever. I visited them and said, 'Father, how are you? Bilal, how are you?'" She continued, "When Abu Bakr's fever worsened he would say, 'Every man is struck down among his people in the morning - death is nearer than the strap of his sandal.' ………." (Muwatta Malik)

3- The location of our death is also unknown to us. Sometimes we tend not to travel with a plane in order not to die in the air or avoid ships in order to avoid dying at sea. Rest assured that you will die wherever Allah decreed for you no matter what precautions you may take. Allah (SWT) makes it exceptionally clear in the following verse.

                                                                                  إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ (34) سورة لقمان
Chapter Lukman (34) Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.

There is an interesting story of a driver whose car stopped suddenly while crossing the train tracks. Unexpectedly, the signs of an approaching train with closing the crossing for pedestrian and cars are all blinking. People helped the driver to leave the car before it was hit by the train. The driver was successfully dragged outside the car by people who were passing by. All got a far distance from the car and the train crossing with a lot of fear in the heart of the driver that his car will be destroyed with no money to buy a new one. While they were all in such a distressing situation, the train arrived, hit, and destroyed the car. Once the train impacted the car, a tire from the car was expelled away with high speed to hit the driver, from among the people who were standing far away, and killed him. This is a true story. The moral of the story: the location of the driver’s death was not on the tracks but in the place he was dragged to. There are many stories like this every moment of our lives across the globe. This story teaches us that death’s time, means, and location are all unknown. It pushes us to work hard during life to please Allah (SWT) because we don’t know when, where, and how we are going to leave this life. We do not want to be in such a situation with poor performance in terms of good deeds or with high performance in terms of bad deeds.

4- Some people think they are able to escape death by being healthy, wealthy, living a healthy lifestyle, being very cautious and avoiding any conflicts, etc. However, nothing and no one can safeguard or protect you from death. There is no escape. Knowing this, you should be very strong and face all hardships with a resilient zeal because if it is not your time to die, then, do not be afraid of anything else. This is what Ali Ibn Aby Taleb, may Allah be pleased with him, said “which day of my life will I escape from death? I am not afraid of the day where death is not decreed. And if it is decreed you can’t avoid it.” The same concept is mentioned in the following verse:
                                                               حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ (99) لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ (100) سورة الموءمنون
Chapter Al Moumnoon (99) [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back (100) That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.

The above misconceptions show that we are far away from what we should understand about death. It is a great motivational means for a better being, then, why do we hate it? It will come suddenly and at a specific unknown location, then, why aren’t we preparing for it? These are legitimate questions that we should find an answer for. Knowing the above, we should flee to Allah (SWT) hoping for His forgiveness and mercy by increasing worship and being close to Him as mentioned in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                                                                                             فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ إِنِّي لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ (50)الذاريات
Chapter Al-Thariyat (50) So flee to Allah. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.

We should flee from bad deeds and shortcomings by turning them into good ones. Ibn Abbas said we should flee from Allah (SWT) to Him and obey Him. He also said we should flee to Allah (SWT) by continuous repentance from our bad deeds. Other scholars said we should flee from obeying Satan to obeying Allah (SWT). Others also said we should flee from ignorance to knowledge, from disbelieving to thanking Allah (SWT) for His bounties, from what Allah (SWT) hates to what He likes, and from inattentiveness to continuous remembrance of Him. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to be among those who flee to Him.

Consider this story: A team of scientists who studied the physiology of fish found that sea fish were tastier than farm-bred fish. Sea fish usually move to migrate from one location to another, to look for food, to escape from danger, or to take part in social relations. The team discovered that movement makes the sea fish tasty because its cardiovascular system is efficiently and continuously running. Unlike sea fish, farm fish are always lazy because there’s nothing to motivate them to move. Food is always available and there’s no danger from other types of sea creatures that live on eating fish. The research team decided to make fish life in the farms more hectic to improve their taste. They added one small shark fish in each farm. This technique may sacrifice a small number of fish in the farm, which will be eaten by the small shark fish; however, the fish in the farm will be continually fleeing from the shark fish. The cardiovascular system of the farm fish is now constantly running, which makes fish meat tasty. The story ends here and leaves us with a considerable number of conclusions and morals. Let us summarize a few of them in the following points:

1- We have to look for something that always motivates us to continue working hard. In the story, the farm fish were motivated to swim and be more active out of fear from the shark fish. The research team might also get them to move around using food that is dropped in different places of the farm across time. In the latter approach, the team motivates fish to move using hope not fear. Similarly, people like to be motivated by “Hope”; however, others might be motivated by “Fear”. Sometimes, if you like to be healthy and live a healthy life, you eat healthy food. Similarly, if you fear from sickness, you eat healthy food and do exercise. Also, if you like to live a good balanced marriage and life, you should have a decent job with reasonable income. Others might fear from being in need of money and this motivates them to work hard and develop their career. Therefore, both “Hope” and “Fear” can motivate people to perform the same action based on person’s personality and character. In other words, some people might be driven by “Hope” and others by “Fear”. Find the right means to motivate yourself as no one else knows you better.

2- It is essential that we do not stay in the comfort zone. Try to explore yourself and check whether you are the type of person who is motivated by “Hope” or “Fear”. Hence, select the best motivator for you in order to always be advancing and developing yourself on all fronts, i.e. family, work, career, social life, etc. Staying in one position with no big aim is not healthy for your life because it will open the floor for many bad deeds and actions. This might cause failure in most fronts of your life. Allah (SWT) created the human being for a better reason than failure. The following verse and narration will help identify the reason for our existence. Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said “Allah created us to represent Him on earth. He (SWT) is looking at our actions herein; therefore, show Allah (SWT) the best of your work during the day, at night, in secret, and in public.” Therefore, we should understand the rationale of our creation in order to behave accordingly.
                                                                                                                                                                              ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ (14)سورة يونس
Chapter Yunus (14) Then We made you successors in the land after them so that We may observe how you will do.
                                                                                                                         وعنه أن رسول الله، ﷺ ، قال‏:‏" ‏إن الدنيا حلوة خضرة وإن الله تعالى مستخلفكم فيها، فينظر كيف تعملون، …‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏
Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world is sweet and green (alluring); and verily, Allah is making you to succeed each other, generations after generations in it to see how you act…". [Muslim].

3- In order to succeed in the current life and the Hereafter, you should raise the bar and have a great goal. It will keep you working hard for your entire life to be able to achieve such a goal. For example, if your goal is the highest level in Paradise, i.e. Al Firdaws, then, you will continuously work hard to reach this level. You will overcome the significant amount of pain on your way to accomplish such a goal. Scholars said you should always aim high so that whatever you accomplish will be in the success zone. Let us start today to think about our realistic goals in all aspects of life, i.e. family, work, career, and social life, and in the Hereafter, i.e. Al Firdaws. Here is an example of a motivator that uses the hope approach as shown in the following narration:
       عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ ...... إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ أَعَدَّهَا اللَّهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ، كُلُّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ، فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللَّهَ فَسَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ، ..... ‏"‏‏.‏ رواه البخارى
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "……There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allah has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth, so if you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, …." [Al-Bukhari 7423].

4- In another approach, which is using fear as a motivator, we should fear death that always comes suddenly, at any age, and in unknown locations. It motivates us to work hard to accomplish the best during the current life and be granted the highest reward in the Hereafter. If we always remember death, it motivates us to perform good deeds and constantly repenting from any shortcomings or bad deeds. Similarly, fear from Hellfire is another aspect that motivates us to pursue the same goal.

5- Finally, the love of Allah (SWT), i.e. the “Hope” approach, and the fear from Allah’s punishment, i.e. the “Fear” approach, are two other methods to motivate us to work hard for such a great purpose, which is pleasing Allah (SWT). If Allah (SWT) is pleased by you, this is the utmost joy and happiness in both lives, i.e. current life and the Hereafter. He (SWT) will give you what never comes to your mind and what no eye has seen as shown here:
                                                                                                                                                                          فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (17) سورة السجده
Chapter Al-Sajdah (17) And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.
عَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ اللهُ أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادي الصَّالِحِينَ مَالَاعَيْنٌ رَأَت وَلَاأُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ فاقْرأُوا إنْ شِئْتُمْ: فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ. رواه البخاري ومسلم والترمذي وابن ماجه
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah said: I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, not has it occurred to human heart. Thus recite if you wish (1): And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden (Quran Chapter 32 Verse 17). (1) The words "Thus recite if you wish" are those of Abu Harayrah. [Al-Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

In summary, the life of human beings should be a constant balance between “Hope” and “Fear” in order to attain their objectives and please Allah (SWT). I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to make us all from this balanced type of people, to accept us under His shadow on the Day of Judgment, and finally, to be granted the highest level in Paradise (Al-Firdaws). Ameen.

When I looked at the number of verses and narrations in the subject including the variety and details, I sensed the obligation to attract the attention to these forgotten matters that humble our hearts and bring us back to the right path. It is the knowledge of the end point that amends and improves the start point for us. It is a wakeup call to myself, family, friends, elders, youth, and children who think death is far away, who do not remember death at all, and who take life for granted. Allah (SWT) clearly declared since the creation of the universe that everyone has a time of death. No one can be delayed a moment. This is described in the following verses:
                                                                                   وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَابَّةٍ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ (61) سورة النحل
Chapter Al-Nahl (61) And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon the earth any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].
                                                                                                                                                                              وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (11) سورة المنافقون
Chapter Al-Munafiqoon (11) But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.

The Prophet (SAS) asked us to frequently remember death in many narrations to show the importance of such activity in our daily life as follows:
     عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏} أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ ‏ اَللَّذَّاتِ: اَلْمَوْتِ {[ رواه الترمذي من حديث أبي هريرة (2307)، والنسائي (11824)، وصححه الألباني في صحيح الترغيب (3333)]
Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Remember, as much as you can, the one thing (fact or reality) which (always) brings an end to all worldly joys and pleasures, (meaning death)”Related by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Hibban.

Our response to the advice of the Prophet (SAS) is different when we deal with death. We tend to perform his advice (his Sunnah) when they are in prayer, fasting, and other worships. However, how do we approach death? Aren’t all Prophet’s orders similar? If it isn’t beneficial to us, the Prophet (SAS) would not have recommended the remembrance of death. We should think deeply of why the Prophet (SAS) asked us to often remember death. Let us go through the other narrations to see a more in depth analogy that might change our compass in this life.
عَنْ ابْن عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمَنْكِبِي، وَقَالَ: "كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّك غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ". وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ: إذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِك لِمَرَضِك، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِك لِمَوْتِك. رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took me by the shoulder and said, “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.” And Ibn Umar used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.” [Al-Bukhari].

Consequently, our behavior towards life should change. We think life is long; however, it is short. We think our existence in life is permanent but it is temporary (as a traveler). We think life is a place of joy and pleasure but it is a time to work hard for a better life to come. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) added a golden advice to consider death as a visitor who comes to you at any time of the day or the night. If we do so, we will live a fulfilled life. The following narration is full of morals and recommendations that we have no space to talk about in this article. I will only focus on the part that talked about death. The Prophet (SAS) is recommending us to quickly perform good deeds before being hit by seven things including sudden death. We should not need worldwide catastrophes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to remind us of death.
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ بادروا بالأعمال سبعاً‏.‏ هل تنتظرون إلا فقراً منسياً، أو غنى مطغياً، أو مرضاً مفسداً، أو هرماً مفنداً أو موتاً مجهزاً أو الدجال فشر غائب ينتظر، أو الساعة فالساعة أدهى وأمر‏!‏‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions." Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or …..". [At-Tirmidhi].

In addition to the above, the following narration is frightening based on the tone and repetition of the Prophet’s words. It is an amplifying warning to everyone carrying only one message “Death is out there waiting for us”. It is very close to the extent he (SAS) used the past tense to talk about it.

وعن أبي بن كعب رضي الله عنه‏:‏ كان رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ إذا ذهب ثلث الليل، قام فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏يا أيها الناس اذكروا الله، جاءت الراجفة، تتبعها الرادفة، جاء الموت بما فيه، جاء الموت بما فيه" ……” ‏(‏رواه الترمذى وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏‏.‏
Ubayy bin Ka'b (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When one- third of the night would pass, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would get up and call out, "O people, remember Allah. The Rajifah (i.e., the first Blowing of the Trumpet which will shake the whole universe and thus cause all life to cease) has come, followed by Ar-Radifah (i.e., the second Blowing of the Trumpet which will restore life and thus mark the Resurrection Day). Death has approached with all that it comprises. Death has approached with all that it comprises…….." [At- Tirmidhi].

In another narration, the Prophet (SAS) is warning us from what may happen to those who did not perform well in this life and those who didn’t take this warning serious:
                                                                                                                             عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ ﷺ ‏ "‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا، وَلَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى
Narrated Abu Huraira: Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet) said, "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, if you know that which I know, you would weep much and laugh little." Sahih al-Bukhari 6637

In the following narration, the Prophet (SAS) considers the one who frequently remembers death and better prepares for the life after death as the wisest:
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏:‏ كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ ﷺ 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 ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن ابن ماجه
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “I was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man from among the Ansar came to him and greeted the Prophet (ﷺ) 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.’” Sunan Ibn Majah [Hasan].

Preparing for life after death is a completely different subject that will take several articles; however, let us only highlight a few tips here. Preparation for the Hereafter includes frequent repentance, performing good deeds, charity for the sake of Allah (SWT), inviting others to good and refrain from promoting or enjoining evil, helping the needy no matter their status, race, religion, or wealth, seeking beneficial knowledge, following the Prophet (SAS) in all his actions, learning and implementing Quran in life, etc.

Let me walk you through the approach of the Prophet’s companions and their followers towards death. It was a frequent visitor to their minds and actions on a daily basis. For example, Abu Al-Dardaa, may Allah (SWT) Be pleased with him, said “I laugh from three people: (1) a person who has a lot of wishes in this life; however, death is coming fast towards him/her, (2) a noticeably inattentive or oblivious person who is always monitored by Allah’s angels, and (3) a person who laughs much in this life while he/she does not know whether Allah (SWT) will accept or be pleased with him or not. Also, Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, when he remembered death, he shivered like a bird. He also used to gather scholars every night and spoke about death and the Hereafter shedding tears as if they are in a funeral. Umar Ibn Abdelaziz performed similar activities during his leadership. This was the practice of Prophet’s companions, which raised the question; where are we from this practice today? Are we granted Paradise but they weren’t? The answer is a big “No”. Unlike them, we are inattentive and busy with life’s temporary things. We should wake up and adjust our compass to the right path and behavior. The objective of remembering death is to be aware and ready for what is surely coming with good preparation.

Here are a few more examples from the other generations of followers to the companion’s generation. Hasan Al-Basri said “Death has exposed this life. It left no enjoyment for smart people therein. Often remembrance of death made this life insignificant.” Hamid Al-Qaysari also said “Despite the fact that: death is true, we didn’t prepare for it; Paradise is certain, we didn’t work for it; and Hellfire is indisputable, we didn’t fear it. So, why are we pleased in this life? What are we waiting for? Is it death, the first visitor from the Almighty Allah (SWT)? Please, get closer to Allah (SWT) as quickly as possible." Shumayt ibn Aglan also said “If you are mindful of death, you will never care of any joy or hardships in this life." He continued “You should know that death is a serious event that people neglected with less or no deep thoughts about it. The only way to solve such a problem is to dedicate yourself to often remember death in a way similar to a traveler through a rough desert or sea. S/He should be totally busy with his/her trip and its activities. One should consider where his/her predecessors are right now to know where he/she is going to.” In this regard, Ibn Masoud (may Allah be pleased with him) said “The happy person is the one who learned the lessons from his/her predecessors. And Abu Al-Dardaa (may Allah be pleased with him) said “If you remembered the friends who already died before you, consider yourself one of them because death is almost there for you.”

Mohamed Ibn Wasie was once asked how his morning was. He replied: “what do you think about a man who comes closer to the Hereafter one step today?” This was how they understood death as an inevitable truth. They were always waiting for death at any moment. This is why they were always increasing good deeds in this life and reducing all bad deeds to the possible minimum. This is how they built the greatest civilization on earth. This was also one of the reasons they succeeded and we were not able to achieve much compared to them. Remembering death was one of the critical success factors of our preceding generations. It pushed the previous generations to strongly represent Allah (SWT) on earth and achieve the purpose of their creation.

