Part 10

RANKS OF THE FEARFUL

Section Two: Curing the Whispers

When death befalls someone, he should know that it is an hour of serious suffering because it is a moment of severe pain, when he is leaving all objects of love, his loved ones, add to all that the horror of the throes of death and fear of where his wealth will go. Then Shaytdn comes and attempts to have the slave [of Allah] become discontent with his Lord, he tells him, ‘Look at you! What made you die? Is it painful? You are leaving your wife, your children and you will be laid under the ground!’ So he might cause him to become discontent with his Lord, hating Allah’s decree, making him say things that include any kind of objection, or he might make him unjust in his will, giving some of the inheritors preference over others, so on and so forth. In this case, we need to cure the whispers of Shaytan and cure the self.

Abi Dawid reported from Abi al-Yusr (radiyAlahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (8) used to say,

“TI seek refuge in You that Shayan flounders me at death.”

? Reported by Abi Dawiid #1552-1553, al-Nasa’i [8/283] through the chain of Afla‘ Mawla (emancipated slave) of Abi Ayyab from Abi al-Yusr that the Prophet (3%) used to pray, “O Allah! I seek refuge in you from dying under abolishment, not being deliberate, I seek refuge in you from drowning, from burning and from senility, I seek refuge in you that Shayfdn flounders me at death, I seek refuge in you that I die while escaping from fighting for Your sake and I seek refuge in you from dying because of a sting,”

Al-Khattab said, “His seeking refuge in the ‘floundering of Shayfan at death’, that is if Shayfan seizes him when he leaves this world, preventing him from repenting or hinders him from mending his affairs, leaving an injustice or he makes him despair from the mercy of Allah or makes him hate death or be

Appendix Two: Averting Excessive Fear and Cautiousness of Death

In that minute Shaytan tells his assistants, “If you miss him now [i.e. you do not succeed to lead him astray before he dies}, you will never catch him again [i.e. you will never be able to deviate him at any other time].” As for the cure for these trials we should first mention that whoever is mindful of Allah while in good health, Allah will protect him when he is ill, and whoever observes Allah in his thoughts, Allah will protect him when he moves his bodily parts.

Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyAllabu ‘anbu) narrated from the Prophet (3g) that he said, “Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. Know Him while in prosperity, He will know you in distress.””?

You have known the story of Prophet Yanus - when he had previous righteous deeds that enabled his release him from the trial he suffered. Allah, May He be exalted, said,

“Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, He would

sorry for this life, so he becomes discontented with Allah’s decree in dissolution, going to the hereafter, so one has a bad end and he meets his Lord while he is discontented with Him. It was narrated that the Shayfan is never tougher ona man as in death and he tells his assistants: “Take this person! if you miss him today you will never catch him again.’ We seek refuge in Allah from his evil, we ask him to bless our death and to have a good end.”

> Reported by al-Tirmidhi #2516, al-Tirmidhi said it is a good authentic hadith.

Also reported by Ahmad [1/307-308] and al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ub al-Iman and alAsma’ wa'l-Sifat p.76, See al-Durar al-Manthar (1/66) and Tafsir ibn-Kathir [7/91].

RANKS OF THE FEARFUL

have indeed remained inside its belly (of the fish) till

the Day of Resurrection.”

Due to the fact that Pharaoh had no righteous deeds, he did not find anything that he could attach to at the time of trial, and so it

was said to him,

OY Ged Nie KSA R OASIS A

“Now (you believed) while you refused to believe be-

fore and you were one of the evildoers and corrupters.”

‘Abdul Samad, the ascetic, said on his death bed, “O my Master! For this minute I have kept You [i.e. I preserved Your Mercy so You bestow it upon me at this moment]. Whoever was negligent when in good health will be neglected when sick.”

It was narrated that one of the companions saw an old man begging so he said, “This man was negligent regarding Allah’s orders when he was young, therefore Allah neglected him when he became old.”

The cure for this disease is to encourage the self, to tell it that it is simply a fraction of time that will pass and after it will come the complete rest as the Prophet (48) said, “No anguish will befall your father after this day.’”*

Abi Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash prayed to Allah when he was on his death bed and said, “Should I not lay my hope in Him and I have fasted eighty months of Ramadan for Him!”

* Reported by Ibn-Majah #1629.

Appendix Two: Averting Excessive Fear and Cantiousness of Death

Al-Mu‘tamir ibn Sulayman said, “My father told me, ‘O son! Read for me the hadith in which state the concessions of Allah! So that I meet Allah while I expect the best from Him.”

