It will come when it has to come. There would be no request for appointment; no knocking, no prior notice, no invitation and neither will your status matter. You may be the richest man on earth, the poorest of all living creature, the most intelligent, the most stupid, the most honest, the most dishonest and all the above attributes will not makes you escape the long arm of death. It is an inevitable end.
The death of Senator Ali Wakili serves as a crude reminder that we should be wary of our deeds at any points in time. The late distinguished senator has been one of the very upright and vocal senator in the hallow chamber. He was a member of Senate committee on how to improve pilgrims’ accommodation, feedings and logistics. I was present on the first day of the hearing and I witness how the late senator churning out contributions on how pilgrims welfare can be improved.
Power, fame, money and its delusive grandeur mean nothing when our time beckons. The late Abubakar Audu of Kogi state died on the very day he was about to be announced as the Governor-elect of Kogi state. The Lessons of Death
Death of man follows the independence of the soul and not that it is by chance and then man comes out of the nature; the independence which has actualized is in the meaning of emerging and emerging from the nature is in the same sense.3
It is learnt from verses of Quran and traditions that death is accompanied with great pain, which is mentioned in Quran as Sakara and Ghamara (stupor/agony of death).
The Holy Quran says:
And the stupor of death will come in truth; that is what you were trying to escape. (Surah Qaf 50:19)
And also says:
…and if you had seen when the unjust shall be in the agonies of death and the angels shall spread forth their hands: Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious chastisement… (6:93)
Stupor and agony are used in the meaning of a senseless state, which is due to the severity of those circumstances. In these verses they are interpreted to be the hardships of death. The hardships of death are not physical pains and discomfort; on the contrary it is spiritual and internal and it is much more severe than physical tortures. Physical pains are felt through senses and they reach the soul from this channel, but spiritual and internal chastisements scorch the being.
There is this beautiful lesson of death written by Khan as published islamweb.com. It said “Man desires life, but, sooner or later, he has to come to terms with death. Just as he is at the peak of his career, death comes and shatters it all. Suddenly, he has to face a world for which he has made no preparation.
Man aims at establishing his own glory on earth, but death comes and demolishes all the delusions of grandeur which he had nurtured, teaching him how powerless he had been before death.
Man wants to be his own lord and master, but his helplessness in the hand of fate shows that he has no control over his destiny.
Man wants to satisfy his desires in this world, but he is foiled by death, which teaches him to seek in the Hereafter the gratification that constantly eludes him in this world.
We must learn from death, for the secret of life is hidden in the message it has to teach us. Death shows us that we are not our own masters; that our stay on earth is only temporary; that the world is no place for the realization of our dreams. Death teaches us how to live; it shows us the way to real success.
Worldly grandeur is no true grandeur at all. It is just a means by which man is put to the test. Some are happily placed in this world, while others are not. But whatever the conditions of human existence, all men are the same in that they are being tested. A person’s position on earth is not an indication of success or failure: it is just a test.
When one is raised in stature or in some way honoured in this world, one would be mistaken if one were then to look down on others, for all are equal in the face of death. Death puts the whole human race on one level. Then great are those whom God sees to fit to make great, and lowly are those who are cast down by Him.
The world is a place of trial. Here man can pretend to be great, but it will not be long before real position is exposed. On that day, many who have honour in this world will be debased before God; many who claim to be friends of justice and humanity will be exposed as enemies of the very causes they exposed; many who are acclaimed amongst the brave will be condemned as cowards; many who claimed to bow to the truth will be exposed as shams.
The poor are aggrieved by their lowly conditions of living. They eye the rich with envy, not realizing that wealth creates even more problems than poverty. Important figures may appear to command substantial popular support, but in private they have no peace of mind. They are so restless that they cannot sleep at night without the help of sleeping pills. Everyone is beset by problems in this world, though the nature of these problems differs from person to person.
Death reminds one to look beyond the present, and to seek success beyond this ephemeral world. Those who fail to learn will soon be deprived of the temporary pleasure which they enjoy in this world. They will find themselves in a world of darkness. They will feel remorse at not having prepared themselves for the life after death, but their remorse will not benefit them. They will have to live with their anguish for all time.
Everyone’s mind is full of hopes and ambitions. Everyone cherishes some dream and likes to think that he is progressing towards the fulfillment of that dream. Death puts paid to all his hopes and shows him that he has been traveling towards the world of God, not the world of his own fancies. The journey of his life is not destined to end in this world: he is bound for eternity. How ignorant man is of is own fate! How different from what he imagines his real destination.
Man cannot do without ephemeral comforts. This obsession causes him to deny the stark realities of life. If only he realized that his temporary pleasures would soon be replaced by eternal torment, then his attitude to life would change radically.
What a shock it will be for man to realize that his activities on earth have come to nothing. People take pride in asserting themselves, but they would do better to take pride in humility. They seek to justify their errors, but they would do better to admit them freely. They have been instilled with emotions of love and fear to offer to God, but they waste them on other objects.
Hoarding wealth is their greatest aim in life, whereas their greatest aim should be to give their wealth in God’s cause. True virtue lies in being kind to the weak, but they ignore the weak and hail the mighty. They would do well to delve into the silent world of meanings, but they prefer to engage in noisy, worthless pursuits. Progress lies in being able to criticize oneself, but they are busy criticizing others.
Man is living in a fool’s paradise of his own making, but the Resurrection will shatter all his dreams. Then, only those who take refuge in His mercy will be saved”
‘Love a Muslim day’ turns table on ‘Punish a Muslim day’ letter
“Love a Muslim Day” letters are now being shared on social media in response to the anonymous hate letters recently sent to random UK households circulated under the title, “Punish a Muslim Day.”
These “love letters” represent acts of kindness to counter the malicious ““Punish a Muslim Day” letters, which incited recipients to commit verbal and physical violence against Muslim communities.
“Love a Muslim Day” letters were devised by activist Shahab Adris of the charity Muslim Engagement and Development, which seeks to counter Islamophobia,, reported BBC and Bristol Post news site.
The letter imitates “Punish a Muslim Day” in its format, but lists acts of “kindness” to show Muslims:
“They have loved you. They have made you so many curries and kebabs […] only you can show your appreciation, only you have the power. Don’t be a normal person. Be a special person. Show your love,” it reads and lists 10 points for smiling at a Muslim, 25 points for throwing flowers at a Muslim, […] and 2500 points for buying a Hajj package for a Muslim family-“a lifetime trip to Mecca.”
Adris told BBC that he was disgusted at the content and had the idea to “turn [the] letter on its head.”
“Some of the responses I’ve seen from the Muslim community have been really positive, but the most remarkable thing has been getting responses from people who are not Muslim, saying they will do something with a Muslim colleague,” he said.
Bristol Police reported that they haven’t received any more reports about “Punish a Muslim Day” letters, though they are still monitoring the hate letters as a safety precaution, according to Bristol Post.
Morocco World News