Once you reach here, Stop! Wakeup! Contemplate! Think! Ask yourself, do you really remember death much? If not, then, it is time now to start changing your attitude and behavior towards death and life at large. Read the following verse several times with deep contemplation on its meaning:
                                                       أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (16)سورة الحديد
Chapter Al-Hadid (16) Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.

Please, do not take this light. This is a very important point/moment in your life where you should decide to change. I suggest you take five minutes of your everyday to contemplate the following questions and prepare a realistic future plan:
1- What good did I do in the past few hours?
2- What bad did I do in the past few hours?
3- What are the things that I would have done better?
4- What should I tell Allah (SWT) if I die right now or before I wake up?
5- How can I proceed to fix my bad deeds and amplify the good ones?
6- Repent for bad deeds, i.e. sins or shortcomings, which you might have committed with or without your knowledge.
7- Promise yourself sincerely to be a different person in the hours and days to come.
8- Make a plan of change with realistic activities based on your capabilities and time.

If we do this practical activity more frequently, we may rid ourselves of many problems in our lives for which we will surely be asked about on the Day of Judgement. If this reflection becomes a habit, the quality of our lives will significantly increase along with our destination in the Hereafter. Allah (SWT) will question us about the atoms of deeds, i.e. good or bad. We would like to sweep the bad ones before they become mountains on our shoulders when we meet Allah (SWT). I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to erase all our bad deeds, to forgive us, to guide us to repent, and to often remember death.

This article develops on the many verses and narrations that were mentioned in the previous articles presenting many benefits of remembering death. The prophet (SAS) mentioned one of the great benefits of often remembering death is for Good to prevail in leading different civilizations as described in the following narration:
عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ يُوشِكُ الأُمَمُ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا تَدَاعَى الأَكَلَةُ إِلَى قَصْعَتِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ وَمِنْ قِلَّةٍ نَحْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَالَ ‏"‏ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ كَثِيرٌ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ غُثَاءٌ كَغُثَاءِ السَّيْلِ وَلَيَنْزِعَنَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ صُدُورِ عَدُوِّكُمُ الْمَهَابَةَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَيَقْذِفَنَّ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمُ الْوَهَنَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْوَهَنُ قَالَ ‏"‏ حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح الألباني
The Prophet (saws) said: The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the hearts of your enemy and cast enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Messenger of Allah (saws): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death. Sunan Abi Dawud 4297, Sahih (Al-Albani).

He (SAS) further indicated that the wise man is the one who always remembers death and works hard to perform good deeds in this life for the reward after death. This is different from the foolish person who does not prepare for such a moment:
                     عن أبي يعلى شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ الكيس من دان نفسه، وعمل لما بعد الموت ، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها، وتمنى على الله الأماني‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires". [At-Tirmidhi].

Before summarizing the benefits of remembering death in all aspects of life, let us walk through the perspectives of the Prophet’s companions and their followers towards death. One day, Alhasan Albasri visited a sick person who was dying with very hard symptoms. He returned home in a very bad mood and a very emotional state. His wife prepared food for him to eat but he rejected the food and said: “I saw today a dying person in a bad situation. I should work hard for such a moment.” Moaaz Ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, was saying at his death “This was my best moment that I was waiting for a long time.” Bilal Ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was dying, his wife said this is the saddest moment, he responded to her “do not say that but you say this is the happiest moment. Tomorrow I will meet all my beloved brothers, i.e. Prophet Mohammad and his companions.”

Rajaa Ibn Haiywah said “The servant who remembered death often will hate to envy anyone.” Also, Ibrahim Altameemi said “Two things reduced my enjoyment in this life: remembering death and standing before Allah (SWT).” Kaab Alahbar said “Whoever know death, would consider all hardships during life as minor problems.” Rabih Ibn Hiytham said “If my heart forgot death for one hour, it would be spoiled.” One day, a woman complained to Safiyah, may Allah be pleased with her, of her hard heart. She replied often remember death to soften your heart and make it lenient towards Allah (SWT). Umar Ibn Abdelaziz asked a scholar to advise him. The scholar said “You are not the first one to die. There is no human being since Adam, peace be upon him, unless he/she died. It is now your turn to die.” This made Umar cry.

In this section, I will try to recap the benefits of remembering death, hoping that Allah (SWT) support me recognize most of them. They can be summarized as follows:

Benefits towards Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAS):
1- It drives us towards Allah (SWT) by repenting and performing good deeds.
2- It encourages us to increase our worship and therefore conclude our life with good actions.
3- It protects us from committing mistakes and disobeying Allah (SWT).
4- It makes us obey the prophet (SAS) as he strongly advised us to remember death.

Benefits towards Society:
5- It enhances our relationship with others and makes us enjoy their company.
6- It encourages us to help others without expecting anything in return.
7- It diminishes any ulterior motives towards others or being hypocritical.
8- It softens our minds and hearts with kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to others.
9- It purifies our hearts from envying others for the bounties that Allah (SWT) has given to them.

Benefits towards Ourselves:
10- It inspires us to connect to Allah (SWT) through our prayers since we should pray each prayer as if it is our last.
11- It makes us enjoy life with less problems and conflicts.
12- It encourages us to effectively utilize our time in beneficial activities.
13- It helps us to be content with Allah’s sustenance.
14- It encourages us to prepare well for our life after death.
15- It makes life’s hardships seem insignificant and serves as a reminder that they are temporary.
16- It makes us humble.
17- It keeps us away from oppressing ourselves or others.
18- Etc.

It is commendable to mention here that remembering death is not only a beneficial activity for individuals, in fact, its benefits should also be reflected on the communities. If the leadership in the communities, societies, and countries are fearing Allah (SWT) and remembering that they will die one day and meet Allah (SWT), they will definitely behave inversely to what we see now worldwide. This will have a great impact on the universe in all fronts: the environment, relationship among countries, conflicts, advancements in civil activities, etc. Imagine living in a world with no wars or conflicts. Try to visualize a world where countries help each other advance and combat evil. Countries founded on the principles of mercy and justice. Countries that strive to purify the environment for future generations. This is the purpose of our creation as Allah (SWT) articulated in the following verse:
                                                     وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ (61) سورة هود
Chapter Hud (61) And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive."

Allah (SWT) created us from the earth and asked us to settle down on earth in a sustainable way. He (SWT) sent us the catalogue that makes our settlement the perfect one if we follow His guidance. Scholars said: “in order to make the human’s settlement on earth sustainable, it should comprise all beneficial things to individuals, communities and countries. This is why Muslims are comparable to rain. Wherever Muslims go, they benefit others.” Other scholars said “human settlement means that Allah (SWT) provides you with all the blessings to live on earth and build good civilizations that are good to the entire universe.” Good citizens, communities, societies, and countries are those which propagate a clean environment for generations to come, fair economic dealings, and no social conflicts. This is how remembering death makes our life sustainable in all aspects.

Now, we understand that remembering death as an act of worship has an impact on our lives beyond our expectations. It works as a psychological tool to change attitudes and behavior. You perceive actions now in a different perspective. For example, you might previously think, from materialistic perspectives, that paying charity or zakat is reducing your wealth. However, the spiritual perspectives show a contrary approach where paying charity or zakat actually amplifies your wealth. How? We will talk about this later. Due to the fact that our world today is built on materialistic perspectives, you will find most behavior and intentions are opposite to what Allah (SWT) requested from us. Herein lies the importance of remembering death to adjust our compass and see things through the eyes of Allah (SWT). I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to grant us good understanding, guide us to often remember death and be constructive and productive citizens in our communities.

Recommendation
In order to benefit from such concepts, we should practice remembering death so that through it we may transform our lives for the better, imbued with purpose. Visiting a graveyard and contemplate death is an activity that was recommended by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:
                                                  عن بريدة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏"‏كنت نهيتكم عن زيارة القبور فزوروها‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏وفي رواية ‏"‏فمن أراد أن يزور القبور فليزر؛ فإنها تذكرنا الآخرة ‏"‏
Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(In the past) I forbade you from visiting graves, but visit them now." In another narration Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever wants to visit a graveyard, let him do so, because it reminds us of the Hereafter." [Muslim].

During the visit, we should be humble contemplating the fact that one day, we will be in the same place. Make supplication for Allah (SWT) to forgive all our sins and shortcomings and guide us to the best in both lives.

Allah (SWT) guides and blesses the believer with good acts of worship and deeds before his/her death when He wished for a good ending for a believer. He (SWT) guides the believer to avoid bad actions, repent from sins and shortcomings, and die in a pure state. This concept is clearly stated in the following narrations:
                                                        عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقِيلَ كَيْفَ يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ يُوَفِّقُهُ لِعَمَلٍ صَالِحٍ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.
Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "When Allah wants good for a slave, He puts him in action." It was said: "How does he put him in action O’ Messenger of Allah?" He said: "By making him perform the righteous deeds before death." Sahih.
‏ سمعت عمرو ابن الحمق يقول: قال رسول الله ﷺ: «إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ عز وجل بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا عَسَلَهُ» قِيلَ: وَمَا عَسَلُهُ؟ قَالَ: «يَفْتَحُ اللَّهُ عز وجل لَهُ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقْبِضُهُ عَلَيْهِ» (مسند الإمام أحمد، حديث رقم: 17438، وصححه الألباني في السلسلة الصحيحة 1114».
Amr Ibn AlHumq reported that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When Allah intends good for His slave, He makes him like sweet,” It was said: "What is sweet?" He Said: "By performing the righteous deeds before death and dies on these actions." [Ahmed 17438 and Sahih Al Albany 1114].

The above concepts do not contradict with the fact that a believer shall be tested by Allah during life. It is part of the good ending that Allah (SWT) guides the believer during his/her test to be patient, to be positive, to rely on Allah (SWT), and to ask Him (SWT) for forgiveness. All these are good actions that please Allah (SWT) with His servant to reward him/her the best in the Hereafter. This concept is clearly indicated in the following narrations:
وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏‏"‏إذا أراد الله بعبده خيراً عجل له العقوبة في الدنيا، وإذا أراد الله بعبده الشر أمسك عنه بذنبه حتى يوافي به يوم القيامة‏"‏‏.‏ وقال النبي ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏"‏إن عظم الجزاء مع عظم البلاء، وإن الله تعالى إذا أحب قوماً ابتلاهم، فمن رضي فله الرضى، ومن سخط فله السخط‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال ‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏)‏‏.
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When Allah intends good for His slave, He punishes him in this world, but when He intends an evil for His slave, He does not hasten to take him to task but calls him to account on the Day of Resurrection." [At-Tirmidhi].
                                                                       عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ أَنَّهُ قَالَ "‏عِظَمُ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلاَءِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا ابْتَلاَهُمْ فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا وَمَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السُّخْطُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن ابن ماجه
‏It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” [Hasan, Sunan Ibn Majah].

The believers should accept Allah’s destiny when being tested. Otherwise, destiny will not change and the unsatisfied people will be punished in life and in the Hereafter for their dissatisfaction. There are many verses and narrations that explain to us the signs of a good ending and what we can do to deserve it. I will present a few of them:

How to Work for a Good Ending during Life:
1- To be honest with Allah (SWT) in your faith, belief, and actions. Fifty percent of this honesty is represented by honest intention in all actions and talks, which is the first sign of good ending. This is why Allah (SWT) commands the believers to fear Him and be honest as follows:
                                                                                                                                                                                                 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ (119)سورة التوبة
Chapter Al-Tawbah (119) O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.

I will refer to one story that represents honesty with Allah (SWT). It is the story of Kaab Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, when he did not join the Prophet (SAS) in the battle of Tabouk without a valid reason. Not going to battle and disobey the Prophet (SAS) and without a valid reason was a punishable offense. He could have lied as several other hypocrites had done. However, he chose to be honest. In this world, his honesty cost him to be isolated from his community for 50 days in punishment. However, this was good for him because in the end Allah SWT forgave him. Honest repentance is part of being honest with Allah (SWT). It is essential to frequently repent during the day. Some scholars would write down their mistakes and sins in a piece of paper and contemplate them from time to time to make honest repentance to Allah (SWT). This way they were able to clear their book of deeds before standing in front of Allah (SWT) on the Day of judgement. Honesty toward Allah (SWT) can also be expressed through the frequent remembrance of Allah SWT (thikr) as well as the use of our bodies only for what is permissible by Allah.

2- Quick response to righteous deeds is one of the signs of good ending to apply the commands of Allah (SWT) in the following verses:
                                                                                                                                                               وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (133)آل عمران
Chapter Al-Imran (133) And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.
                                                                              سَابِقُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (21)الحديد
Chapter Al-Hadeed (21) Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allah and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.
.                                                                                                                                        …وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا ۚ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (20)المزمل.....
Chapter Al-Muzamil (20) ……. And whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. It is better and greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
                                                                                                                                                                            ……..إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ (90).....
Chapter Al-Anbiyaa (90) ….. they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.

The above verses show this crucial habit that every believer should develop, i.e. a fast response to righteous deeds. The prophet’s companions were always rushing to fill their daily lives with various acts of worship and constantly jumping at opportunities as if they were competing for them.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ صَائِمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَمَنْ تَبِعَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَازَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَمَنْ أَطْعَمَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِسْكِينًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَمَنْ عَادَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مَرِيضًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ مَا اجْتَمَعْنَ فِي امْرِئٍ إِلاَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Who amongst you is fasting today? Abu Bakr said: I am. He (again) said: Who amongst you followed a funeral procession today? Abu Bakr said: I did. He (the Prophet) again said: Who amongst you served food to the needy? Abu Bakr said: I did. He (again) said: Who amongst you has today visited the sick? Abu Bakr said: I did. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly enter paradise. [Sahih Muslim 1028 b].

This competition was among all companions. This is why the generation of companions was the best. They represented great examples in understanding life and working for the Hereafter. Whenever they heard about a righteous activity, they quickly reacted and performed the activity in the best manner. Allah (SWT) guided them to such actions due to their good intention and sincerity. Scholars said “If you would like to know your position in the eyes of Allah (SWT), look at your actions. If they are good, then, Allah (SWT) likes you and vice versa.”

3- Steadfast to the commands of Allah (SWT) and follow the Sunnah of the prophet (SAS). The human beings who will have glad tidings before, at, and after death. Look at the good news from Allah (SWT) in the following verse:
                                                                                                                            إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ(30) فصلت
Chapter Fussilat (30) Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah" and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.

4- Piety and frequent repentance are two essential reasons and symptoms of glad tidings and good endings. If human beings practice continuous piety, frequent repentance, and fear from Allah (SWT), they will be guided to always perform good actions that lead to good ends. Look at the following verses that describe such reward:
                                  ….وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا (2) وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا (3) ...........وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًا (4)
Chapter Al-Talaq (2) ……..And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (3) And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent. (4) …... And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him of his matter ease.

5- Continuous remembrance of death is a sign of good ending for the reasons listed in the previous sub-articles of Article 2 with the different evidences from Quran and narrations.

6- Frequent supplication to Allah (SWT) to grant us good ending, faith, and piety. This is one of the most essential activities that we have to regularly perform in our life.

Signs of Good Ending at or Directly Before Death:
1- Allah (SWT) will guide the believer to say Al-Shahadah at death. This is a sign of good ending as indicated in the following narration:
                                    عن معاذ رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏"‏من كان آخر كلامه لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه أبو داود والحاكم وقال‏:‏ صحيح الإسناد 3116 ، وصححه الألباني في صحيح أبي داوود 2673‏‏)‏‏.‏
Mu`adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He whose last words are: `La ilaha illallah' (There is no true God except Allah) will enter Jannah.'' [Abu Dawud].

2- The believer dies with sweat on his/her forehead as described below:
              وَعَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- عَنِ اَلنَّبِيِّ ‏- ﷺ ‏-قَالَ: { اَلْمُؤْمِنُ يَمُوتُ بِعَرَقِ الْجَبِينِ } رَوَاهُ اَلثَّلَاثَةُ وَصَحَّحَهُ ابْنُ حِبَّانَ: رواه أحمد (22513) والترمذي (980) والنسائي (1828) وصححه الألباني في صحيح الترمذي .
Buraidah (RAA) narrated that the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The believer dies while his forehead is sweating." Related by the three Imams, Al-Termizi, Al-Nissai, Ibn Majah.

