I am trying to make a list of
things to do before I die and would like some suggestions? Could you please
comment as to what Islam says about death?"
ALLAH the Almighty is All Wise and Is the Knower of All Things.
For those who are not familiar with the teachings of Islam, we should perhaps
cover a few basics before attempting to answer this most honest and in depth
question.
There is a small chapter at the end of the Holy Quran called "Al Asr" and it
carries a very heavy meaning which can solve a lot of the problems with the
dealings of life and death of the human being. Let us consider the plus or minus
translation into the English language.
"By the passage of time*1, all of the humankind are in a state of great loss*2,
except for those who come to the correct belief*3 and do the deeds of
righteousness; and encourage and exhort one another to Truth*4 and encourage and
exhort one another to steadfast patience."
1. ALLAH swears an oath of great consequence
2. Meaning "Hell" as a result of their dealings while on earth
3. Oneness of ALLAH (Tawheed or monotheism)
4. Here "Truth" means anything and everything pertaining to pure montheism (see:
Islam)
From the above quoted portion of the Quran and verses related to it, the
scholars of Islam have concluded the following:
A) All of us are born with a purpose to be fulfilled before death – Worship of
the One True God, Alone and on His terms and conditions.
Note: Quran says: "ALLAH only created you all for the purpose of worshipping
Him."
B) All of us will die and be in the grave.
Note: Quran says: "Every soul shall taste death."
C) All of us (believers and non-believers) will be recreated (resurrected) on
the Day of Judgment.
Note: Quran says: "Surely from ALLAH you came and to Him is your return."
And "Do they not think that they will be resurrected, on a Great Day? The Day
when all mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds?"
D) Each person will receive his/her "Book of Record" (listing of all their
deeds).
Note: Quran says: "Nay! Truly, the Record of the wicked is a Preserved Record."
And "Those who receive their books in their right hands will be successful." and
"Those who receive their books behind their backs will be the losers."
E) Each person will be held accountable for what he/she has done.
Note: Quran says: "Every person will see any good they have done, even an atom's
weight. Every person will see any evil they have done, even an atom's weight."
F) None will take away the sins or punishment for another.
Note: Quran says: "ALLAH does not burden a person beyond his ability. He will be
rewarded for that which he has earned, and punished for that which he has
earned."
G) None will make intercession with the Almighty except as He Wills.
Note: Quran says: "Who is there that could come between ALLAH and what He has
created except that He give them permission?"
H) The final destination of Heaven or Hell will be made known then.
Note: Quran says: "Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)."
I) None will enter the Paradise except by the Mercy of ALLAH.
Note: Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “None shall enter the Jennah
(Paradise) except with the Mercy of ALLAH.” When asked by his companions: “Even
you? O, prophet of ALLAH?” And He replied: “Even me.”
J) None will enter the Fire except those who have earned it.
Note: Quran says: "Therefore, I have warned you of a blazing Fire (Hell). None
shall enter it except the most wrected."
Death is like a journey to a land from which there is no return. So before you
die, be sure to pack three things to take along with you on the journey:
1) Proper identification - I.D.
2) Enough nourishment to last for Eternity
3) Sufficient Garments or Coverings
1) Proper I.D.: [Book of Record of a Person's Life]
This covers two very important categories:
Faith (belief)
Actions (deeds)
They must both be correct to insure an easy transition into the Next Life and a
proper place in the Paradise in the Hereafter.
Let us begin with the Covenant of faith with the ONE TRUE GOD & Acts of worship
to Him Alone without partners. This means anyone who comes to the understanding:
"There is only One True God who is the only Creator, Sustainer and God of all
that exists."
This can be understood as “Oneness” or “Tawhid of Islam.”
It might be better understood by breaking it down into the following three
categories:
1) “Oneness” of Lordship [Tawhid Al Ulu hiyah]
2) “Oneness” of Worship [Tawhid Al Rubbu biyah]
3) “Oneness” of Characteristics [Tawhid Al Asma was Siffat)
Correct Beliefs
Three (3) Things Asked at Death:
Question
Only Acceptable Answer
1. Who is your Lord?
[ALLAH]
2. What is your religion?
[Islam]
3. Who is your prophet?
[Muhammad]
Immediately you will find those who will argue that this is not fair. After all,
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sent by ALLAH with the message of Islam only
1,400 years ago. So, what about all those who lived before him? And what of
those who came afterwards and never heard of ALLAH, Islam and Muhammad, peace be
upon him?
And the answer is quite simple. Islam is the only true religion brought by all
of the prophets of Almighty God [ALLAH]. They all preached a message of total
surrender to the One and Only True God of the Universe. If the person lived the
life of "Surrender, Submission and Obedience to the Almighty, in Sincerity and
Peace"; then they in fact, lived as a true Muslim without ever knowing the
Arabic terms.
