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Chapter 5 of 335 min read
5. قبول المصير
The dying individual is obliged to accept his lot gracefully so that it becomes a source of reward and blessing for him on the Day of Judgement. The Prophet (r) taught that patiently bearing the trials of this life is an act of righteousness which expiates sins. ِﻭلِ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺴﻠﹶﻰ ﺭﺨﹶﻠﹾﺕﹸ ﻋﺩِﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﺩﺒ ﻋﻥﻋ r ﻓﹶﻘﹸﻠﹾﺕﹸﻙﻭﻋ ﻴﻭﻫ ﻭ : ﻭلَ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺇِﻨﱠﺴﺎ ﺭﻴ ﻙ ﻟﹶﺘﹸﻭﻋﻙ ﺍ ﻗﹶﺎلَﻜﹰﺎ ﺸﹶﺩِﻴﺩﻋﻭ : )) ﻼﹶﻥِ ﻤِﻨﹾﻜﹸﻡﺠ ﺭﻙﻭﻋﺎ ﻴ ﻜﹶﻤﻙلْ ﺇِﻨﱢﻲ ﺃُﻭﻋﺃَﺠ (( ﻗﹸﻠﹾﺕﹸ : ﻥِ ﻴﺭ ﺃَﺠ ﻟﹶﻙ ﺃَﻥﺫﹶﻟِﻙ ﻗﹶﺎلَ :)) ﺎ ﺒِﻬ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺎ ﺇِﻻﱠ ﻜﹶﻔﱠﺭﻗﹶﻬﺎ ﻓﹶﻭﻜﹶﺔﹲ ﻓﹶﻤ ﺃَﺫﹰﻯ ﺸﹶﻭﻪﺼِﻴﺒﻠِﻡٍ ﻴﺴ ﻤﺎ ﻤِﻥ ﻤ ﻜﹶﺫﹶﻟِﻙلْ ﺫﹶﻟِﻙ ﺃَﺠ ﺌَﺎﺘِﻪِ ﻴ ﺴ ﺎﻗﹶﻬﺭﺓﹸ ﻭﺭﻁﱡ ﺍﻟﺸﱠﺠﺎ ﺘﹶﺤﻜﹶﻤ ((. ‘Abdullaah stated that he visited Allaah’s Messenger (r) while he was suffering from a high fever and said to him, “O Messenger of Allaah, you have a high fever.” He replied, “Yes, I have a fever equal to what two of your men experience.” I asked, “Is is because you will have double the reward?” He replied, “Yes, it is so. Any Muslim who is afflicted with the harm of a thron prick or more will have, as a result of it, some of his sins expiated the way a tree sheds its leaves.”16 scholar about ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab’s legal principles and his rulings. He lived on what he earned from the sale of olive oil and never accepted grants. (Al-A‘laam, vol.3, p.155). 15 Collected by Ibn Abee Shaybah in al-Musannaf and authenticated in Ahkaamul-Janaa’iz, p.11, nt.15. 16 Sahih Al al-Bukhari, vol.7, p.374, no.551and Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1364, no.6235.
Pitying those who are dying is counterproductive, because pity will only make it more difficult for those dying to accept their fate. Instead, those on their deathbed should be encouraged to think positively by being told that they are fortunate. They should be informed that, according to the Prophet (r), Allaah has chosen them for a special reward. ُﻘﹸﻭلﺓﹶ ﻴﺭﻴﺭ ﺃَﺒِﻲ ﻫﻥﻋ : ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﻭلُ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴﺭ :)) r ﻤِﻨﹾﻪﺼِﺏﺍ ﻴﺭ ﺒِﻪِ ﺨﹶﻴﺭِﺩِ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪ ﻴﻥ ﻤ (( Aboo Hurayrah stated that Allaah’s Messenger (r) said, “Whoever Allaah wishes good for, He afflicts with trials.”17 Those on their deathbeds should be instructed to avoid questions like, “Why me?” and statements like, “I’m too young to die!” and “It’s not fair!” as all of these indicate Kufr (disbelief). They should be reminded that it is all for the best, if only they remain patient. َﺏٍ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﻗﹶﺎلﻴﻬ ﺼﻥﻋ ﻭلُ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴﺭ :)) r ﺫﹶﺍﻙﺱﻟﹶﻴ ﻭﺭ ﺨﹶﻴ ﻜﹸﻠﱠﻪﻩﺭ ﺃَﻤﺅْﻤِﻥِ ﺇِﻥﺭِ ﺍﻟﹾﻤﺎ ِﻷَﻤﺒﺠ ﻋ ﺩٍ ﺇِﻻﱠِﻷَﺤ ﻓﹶﻜﹶﺎﻥﺭﺒ ﺼﺍﺀﺭ ﻀﺘﹾﻪﺎﺒ ﺃَﺼﺇِﻥ ﻭﺍ ﻟﹶﻪﺭ ﺨﹶﻴ ﻓﹶﻜﹶﺎﻥ ﺸﹶﻜﹶﺭﺍﺀﺭ ﺴﺘﹾﻪﺎﺒ ﺃَﺼﺅْﻤِﻥِ ﺇِﻥ ﻟِﻠﹾﻤ ﺍ ﻟﹶﻪﺭﺨﹶﻴ (( Suhayb reported that the Prophet (r) said, “A believer’s affair is amazing; it is all for the good and that is not the case of anyone besides the believer. If good times come to him, he is thankful and thus it is good for him, and if bad times befall him, he is patient and, thus, it is also good for him.”18 The dying individuals should also have good thoughts about Allaah and be convinced that Allaah has chosen the most appropriate time and way for them to die. In that way, they are able to protect their faith from doubts and fears.. ِﻭلَ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺴﺕﹸ ﺭﻤِﻌ ﻗﹶﺎلَ ﺴﺎﺭِﻱﺩِ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺍﹾﻷَﻨﹾﺼﺒﻥِ ﻋﺎﺒِﺭِ ﺒ ﺠﻥﻋ r ﻘﹸﻭلُ ﺎﻡٍ ﻴﺘِﻪِ ﺒِﺜﹶﻼﺜﹶﺔِ ﺃَﻴﻭلَ ﻤ ﻗﹶﺒ :)) لﱠﺠ ﻭﺯ ﺒِﺎﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﻋ ﺍﻟﻅﱠﻥﺴِﻥﺤ ﻴﻭﻫ ﺇِﻻﱠ ﻭﻜﹸﻡﺩ ﺃَﺤﻭﺘﹶﻥﻤﻻﹶ ﻴ ((. 17 Sahih Al al-Bukhari, vol.7, p.373, no.548. 18 Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1541, no.7138. See also Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol.2, p.1098.
Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillaah reported that he heard Allaah’s Messenger (r) say, three days before his death,“None of you should die except thinking the best of Allaah.”.19 Among those who will die with bad thoughts about Allaah are those who were only cultural Muslims. The only do some of the Islamic rites and rituals because it is the custom of their people without ever accepting true faith in their hearts throughout their lives. When death approaches, they will not want to accept their fate and their deathbed doubts will often tear down their false claims of belief, leaving them expressing statements of clear disbelief as death overcomes them. It will be a big surprise for those around them, for everyone assumed that they were Muslims destined for paradise, based on their practise of some or most of the basic religious rites. Prophet Muhammad (r) addressed this phenomenon as follows: ِﻭلَ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺴ ﺭ ﺃَﻥﺎﻋِﺩِﻱﺩٍ ﺍﻟﺴﻌﻥِ ﺴلِ ﺒﻬ ﺴﻥﻋ r ﻗﹶﺎلَ : )) ﻨﱠﺔِ لِ ﺍﻟﹾﺠلَ ﺃَﻫﻤلُ ﻋﻤﻌلَ ﻟِﻴﺠ ﺍﻟﺭﺇِﻥ لِ ﺃَﻫ ﻤِﻥﻭﻫﻭ ﻟِﻠﻨﱠﺎﺱِ ﻭﺩﺒﺎ ﻴﻓِﻴﻤ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺎﺭِ ((. Sahl ibn Sa ‘d quoted the Prophet (r) as saying, “Indeed a man may appear to people to do the deeds of the people of paradise, yet he will be of the people of hell.”20 And in another narration related by Aboo Hurayrah, he quoted the Prophet (r) as saying, “Surely, a person may do the deeds of the people of paradise for a long time, then terminate his deeds with the deeds of the people of hell.”21 Since everyone’s deeds were already recorded in the book of destiny, prior to the creation of the world, the change in deeds from good to bad was also referred to by the Prophet (r) as the record or destiny overtaking the individual. َﻭﺩٍ ﻗﹶﺎلﻌﺴﻥِ ﻤﺩِﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺒﺒ ﻋﻥﻋ : ﻭلُ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺴﻗﹶﺎلَ ﺭ r ﻭﻕﹸ ﺩﺼﺎﺩِﻕﹸ ﺍﻟﹾﻤ ﺍﻟﺼﻭﻫ ﻭ : )) ﻜﹸﻡﺩ ﺃَﺤﺇِﻥ ﺇِﻻﱠﻨﹶﻪﻴﺒﺎ ﻭﻨﹶﻬﻴ ﺒﻜﹸﻭﻥﺘﱠﻰ ﻻﹶ ﻴﻨﱠﺔِ ﺤلِ ﺍﻟﹾﺠلِ ﺃَﻫﻤلُ ﺒِﻌﻤﻌﻟﹶﻴ لِ ﻤلُ ﺒِﻌﻤﻌ ﻓﹶﻴﻪِ ﺍﻟﹾﻜِﺘﹶﺎﺏﻠﹶﻴﺒِﻕﹸ ﻋﺴ ﻓﹶﻴﺍﻉ ﺫِﺭ ﺨﹸلُ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺎﺭﺩلِ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺎﺭِ ﻓﹶﻴﺃَﻫ ((. 19 Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1492,no.6877, Sunan Abu Dawud, vol.2, p.886, no. 3107 and Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol.1, p.334. 20 Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1395, no.6408. 21 Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1394, no.6407.
‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood quoted Allaah’s Messenger (r), the truthful, as saying: “One of you may do the deeds of the people of paradise until only an arm’s length remains between him and paradise, then what was written overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of hell and enters hell.”22