3- Death on Friday or the night of Friday is a good sign for a good ending. However, this does not mean death at any other days of the week or times of the day reflects a bad ending. It is just an indicator among many others that reflect a good ending.
                   عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَمُوتُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوْ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلاَّ وَقَاهُ اللَّهُ فِتْنَةَ الْقَبْرِ‏"‏‏ رواه أحمد (6546) والترمذي (1074) قال الألباني : الحديث بمجموع طرقه حسن أو صحيح .
Abdullah bin Amr narrated that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "No Muslim dies on the day of Friday, nor the night of Friday, except that Allah protects him from the trials of the grave." [Hasan].

4- Martyrs are those who have a good ending at death, which is mentioned in many places in the Quran and narrations. Below, you will find a sample from both. The narrations stress on the comprehensive meaning of a Martyr, who is killed in the way or cause of Allah; who dies of plague; who dies of a belly disease; who is drowned; and many others. This shows the utmost care that Allah (SWT) has given to the believers. I supplicate to Allah to grant us repentance before death, martyrdom at death, and Paradise after death. Ameen.
                                        وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ (169) فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (170)
Chapter Al-Imran (169) And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, (170) Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
وعنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ما تعدون الشهداء فيكم‏؟‏ قالوا‏:‏ يا رسول الله من قتل في سبيل الله فهو شهيد‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏إن شهداء أمتي إذًا لقليل‏!‏‏"‏ قالوا‏:‏ فمن يا رسول الله ‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏من قتل في سبيل الله فهو شهيد، ومن مات في سبيل الله فهو شهيد، ومن مات في الطاعون فهو شهيد، ومن مات في البطن فهو شهيد، والغريق شهيد‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whom do you reckon to be martyr amongst you?" The Companions replied: "The one who is killed in Allah's way." He said, "In that case, the martyrs among my people would be few." The Companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Then who are the martyrs?" He replied, "He who is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr; he who dies naturally in the Cause of Allah is a martyr; he who dies of plague is a martyr; and he who dies of a belly disease is a martyr; and he who is drowned is a martyr." [Muslim].
أَنَّ جَبْرَ بْنَ عَتِيكٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ جَاءَ يَعُودُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ ثَابِتٍ …… ‏.‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏الشَّهَادَةُ سَبْعٌ سِوَى الْقَتْلِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمَطْعُونُ شَهِيدٌ وَالْمَبْطُونُ شَهِيدٌ وَالْغَرِيقُ شَهِيدٌ وَصَاحِبُ الْهَدْمِ شَهِيدٌ وَصَاحِبُ ذَاتِ الْجَنْبِ شَهِيدٌ وَصَاحِبُ الْحَرَقِ شَهِيدٌ وَالْمَرْأَةُ تَمُوتُ بِجُمْعٍ شَهِيدَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.
It was narrated from Jabir bin 'Abdullah bin 'Atik:….The Messenger of Allah said: "Martyrdom is of seven types besides being killed for the sake of Allah. The one who dies of the plague is a martyr; the one who is crushed by a falling building is a martyr; the one who is crushed by a falling building is a martyr; the one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr; the one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr; the one who is burned to death is a martyr, and the woman who dies in pregnancy is a martyr." [Sunan an-Nasa'i 1846].
وعن سعيد بن زيد، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول‏:"‏من قتل دون ماله فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون دمه فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون دينه فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون عرضه فهو شهيد‏"‏ ‏(‏‏رواه أبو داود والترمذي‏:حديث حسن صحيح‏)‏‏‏‏.
Sa'id bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "He who dies while defending his property is a martyr; he who dies in defense of his own life is a martyr; and he who dies on defense of his faith is a martyr, he who dies in defense of his family is a martyr." [Abu Dawud & At- Tirmidhi].

5- One of the most important signs of a good ending is the praise of people on the deceased. As you see in the below narration where the prophet (SAS) affirmed Paradise for the person who has been praised by people and vice versa. You will not gain people’s praise unless you please Allah (SWT) with good actions.
عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ مُرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِجَنَازَةٍ، فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَجَبَتْ ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِأُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا ـ أَوْ قَالَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ ـ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَجَبَتْ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قُلْتَ لِهَذَا وَجَبَتْ، وَلِهَذَا وَجَبَتْ، قَالَ ‏"‏ شَهَادَةُ الْقَوْمِ، الْمُؤْمِنُونَ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ ‏"‏‏.‏
Narrated Anas: A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has been affirmed (Paradise)." Then another funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has been affirmed (Hell)." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! You said it has been affirmed for both?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The testimony of the people (is accepted), (for) the believer are Allah's witnesses on the earth." [Sahih al-Bukhari 2642].

This is a call for those who are zealous and looking for the highest level of Paradise, i.e. Al-Firdaws. Are we ready to start working hard in this life with high ambition towards Allah (SWT)? Let us clear our intention right now to give ourselves a push towards our main life goal, i.e. please Allah (SWT). Do not delay this action to a later time because such procrastination is usually due to the influence of the Shaytan. Collect your mind and heart with high zeal to begin repentance today from any sins or shortcomings. Let us start in the path of Allah (SWT) by contemplating how to implement the above points in our life and be granted a good ending. This is not an easy task but it is worth a good start and an implementation plan for our days to come. This implementation plan should always be present in your mind and heart. It is the ticket that saves you in the Hereafter. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to grant us all a good ending. Ameen.

The conclusion of human being’s life relies primarily on his/her actions during this life. If they are usually good, this leads to a good ending and vice versa. In order for an action to be considered good, it should fulfill two conditions: (1) the action is following the command of Allah (SWT) and the prophet (SAS) and (2) it is for good cause (i.e. intention). This is clearly stated in the following narration:
سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّةِ، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ﷺ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى
Narrated `Umar: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "The reward of deeds depends on the intentions, so whoever emigrated for the worldly benefits or to marry a woman, his emigration was for that for which he emigrated, but whoever emigrated for the Sake of Allah and His Apostle, his emigration is for Allah and His Apostle." [Sahih al-Bukhari 3898]

The described story in the following narration is an example of a person with a terrible ending:
عَنْ سَهْلٍ، قَالَ الْتَقَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَالْمُشْرِكُونَ فِي بَعْضِ مَغَازِيهِ فَاقْتَتَلُوا، فَمَالَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ إِلَى عَسْكَرِهِمْ، وَفِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ رَجُلٌ لاَ يَدَعُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ شَاذَّةً وَلاَ فَاذَّةً إِلاَّ اتَّبَعَهَا فَضَرَبَهَا بِسَيْفِهِ، فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا أَجْزَأَ أَحَدُهُمْ مَا أَجْزَأَ فُلاَنٌ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالُوا أَيُّنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ لأَتَّبِعَنَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَسْرَعَ وَأَبْطَأَ كُنْتُ مَعَهُ‏.‏ حَتَّى جُرِحَ فَاسْتَعْجَلَ الْمَوْتَ، فَوَضَعَ نِصَابَ سَيْفِهِ بِالأَرْضِ، وَذُبَابَهُ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيْهِ، ثُمَّ تَحَامَلَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ، فَجَاءَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَمَا ذَاكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَأَخْبَرَهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ، وَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ وَهْوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى
Narrated Sahl: During one of his Ghazawat, the Prophet (ﷺ) encountered the pagans, and the two armies fought, and then each of them returned to their army camps. Amongst the (army of the) Muslims there was a man who would follow every pagan separated from the army and strike him with his sword. It was said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! None has fought so satisfactorily as so-and-so (namely, that brave Muslim). "The Prophet said, "He is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire." The people said, "Who amongst us will be of the dwellers of Paradise if this (man) is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire?" Then a man from amongst the people said, "I will follow him and accompany him in his fast and slow movements." The (brave) man got wounded, and wanting to die at once, he put the handle of his sword on the ground and its tip in between his breasts, and then threw himself over it, committing suicide. Then the man (who had watched the deceased) returned to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "I testify that you are Apostle of Allah." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What is this?" The man told him the whole story. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man may do what may seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of Paradise, but he is of the dwellers of the Hell-Fire and a man may do what may seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of the Hell-Fire, but he is from the dwellers of Paradise." Sahih al-Bukhari 4207

The story shows the essence of the above two conditions for actions to be accepted by Allah (SWT). The man committed suicide, which is a bad action. It is prohibited to do so in Islam. Therefore, you might find people who are doing great works but their intentions are not purely for the sake of Allah (SWT), i.e. for other illegitimate causes, then, their works might not be accepted by Allah (SWT). This is one of the characteristics of a hypocrite. On the other hand, you might find people who are doing bad works; however, they still have good faith and sincerity, Allah (SWT) might guide them to be righteous at the end of their life and have a good ending. This is why the Prophet’s companions and their followers were worried about their endings and tried their best to always renew their intentions to be only for the sake of Allah (SWT). And they put a lot of effort to make their actions correct and follow the commands of Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAS). The prophet (SAS) would also supplicate to Allah (SWT) to make his heart firm and steadfast in adhering to the religion as shown in the following narrations:
                                                                                                                                              عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ‏:‏ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُكْثِرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ‏:‏ اللَّهُمَّ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ، ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ‏.‏ ) صـحـيـح الألباني)
Anas said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, most frequently said, "O Allah, O Overturner of hearts, make my heart firm in Your deen." [Sahih Al-Albani]
قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ قَلْبٍ إِلاَّ بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ يَا مُثَبِّتَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى دِينِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَالْمِيزَانُ بِيَدِ الرَّحْمَنِ يَرْفَعُ أَقْوَامًا وَيَخْفِضُ آخَرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن ابن ماجه
Nawwas bin Sam'an Al-Kilabi said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah say: 'There is no heart that is not between two of the Fingers of the Most Merciful. If He wills, He guides it and if He wills, He sends it astray.' The Messenger of Allah used to say: 'O You Who makes hearts steadfast make our hearts steadfast in adhering to Your religion.' And he said: 'The Scale is in the Hand of the Most Merciful; He will cause some peoples to rise and others to fall until the day of Resurrection.'" [Sunan Ibn Majah].

Ibn Alqiym has a good summary and rationale of what is happening at the end of a human being’s life. He said “If the Shaytan was able to badly influence the human being during his life while being strong with all his wills, then, he is capable to impact him much at the time of death while human is in a weak situation.” He continued “If the human being is controlled by Shaytan, while his brain and heart are still strong, to commit sins or disobey Allah (SWT), then, what is the situation at death where a human is very weak with the mind and heart busy with pain due to death. At this moment, the Shaytan will be the strongest in the weakest situation of the human being. Allah (SWT) will make the believers firm and steadfast to the religion at this moment.” He also mentioned the following verse:
                                                                                                                               يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ (27) سورة ابراهيم
Chapter Ibrahim (27) Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.

Terrible ending for human beings might occur in two ways:
1- At the time of death, the human being might doubt the existence of Allah (SWT), disbelieve the bounties of Allah, and show signs of ingratitude. He might die in this state; a terrible way to conclude life.
2- Before and at the time of death, the Shaytan might beautify a sin or unlawful desire to the human being who will get busy with his/her desire until he/she dies in this state; also a terrible way to conclude life in the displeasure of Allah (SWT).

Reasons for Terrible Ending
1- Disbelieve in Allah (SWT): human beings, who disbelieve in Allah (SWT), do not remember Him, follow their desire, do not worship Him, or are sinful without repentance, might get a terrible ending of their life. A sample of verses that support this concept is shown here.                                                                                                                                                                            .وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا (28) سورة الكهف.........
Chapter Al-Kahf (28) ……. and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.
                                                                                                                                                                                            وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا (23) سورة الفرقان
Chapter Al-Furqan (23) And We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
                                                                                                                                                                    وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ (124) سورة طه
Chapter Taha (124) And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind."

2- Hypocrisy: People might appear to us as good; however, they do not believe in their hearts and minds. The story and narration at the beginning of the article supports this point. In addition, the following narration describes the hypocrites, their character, and how Allah (SWT) knows everything about them.
                                                                                                             يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَىٰ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا (108) سورة النساء
Chapter Al-Nisaa (108) They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah, and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allah, of what they do, encompassing.

3- Many sins without repentance: The human beings, who like to perform different sins for their entire life, they probably die on these sins. The large number of sins make the heart of a human being darkened and hard as explained in the following narration. This might lead to a terrible ending.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا أَخْطَأَ خَطِيئَةً نُكِتَتْ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَإِذَا هُوَ نَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ وَتَابَ سُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ عَادَ زِيدَ فِيهَا حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ قَلْبَهُ وَهُوَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ ‏:‏ ‏)‏كلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ‏(-(المطففين: 14) ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ‏.‏ الترمذى
Abu Hurairah narrated that: the Messenger of Allah said: “Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran which they used to earn. Chapter Al-Mutafifeen’” [Al-Tirmizi].

4- Heart diseases: the heart diseases include lack of sincerity, arrogance, deception, greedy, despair, despondency, mistrust of God Almighty, frustration of His destiny, and following one’s desires without self-accountability. Any of these diseases might lead to a terrible ending at or before death. This is why Allah (SWT) stresses on the fact that nothing will be beneficial in the Day of Judgement except whoever comes with pure heart:
                                                                                                                                                                              يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ (88) إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ (89) سورة الشعراء
Chapter Alshuraa (88) The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children (89) But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."

Pure heart, as explained in the above verse, is the one that does not doubt the oneness of Allah (SWT), does not associate anything with Allah (SWT), and believes in resurrection after death. It is also the heart that hates evil works and has none of the above diseases.

5- Delay Repentance: Delaying repentance is similar to a weed in the grass. Sometimes, you have a small weed in your front or back yards, which you neglect to remove. With time, the weed will get bigger and stronger to the extent that you might not be able to remove afterwards. Even if you are able to cut the upper part, it has strong and deep roots that might be hard to totally remove. This is similar to a sin in your heart, if you neglect it, you get used to it and stopping it will only get more difficult with time. This is why Allah (SWT) ordered us to rapidly repent to Him as death will come unexpectedly:
                                                                                                                                                                         وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ (54) سورة الزمر
Chapter Al-Zummar (54) And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.

At the moment of death, there is no return back:
                                                                      حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ (99) لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ (100) سورة المؤمنون
Chapter Al-Mouminoon (99) [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back (100) That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.

This urges us to make repentance as a habit in our daily lives. Allah (SWT) is the most merciful. He (SWT) will accept us no matter the number of times and the types of sins we committed. Do not delay the repentance because you do not know if you have time to repent or not. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to guide us always to repent. Ibn Kathir said “the sinful person always regrets at the time of death and asks Allah (SWT) for time extension to be able to do better but in vain.”

6- The excessive love of this life: If we excessively love this life with its pleasure, we will be tied down by these temporary pleasures and will cease to work toward our true goal; the eternal pleasures of heaven. This leads to hating death as it is the event that takes us away from such life and pleasure. We have a long list of wishes in this life that might not end and might not give us the chance to think that one day we will leave all wishes and achievements. We get busy with all life activities that take us away from the purpose and nature of life, i.e. it is short, it will end at any time, and what comes after relies mainly on life actions. Scholars said “the person who excessively likes life will be unfortunate in all his/her lives (this life, life in the grave, and the Hereafter). This life has a lot of difficulties and calamities that face the human being although he/she excessively likes it. Because he/she does not prepare well for the other lives, he/she will be also unfortunate in such lives.” This fact is described in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                         فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ(55) سورة التوبة
Chapter Al-Tawbah (55) So let not their wealth or their children impress you. Allah only intends to punish them through them in worldly life and that their souls should depart [at death] while they are disbelievers.

It is essential to understand that if you work hard during this life for the lives after death, you will gain success in all lives. Loqman said to his son “O’ son, sell your life for the Hereafter, you will gain both of them. And do not sell the Hereafter for this life because you will lose them both.” Ibn Abbas also said “Allah (SWT) divided life into three parts; one for the believer, one for the hypocrite, and one for the disbeliever. The believer plants in this life to increase his/her deeds for the Hereafter. The hypocrite only decorates his/her actions and the disbeliever enjoys life.”