This means that all of the followers of all of the prophets of Almighty God from
Adam to Moses to Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all, will find that they
will be supplied the correct answers to these questions when asked.
After the angel of death removes the soul from the body, the angels will carry
the soul of the one who has died up to the heavens and when they come to ALLAH
the Most High, He will reject any who are not in possession of the correct
answers [mentioned above]. After the questioning the person will be then
reunited with his or her own dead body and spend the remainder of time waiting
for the Day of Judgment.
2) Nourishment: [Proper Deeds]
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught his followers:
"He is not a believer who goes to sleep at night with a full stomach while his
neighbor's remains empty."
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
"Charity is a necessity for every Muslim."
He was asked: "What if a person has nothing?"
The Prophet replied: "He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then
give something out of such earnings in charity."
The Companions of the Prophet asked: "What if he is not able to work?"
The Prophet said: "He should help the poor and needy."
The Companions further asked: "What if he cannot do even that?"
The Prophet said: "He should urge others to do good."
The Companions said: "What if he lacks that also?"
The Prophet said: "He should check himself from doing evil. That is also an act
of charity."
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Your body has 360 joins and each of
them requires an act of charity every day." And, "Even meeting your brother with
a cheerful face is an act of charity."
Acts of charity and kindness only for the sake of the Almighty. These good deeds
will accompany the person throughout his or her life in the grave until the Day
of Judgment. On the Day of Judgment they will all see their deeds clearly.
There are two angels who record all the actions and deeds of the individual from
birth until death. The angel on the right records all of the good deeds while
the angel on the left records all of the bad ones.
As soon as the person intends to do a good thing, a good deed is recorded for
him/her.
After doing the good deed, ten full good deeds are recorded for the person (or
70 or 700 or as much as ALLAH Wills).
If a person encourages others to do a good deed, then a matching reward is
recorded for the one calling to the good deed.
Another angel on the left, records all of the bad and evil deeds of the person
as follows:
If the person intends to do a bad deed, but stops himself from it because he/she
knows it is wrong, then a full good deed is recorded for them.
If the person intends an evil or bad deed but does not have the chance to commit
it, then nothing is recorded either way.
If the person commits a bad deed, the angel on the left begins to record a bad
deed in his/her “Book of Records”, but the angel on the right stops him and asks
him to wait to see if the person might repent. After a while the angel on the
left again begins to record the bad deed but again the angel on the right stops
him with the same pleading. This continues for a while and if the person refuses
to seek the forgiveness of The Almighty, then one full bad deed is recorded to
his/her account.
At anytime that a person should commit a bad deed, he/she should immediately
seek forgiveness from the Almighty and follow up the bad deed with a good one.
Additionally, when a person performs the obligatory prayers on time in
accordance with the teachings of Islam, all the sins from the most recent prayer
are forgiven.
When a person attends the Friday prayers according to the teachings of Islam,
he/she is forgiven for all of the sins for the previous week since the last
Friday service.
When a person makes the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Thurl
Hijah on the Islamic calendar, all the sins since birth are forgiven and the
record is wiped clean for a fresh start. All previous good deeds remain in
place.
In the case of the one who comes to Islam from some other faith group, all of
his/her sins are forgiven and wiped clean and all of the previous ones are held
in place. The person is as pure and innocent as a new-born baby but with the
exception that all of the deeds previously committed whether bad or good are all
purified to become mountains of good deeds for the new comer to Islam.
3) Garments: [Morals and Behavior]
He is not a believer who goes to sleep at night with a full stomach while his
neighbor's remains empty Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that
ALLAH said:
"I declare war against the one who is hostile to My worshipping servant. My
worshipper does not come closer to Me with anything more beloved to me than by
doing what I have ordered him to do. My servant keeps coming closer to Me by
performing extra acts of worship until I love him. Then I become his hearing;
his sight; his grip; his step and if he asks anything of me, I will grant it,
and if he seeks My Protection, I will protect him. And I do not dislike anything
more than taking his soul, for he dislikes to die and I dislike to disappoint
him."
- (Narrated by Abu Huraira in Bukhari)
One important note:
Even if a person has no bad deeds at all and he or she has mountains of good
deeds it will still not be enough to gain entrance into the Paradise of the
Almighty.
Why? Because of the saying of the prophet, peace be upon him:
“None shall enter the Jennah (Paradise) except with the Mercy of ALLAH.” When
asked by his companions: “Even you? O, prophet of ALLAH?” And He replied: “Even
me." [mentioned above]
Don't Die Without IT
And finally and most important of all regarding the death of anyone, ALLAH says
in the Holy Quran:
"And do not die, except in complete submission to Almighty ALLAH (Islam)."
[Holy Quran 3:102]