Part 10

If it were not for death, I would have been happy here, and if it were not for the confinement of the grave to which we are heading, we would have been content with the life of this world." The Misfortune of Death Death is a misfortune — as Allah says, 32 Al-Tirmidhi, 9/187; Al-Nasa'i, 4/4; Ibn Majah, 4258; Al-Hakim: 4/321. 33 Transmitted by Al-Tirmidhi and al-Bayhaqi in Sh'ab al-Iman. 34 Ibn Majah, 4259. ( ... if you are travelling when the misfortune of death occurs, ) (5: 106) This misfortune in itself contains three further tribulations: the agony of death, seeing the angel or angels of death, and the fear of a bad end and the punishment of the evil-doers in the Fire of Hell. The Agony of Death The (prospect of the) agony of death should cause sufficient worry, trouble and concern to interrupt the pleasures of the servant and his enjoyment of them. He should reflect deeply about it and be prepared for that time — because death can take his life at any moment. Death takes away a servant's soul gradually and so each part of the body feels the agony of death — until it reaches the throat. Then the dying person is cut off from the life of this world, the gate of repentance is shut and he is overwhelmed by grief and remorse. Mujahid interpreted the following verse: ( There is no tawba for people who persist in doing evil until death comes to them and who then say, 'Now I make tawba.' ) (4: 18) as follows: "When the dying person sees the angels of death and is confronted with death, he repents — but that sort of repentance is no good." Ibn 'Umar related that the Prophet said, "Allah accepts the repentance of His servant up until his death-rattle begins."35 The Death of the Prophet Muhammad 'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "There was a leather or wooden container full of water close to the Messenger of Allah (when he was dying). He would dip his hand into the water and wipe his face with it, saying, 'None has the right to be worshipped except Allah! Death makes you so dazed.' Then he raised his hand and began repeating, 'The Highest Company,' until he expired and his hand dropped down."36 Seeing the Angel or Angels of Death The Quran states that it is Allah Who is in charge of taking away life. He says: ( Allah takes back people's selves when their death arrives. )(39: 39) Sometimes, it states that it is the Angel of Death who takes away the soul. Allah says: ( Say: 'The Angel of Death, who has been given charge of you, will take you back then you will be sent back to your Lord.' ) (32: 11) Sometimes, it states that it is several angels who are put in charge. Allah says: ( He is the Absolute Master over His slaves. He sends angels to watch over you. Then when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him, and they do not fail in their task. ) (6: 62) In reality, it is Allah Who takes the souls at the time of death. 35 Al-Tirmidhi, 13/58, who classified it as hasan gharib; Ahmed, 6160; Ibn Majah, 4253; Al-Hakim, 4/257. 36 al-Bukhari, 8/144. Al-Kulabi said: "The Angel of Death takes away the soul and gives it to the angels of mercy if the soul is that of a believer, and to the angels of punishment if the soul is that of an unbeliever." Imam Ahmed related on the authority of Al-Bara' Ibn Azib "We went out with the Messenger of Allah accompanying the bier of a man of the Ansar. When we reached his grave, it had not yet been dug. So the Messenger of Allah sat down and we also sat down around him as if birds were perched on our heads. He had in his hand a stick with which he was scratching the ground. Then he raised his head and said: 'Seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave. He repeated this twice or thrice."' The version of Jabir adds here: "Just as the deceased hears the sound of their footsteps as they are leaving, he is asked: 'O so and so, who is your Lord, what is your deen, and who is your Prophet?" Hannad's version states: "Two angels will come to him and make him sit up and ask him, 'Who is your Lord?' He will reply, 'My Lord is Allah.' They will ask him, 'What is your deen?' He will reply, 'My deen is Islam.' They will ask him, 'What do you think about the man who was sent on a mission among you?' He will reply, 'He is the Messenger of Allah.' They will ask, 'Who made you aware of this?' He will reply, 'I read the Book of Allah and believed it and considered it true.'" This is confirmed by the words of Allah: ( Allah makes those who have iman firm with the Firm Word in the life of the dunya and the akhira.