Therefore a believer should remove fear and steer the camel as a cameleer of the desert said:

Its cameleer gave it glad tidings and said tomorrow you will see the acacias and the mountains

It was reported that Aba Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) said, “The

Messenger of Allah (32) said (that Allah said), “I am just as My servant thinks I am.”*

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Tyad said, “Fear is better than hope. However when death befalls, hope becomes better.”

I say, that is true because as I have clarified fear is a lash that urges on a lazy person. If a camel is tired then we should use lenience. If one asks what of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz’s fear at death, then the answer is, that his fear was a result of his sense of responsibility for his people and the demands of his innate nature over not fulfilling the rights of others. He used to say: “Truly I fear this leadership!” though he used to clinch to the statements of men, therefore, when Ibn ‘Abbas told him: “Receive the glad tidings, O Chief of Believers! You were assigned the leadership,

* Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

* Reported by Muslim

RANKS OF THE FEARFUL

and you were fair in it and you died as a martyr!” He told him, “O Ibn ‘Abbas! Will you testify that before Allah?”

Section Three: Increase in Anguish

If a sick person increases in anguish, then he should count that as a reward for our righteous predecessors used to like the intensity of the agonies of a sick person because it expiates sins. It was narrated that Ibrahim said, “They used to like to be overstrained at death.” It was also narrated that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz said, “I would not like that throes of death be eased for me, because they are the last thing that expiates [the sins] of a Muslim.”

A sick person should repent, as long as he is sane, so that he meets Allah pure from all sins. He should also write his will, put his trust in Allah, Exalted and Glorified is He, to look after his spouse and children. For He supports and protects the righteous.

7 Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said this to Amir-ul-Mu’minin “Umar ibn ul-Khattab when he was stabbed. Ahmad reported it in his Musnad 1:46, and al-Bayhaqi in /thbat ‘Athab al-Qabr through the chain of Dawiid Ibn Abi Hind from ‘Amir from ibn ‘Abbis he said, “I dropped in on ‘Umar IbnulKhattab when he was stabbed. So I said ‘Receive the glad tidings, O Amir-ulMu'minin! You converted to Islim when people disbelieved, you fought with

the Messenger of Allah (4) when others let him down and he (3%) died while he was pleased with you. People did not differ in your £hilafah and you died as

a martyr.” So he said, “Repeat what you have said!” So I repeated it. He said,

“By Allah, the only true God, if I had all what is on earth of gold and silver I

would have sacrificed it from the horror of the Day of Judgement.”

Appendix Two: Averting Excessive Fear and Cautiousness of Death

Section Five: Being Optimistic

If Shayfan bothers a dying person and reminds him of withering away, then he should know that withering happens to the ship after the traveler leaves it. He should also know that the Shariah has stated that a believer is going to live in everlasting delight after death. So whoever possesses true belief should not be sad, because the destination is a good one and whoever does not possess truc belief should be sad over not possessing it.

It was reported that Ka‘b (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) narrated from the Prophet (3%) that he said, “The soul of a Muslim is like a bird that hangs on the trees of paradise, until Allah returns it to the Muslim’s body.”

The purpose of this chapter is to show that fear of death should be moderate, so that it does not exhaust the body, causing harm, one should fear what is to come after death and work towards it.’

* Reported by al-Bukhari in af-7arikh al-Kabir (5/306), al-Humaidi #873, and al-Tabarani in a/-Kabir [19:64].

INDEX OF ARABIC WORDS

BARZAKH:: barrier, isthmus, A barrier that is erected between the deceased and this life preventing him from returning and a generic reference to the life that commences after death.

BID‘AH: innovation, that which is newly introduced into the religion of Allah.

KUFR: denial, rejection, hiding, technically referring to disbelief. It can be major (removing a person from the fold of Islam) or minor (not removing a person from the fold of Islam).

SALAF: predecessors. Technically used to refer to the best generations of Muslims, the first three generation: the Sahabah, the Tabi‘in and the Tab‘ Tabi‘in due to the hadith, ‘The best of people are my generation, then the one that follows, then the one that follows.’

SHIRK: association, technically referring to directing a right that is due to Allah Alone to another object of creation, either completely or partially. It can be major (removing a person from the fold of Islam) or minor (not removing a person from the fold of Islam).

TABI'UN: The generation following that of the Companions.

TAB‘ TABI'UN: The generation following that of the Tabi‘an.

TAWHID: unification, monotheism, the belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah. It is to believe that Allah Alone is the creator,

nourisher, and sustainer of the worlds; it is to believe that Allah Alone deserves to be worshipped; and it is to believe that He has unique and perfect Names and Attributes that far transcend anything that one can imagine.