Every Soul Shall Taste Death: Remembering Those Who Passed
Asalam alaykum loves, so depending on the moon sighting, we either have one or two days of Ramadan, so let us take a moment to remember those who started this Ramadan but could not finish it. I have not known anyone personally that passed this month but I know someone a family member of mine knew passed away, on the 27th night of Ramadan, which if it was Layatul Qadr that night, In Sha Allah she got that reward, her sins forgiven and granted into Jennah Tul Furdaus.
When I was doing research on Afghanistan, I remember reading about an attack on a Mosque that killed an Imam and another Muslim, while on Friday and the Imam had been leading the prayer. It is truly a disgusting act that someone would attack a Holy place while people are innocently worshiping but the beautiful day and month in which they passed is also a blessing. May Allah grant them as martyrs, grant them mercy and forgiveness for all their sins and grant them into Jennah.
I am reminded of verse 154 in Surah Baqarah that says :
So these are only some of the many verses that discuss death, I noticed a common theme among them is telling us Allah brought us to life and He will cause us to die. It has been said before that our lifetime is like a train ticket, one piece is cut from the ticket when you are born, another when you are getting older living your life, and the last piece is cut when you die. Our journey on this Earth may seem like it lasts forever but there are many who pass away as children, young adults or around the age of 50 or 60 which isn't very long. Granted there are some people that live to be 90-100, but this is rare and that is what Allah has decreed for them. Even a hundred years is nothing in comparison to what we will experience in the afterlife, which waiting for the Day of Judgement can be years longer than a lifetime.
The verse indicates that sleep is a death, and the hadeeth indicates when a person sleeps his soul is taken. They both indicate that the soul that is taken in death is the soul that is taken during sleep.
End quote from Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab, 3/325
But the taking of the soul in sleep does not necessarily mean that it is completely separated from the body, as happens in death; rather the fact that the life remains in the body during sleep indicates that the soul is still connected to the body during sleep, but the connection is less than the connection when it is awake. Not every departure of the soul from the body implies death; rather what happens to the body differs according to the type of separation.
Make the most of the moments while we have them, Stay Blessed & Stay Tuned for my last 2 posts (:
When I was doing research on Afghanistan, I remember reading about an attack on a Mosque that killed an Imam and another Muslim, while on Friday and the Imam had been leading the prayer. It is truly a disgusting act that someone would attack a Holy place while people are innocently worshiping but the beautiful day and month in which they passed is also a blessing. May Allah grant them as martyrs, grant them mercy and forgiveness for all their sins and grant them into Jennah.
I am reminded of verse 154 in Surah Baqarah that says :
"And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not."
This verse gives me hope because it reminds us that our loved ones when they do leave this Earth they return to their Lord, even if they are no longer with us they are in a better place. May Allah grant support, patience and love for families who lost someone.
It may seem weird to be thinking about death right before we are to celebrate Eid Al Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan and the accomplishments and hard work physically and spiritually we have dedicated ourselves to. In reality, just like children are born all the time, people die all the time, it is a fact of life, something to remember even in the best of moments, souls are being returned to their Creator. I think reflecting on death helps us realize the cycle of life, that life is short, to make the most of the time we have with those we love, to work hard and worship Allah, because you never know.
Surah Yunus, 56:
"He gives life and causes death, and to Him you will be returned"
Surah Al-Ankabut, 57:
"Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned."
Surah Az-Zumar, 42:
"Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought."
Surah Ghafir, 68:
"He it is who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it, "Be," and it is."
Surah Baqarah, 28:
"How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned."
Surah- Al-Jathiyah, 26:
"Say: "It is Allah Who gives you life, then gives you death; then He will gather you together for the Day of Judgment about which there is no doubt": But most men do not understand."
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (ra), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (saw) took me by the shoulder and said, “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”
And Ibn Umar (ra) used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”
[Bukhari]
The last thing I noted from the verses above is that Allah takes the souls of those who have passed away and of those who are sleeping. I have heard before that sleep is the cousin of death, meaning when we are sleeping our souls are taken, not in the same fashion as it were in death. It reminds us that even though we don't die in our sleep, we are still away from our physical self and Allah is aware of what we did before we were in the state of sleep.
There is more on this matter here:
This evidence was quoted by al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him), who then said:
The verse indicates that sleep is a death, and the hadeeth indicates when a person sleeps his soul is taken. They both indicate that the soul that is taken in death is the soul that is taken during sleep.
End quote from Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab, 3/325
But the taking of the soul in sleep does not necessarily mean that it is completely separated from the body, as happens in death; rather the fact that the life remains in the body during sleep indicates that the soul is still connected to the body during sleep, but the connection is less than the connection when it is awake. Not every departure of the soul from the body implies death; rather what happens to the body differs according to the type of separation.
At the end of the day, I was just reflecting on the fact that if you are reading this, it means you made it to the end of Ramadan but there are some who didn't. It may be sad that they are gone but it is also such a blessing to pass away in a month dedicated to sacrificing and worshiping for the Sake of Allah. May the end of our lives be a blessed one and May we not pass away until Allah is pleased with us. I think that there is a lesson in everything, I know I could've done more in terms of bettering my habits and my connection with Allah and done more prayer and read more Quran, but the fact that I am alive means I can still do that even though Ramadan is coming to an end. Like I have said in previous posts, do not give up, you still have a chance as long as you are still living, the fact that we haven't passed away yet means Allah is giving us more opportunities to redeem ourselves and repent and do good deeds.
In thinking about those who have passed away this Ramadan and maybe even more, I hope that they were able to do all that they could to obtain Jennah Tul Furdaus, and they are granted ease and mercy in their grave. May Allah reunite them with their loved ones and May they be among the righteous and those that followed the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon him) and may their statuses be elevated. Death is a reminder to us all to be respectful, kind and forgiving because we don't want to leave this Earth having left an argument unsolved, debt unsettled or having wronged or hurt someone.
Make the most of the moments while we have them, Stay Blessed & Stay Tuned for my last 2 posts (:
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