KHUTBAH: THE NATURE OF DEATH (PART 1)
Transcribed by:
Zinat Bint Yusuf Umm Abdillah
(A student at Ahlulhadeeth Islamic Institute).
We give thanks to Allah سبحانه و تعالى and we testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that the Prophet ﷺ is His servant and Messenger. O Muslims! Fear Allah in private and public and prepare for the day when we will account for our deeds.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Everyone shall taste death. Then unto Us you shall be returned.
(Surah Al-Ankabut verse 57)
In Surah Al-Jumu’ah verse 8 Allah says:
قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْمَوْتَ ٱلَّذِى تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مُلَـٰقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Say, “The death you are running away from will inevitably come to you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the seen and unseen, and He will inform you of what you used to do.”
In Surah As-Sajdah verse 11, Allah says:
قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Your soul will be taken by the Angel of Death, who is in charge of you. Then to your Lord you will ˹all˺ be returned.”
In Surah An-Nisa verse 78, Allah says:
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا۟ يُدْرِككُّمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُوجٍۢ مُّشَيَّدَةٍۢ
“Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!”
Death is certain and whenever Allah has decreed that one’s soul will be taken from him, when it is time, it will be taken not one second early nor one second late. This should be a reminder for us all that we are in this life for a purpose so we should make good use of our time by seeking Allah’s pleasure.
There are many Ayah in the Qur’an that reminds us about the certainty of death and the reality of many of us can attest to that. There are people we used to know who are no more. Whether old or young, sick or healthy, no one can escape death when it is time.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Remember often the destroyer of pleasures: Death.”
[Reported by Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah. Graded authentic by Al-Albani]
While it is beneficial to know that death is certain, it is even more important to prepare ahead of this certain event according to how. the prophet ﷺ has told us to.
From the ways of preparing for death is documentation of what one has of personal properties/shares. Items in your possession that are borrowed should also be documented as well as monetary debts. Debts cause unrest for the debtor in the grave and such must be settled during his lifetime. If he is not able to, documenting it down will enable people to clear it on his behalf or perhaps pay it off from his properties. This is very important as it is part of preparing for death.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The soul of a believer remains suspended by his debt until it is paid.”
[Reported by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Graded authentic by Al-Albani]
Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
It is the duty of a Muslim who has something which is to be given as a bequest not to have it for two nights without having his will written down regarding it.
[Sahih Muslim]
It is mandatory upon a Muslim in order not to cause rifts or confusion amongst those he leaves to take documentation of what he possesses seriously. It has also become compulsory for a Muslim who is also on his deathbed to write the same. Alternatively, it can be transmitted orally to trusted people around him.
To write down a bequest does not mean to will your properties to your descendants however you wish. It is prohibited for a Muslim to do this. This is because your property does not outrightly belong to you after your demise, it becomes that of your inheritors(as stated by Allah in the Quran) to use. Again, this is another reason to ponder on the reasons why we were created. Nothing belongs to us and we will surely return to Allah.
The shariah only permits ⅓ of one’s property to be given in bequest while on the sickbed that one fears death might overtake them and the rest is not for the deceased to distribute as he wills. The properties of the deceased are shared according to the Islamic teachings as documented in the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet.
Death is without notice. And it is an opportunity that one is stricken with a serious illness before his death; perhaps he might serve as a notice to sincerely rectify his affairs before his soul is taken.
Also from the ways of preparing for death is visiting the grave as this makes one to think and plan for one’s journey to the hereafter.
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah and graded authentic by Al-Albani]
The Prophet has strongly encouraged us to visit the grave as it serves as a reminder of death and brings to us the reality of this world.
Allah says in Surah Al-Mu’minun verse 100:
لَعَلِّىٓ أَعْمَلُ صَـٰلِحًۭا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّآ ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
“So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!” No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.
O you servant of Allah know that death is not the end of us, there is life after death in the grave then in the Paradise or Hellfire. Everyone should hasten to do good deeds as the time is nearer than we thought. Only our deeds will enter the grave with us. Are you engaged in good or evil?
Anas ibn Malik reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Three things follow the bier of a dead man. Two of them come back and one is left with him: the members of his family, wealth and his good deeds. The members of his family and wealth come back and the deeds alone are left with him.
[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]
Another thing we should educate ourselves on as Muslims is the Islamic Funeral rites (Janazah). It is strongly encouraged to participate in it, from how to bathe a corpse properly, to. how to shroud it, pray on it, and bury it in the proper manner. Participation attracts a huge reward.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever follows the funeral procession and offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever attends it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirat.’’ It was asked, “What are two Qirat?’’ He (ﷺ) replied, “Equal to two huge mountains.”
[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim].
It is a communal obligation (Fard Kifayah) to know how to do these things. If it is not done the Islamic way, the burden of the sin lies on everyone in the community and not just an individual. This is why it is important to seek knowledge in Islam as knowledge is required to carry out acts of worship properly.
We will certainly die and leave this world one day, how prepared are we? Who are those who will take care of our Janazah?
Allah says in surah Az-Zumar verse 30:
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌۭ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ
Verily you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) will die, and verily they (too) will die.
Death should be remembered often so that it causes one to reflect on why he was created and to know that the life of this world is temporary. This way, he hurries to good deeds in preparation for his time in the grave and eventually qiyamah.
Abdullah bin `Umar said, “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” The sub-narrator added: Ibn `Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Continued…