7- Evil Friendship: Friends are usually alike. They encourage each other to do either good or bad. This is why the Prophet (SAS) described this in the following narration:
                                                                     وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ الرجل على دين خليله، فلينظر أحدكم من يخالل‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود، والترمذي بإسناد صحيح، وقال الترمذي‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Man follows his friend's religion, you should be careful who you take for friends". [At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

Therefore, friendship is crucial in this life. We have to be very careful when selecting our friends. Selection criteria should be in the path of Allah (SWT), otherwise, it will be a lose-lose situation for all friends. One day, the Prophet (SAS) was asked by Abu Dharr about his beloved friends in Paradise because he might not be in their level, he (SAS) responded as follows:
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الرَّجُلُ يُحِبُّ الْقَوْمَ وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ كَعَمَلِهِمْ‏.‏ قَالَ‏"أَنْتَ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ‏.‏ قَالَ‏"‏ فَإِنَّكَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَعَادَهَا أَبُو ذَرٍّ فَأَعَادَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ‏.‏ صحيح الإسناد (الألباني)
Abd Allah b. al-samit told that Abu Dharr said: Messenger of Allah! A man loves some people, but he cannot do work like their work. He replied; Yes, Abu Dharr, will be with those whom you love. Abu Dharr then repeated it. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) also repeated it. Sahih in chain (Al-Albani).

In many occasions, you might have tried to give a hand to a friend but he resisted and opted not to follow the correct path due to ignorance or bad soul. Such a situation is repeated in all our lives every day, which shows that guidance is from Allah (SWT) and you cannot guide whoever you like. The situation of Abu Taleb clarifies such concept as shown in the following narration:
قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، لَمَّا حَضَرَتْ أَبَا طَالِبٍ الْوَفَاةُ جَاءَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَوَجَدَ عِنْدَهُ أَبَا جَهْلِ بْنَ هِشَامٍ، وَعَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَبِي طَالِبٍ ‏"‏ يَا عَمِّ، قُلْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، كَلِمَةً أَشْهَدُ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ يَا أَبَا طَالِبٍ، أَتَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَعْرِضُهَا عَلَيْهِ، وَيَعُودَانِ بِتِلْكَ الْمَقَالَةِ، حَتَّى قَالَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ آخِرَ مَا كَلَّمَهُمْ هُوَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، وَأَبَى أَنْ يَقُولَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ، مَا لَمْ أُنْهَ عَنْكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهِ ‏{‏مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ‏}‏ الآيَةَ‏. البخارى
Narrated Sa`id bin Al-Musaiyab from his father: When the time of the death of Abu Talib approached, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to him and found Abu Jahl bin Hisham and `Abdullah bin Abi Umaiya bin Al-Mughira by his side. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to Abu Talib, "O uncle! Say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, a sentence with which I shall be a witness (i.e. argue) for you before Allah. Abu Jahl and `Abdullah bin Abi Umaiya said, "O Abu Talib! Are you going to denounce the religion of `Abdul Muttalib?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) kept on inviting Abu Talib to say it (i.e. 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah') while they (Abu Jahl and `Abdullah) kept on repeating their statement till Abu Talib said as his last statement that he was on the religion of `Abdul Muttalib and refused to say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' (Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "I will keep on asking Allah's forgiveness for you unless I am forbidden (by Allah) to do so." So Allah revealed (the verse) concerning him (i.e. It is not fitting for the Prophet (ﷺ) and those who believe that they should invoke (Allah) for forgiveness for pagans even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the fire. Sahih al-Bukhari 1360

8- Forgetting the Hereafter and Death: The previous articles elaborate much on this aspect; however, let me summarize the main concepts over here. Forgetting the Hereafter and death leads to three main problems: (1) delay repentance, (2) unacceptance of Allah’s Destiney, and (2) laziness in worship. These show that such people will not prepare themselves for death and the lives after death.

9- Oppression: If we oppress ourselves, someone, or people, we should be careful and give them back their rights because our repentance will not be accepted until they forgive. This might lead to a terrible ending in life and other lives. The following narration explains such terrible situation before Allah (SWT) for the person who becomes bankrupt in the Day of Judgement:
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏‏:‏أتدرون من المفلس‏؟‏‏"‏ قالوا ‏:‏ المفلس فينا من لا درهم له ولا متاع فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏إن المفلس من أمتي يأتي يوم القيامة بصلاة وصيام وزكاة، ويأتي قد شتم هذا، وقذف هذا وأكل مال هذا، وسفك دم هذا، وضرب هذا، فيعطى هذا من حسناته، وهذا من حسناته، فإن فنيت حسناته قبل أن يقضي ما عليه، أخذ من خطاياهم فطرحت عليه، ثم طرح في النار‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you know who is the bankrupt?" They said: "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property". He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire". [Muslim].

10- Bad criticism of people on the deceased. As you see in the below narration where the prophet (SAS) affirmed Hellfire for the person who has been badly blamed by people. You will not gain people’s blame unless you displease Allah (SWT) with bad actions.
عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ مُرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِجَنَازَةٍ، فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَجَبَتْ ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِأُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا ـ أَوْ قَالَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ ـ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ وَجَبَتْ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قُلْتَ لِهَذَا وَجَبَتْ، وَلِهَذَا وَجَبَتْ، قَالَ ‏"‏ شَهَادَةُ الْقَوْمِ، الْمُؤْمِنُونَ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى
Narrated Anas: A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has been affirmed (Paradise)." Then another funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has been affirmed (Hell)." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! You said it has been affirmed for both?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The testimony of the people (is accepted), (for) the believer are Allah's witnesses on the earth." [Sahih al-Bukhari 2642].

Scholars said “the wise man is the one who: (1) loses interest in life before it leaves him, (2) pleases Allah (SWT) before he meets Him, and (3) prepares well for his life in the grave before entering it.” They also said “the wise man is the one who plants and does his/her best, then, gets worried that he might not have a good crop. However, the unwise man is the one who does not plant and wishes that he/she can harvest a good corp. This is opposite to any universal law.” For those who are passionate and looking for the highest level of Paradise, i.e. Al-Firdaws, we should be away from the above characters that lead to a terrible ending. Let us renew our intention right now to give ourselves a push towards our main life goal, i.e. please Allah (SWT). Do not delay this action to a later time because such procrastination is usually due to the influence of the Shaytan. Collect your mind and heart with high enthusiasm to repent today from any sins or shortcomings. Let us start in the path of Allah (SWT) by contemplating how to keep ourselves away from the above points that lead to a terrible ending. We should interpret the contemplation results into activities to be added to our reformation plan, which saves us in the Hereafter. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to protect us from terrible endings. Ameen.

After explaining the importance of often remembering death, its benefits, and the glad tidings for people with a good ending, it is a necessity to describe how we prepare ourselves for death and the lives that follow after death. This is a large topic to cover; however, I will highlight a few points in this article and will come back to the details in a later article. Imam Al-Qurtoby said “Scholars said: death is a critical event to all human beings; however, what is more critical is to be inattentive towards it, to neglect remembering or contemplating about it, and to be unprepared for it.” He continued explaining that Allah (SWT) usually gives us all the time to prepare. We have no excuse as described in the following narrations:
                                                                                                                    عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ أعذر الله إلى امرئ أخر أجله حتى بلغ ستين سنة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah excuses and grants forgiveness to a person until he attains the age of sixty years". [Al- Bukhari].
                                                                                                                 عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏ أَعْمَارُ أُمَّتِي مَا بَيْنَ السِّتِّينَ إِلَى السَّبْعِينَ وَأَقَلُّهُمْ مَنْ يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ سنن ابن ماجه
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The ages of (the people in) my nation will be between sixty and seventy, and few of them will exceed that.” [Sunan Ibn Majeh: Hasan].

However, death is not far from any person regardless of his/her age, and it is even closer to those in their sixties. If we reach this age, what are we waiting for? Do we still have an excuse in front of Allah (SWT) for not preparing well for death? The answer is no, we do not have excuses. We have been given enough time to prepare but we opted not to think about it or even consider it in our day to day lives. If we were not able to prepare for death before, we still have the opportunity to start right away without any delays. The time left in our life will not be longer than what has been already gone. The curve of our activities, strength, abilities, and capabilities will start to decline with less efforts and patience to do what we are able to do earlier during childhood or youth. Therefore, we should wake up from this inattention and negligence to start the preparation process for death and the lives that come after. Such preparation means we should change the way of our life. Death should be in front of our eyes at all times. This is why I entitled this article: “Death as a Way of Life”. The following sections will highlight a few tips on how to prepare for death:

1- Believe in Allah (SWT) and Perform Good Deeds:
Allah (SWT) always mentions in the Quran “O’ who you believe and do good deeds”. This indicates that belief cannot stand alone as an acceptable attitude towards Allah (SWT). It should however coincide with doing good deeds. This is because good deeds are the external expression and interpretation of good belief. Otherwise, the belief is not good or the actions do not match the belief. If human beings continue doing good deeds in their lives, Allah (SWT) will grant them to die on such good actions with a good ending. This is mentioned in many places in the Quran. For example, Prophet Ibrahim recommended his sons to die in a state of Islam as follows:
                                                                                                                                 وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ (132)سورة البقرة
Chapter Al-Baqarah (132) And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims."

Ibn Kathir explained such concept by saying: “Do well during your entire life and steadfast to these actions, Allah (SWT) will grant you a death on such good actions. This is because a human being usually dies on what he is accustomed to doing.” In addition, Allah (SWT) ordered us to die on a state of Islam as follows:
                                                                                                                                                          يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ (102) سورة آل عمران
Chapter Al-Imran (102) O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].

In his comment about this verse, Ibn Kathir said “Keep and Maintain Islam during your healthy and safe times in order to die on Islam. Allah (SWT), the most generous, expresses His generosity by granting us death on what we used to always do during life. If we were always doing good, we die on good and vice versa. And if we die in a state of good or bad, we will be resurrected on the same state.” This is clear in the following narrations:
                                                                                                                                        عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ‏:‏‏ "‏يبعث كل عبد على ما مات عليه‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏                  
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every one will be resurrected in the condition in which he dies". [Muslim].
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ وَاقِفٌ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِعَرَفَةَ إِذْ وَقَعَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ فَأَقْصَعَتْهُ ـ أَوْ قَالَ فَأَقْعَصَتْهُ ـ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ اغْسِلُوهُ بِمَاءٍ وَسِدْرٍ، وَكَفِّنُوهُ فِي ثَوْبَيْنِ، وَلاَ تُحَنِّطُوهُ وَلاَ تُخَمِّرُوا رَأْسَهُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مُلَبِّيًا ‏"‏‏.‏ رواه البخارى
This shows how essential it is to keep, maintain, and protect ourselves from bad actions during life. Doing good deeds include but are not limited to: performing the obligatory acts of worship, volunteer worship (Sunnah), honest dealings with people, attain good characters, sincerity in actions, etc.

2- Repent to Allah (SWT) and Ask for Forgiveness:
Repentance is a continuous daily life activity for a believer because we do not know the time of death. Lukman said to his son: “O’ son do not delay repentance because death suddenly comes.” Scholars said: “Do not be like a human who wishes to have a good life in the Hereafter without good actions in this life. And do not delay repentance thinking that you still have time.” Allah (SWT) ordered us to always repent if we hope for success in the Hereafter as follows:
                                                                                                                                                                              وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (31) سورة النور.........
Chapter Al-Noor (31) …... And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (8) سورة التحريم
Chapter Al-Tahreem (8) O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."
If we do not repent often, we risk death in a state of sin. We may then be considered self-oppressors or wrongdoers as shown in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                                                                           وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ (11) سورة الحجرات.........
Chapter Al-Hujurat (11) ………And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Ibn Rajab said “The best time of repentance is when you are healthy before being infected by any disease so that you can perform the good activities.” It is therefore the time now to repent to Allah (SWT) with hope the He might accept. He (SWT) is always waiting for our repentance to accept it and forgive us. He is the most merciful, the most generous, and the most forgiving. He (SWT) shows these attributes in the following verse:
                                                                                                      قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (53) سورة الزمر
Chapter Al-Zumar (53) Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."

Ibn Kathir said about this verse “It is a call for all disbelievers and wrongdoers to repent and return back to Allah (SWT) who will forgive all the sins if you repent from them.” Imam Al-Nawawi said “Repentance is required for every sin. If the sin is between the servant and Allah (SWT), to be accepted, it has to fulfill three conditions: (1) stop doing the sin, (2) regret what you’re doing, and (3) intend not to do it again. If the sin is against other human beings, it has to fulfill a fourth condition, which is to give the human beings what you take from them or ask them for forgiveness. If any of these conditions are not met, repentance might not be accepted by Allah (SWT).”

Allah (SWT) likes the servant who always repents and asks Him for forgiveness. He (SWT) always accepts such supplication or request from His servants. The following narrations are self-explained to show the essence of often asking for forgiveness:
                                                                                        وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت‏:‏ كان رسول الله ﷺ يكثر أن يقول قبل موته ‏ "‏سبحان الله وبحمده، أستغفر الله، وأتوب إليه‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Prior to his demise, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to supplicate frequently: Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi; Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilaihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and I begin with praising Him. I beg forgiveness from Allah and I turn to Him in repentance." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏من قال‏:‏ أستغفر الله الذي لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم وأتوب إليه ، غفرت ذنوبه ، وإن كان قد فر من الزحف‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود والترمذي والحاكم، وقال‏:‏ حديث صحيح على شرط البخاري ومسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who says: 'Astaghfir ullah-alladhi la ilaha illa Huwal-Haiyul-Qayyumu, wa atubu ilaihi (I seek the forgiveness of Allah, there is no true god except Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self- Subsisting, and I turn to Him in repentance),' his sins will be forgiven even if he should have run away from the battlefield (while he was engaged in fighting for the Cause of Allah)." [Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Al-Hakim (on conditions of Al-Bukhari and Muslim for accepting Hadith)].
وعن شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏سيد الإستغفار أن يقول العبد ‏:‏ اللهم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت ، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي، وأبوء بذنبي، فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت، من قالها من النهار موقنا بها، فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي، فهو من أهل الجنة، ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح، فهو من أهل الجنة” ‏(‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best supplication for seeking forgiveness (Syed-ul- Istighfar) is to say: 'Allahumma Anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta. (O Allah! You are my Rubb. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon).' He who supplicates in these terms during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day (before the evening), he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah; and if anyone supplicates in these terms during the night with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah." [Al-Bukhari].

How do I know that my repentance was accepted by Allah (SWT)? Scholars mentioned a few signs that show the acceptance of your repentance, which include:
• Your emotional state after repentance is better than before where you feel comfortable or satisfied with your actions.
• You have fear in your heart that your repentance might not be accepted. This generates motivation within yourself to continue doing good hoping for the acceptance to come.
• Often regret when you remember the sin and feel its impact on you. This always reminds you to repent again and often.
• Often remember and supplicate to Allah (SWT) asking for forgiveness.

