Part 15

An Important Rule: Effect of "There is no god but Allah" at the Time of Death

The declaration of "There is no god but Allah" at the time of death has a great effect in expiating sins, as it is a testimony of he who believes in it, and knows its meaning. When reciting this declaration with certainty all his lusts come to an end. His rebellious self softens and yields after refusal and disobedience, proceeds after being turned away, humiliates after having given honor, and its desires and interests are released. This soul will go to its Lord seeking His forgiveness, completely certain that Allah is One, as he is cleansed from all the doubts of polytheism, and he is only concerned with the Almighty One that he will now meet. Whatever he has done secretly or privately has become one and he has faithfully said, "There is no god but Allah." His heart is no longer inclined to think of or turn to others. The whole world has been driven out of his heart. He is about to stand in front of Allah. He is only thinking about the Hereafter and has put the world behind him. This faithful declaration came as the last deed of his life in order to purify him from sins and take him to His Lord as he meets Him with this faithful and truthful declaration. If this kind of faithful and truthful declaration was said by him during his life, he would have hated this worldly life and its people, escaped to Allah, and deserted everything else other than Him. But he declared it with a heart full of the pleasures of this life, love for this life and seeking other than Allah. If it was as pure as at the

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time of his death, it would have provoked another, more sublime life.

We do not own ourselves! Allah owns us. He owns our souls, our hearts are between two fingers of His that turn them according to His wish. Our life, death, happiness, and sadness are in His hands; our moves, silence, words , and deeds are according to His will. If Allah gave us the power over ourselves He would be giving it to a failure, a sinner, and a wasteful creature, and if He gave power to other than Him, He would be giving authority to one who does not have any authority: neither good, bad, useful, death, life, nor resurrection. If Allah abandons us, our enemy will take authority over us and make us prisoners. We can never dispense with Allah, and although we need Him, we disobeyed Him and used to forget to remember Him.

As Long as One is Living, Subsistence is Guaranteed

¢ Concern yourself with that which you were ordered to take care of, and do not be concerned with something that was guaranteed for you. Subsistence and the moment of death are two matters whereof there is no doubt. As long as one is living, subsistence is guaranteed. And if Allah, according to His wisdom, closed the way to some means, He will, according to His mercy, open another means for you, which will be more useful. Let us consider the state of the embryo. It receives its nourishment, which is blood from one means which is the naval, and when it comes out of its mother's womb and this only means is closed, another two means are opened to it, which are better and sweeter than the first! This second means is pure and nourishing milk. When he finished his suckling period and these two means are closed because of weaning, Allah opens four more perfect means; two kinds of

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foods and two kinds of drinks. The two foods are from animals and plants and the two drinks are from water and milk, as well as whatever he likes from among other pleasures. When he passes away, his four means are closed, but Allah, the Exalted will open to him, if he was pious, eight doors of Paradise in order to enter Paradise from anyone of them according to his wish. So we notice that whenever Allah, the Exalted prevents His believing servant from something during this worldly life, He will bestow upon him something which is better and more useful to him. It should be noted that this is only granted to the believers. Allah preserves His servant from low and mean fortunes and is not pleased when such fortunes come to him, as He gives him a better and more valuable one. The servant does not always recognize the generosity of Allah, His wisdom and kindness, nor does he always know the _ significant difference between what he was granted and what he was protected from. He is fond of matters being decided immediately even if they are mean, and refuses the later ones even if they are better. If the servant could just treat Allah justly, he would have known that the pleasures of this world that Allah has protected him from are better for him than those things which Allah may have granted him from these pleasures. Allah prevented him from some of them in order to bestow upon him something that is better. He, the Almighty may have allowed him to be afflicted in order to protect him, tested to absolve him from sins, put him to death to resurrect him, and took him out of this world so as to stand in front of Him and follow the path that will bring him to Allah. Allah says,

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which means, "Has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude." (Al-Furqan, 25:62)

And He, the Almighty says,

which means, "But the Zhalimdn (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.) refuse (the truth the Message of Islamic Monotheism, and accept nothing) but disbelief." (Al-Isra’,

Whoever knows himself well, would keep himself busy reforming himself instead of talking about the faults of others. Whoever knows his Lord, would keep himself busy trying to please Him instead of trying to please himself.

The most useful deed is the one that you did sincerely keeping far away from the sight of people and far away from any reproach.

Doors Leading to Hellfire and the Origin of Sin

There are three doors that lead people to Hellfire:

A suspicion, which causes one to doubt the religion of Allah.

A desire, which causes one to prefer the pleasures of this world more than obeying and pleasing Allah.

Anger, which causes aggression against Allah's creatures.

There are Three Causes of Sin

Pride: This caused Satan to fall. Avarice: This drove Adam out of Paradise.

3. Envy: This encouraged the son of Adam to Kill his brother.

Whoever has been preserved from the evil of these three things, would be protected against evil itself, because disbelief stems from pride, sin stems from avarice, and injustice grows out of envy.

The Wisdom of Allah in Creating the Human Body

Allah creates everything according to His wisdom. Every external and internal part of man’s body has been created to fulfill a special purpose. The eye is for seeing, the ear is for hearing, the nose is for smelling, the tongue is for speaking, the private parts are for marriage, the hand is for attacking, the foot is for walking, the heart is for believing and knowing, the soul is for loving, and the mind is for thinking, knowing the consequences of religious and worldly matters, and preferring all that is supposed to be preferred, and neglecting all that is supposed to be neglected.

Whoever busies himself with other than Allah is the looser, and even more than him is the one who busies himself with people instead of himself.

*5 Recorded by At-Tirmidhy, book of asceticism, chapter on what was said about preserving the tongue, no.2407.

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A Precious Gem: Fear Allah, follow His Orders, and Avoid What He has Forbidden

A Precious Gem: Sin and Debt

The Prophet (peace be upon him) referred to both sin and debt, as sin will cause loss in the Hereafter and debt will cause loss in this worldly life.

A Precious Gem: Fighting in the Cause of Allah Allah, the Exalted says,

which means, "As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i-e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsindn (good doers).” (Al-'Ankabdat, 29:69)

In this verse Allah made guidance dependent on fighting in His cause. Whoever acquires the most perfect guidance among people is the one who is better in fighting in the cause of Allah.

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The most obligatory act among fighting is struggling against one's vain desires, fighting one's pleasures, fighting Satan, and fighting the world. Whoever fights these four matters seeking Allah in doing so, He, the Almighty will guide him to the means of gaining His pleasure, which means being granted Paradise. And whoever neglected fighting in the cause of Allah, will miss out on guidance to the extent that he neglected fighting in Allah’s cause.