Reminders....

Today is my birthday, 20th April. It's another reminder to myself that I'm one step closer to death subhan Allaah! I can't even start to imagine how many years have I wasted in my life, oh Allaah please forgive me for I was ignorant, ameen.

It truly amazes me when I think about the reality of a human being. Subhan Allaah the example of this life is like a droplet of water in the vast ocean. We live for a very small period in this world and then we start for our journey to the hereafter.

The true life is in the hereafter, which has a beginning but no end. We all will meet at a place where the angels will slaughter death in the shape of a ram. From that point onwards, there will be no death. It is either eternal doom in the hellfire or eternal bliss in Paradise.

How, then, could we be so heedless of the reality?

Who will not die? Everyone of us shall die. There are no two opinions about the matter, even the atheists have imaan in the reality of death. Will you stil not prepare for it?

There is this famous story related to the topic. It's a story in the time of Muslim Caliph Harun ar Rasheed. He was looking for the biggest fool in the kingdom and decided that he would give a stick to that person as a reward. Anyway, the person named as the biggest fool was someone by the name of Bahlul.

Some years passed, the caliph was on his death bed. Bahlul arrived with his stick and asked the caliph as to where is he headed. The caliph said I'm going to the other life. So Bahlul said, "Oh Caliph. what have you prepared for it?" The caliph in reply said,"Nothing." Then Bahlul said, "Oh Amirul Mu'minin, when will you come back?" The caliph said, " Ya Bahlul, no one comes back from that world." Bahlul then said, "Oh Amirul Mu'minin, you take preparations for years into going for expeditions with your huge army which usually last for a day or two and now you are saying you'll go to the other world without any preparations?" Then Bahlul said something which should be written in the letters of gold. He said, "Ya Amirul Mu'minin, you are the biggest fool I have ever seen and you are most worthy of this stick so here you go take it from me!"

Truly, it is a story of great wisdom subhan Allaah. What have we prepared for the next life? We would not need to build huge mansion, wealth or a big army for that matter, we would just need to have righteous good deeds (in e.g. Salaah, zakah)and a proper belief. Do we have that? If not, then how will we save ourselves from the torment of Allaah?

One of the reasons for an evil end and then punishment in the grave is having a corrupt belief. So let us now in sha Allaah rectify our belief for the better.

On the 13th and 14th of this month I'd attended the course entitled 'The Final Rites' by Ustadh Bilal Ismail. Subhan Allaah it was a beautiful reminder of the reality of death. How we all will pass away one day and the way our shrouds will be washed, prayed over and finally buried. We all know this in our minds for a fact but we still runaway from it as we human beings are forgetful creatures like our Father Adam (as).