Finally, here is a gift to all of us who are committing sins and always repent hoping for Allah’s forgiveness. This narration will give us a lot of “Hope” and leave us with no excuse:
وعنه عن النبي ﷺ ، فيما يحكى عن ربه، تبارك وتعالى، قال‏:‏ "أذنب عبدي ذنباً، فقال‏:‏ اللهم اغفر لى ذنبي، فقال الله تبارك وتعالى‏:‏ أذنب عبدى ذنبا، فعلم أن له رباً يغفر الذنب، ويأخذ بالذنب، ثم عاد فأذنب، فقال‏:‏ أي رب اغفر لي ذنبي، فقال تبارك وتعالى‏:‏ أذنب عبدي ذنباً، فعلم أن له رباً يغفر الذنب، ويأخذ بالذنب، ثم عاد فأذنب، فقال‏:‏ أي رب اغفر لى ذنبي، فقال، تبارك وتعالى‏:‏ أذنب عبدي ذنباً، فعلم أن له رباً يغفر الذنب، ويأخذ بالذنب، قد غفرت لعبدى فليفعل ما شاء" ‏‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏‏‏)‏ ‏.‏
وقوله تعالى‏:‏ “فليفعل ما شاء” أي‏:‏ ما دام يفعل هكذا، يذنب ويتوب اغفر له، فإن التوبة تهدم ما قبلها‏. يجب على المسلم أن يستعد للموت بالتوبة الصادقة، والمحافظة على أداء الفرائض، واتباع سنة نبينا محمد ﷺ في جميع الأقوال والأفعال.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious said: 'A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,' and Allah said: 'My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives the sins and punishes for the sin.' He then again committed a sin and said: 'My Rubb (God), forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives his sin and punishes for the sin.' He again committed a sin and said: 'My Rubb, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives the sin or takes (him) to account for sin. I have granted forgiveness to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The last sentence "let him do…." means, as long as he keeps asking for forgiveness after committing a sin, and repents, Allah will forgive him because repentance eliminates previous sins". (Editor's Note).

3- Supplicate to Allah (SWT):
It is essential to die while we are steadfast to our belief and religion. One of the means to achieve this is supplication, particularly with the following:
حَدَّثَنِي شَهْرُ بْنُ حَوْشَبٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لأُمِّ سَلَمَةَ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَاءِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَكِ قَالَتْ كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَائِهِ ‏"‏ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا لأَكْثَرِ دُعَائِكَ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ قَالَ ‏"‏ يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ آدَمِيٌّ إِلاَّ وَقَلْبُهُ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَتَلاَ مُعَاذٌ ‏:‏ ‏(‏ربَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا‏)‏ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَالنَّوَّاسِ بْنِ سَمْعَانَ وَأَنَسٍ وَجَابِرٍ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَنُعَيْمِ بْنِ هَمَّارٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ ‏.‏ الترمذى
Shahr bin Hawshab said: “I said to Umm Salamah: ‘O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said most frequently when he was with you?” She said: ‘The supplication he said most frequently was: “O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion (Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī `alā dīnik).’” She said: ‘So I said: “O Messenger of Allah, why do you supplicate so frequently: ‘O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.’ He said: ‘O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no human being except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.’” [Al-Termizi - Hasan]
حَدَّثَنِي النَّوَّاسُ بْنُ سَمْعَانَ الْكِلاَبِيُّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ قَلْبٍ إِلاَّ بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ يَا مُثَبِّتَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى دِينِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَالْمِيزَانُ بِيَدِ الرَّحْمَنِ يَرْفَعُ أَقْوَامًا وَيَخْفِضُ آخَرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏. سنن ابن ماجه - صحيح
Nawwas bin Sam'an Al-Kilabi said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah say: 'There is no heart that is not between two of the Fingers of the Most Merciful. If He wills, He guides it and if He wills, He sends it astray.' The Messenger of Allah used to say: 'O You Who makes hearts steadfast make our hearts steadfast in adhering to Your religion.' And he said: 'The Scale is in the Hand of the Most Merciful; He will cause some peoples to rise and others to fall until the day of Resurrection.'"‏ [Sunan Ibn Majeh – Sahih]

Allah (SWT) always accepts the supplications of His servants to be achieved in this life or keep them for a great reward in the Hereafter. It is one of the best means of getting close to Him (SWT), particularly while in the state of prostration as follows:
وَعَنْ سَلْمَانَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-{ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ حَيِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ, يَسْتَحِي مِنْ عَبْدِهِ إِذَا رَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ يَدَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُمَا صِفَرًا { أَخْرَجَهُ اَلْأَرْبَعَةُ إِلَّا النَّسَائِيَّ, وَصَحَّحَهُ اَلْحَاكِمُ .‏ صحيح.‏ رواه أبو داود (1488)‏، والترمذي (3556)‏، وابن ماجه (3865)‏، والحاكم (1 / 497)‏.‏
Salman (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Your Rabb (Lord of the Universe) is Modest and Generous, and would never turn the hands of a slave without gain when he raises them to Him (in supplication).” Related by the four lmams except An-Nasa’i. Al-Hakim graded it as Sahih.
                                                                                                               وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ "‏أقرب ما يكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجد، فأكثروا الدعاء‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A slave becomes nearest to his Rubb when he is in prostration. So increase supplications while prostrating." [Muslim].

I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to grant us the ability to repent often, to be well prepared for the lives after death, to have glad tidings and good endings at death, and to be granted the highest level of Paradise in the Hereafter to accompany the Prophets, companions, martyrs, and good doers. Ameen.

4- Often Remember Death:
Article 2d describes this topic in details.

5- Remember the Lives After Death:
When you remember all the events and lives after death, you will know what to prepare to be safe then. The lives after death consist of life in the grave, Day of Judgement, pass on the Sirat, and Paradise. Events include resurrection, the scale, etc. All these rely on your actions during life. If you prepare well, you will succeed in all of the above. Let me introduce a sample of verses that show the above:
                                                                                                                   يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَة ۖ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ (27) سورة ابراهيم
Chapter Ibrahim (27) Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.
                       وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَىٰ كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُم مَّا خَوَّلْنَاكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ ۖ وَمَا نَرَىٰ مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَاءُ ۚ لَقَد تَّقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنكُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ (94) سورة الأنعام
Chapter Al-Ana’m (94) [It will be said to them], "And you have certainly come to Us alone as We created you the first time, and you have left whatever We bestowed upon you behind you. And We do not see with you your 'intercessors' which you claimed that they were among you associates [of Allah]. It has [all] been severed between you, and lost from you is what you used to claim."
                                                                                                    وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ (47) سورة الأنبياء
Chapter Al-Anbiyaa (47) And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.
                                                                                                                                                          الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (65) سورة يس
Chapter Yaseen (65) That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.
                                                                        فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ (6) فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ (7) وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ (8) فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ (9) وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ (10) نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ (11) سورة القارعة
Chapter Al-Qari’ah (6) Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], (7) He will be in a pleasant life. (8) But as for one whose scales are light, (9) His refuge will be an abyss. (10) And what can make you know what that is? (11) It is a Fire, intensely hot.
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ (18) فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَيَقُولُ هَاؤُمُ اقْرَءُوا كِتَابِيَهْ (19) إِنِّي ظَنَنتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ (20) فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ (21) فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ (22) قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ (23) كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ (24) وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ (25) وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ (26) يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ (27) مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ ۜ (28) هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ (29) خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ (30) ثُمَّ الْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ (31) ثُمَّ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَاسْلُكُوهُ (32) إِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ (33) وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ (34) فَلَيْسَ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ هَاهُنَا حَمِيمٌ (35) وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ (36) لَّا يَأْكُلُهُ إِلَّا الْخَاطِئُونَ (37) سورة الحاقة
Chapter Al-Haqqah (18) That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgement]; not hidden among you is anything concealed. (19) So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record! (20) Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account." (21) So he will be in a pleasant life (22) In an elevated garden, (23) Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near. (24) [They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past." (25) But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I had not been given my record (26) And had not known what is my account. (27) I wish my death had been the decisive one. (28) My wealth has not availed me. (29) Gone from me is my authority." (30) [Allah will say], "Seize him and shackle him. (31) Then into Hellfire drive him. (32) Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him." (33) Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allah, the Greatest, (34) Nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor. (35) So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend (36) Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds; (37) None will eat it except the sinners.
When we remember all of the above and many other verses in the Quran about such topics, we should be careful, be wise, and prepare well for these times. It is mandatory to contemplate from time to time about the lives after death and plan for doing better.

6- Write Your Will:
One of the most essential activities to do right away when you read these lines is to write your Will if you have not done so. You should leave this life with no obligation to anyone. It is a mandatory activity on all of us as shown in this narration:
                                                                                     عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَال"‏مَا حَقُّ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ لَهُ شَىْءٌ يُوصَى فِيهِ يَبِيتُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ إِلاَّ وَوَصِيَّتُهُ عِنْدَهُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ"‏‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)
Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It is the duty of a Muslim man who has something to be given as a bequest not to spend two nights without writing a will about it." Sahih – Al-Albany

The Will should include all rights to those who deserve them and also all loans whether they are given or taken. There are many available standard forms and templates of Islamic Wills in the community centers and masjids all over the globe. You write the Will or fill the standard template, change what you see convenient to you and your family, sign the Will and notarize it by a notary public office. You do that for yourself, your wife, and your children as well because no one knows who will die first.

7- Often Remember Allah (SWT):
Allah (SWT) ordered us in many verses to often remember Him but we tend to forget. For example, He (SWT) asked us to remember him at dawn and at dusk otherwise, we will be considered inattentive as follows:
                                                                                                                  وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِينَ (205) سورة الأعراف
Chapter Al-A’raf (205) And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.

He (SWT) also asked us to remember Him much and exalt Him in the morning and at night as mentioned in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                                      يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا (41) وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا (42) سورة الأحزاب
Chapter Al-Ahzab (41) O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance (42) And exalt Him morning and afternoon.

Scholars said “it is required from the believer to often remember Allah (SWT) in the heart, by the tongue, and by all your physical body for His blessings on us.” Ibn Abbas said: “There is no excuse for anyone not to remember Allah (SWT) much except the mindless person.” Abu'd-Darda also said, "Shall I not tell you the best of your deeds, and those that give you the highest rank, and those that are the purest with Allah, and are better for you than giving gold and silver as a charity, and better for you than meeting your enemy and striking their necks?" They said, "Of course." He said, "Remembrance (dhikr) of Allah (SWT)."
                  وعن عبد الله بن بشر رضي الله عنه أن رجلا قال‏:‏ يا رسول الله، إن شرائع الإسلام قد كثرت علي، فأخبرني بشيء أتشبث به قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏لا يزال لسانك رطبًا من ذكر الله‏"‏‏.‏ رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏.‏
'Abdullah bin Busr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: One of the Companions said, "O Messenger of Allah. There are too many rulings of Islam for me. So tell me something to which I may hold tightly." He said, "Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allah." [At-Tirmidhi].

We should always keep our tongues busy with remembering Allah in travel times, in between activities, during walks from one place to the other, while working on the computer, etc. Your tongue is not needed in all the above activities. Do not leave your tongue idle during these precious times in your life. Gift yourself with remembering Allah (SWT) using any type of thikr (remembering Allah (SWT). Plant today to harvest tomorrow and in the Hereafter.

It is quite clear from the above discussion that preparation for death and the lives after is not an easy task. We should seriously plan for the rest of our life in order not to waste the remaining time. In the following section, I will propose an action plan to implement what we have learned in this article.

Recommendation
In this section, I will propose a gradual implementation plan of actions to train ourselves on how to achieve the above 8 key preparation means. The most important feature of this plan is to be gradual and consider the personal differences. In other words, some activities might work for few of us in a specific capacity and not for others. Therefore, everyone can select for him/herself whatever is convenient to guarantee the continuation in the proposed plan. This plan will be designed based on the main pillars of Islam and traditions of the Prophet (SAS) in volunteer acts of worship (Sunnah). The plan assumes that everyone has already performed the obligatory pillars of Islam. It covers thikr (remembering Allah (SWT), prayer, Quran, charity, fasting, and others. You might find yourself performing a good amount of the planned activities, then, you thank Allah (SWT) who guided you to do so and start from wherever you are and progress gradually. You can mimic the pattern to plan for yourself. If your practice is far from beginning such ambitious plan, try to set up realistic goals for yourself within a specific period of time, then, design the appropriate plan and pattern that suit your capabilities. The most important principles to apply are: realistic and convenient goals, a pattern that matches your ability, gradual improvement and achievement, continuity, motivation, perseverance, and persistence. The proposed plan is just a means to keep us connected with Allah (SWT). Tables 1 to 4 provide plans of actions given that the pillars of Islam are met first:

The Prophet (SAS) described to his companions the example of a human being in life as shown in the following narration and Figure 1:
وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ خط النبي ﷺ خطا مربعا، وخط خطاً فى الوسط خارجاً منه، وخط خططاً صغاراً إلى هذا الذى فى الوسط من جانبه الذى فى الوسط، فقال‏:‏ “هذا الإنسان، وهذا أجله محيطا به -أو قد أحاط به- وهذا الذى هو خارج أمله، وهذه الخطط الصغار الأعراض فإن أخطأه هذا ، نهشه هذا، وإن أخطأه هذا نهشه هذا” ‏(‏‏‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏ وهذه صورته‏:‏
Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) drew up a square and in the middle of it he drew a line, the end of which jutted out beyond the square. Further across the middle line, he drew a number of smaller lines. Then he (PBUH) said, "The figure represents man and the encircling square is the death or lifespan, which is encompassing him. The middle line represents his desires and the smaller lines are sicknesses and problems of life. If one of those misses him, another distresses him, and if that one misses him, he falls a victim to another." [Al-Bukhari]. Here is its image as shown in Figure 1:

The above narration explains the relationship between a human being and his/her lifespan, hope, desires, sicknesses, and problems. A human being has always desire to fulfill and hopes to achieve in life. These are impacted by the sicknesses and problems facing the human being throughout the lifespan. The human being has always hope beyond his/her lifespan. It can be classified into: “Hope” and “False Hope”. Hope is a good concept that motivates us to work hard in this life with the notion that the future will be great. This is a recommended concept to implement and follow during life without neglecting the Hereafter. However, if the hope and desire get the human being distracted from his/her purpose of life, it is considered false hope that might lead to a terrible ending at the time of death and in the Hereafter. False hope therefore can be defined as the extreme love of this life and the negligence of the lives after death. It is also the human beings’ wish to stay forever in this life and stop thinking of death. It is like a disease or pandemic that makes you very connected with life and neglect the Hereafter. It causes you to be inattentive and to always delay repentance wishing that you still have a long life to repent in the future. This concept is mentioned in the Quran in several verses. For example, Allah (SWT) ordered us to use His blessings to prepare for the Hereafter and not to forget to take part of enjoying life within the lawful boundaries set by Him as follows:
                                                                         وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ ۖ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (77)سورة القصص
Chapter Al-Qasass (77) But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."

The above describes “Hope”, which is acceptable by Allah (SWT) and needed for every human being to have a good life. However, the one that is unacceptable is the “False Hope”. It makes the human being gets distracted by life activities and forgets the lives after death. This is what Allah (SWT) informs us not to do as follows:
                                                                  وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَىٰ حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا ۚ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ (96) سورة البقرة
Chapter Al-Baqarah (96) And you will surely find them the greediest of people for life - [even] more than those who associate others with Allah. One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allah is Seeing of what they do.

No matter how long you stay in this life, one day you will die. Long lifespan does not mean you are a good person with success in the Hereafter because such success relies primarily on your good actions during life. The most terrifying problem of false hope is that it grows with time. The more you are getting older, the more achievements you are looking for, the busier you will be. This is clear in our performance in this life as opposed to the preparation for the Hereafter. It is also obvious in the following narration where the Prophet (SAS) described the nature of the human’s heart, which will be active in two fronts: love of life and false hope:
                                                                                       أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏لاَ يَزَالُ قَلْبُ الْكَبِيرِ شَابًّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ فِي حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا، وَطُولِ الأَمَلِ ‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The heart of an old man remains young in two respects, i.e., his love for the world (its wealth, amusements and luxuries) and his incessant hope." Sahih al-Bukhari 6420.

Allah (SWT) informs us of the false hope as follows:
                                                                                                                                                                                        ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ (3) سورة الحجر
Chapter Al-Hijr (3) Let them eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for they are going to know.

The above verse is alarming and shows the catastrophic impact of false hope to our lives. Imam Al-Tabari indicated that the verse asked the prophet (SAS) to let the disbelievers eat and enjoy this life as much as they can. They will get eventful with life activities and neglect to work for the Hereafter. If they died in this state of disbelief, they will see in the Day of Judgement that the pleasure in this life is not comparable to that of the torture in the Hereafter. This is supported by the following Narration, which shows the utmost torture that people who follow their desire and have false hope will get in the Hereafter and vice versa:
وعنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله، ﷺ ‏:‏ “يؤتى بأنعم أهل الدنيا من أهل النار يوم القيامة، فيصبغ في النار صبغة، ثم يقال‏:‏ يا ابن آدم هل رأيت خيراً قط‏؟‏ هل مر بك نعيم قط‏؟‏ فيقول‏:‏ لا والله يا رب‏.‏ ويؤتى بأشد الناس بؤساً في الدنياً من أهل الجنة، فيصبغ صبغة في الجنة، فيقال له‏:‏ يا ابن آدم هل رأيت بؤساً قط‏؟‏ هل مربك شدة قط‏؟‏ فيقول‏:‏ لا، والله، ما مر بى بؤس قط، ولا رأيت شدة قط‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏.‏
Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Among the inmates of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up on the Day of Resurrection and dipped in the Fire and will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury?' He will reply: 'By Allah, no, my Rubb.' And then one of the people of Jannah who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Jannah. Then he will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?' He will say: "By Allah, no my Rubb, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship". [Muslim].

It was narrated that Prophet Essa, peace be upon him, said: “Who might build a house above the sea surface? Such house is the example of life for being short and unstable. Do not consider life as a place for long settlement.” Let us look at the opinion of the companions and their followers on false hope. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him, said: “I am afraid of following the desires and of having false hope. This is because following our desire will forbid us from being righteous. However, false hope makes us forget the Hereafter.” Salman, the Persian, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him, said: “I wonder of three things: (1) a man that has false hope where death is looking for him; (2) a man who is inattentive while he is watched by the Angels of Allah (SWT); and (3) a man who laughs much while he does not know if Allah (SWT) likes/accepts him or not.” Mohamed Ibn Was’ was asked: “How are you? He responded: I am a man who has a short lifespan, who has false hope, and whose actions are not good.” One of the followers said: “Do not get used to say I “will” because it is one of the Shaytan’s soldiers.” This means when you intend to, for example repent, do it right away and do not delay such action to the future because you might not live until then.

Disadvantages of False Hope
1- It leads to neglect or forget the Hereafter including the reward for good people and the punishment for bad ones.
2- It makes you inattentive to obey Allah (SWT) and inpatient with your desires.
3- It might show false happiness in this life but will destroy your pleasure in the Hereafter.
4- It hardens the human being’s heart and increases his/her keenness to stay in this life.
5- It motivates you to do bad deeds and reduces good ones.
In order to cure and clean our hearts of false hope, we should do several activities as follows:
1- Continuous remembrance and contemplation of death: We should always remember that we are leaving this life no matter how long we stay. The first narration mentioned in this article is a good example of this concept. Previous articles also include many verses and narrations that support this point.
2- Get your heart connected to the true life in the Hereafter: This life will not last long for all of us. Therefore, we should not get ourselves tied with something that does not last. Wise people should get themselves connected with the life that will last forever, i.e. Hereafter. Allah (SWT) shows this concept in many verses to awaken us as follows:
                                                                                                                                                                                    بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (16) وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ (17) سورة الأعلى
Chapter Al-A’la (16) But you prefer the worldly life, (17) While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا ۖ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ (20) سورة الحديد
Chapter Al-Hadeed (20) Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.

If this concept is clear to us, we should work hard during this life to plant good seeds for the Hereafter, i.e. the long-lasting life. We will not get astray by false hope in this life and focus on the long-lasting life in the Hereafter.

3- Be careful, time is passing very fast: Hasan Albasry said: “O’ son of Adam, you are but few days, if one day has passed, part of you has already passed.” You should work hard for the rest of your days. Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyadh said: “If you know that you are a servant of Allah (SWT) and will return back to Him, you should know that you will be asked by Him (SWT) about all your actions. You should prepare well for these questions.”
4- Shorten your anticipations: Be ready to leave this life at any time by increasing good deeds and reducing bad ones. This does not contradict with a high level of planning for good achievements and being ambitious in life activities that does not get you distracted from the activities leading to good status in the Hereafter. Therefore, the Prophet (SAS) advised us to live in this life as a traveler:
عَنْ ابْن عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمَنْكِبِي، وَقَالَ: "كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّك غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ". وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ: إذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِك لِمَرَضِك، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِك لِمَوْتِك. (رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ. )
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took me by the shoulder and said, “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.” And Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.” [Al-Bukhari]

If we deal with this life like a traveler during his/her trip, we will know exactly how to behave in life issues and problems. The example of a human being in life is like a ship that stopped at the port of an island. The Captain asked the travelers to go shopping and come back on time in order to leave to the next destination. People, in their response to the Captain request, were divided into three categories: (1) some of them came on time, (2) some came late and brought lots of goods with no place in the ship to store these goods, and (3) some forgot themselves and got distracted by the activities in the island. The first category caught the ship on time; however, the third category did not catch the ship and got lost. The third category is the one that has false hope in which this type of people did not achieve any of their intended life objectives.

The example of short anticipations in this life is indicated in the following narration:
وعن عبد الله بن مسعود، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ نام رسول الله ﷺ ، على حصير، فقال وقد أثر في جنبه‏.‏ قلنا‏:‏ يا رسول الله لو اتخذنا لك وطاء‏!‏ فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏ مالي وللدنيا‏؟‏ ما أنا في الدنيا إلا كراكب استظل تحت شجرة ثم راح وتركها”‏.‏‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح‏)‏‏.‏
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept on a straw mat and got up with the marks left by it on his body. Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Would that you make us spread out a soft bedding for you." He (ﷺ) replied, "What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it." [At- Tirmidhi].

It is clear that false hope is a disease that contaminates our hearts. Allah (SWT) and His Prophet (SAS) warned us much of such disease because it gets us astray from the good path. We must work hard on cleansing our hearts by frequently revisiting our intention and correcting our actions to reduce the impact of false hope on our lives. Therefore, the Prophet (SAS) advised us to do this cleansing process as follows:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا أَخْطَأَ خَطِيئَةً نُكِتَتْ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَإِذَا هُوَ نَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ وَتَابَ سُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ عَادَ زِيدَ فِيهَا حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ قَلْبَهُ وَهُوَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ ‏:‏ ‏(‏ كلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ‏)‏ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ رواه الترمذي قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏
Abu Hurairah narrated that: the Messenger of Allah said: “Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran which they used to earn.” [At-Tirmidhi: Hasan]

Recommendation:
It is recommended to supplicate to Allah (SWT) with the following supplications in order to always cleanse our heart:
                                                                                                                 وعن الأغر المزني رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏"‏إنه ليغان على قلبي، وإني لأستغفر الله في اليوم مائة مرة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏
1- Al-Agharr Al-Muzani (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Sometimes I perceive a veil over my heart, and I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times in a day." [Muslim].
وعن شكل بن حميد، رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قلت يا رسول الله‏:‏ علمني دعاء‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏قل‏:‏ اللهم إني أعوذ بك من شر سمعي، ومن شر بصري، ومن شر لساني، ومن شر قلبي، ومن شر مني‏"‏‏.‏ رواه أبو داود والترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏.
2- Shakal bin Humaid (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked: "O Messenger of Allah, teach me a prayer." He (ﷺ) said, "Say: Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min sharri sam'i, wa min sharri basari, wa min sharri lisani, wa min sharri qalbi, wa min sharri maniyyi (O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the evils of my hearing, the evils of my seeing, the evils of my tongue; the evils of my heart and the evils of passions)." [Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].
                                                                                  عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِمَاءِ الثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّ قَلْبِي مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ النسائى
3- It was narrated that 'Aishah said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say: 'Allahummaghsil khatayaya bi-ma'ith-thalj wal-barad was naqqi qalbi min al-khataya kama naqayta ath-thawb al-abyad min ad-danas (O Allah, wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart of sin as a white garment is cleansed of filth).'" ‏ [Sunan an-Nasa'i 333 – Sahih]
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَدْعُو "‏رَبِّ أَعِنِّي وَلاَ تُعِنْ عَلَىَّ وَانْصُرْنِي وَلاَ تَنْصُرْ عَلَىَّ وَامْكُرْ لِي وَلاَ تَمْكُرْ عَلَىَّ وَاهْدِنِي وَيَسِّرْ هُدَاىَ إِلَىَّ وَانْصُرْنِي عَلَى مَنْ بَغَى عَلَىَّ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي لَكَ شَاكِرًا لَكَ ذَاكِرًا لَكَ رَاهِبًا لَكَ مِطْوَاعًا إِلَيْكَ مُخْبِتًا أَوْ مُنِيبًا رَبِّ تَقَبَّلْ تَوْبَتِي وَاغْسِلْ حَوْبَتِي وَأَجِبْ دَعْوَتِي وَثَبِّتْ حُجَّتِي وَاهْدِ قَلْبِي وَسَدِّدْ لِسَانِي وَاسْلُلْ سَخِيمَةَ قَلْبِي‏"‏‏. صحيح (الألباني)
4- ‏Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate Allah: "My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and made my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in my breast." [Sahih Al-Albani]

                                                                                                                                                                                               ………….. To Be Continued

Figure 1: The Example of Human Being in the Mind of the Prophet (SAS).

The reader is referred to a previous article, which discussed the facts about death. Let me summarize a few of these facts as an introduction to this article. Death is very close to us and is coming very soon; therefore, we should be vigilant towards this truth. It does not differentiate between old and young; male and female; kid and youth; black and white; and humans, animals, plants, or any other creatures. Every living will die and be held accountable for his/her actions before Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgement. Death is the event that ends the life of the human beings with no more actions after death. It is the event that separates time of actions and the time of rewards. Allah (SWT) described the moment of death as the truth, which is surely and quickly coming, as shown in the following verses:
                                                                                                                                                                                         وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ (19) سورة ق
Chapter Qaf (19) And the intoxication of death will bring the truth; that is what you were trying to avoid.
                                                                                                                       وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ ۖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ (61) سورة الأنعام
Chapter Al-Anaam (61) And He is the subjugator over His servants, and He sends over you guardian-angels until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him, and they do not fail [in their duties].
                                                                                                                                                                           قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُم مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ (11) سورة السجدة
Chapter Al-Sajdah (11) Say, "The angel of death will take you who has been entrusted with you. Then to your Lord you will be returned."

The Prophet (SAS) confirmed the intoxication of death at the time of his death (SAS). He was also supplicating to Allah (SWT) to diminish intoxication of death on him (SAS) as mentioned in the following narrations:
ذَكْوَانَ مَوْلَى عَائِشَةَ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ كَانَتْ تَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهَ ﷺ كَانَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَكْوَةٌ ـ أَوْ عُلْبَةٌ فِيهَا مَاءٌ، يَشُكُّ عُمَرُ ـ فَجَعَلَ يُدْخِلُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الْمَاءِ، فَيَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا وَجْهَهُ وَيَقُولُ ‏"‏ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ سَكَرَاتٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ نَصَبَ يَدَهُ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ فِي الرَّفِيقِ الأَعْلَى ‏"‏‏.‏ حَتَّى قُبِضَ وَمَالَتْ يَدُهُ‏.‏ )رواه البخارى(
Narrated `Aisha: There was a leather or wood container full of water in front of Allah's Apostle (at the time of his death). He would put his hand into the water and rub his face with it, saying, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah! No doubt, death has its stupors." Then he raised his hand and started saying, "(O Allah!) with the highest companions." (See Qur'an 4:69) (and kept on saying it) till he expired and his hand dropped." Sahih al-Bukhari 6510.
                              وعنها قالت‏:‏ رأيت رسول الله ﷺ وهو بالموت عنده قدح فيه ماء وهو يدخل يده في القدح، ثم يمسح وجهه بالماء، ثم يقول‏:‏ ‏ "‏اللهم أعني علي غمرات الموت وسكرات الموت‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه الترمذي‏)‏‏.‏
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was at the point of death. He had a drinking bowl with water in it. He would dip his hand into the bowl, and wipe his face. Then he would supplicate, "O Allah! Help me over pangs and agony of death." [Al-Termizi]

The time of death is critical to all human beings. At this time, the soul is dragged outside the body of a human being in a painful process. It was described in the Quran in several verses as follows:
                                                                                                  كَلا إِذَا بَلَغَتِ التَّرَاقِيَ(26)وَقِيلَ مَنْ رَاقٍ(27)وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ الْفِرَاقُ(28)وَالْتَفَّتِ السَّاقُ بِالسَّاقِ(29)إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمَسَاقُ(30) سورة القيامة
Chapter Al-Qiyamah (26) No! When the soul has reached the collar bones (27) And it is said, "Who will cure [him]?" (28) And the dying one is certain that it is the [time of] separation (29) And the leg is wound about the leg, (30) To your Lord, that Day, will be the procession.

At the time of death, no one can assist the dying person; no doctor; no cure; nothing can help except Allah (SWT). When the soul reaches the throat, everybody around you will be left hopeless and helpless. The closest to you then, is only Allah (SWT). It is the time of separation of soul and body. It is the time of leaving this life and moving to another life. No one can return back the soul or relieve the pain that you suffer from. These are explained to us in the following verses:
                                      فَلَوْلَا إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ (83) وَأَنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ (84) وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ (85) فَلَوْلَا إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ (86) تَرْجِعُونَهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (87) سورة الواقعة
Chapter Al-Waqi’ah (83) Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat (84) And you are at that time looking on - (85) And Our angels are nearer to him than you, but you do not see - (86) Then why do you not, if you are not to be recompensed, (87) Bring it back, if you should be truthful?

Death of Disbelievers and Hypocrites
Death moments will be too hard on disbelievers and hypocrites. It is the end of their journey in life that they live for. They do not ever think about this moment or what will happen after this moment. Ibn Kathir said “The angels will harshly pull out the soul of the disbelievers and hypocrites. This hardship occurs because they will be told of what will happen to them in the lives to come. Therefore, their souls will refuse to leave the bodies fearing of the coming torture that is waiting for them. The souls will try to escape inside their far body parts. The angels will hit these parts for the soul to go out. These are hard times for them.” Allah (SWT) described this moment for them as follows:
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ قَالَ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ وَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ وَمَن قَالَ سَأُنزِلُ مِثْلَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ ۗ وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَاسِطُو أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُوا أَنفُسَكُمُ ۖ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ (93) سورة الأنعام
Chapter Al-Anaam (93) And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed." And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying], "Discharge your souls! Today you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation for what you used to say against Allah other than the truth and [that] you were, toward His verses, being arrogant."

If the moment of death comes, no one can return back to life to do better. Also, no one can escape from such a moment. These facts are listed in the following verses:
                                                                                         وَأَنفِقُوا مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (10) سورة المنافقون
Chapter Al-Munafiqoon (10) And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous."
                                                                                                                                                     قُل لَّن يَنفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِن فَرَرْتُم مِّنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ وَإِذًا لَّا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (16) سورة الأحزاب
Chapter Al-Ahzab (16) Say, [O Muhammad], "Never will fleeing benefit you if you should flee from death or killing; and then [if you did], you would not be given enjoyment [of life] except for a little."

The example of the disbelievers and hypocrites at the time of death is similar to the students who did not study during the semester to enjoy their time and life in other activities. At the time of announcing the semester’s results, the students will not expect anything but failure. They might not even care about the results. The disbelievers and hypocrites will be in a similar situation at the moment of death. They did not work hard during life for such a moment. They are the losers forever. Can we imagine the word “forever” or visualize the consequences of disbelief and hypocrisy? If we do, we will quickly return to Allah asking for mercy and forgiveness.

The described story of a sinful man, who was about to die, is mentioned in the following narration. He recommended his children to burn his body after death and scatter the dust all over the sea. When he was asked by Allah (SWT) about the grounds of such action, he replied “it is because of fear from You (Allah).” Allah (SWT) forgave him because of this fear. This is a story that generates hope in our hearts for the forgiveness of Allah (SWT) to all our sins and shortcomings in this life. This is a motivational example to all of us. Allah’s forgiveness is doable and achievable. It only needs a clean and a clear heart, which sincerely repents to Him (SWT). Let us start right away and repent hoping for the mercy and forgiveness of Allah (SWT).
عَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ ، رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، عَنِ النَّبَيِّ ﷺ ، قَالَ :أَسْرَفَ رَجُلٌ عَلي نَفْسِهِ ، فَلَمَّا حَضَرَهُ المَوْتُ أَوْصَى بَنِيه ، فَقَالَ : إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ فَأَحْرِقُوني ، ثُمَّ اسْحَقُوني ، ثُمَّ أَذْرُوني في البَحْرِ فَوَاللهِ لَئِنْ قَدَرَ عَلَيَّ رَبِّي لَيُعَذَّبَنِّي عَذَاباً ، مَا عَذَّبَهُ أَحَداً ، فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ بِهِ . فَقَالَ لِلْأَرْضِ : أَدِّي مَا أَخَذْتِ ، فَإِذا هُوَ قَائِمٌ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَي مَا صَنَعْتَ ؟ قَالَ : خَشْيَتُكَ يَا رَبِّ ، أَوْ مَخَافَتُكَ . فَغَفَرَ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ .رواهُ مسلم (وكذلك البخاري والنسائي وابن ماجه)
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What induced you to do what you did? He said: Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You) and because of that He forgave him. It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Death of the Believers
Glad tidings to the believer at the time of death where Allah (SWT) will show him/her the good news of accepting his/her deeds. It will be the most joyful moments for the person to know such good results. These glad tidings are mentioned in the following narration:
عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ ….. وَلَكِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ بُشِّرَ بِرِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ وَكَرَامَتِهِ، فَلَيْسَ شَىْءٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا أَمَامَهُ، فَأَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَأَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَإِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا حُضِرَ بُشِّرَ بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ وَعُقُوبَتِهِ، فَلَيْسَ شَىْءٌ أَكْرَهَ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا أَمَامَهُ، كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ ‏"‏‏.‏ )رواه البخارى(
Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit: The Prophet said, "…… He said: It is not like this, but it is meant that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah's pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah (too) loves the meeting with him. But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah's torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting with Allah, and Allah too, hates the meeting with him." Sahih al-Bukhari 6507.

The Prophet (SAS) continued explaining the great situation of a believer at the moment of death. He explained how the angels of mercy get the soul of the believer easily and swiftly with the best smell ever. This is contrary to the disbelievers and hypocrites. The following narration sheds the details of such moments to the believers:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِذَا حُضِرَ الْمُؤْمِنُ أَتَتْهُ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ بِحَرِيرَةٍ بَيْضَاءَ فَيَقُولُونَ اخْرُجِي رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيًّا عَنْكِ إِلَى رَوْحِ اللَّهِ وَرَيْحَانٍ وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ ‏.‏ فَتَخْرُجُ كَأَطْيَبِ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ حَتَّى أَنَّهُ لَيُنَاوِلُهُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ بَابَ السَّمَاءِ فَيَقُولُونَ مَا أَطْيَبَ هَذِهِ الرِّيحَ الَّتِي جَاءَتْكُمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ ‏.‏ فَيَأْتُونَ بِهِ أَرْوَاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَلَهُمْ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ بِغَائِبِهِ يَقْدَمُ عَلَيْهِ فَيَسْأَلُونَهُ مَاذَا فَعَلَ فُلاَنٌ مَاذَا فَعَلَ فُلاَنٌ فَيَقُولُونَ دَعُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي غَمِّ الدُّنْيَا فَإِذَا قَالَ أَمَا أَتَاكُمْ قَالُوا ذُهِبَ بِهِ إِلَى أُمِّهِ الْهَاوِيَةِ وَإِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا احْتُضِرَ أَتَتْهُ مَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ بِمِسْحٍ فَيَقُولُونَ اخْرُجِي سَاخِطَةً مَسْخُوطًا عَلَيْكِ إِلَى عَذَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏.‏ فَتَخْرُجُ كَأَنْتَنِ رِيحِ جِيفَةٍ حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ بَابَ الأَرْضِ فَيَقُولُونَ مَا أَنْتَنَ هَذِهِ الرِّيحَ حَتَّى يَأْتُونَ بِهِ أَرْوَاحَ الْكُفَّارِ ‏. )سنن النسائى(
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: "When the believer is dying, the angels of mercy come to him with white silk and sya: 'Come out content and with the pleasure of Allah upon you to the mercy of Allah, fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry; So it comes out like the best fragrance of musk. They pass him from one to another until they bring him to the gate of heaven, where they say: '; How good is this fragrance that has come to you from the Earth! Then the souls of the believers come to him and they rejoice more over him than any one of you rejoices when his absent loved one comes to him. They ask him: 'What happened to so-and-so, what happened to so-and-so?' They say: 'Let him be, for he was in the hardship of the world. When he says, 'Did he not come here?' They say: 'He was taken to the pit (of Hell).' Come out discontent, subject of Divine wrath, to the punishment of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime; So it comes out like the foulest stench of a corpse. They bring him to the gates of the Earth, where they say: 'How foul is this stench!' Then they bring him to the souls of the disbelievers." Sunan an-Nasa'i 1833
‏
Good Expectations from Allah (SWT)
This is an important concept to be discussed and clarified. It can only be applied when you do good deeds in noble faith, then, you expect good from Allah. Otherwise, the person who did not do well and did not work hard, might not expect good from Allah (SWT). This concept is clearly stated in the following narration:
                                                                        وعن جابر بن عبد الله، رضي الله عنهما ، أنه سمع النبي، ﷺ ، قبل موته بثلاثة أيام يقول ‏:‏ لا يموتن أحدكم إلا وهو يحسن الظن بالله عز وجل‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏.‏
Jabir bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying three days before his death: "Let none of you die unless he has good expectations from Allah". [Muslim].

As an example of good expectation from Allah (SWT), the case of the young man that is described in the following narration. He was asked by the Prophet (SAS) about his situation during his sickness before death, he replied in a very honest and sincere way: I have hope in Allah (SWT) and fear from my sins. The Prophet (SAS) gives him glad tidings that Allah (SWT) will give him what he hopes if he has these two types of feelings.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَيَّارٌ، حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، ‏:‏ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ ﷺ ـ دَخَلَ عَلَى شَابٍّ وَهُوَ فِي الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏:‏ أَرْجُو اللَّهَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَأَخَافُ ذُنُوبِي ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ لاَ يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَوْطِنِ إِلاَّ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ مَا يَرْجُو وَآمَنَهُ مِمَّا يَخَافُ ‏"‏ ‏.) سنن ابن ماجه(
It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon a young man who was dying and said: “How do you feel?” He said: “I have hope in Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I fear my sins.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “These two things (hope and fear) do not coexist in the heart of a person in a situation like this, but Allah will give him that which he hopes for and keep him safe from that which he fears.” Ibn Majah - Hasan

The example of the believers at the time of death is also similar to the hard-working students who studied very well during the semester and did not get distracted by other life activities. At the time of announcing the semester’s results, the students will be very happy with their success. They are the winners and gain what they worked hard for during the semester. The believers also worked hard during life for such a moment to be the winners forever. This is the consequences of good belief. If we visualize such consequences, we will continuously repent to Allah asking for mercy and forgiveness.

Death of Prophet Muhammad (SAS)
The humanity lost a lot by the death of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAS). We lost the connection with heaven and revelation. The Prophet (SAS) was the best human being ever created in the sight of Allah (SWT). He was selected by Allah to carry the last message to humanity. After completing his message, he passed away like any human being or any alive creatures. Before death, he (SAS) supplicated with the following:
                                       سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مَا يَدْعُو بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ قَالَتْ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُو بِهِ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَمِلْتُ وَمِنْ شَرِّ مَا لَمْ أَعْمَلْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن النسائى
It was narrated from 'Abdah bin Abi Lubabah that Ibn Yasaf told him that he asked 'Aishah, the wife of the Prophet [SAW], : What supplication did the Messenger of Allah [SAW] say the most before he died? She said: "The supplication that he said the most was: 'Allahumma, inni a'udhu bika min sharri ma 'amiltu wa min sharri ma lam a'mal ba'd (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have done, and from the evil of what I have not done yet.)'" Sunan an-Nasa'i 5526.

He (SAS) suffered from death’s pain as a human being. Such pain was double everybody’s else as mentioned in the following narration:
                                                                                                                                      عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ مَا أَغْبِطُ أَحَدًا بِهَوْنِ مَوْتٍ بَعْدَ الَّذِي رَأَيْتُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ مَوْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏.‏ )جامع الترمذى(
'Aayeshah Radiyallahu 'Anaha narrates: "After witnessing the difficulties experienced by the Prophet (SAS), I do not doubt that anyone does not experience difficulties at the time of death". Jami` at-Tirmidhi 979.

The calamity of the Prophet’s death impacted all of us. When you see your loved ones are passing away, you feel a lot of sadness in the heart. This was the utmost when we lost the Prophet (SAS). He was the example of the father, teacher, husband, brother, son, leader, etc. When you think about his death (SAS), nothing worldwide can be as significant. All crises are nothing compared to his death (SAS). I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to gather us with him in Paradise and around the spring “Alkawthar”. Look at how severe agony he (SAS) suffered from in the following narration:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ لَمَّا وَجَدَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ، مِنْ كُرَبِ الْمَوْتِ مَا وَجَدَ، قَالَتْ فَاطِمَةُ‏:‏ وَاكَرْبَاهُ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لا كَرْبَ عَلَى أَبِيكِ بَعْدَ الْيَوْمِ، إِنَّهُ قَدْ حَضَرَ مِنْ أَبِيكِ مَا لَيْسَ بِتَارِكٍ مِنْهُ أَحَدًا الْمُوافَاةُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ‏. )سنن ابن ماجه(
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: “When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) suffered the agonies of death that he suffered, Fatimah said: ‘O my father, what a severe agony!’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Your father will suffer no more agony after this day. There has come to your father that which no one can avoid, the death that everyone will encounter until the Day of Resurrection.’” Sunan Ibn Majeh.

After all this severe pain, look at the following narration that showed the Prophet’s moment of death on the chest of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
ذَكْوَانَ مَوْلَى عَائِشَةَ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ كَانَتْ تَقُولُ إِنَّ مِنْ نِعَمِ اللَّهِ عَلَىَّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ تُوُفِّيَ فِي بَيْتِي وَفِي يَوْمِي، وَبَيْنَ سَحْرِي وَنَحْرِي، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ رِيقِي وَرِيقِهِ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ، دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ وَبِيَدِهِ السِّوَاكُ وَأَنَا مُسْنِدَةٌ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ، وَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ السِّوَاكَ فَقُلْتُ آخُذُهُ لَكَ فَأَشَارَ بِرَأْسِهِ أَنْ نَعَمْ، فَتَنَاوَلْتُهُ فَاشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ وَقُلْتُ أُلَيِّنُهُ لَكَ فَأَشَارَ بِرَأْسِهِ أَنْ نَعَمْ، فَلَيَّنْتُهُ، وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَكْوَةٌ ـ أَوْ عُلْبَةٌ يَشُكُّ عُمَرُ ـ فِيهَا مَاءٌ، فَجَعَلَ يُدْخِلُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الْمَاءِ فَيَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا وَجْهَهُ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ سَكَرَاتٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ نَصَبَ يَدَهُ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ فِي الرَّفِيقِ الأَعْلَى ‏"‏‏.‏ حَتَّى قُبِضَ وَمَالَتْ يَدُهُ‏.‏ رواه البخارى
Narrated Aisha: It was one of the favors of Allah towards me that Allah's Apostle expired in my house on the day of my turn while he was leaning against my chest and Allah made my saliva mix with his saliva at his death. `Abdur-Rahman entered upon me with a Siwak in his hand and I was supporting (the back of) Allah's Apostle (against my chest). I saw the Prophet looking at it (i.e. Siwak) and I knew that he loved the Siwak, so I said (to him), "Shall I take it for you?" He nodded in agreement. So I took it and it was too stiff for him to use, so I said, "Shall I soften it for you?" He nodded his approval. So I softened it and he cleaned his teeth with it. In front of him there was a jug or a tin, (The sub-narrator, `Umar is in doubt as to which was right) containing water. He started dipping his hand in the water and rubbing his face with it, he said, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies." He then lifted his hands (towards the sky) and started saying, "With the highest companion," till he expired and his hand dropped down. Sahih al-Bukhari 4449.

Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) was very upset for the death of the Prophet (SAS), her father and the messenger of Allah (SWT), to the extent that she asked his companions: were you able to backfill dirt on the Prophet (SAS)? As if she would like to say: was that his status in your hearts? Were you able to bear such action? The answer is no; however, this is life. Everyone should die one day and should be buried in the ground. The following narration showed such dialogue:
‏ وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ لما ثقل النبي ﷺ جعل يتغشاه الكرب فقالت فاطمة رضي الله عنها‏:‏ واكرب أبتاه‏.‏ فقال ‏:‏ ‏ "‏ليس على أبيك كرب بعد اليوم‏"‏ فلما مات قالت ‏:‏ يا أبتاه أجاب رباً دعاه، يا أبتاه جنة الفردوس مأواه، يا أبتاه إلى جبريل ننعاه، فلما دفن قالت ‏:‏ فاطمة رضي الله عنها‏:‏ أطابت أنفسكم أن تحثوا على رسول الله ﷺ التراب‏؟‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏‏.
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the last illness of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made him unconscious, Fatimah (May Allah be pleased with her) exclaimed: "Ah, the distress of my dear father." He (ﷺ) said, "There will be no distress for your father after today". When he died she said: "My father, Allah has called you back and you have responded to His Call. O father! The Garden of Firdaus is your abode. O father! We announce to Jibril your death." When he was buried, she said: "Are you satisfied now that you put earth over (the grave of) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" [Al- Bukhari].

‏What Stays with the Dead in the Grave
We are always busy in this life with three main things: money, family, and activities. All the three will leave us after death except actions. If our actions during life are good, then, life after death will be great with full of rewards and pleasure and vice versa. This concept is clear in the following narration:
                                                                       عن أنس رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ يتبع الميت ثلاثة‏:‏ أهله وماله وعمله؛ فيرجع اثنان ويبقى واحد‏:‏ يرجع أهله وماله، ويبقى عمله‏"‏ ‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏.‏
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Three follow a dead body: members of his family, his possessions and his deeds. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and his possessions return; his deeds remain with him". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The moment of death is critical, which represents the first step in our journey to the Hereafter. This moment reflects what will happen after death. If it is good, the person will be happy and vice versa. Only the dying person is the one who will see such glad tidings or otherwise. This moment requires us to work hard during life to gain such a good moment at the time of death and onwards. I pray to Allah to make this moment the best moment in our lives with lots of glad tidings. In order to have good moment at the time of death, we do not want to forget that Allah (SWT) always forgives no matter what sins you do as mentioned in the following narration:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: "يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتنِي وَرَجَوْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْك وَلَا أُبَالِي، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُك عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إنَّك لَوْ أتَيْتنِي بِقُرَابِ الْأَرْضِ خَطَايَا ثُمَّ لَقِيتنِي لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لَأَتَيْتُك بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً".رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ:3540، حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, “Allah the Almighty has said: ‘O Son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it [too].’ ” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said that it was a hasan hadeeth.

Recommendation
It is recommended to supplicate with the following supplications hoping that Allah makes the moment of death as the best moment in our lives:
                   وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ "لا يتمنين أحدكم الموت لضر أصابه فإن كان لابد فاعلاً، فليقل‏:‏ اللهم أحينى ما كانت الحياة خيراً لى، وتوفنى إذا كانت الوفاة خيراً لى" ‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏.‏           
1- Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let none of you wish for death on account of an affliction that befalls him. If he has no alternative, let him pray: “O Allah! Give my life so long as the life is good for me, and take away my life if death is good for me.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
وعنه قال‏:‏ كان رسول الله ﷺ ، يقول‏:‏ ‏ "‏اللهم أصلح لي ديني الذي هو عصمة أمري، وأصلح لي دنياي التي فيها معاشي، وأصلح لي آخرتي التي فيها معادي، واجعل الحياة زيادة لي في كل خير، واجعل الموت راحة لي من كل شر‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏.‏
2- Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say: "O Allah, make my religion easy for me by virtue of which my affairs are protected, set right for me my world where my life exists, make good for me my Hereafter which is my resort to which I have to return, and make my life prone to perform all types of good, and make death a comfort for me from every evil." [Muslim].
       قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ التَّرَدِّي وَالْهَدْمِ وَالْغَرَقِ وَالْحَرِيقِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ يَتَخَبَّطَنِي الشَّيْطَانُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ فِي سَبِيلِكَ مُدْبِرًا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ لَدِيغًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن النسائى
3- It was narrated that Abu Al-Yasar said: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from being thrown from a high place or crushed beneath a falling wall, or drowning or being burned, and I seek refuge with You from being led astray by the Shaitan at the time of death, and I seek refuge with You from dying in Your cause while fleeing from the battlefield, and I seek refuge with You from dying of a scorpion sting." Sunan an-Nasa'i 5531.
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: { كَانَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-يَقُولُ: اَللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي اَلَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي, وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ اَلَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي, وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي اَلَّتِي إِلَيْهَا مَعَادِي, وَاجْعَلْ اَلْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ, وَاجْعَلْ اَلْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ } أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ .‏ ‏‏ صحيح (2820)
4- Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say, “O Allah! Set right for me my religion, which is the safeguard of my affairs. And set right for me the affairs of the world wherein is my living. Decree the Hereafter to be good for me. And make this life, for me, (a source) of abundance for every good and make my death (a source) of comfort to me and protection against every evil.” Related by Muslim.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          ………….. To Be Continued

The Prophet’s companions are considered the best generation that exists on earth. This generation was raised in the school of Muhammad (SAS), the last Prophet to humanity. The companions learned, absorbed, understood, and applied the characters and teachings of Islam as they were revealed by Allah (SAW). The actions of the Prophet (SAS) and the companions were like the Quran walking on the ground. Therefore, their reflections at the moment of death were the best conclusions of their experience in life. Such conclusions represent the best practices for us who are trying to follow them. This is why it is essential to study their reflections upon death and discuss it further for lessons learned in our life to come. In this article, I will try to highlight several concluded remarks of the companions at the moment of death in the following sections. (Note: Most of the mentioned stories and advice in this article are not authenticated in a similar manner to the Prophet’s narrations. Therefore, I do not know if the person who was claimed to say any of them, actually said that. I mentioned them here because they are, in general, good advice and recommendations. They are mentioned in books for good scholars, which makes me lenient to mention them here. These scholars include: Abi Hamed Alghazali, Ibn Aljawzi, and Abd Elhaq Al-Ishbili).

1- Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq:
Abu Almaleeh said “When Abu Bakr, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him, was close to death sent to Omar Ibn Alkhattab, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him, and gave him an important advice: “Allah (SWT) has some rights at night that cannot be done in the day and vice versa. He (SWT) does not accept the volunteer works (Sunnah) until the obligatory works are completed. On the Day of Judgement, the people who follow the right path will have their scales heavy and vice versa. If you understand and like my advice, make death as the most beloved unknown because I affirm it is coming. You should know that no escape from death.” He continued saying that I have two dresses, a new and old one, please, make the old one as my coffin. This is because the deceased person will not need the new dress as much as the person who is alive.

2- Omar Ibn Alkhattab:
Abdullah Ibn Omar said: “When Omar was about to die, his head was on my leg. He asked me to put his head on the ground and started saying, woe for me and my mother if Allah (SWT) does not sympathize with me.” Omar also said at the moment of death: By Allah, if I have wealth of the earth full of gold, I would have paid it to avoid Allah’s punishment before I see Him (SWT). This is described in the following narration:
عَنِ الْمِسْوَرِ بْنِ مَخْرَمَةَ، قَالَ لَمَّا طُعِنَ عُمَرُ جَعَلَ يَأْلَمُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ـ وَكَأَنَّهُ يُجَزِّعُهُ ـ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلَئِنْ كَانَ ذَاكَ لَقَدْ صَحِبْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَحْسَنْتَ صُحْبَتَهُ، ثُمَّ فَارَقْتَهُ وَهْوَ عَنْكَ رَاضٍ، ثُمَّ صَحِبْتَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَأَحْسَنْتَ صُحْبَتَهُ، ثُمَّ فَارَقْتَهُ وَهْوَ عَنْكَ رَاضٍ، ثُمَّ صَحِبْتَ صَحَبَتَهُمْ فَأَحْسَنْتَ صُحْبَتَهُمْ، وَلَئِنْ فَارَقْتَهُمْ لَتُفَارِقَنَّهُمْ وَهُمْ عَنْكَ رَاضُونَ‏.‏ قَالَ أَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ صُحْبَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرِضَاهُ، فَإِنَّمَا ذَاكَ مَنٌّ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مَنَّ بِهِ عَلَىَّ، وَأَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ صُحْبَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَرِضَاهُ، فَإِنَّمَا ذَاكَ مَنٌّ مِنَ اللَّهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ مَنَّ بِهِ عَلَىَّ، وَأَمَّا مَا تَرَى مِنْ جَزَعِي، فَهْوَ مِنْ أَجْلِكَ وَأَجْلِ أَصْحَابِكَ، وَاللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي طِلاَعَ الأَرْضِ ذَهَبًا لاَفْتَدَيْتُ بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَرَاهُ‏.‏ قَالَ حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عُمَرَ بِهَذَا‏.‏ صحيح البخارى.
Narrated Al-Miswar bin Makhrama: When `Umar was stabbed, he showed signs of agony. Ibn `Abbas, as if intending to encourage `Umar, said to him, "O Chief of the believers! Never mind what has happened to you, for you have been in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and you kept good relations with him and you parted with him while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of Abu Bakr and kept good relations with him and you parted with him (i.e. he died) while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of the Muslims, and you kept good relations with them, and if you leave them, you will leave them while they are pleased with you." `Umar said, (to Ibn "Abbas), "As for what you have said about the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and his being pleased with me, it is a favor, Allah did to me; and as for what you have said about the company of Abu Bakr and his being pleased with me, it is a favor Allah did to me; and concerning my impatience which you see, is because of you and your companions. By Allah! If (at all) I had gold equal to the earth, I would have ransomed myself with it from the Punishment of Allah before I meet Him." Sahih al-Bukhari 3692.

This is Omar Ibn Alkhattab who filled the earth with justice, who ruled the largest empire of his time, and who was given the glad tidings of Paradise in his life. What about us who did not have any of the above? What will we say at the moment of our life conclusion? I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to forgive us all and accept our poor performance towards Him. Ameen.

3- Othman Ibn Affan:
When Othman Ibn Affan was murdered, the companions found in his house a box that contained his Will. It was written in this will: “This is Othman’s will, in the name of Allah, the most merciful, I pair witness that there is no God but Allah (SWT) and that his messenger is Muhammad (SAS). Paradise is right and exists. Hellfire is right and exists. Allah will resurrect the people from the graves to the Day of Judgement. No doubt about this day. Allah is always at His promise. On the above concepts, we live, we die, and we will be resurrected if Allah permits.” In another narration, it was mentioned that Othman while his blood was running said: No God but Allah, glory to Him, I was one of the oppressors. O Allah I seek refuge from You on all my matters. I ask You, Allah, to provide me with patience on my deprived performance in life.

4- Ali Ibn Abi Taleb:
Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Abi Taleb said: “When Ali was hit, he advised his children and then, continue saying No God but Allah until he passed away.”

5- Abu Addardaa and Abu Huriyrah:
When Abu Addardaa was about to die, he said: “Is there a man who will work hard for the moment that I am suffering from right now? And then, cried. His wife said why are you crying? You were a companion of the Prophet (SAS). He replied: I should cry because I do not know what will happen to my sins.”

In the same situation, Abu Huraiyarah was also crying. He was asked why you are crying. He replied: This is because of the lack of good deeds, the critical situation in the Day of Judgement, and the unknown end result whether to Paradise or to Hellfire.”

6- Moawiyah Ibn Abi Sofian:
When Moawiyah Ibn Abi Sofian was about to die, he asked whoever was around him to sit him down, they did. Then, he started remembering Allah (SWT) and said: Is it now O Moawiyah you remember Allah after all what you did in this life and started crying loudly. He also said a poem: It is death that you cannot avoid. I am afraid of the crises after death. He also said: O Allah sympathize with this old man who committed lots of sins and who had a hard heart. O Allah forgive my bad deeds and put mercy on the man who did not ask anybody except You and did not trust anyone except You.

It is worthy to mention that Moawiyah Ibn Abi Sofian was a strong Caliphate with high wisdom and zeal. He was very just as well. He ruled the northern Arab Peninsula and Sham for 40 years (20 years as a ruler and 20 years as a Caliphate) with zero conflicts. People (Muslims and others) liked him much due to his just and wisdom. His Caliphate was extended from the Far East to the Far West, i.e. the widest and strongest of its time. Even though this was his accomplishment, he was saying the above quotes at the moment of his death.

7- Amr Ibn Ala’s:
When death became closer to Amr Ibn Ala’s, he called his guards and told them: are you able to defend me in front of Allah? They replied not at all. He said, be away from me. He also called them to bring water to have purification and then asked them to carry him to the mosque. They also make his face towards Qibla upon his request. Then, he started supplicating to Allah (SWT): O Allah, You order me but I disobeyed You. You entrusted me but I was not trustful. You put restrictions for believers but I surpassed them. O Allah I am not innocent to apologize nor strong to have victory but I am sinful who ask for forgiveness without persistence nor arrogance. Then, he repeated the verse ("There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers") until his death.

Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Ala’s told his father at the moments of death: you previously said: I hope I find a wise man who is dying to tell us what happened to him during this moment. Now, you are almost dying, please, describe death to us. He replied: as if I am inside a box with a very small hole of a needle to breathe from. And as if a thorn branch is pulled from my legs to my head.”

The above is a sample of lessons learned, advice, and recommendations of the great people in history. There are many others; however, the space is rather limited and the concept is already covered with the above. Ibn Omar reported the following narration:
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذَا مَاتَ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ مَقْعَدُهُ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَمِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ يُقَالُ هَذَا مَقْعَدُكَ حَتَّى يَبْعَثَكَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح مسلم.
Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When any one of you dies, he is shown his seat (in the Hereafter) morning and evening; if he is amongst the inmates of Paradise (he is shown the seat) from amongst the inmates of Paradise and if he is one from amongst the denizens of Hell (he is shown the seat) from amongst the denizens of Hell, and it would be said to him: That is your seat until Allah raises you on the Day of Resurrection (and sends you to your proper seat). Sahih Muslim 2866 a.

Ibn Omar summarized the above as follows: “The example of a believer when his soul is pulled outside his body, i.e. he passed away, is similar to the example of a prisoner who is released from his prison. He therefore is looking around and walking to many places outside his prison. He is happy about the release. Similarly, after death, the believer will look back to his life as if it is a prison or as a person who is imprisoned in a dark place and then a door is opened to a large garden with all good things. Then, he will not be happy to go back to the prison as humans do not want to go back to the mother’s womb after birth.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                          ………….. To Be Continued

Summary of Concluded Remarks
Article 2 ‘Death: the most forgotten and unwelcome truth’, covers the misconceptions and facts regarding death, the continuous remembrance of death, the benefits of remembering death, glad tidings for good doers and vice versa, and finally, the moment of death. I would like here to summarize the key points of the discussed materials in this article as follows:

• Moment of Death: It is critical because it reflects what will happen after death. This moment requires us to work hard during life to gain such a good moment at the time of death and onwards.

Summary of Recommendations
1. I suggest you take five minutes every day to contemplate the following questions and prepare a realistic future plan:
    • What good did I do in the past few hours?
    • What bad did I do in the past few hours?
    • What are the things that I would have done better?
    • What should I tell Allah (SWT) if I die right now or before I wake up?
    • How can I proceed to fix my bad deeds and amplify the good ones?
    • Repent for bad deeds, i.e. sins or shortcomings, which you might have committed with or without your knowledge.
    • Promise yourself sincerely to be a different person in the hours and days to come.
    • Make a plan of change with realistic activities based on your capabilities and time.

2. Visiting a graveyard and contemplating death is an activity that was recommended by the Prophet (SAS). During the visit, we should be humble contemplating the fact that one day, we will be in the same place.

3. A gradual implementation plan of actions, based on the main pillars of Islam and traditions of the Prophet (SAS) in volunteer acts of worship (Sunnah), is paramount. Tables 1 to 4, article 2h, provide plans of actions given that the pillars of Islam are met first. Please, see this article and tables. The plan assumes that everyone has already performed the obligatory pillars of Islam. It covers thikr (remembering Allah (SWT), prayer, Quran, charity, fasting, and others. You might find yourself performing a good amount of the planned activities, then, you thank Allah (SWT) who guided you to do so and start from wherever you are to progress gradually. You can mimic the suggested pattern to plan for yourself. If your practice is far from beginning such an ambitious plan, try to set up realistic goals for yourself within a specific period of time, then, design the appropriate plan and pattern that suit your capabilities. The most important principles to apply are: realistic and convenient goals, a pattern that matches your ability, gradual improvement and achievement, continuity, motivation, perseverance, and persistence. The proposed plan is just a means to keep us connected with Allah (SWT).

4. Recommended supplications to Allah (SWT):
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               وَإِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ -
• I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times in a day.
                                                                                                                                                 اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ سَمْعِي وَمِنْ شَرِّ بَصَرِي وَمِنْ شَرِّ لِسَانِي وَمِنْ شَرِّ قَلْبِي وَمِنْ شَرِّ مَنِيِّي -
• O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the evils of my hearing, the evils of my seeing, the evils of my tongue; the evils of my heart and the evils of passions.
                                                                                                                                                     اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِمَاءِ الثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّ قَلْبِي مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ‏.‏ -
• O Allah, wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart of sin as a white garment is cleansed of filth.
-‏رَبِّ أَعِنِّي وَلاَ تُعِنْ عَلَىَّ وَانْصُرْنِي وَلاَ تَنْصُرْ عَلَىَّ وَامْكُرْ لِي وَلاَ تَمْكُرْ عَلَىَّ وَاهْدِنِي وَيَسِّرْ هُدَاىَ إِلَىَّ وَانْصُرْنِي عَلَى مَنْ بَغَى عَلَىَّ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي لَكَ شَاكِرًا لَكَ ذَاكِرًا لَكَ رَاهِبًا لَكَ مِطْوَاعًا إِلَيْكَ مُخْبِتًا أَوْ مُنِيبًا رَبِّ تَقَبَّلْ تَوْبَتِي وَاغْسِلْ حَوْبَتِي وَأَجِبْ دَعْوَتِي وَثَبِّتْ حُجَّتِي وَاهْدِ قَلْبِي وَسَدِّدْ لِسَانِي وَاسْلُلْ سَخِيمَةَ قَلْبِي.
• ‏My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and made my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in my breast.
                                                                                                                                                                                         اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لي‏‏.‏ -
• O Allah! Give my life so long as the life is good for me, and take away my life if death is good for me.
                                                                      اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ التَّرَدِّي وَالْهَدْمِ وَالْغَرَقِ وَالْحَرِيقِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ يَتَخَبَّطَنِي الشَّيْطَانُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ فِي سَبِيلِكَ مُدْبِرًا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ لَدِيغًا -
• O Allah, I seek refuge with You from being thrown from a high place or crushed beneath a falling wall, or drowning or being burned, and I seek refuge with You from being led astray by the Shaitan at the time of death, and I seek refuge with You from dying in Your cause while fleeing from the battlefield, and I seek refuge with You from dying of a scorpion sting.

Here, I end the book of “Death: the most forgotten and unwelcome truth”. I ask Allah (SWT) to grant me sincerity in the written words so that they reach your hearts. I hope you benefit from these words and act upon them. May Allah (SWT) guide us all to the best, shower us with His blessings, and keep us on the right path. Ameen.

                        Chapter Yunus (10) …. And the last of their call will be, "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"                 .... وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (10) سورة يونس

References:
3- https://sunnah.com/
4- Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi “Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasidin,” Translated by Wail Shihah, Revised by Said Faris, Dar Al-Manarah for Translation, Publishing & Distribution, 2002.
5- Omar Abd-Elkafy (2010). “The Hereafter: from Start to the End (الدار الأخرة و ماذا بعد الموت من البدايه الى النهايه),” Al Noor Publisher, Egypt, ISBN: 978-977-6340-20-6.