In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
"Remember much, that which cuts off pleasure: Death, since no-one remembers it in times of difficulty, except that things are made easy for him, nor mentions it at times of ease, except that the affairs become constricted for him." [Saheehul-Jaami’us Sagheer, no 1222]
Allah Almighty says,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ ﴿٩﴾ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَآ أَخَّرْتَنِىٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ﴿١٠﴾ وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١١[Qur'an, Al-Munafiqun 63:9-11]
O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers. (9) And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous." (10) But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (11)
The Sakaraatul Maut, which means throes of death, will be painfully felt by all. This fact is related in the Hadith concerning the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related about the events before his death:
"There was a leather or wood container full of water in front of the Messenger (saws). He put his hand into the water and rubbed his face with it, saying: "Laa illaaha illallaah !" No doubt death has its stupor’s." Then he raised his hand and started saying: "O Allah, with the highest companion!" (and kept on saying this) until his hand dropped." [Related by Al-Bukhari]
'Aisha said (in another narration), ("When the Prophet was on his death-bed) he looked up and said thrice, (Amongst) the Highest Companion.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was shown his place in Paradise and given the choice of living or dying and joining those "Highest Companions".
وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ رَفِيقًا ﴿٦٩﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَضْلُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ عَلِيمًا ﴿٧٠[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:69-70]
And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. (69) That is the bounty from Allah, and sufficient is Allah as Knower. (70)
Sakarat refers to a state when a person is not in control of his mental power. It mostly refers to a state of drunkenness. However, it is also used in reference to extreme states of fury, passion, agony, sleepiness as well as loss of consciousness that results from pain. When a person is dying, he comes in and out of consciousness, even when he appears conscious, he may be dazed and incoherent - that’s why it is so important, at this time to remind the person of Allah, always remembering, that (though you cant see what’s happening), it is a very trying and sometimes a confusing time for the dying person.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to include in his supplication this prayer: "My Lord, help me endure the throes of death."
Suffering extreme anguish at the time of death is not indicative of any judgment on the person concerned. It must never be assumed that a person who dies a very calm and peaceful death is in a position of favor, or that a person who suffers much anguish is in a position of disfavor. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) himself endured much pain at the time of his death. This has made Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) say: "I do not envy anyone a peaceful death after having seen what Allah's Messenger has endured." (Related by Al Bukhari).
It is confirmed that at the time of death, a person sees the truth about Allah, faith and human life so that he is absolutely certain of it. When he has seen that, which happens when he can no longer recover, repentance of past sins will not be accepted. This is due to the fact that this repentance is simply a regret for not having followed the guidance provided by Allah, and it comes as a result of something outside the control of the dying person. The proof is shown to him because he can no longer do anything about it. His repentance has not come out of any effort on his part to recognize the truth, or any desire to mend his ways. It comes when his life is over.
Repentance and Request to Return Back to Life
An inevitable occurrence at death is the desire to return back to life just to do one more good deed. This is especially true for the non-believers, and the transgressors. They will regret their lives and wish to return to put aright their deeds. It must be a frightening thing for them at death.
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ ﴿٩٩﴾ لَعَلِّىٓ أَعْمَلُ صَـٰلِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّآ ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿١٠٠(Qur'an, Al-Mu’minun 23:99-100)
[For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back (99) That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected. (100)
Once Sakaraatul Maut approaches there is no turning back. When the rattling of death is heard in the throat, nothing can be reversed:
فَلَوْلَآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلْحُلْقُومَ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَأَنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٨٥﴾ فَلَوْلَآ إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ ﴿٨٦﴾ تَرْجِعُونَهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ ﴿٨٧(Qur'an Al-Waqi'a 56:83-87)
Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat (83) And you are at that time looking on - (84) And Our angels are nearer to him than you, but you do not see - (85) Then why do you not, if you are not to be recompensed, (86) Bring it back, if you should be truthful? (87)
It is then that the dying person sees the angels and he realizes death is at hand. Once the angels are seen, man can grasp the reality of al-ghayb (the unseen), for he has witnessed the truth of it. Declaration of faith is of no avail at that time for it is no longer "Unseen". Any repentance at this stage is rejected.
إِنَّمَا ٱلتَّوْبَةُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ﴿١٧﴾ وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ﴿١٨(Qur'an An-Nisa 4:17-18)
The repentance accepted by Allah is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon after. It is those to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness, and Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. (17) But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment. (18)
Many people don’t repent or seek refuge in Allah, until they face difficulty. Then when they are in trouble and feel the need they have for Allah, they turn to Him and beg for His help and His mercy.
وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ٱلضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنۢبِهِۦٓ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُۥ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّۢ مَّسَّهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٢(Qur'an, Yunus 10:12)
And when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove from him his affliction, he continues [in disobedience] as if he had never called upon Us to [remove] an affliction that touched him. Thus is made pleasing to the transgressors that which they have been doing (12)
Incredibly, many people today feel no need for Allah at all. Repentance never occurs to them. They feel self-sufficient. As sincere Muslims, we should turn to Allah at all times, not just at times of trouble. Consider the stories of Prophet Yunus (alayhissalaam) and Pharoah. They were in similar places and trouble. They both sought refuge in Allah in the same manner. Yet they were dealt with in different ways. Pharoah was drowning at sea. When he realized his plight, he turned to Allah saying:
وَجَـٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدْرَكَهُ ٱلْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتْ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓا۟ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿٩٠(Qur'an, Yunus 10:90)
And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them in tyranny and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims." (90)
At his moment of death he declared his belief in Tawheed, which is the key to Paradise. Yet his repentance was rejected. When he supplicated to Allah, Jibreel (alayhissalaam) threw mud in his mouth so that the angels could not hear him.
Prophet Yunus (alayhissalaam) was in three dark places: way out to sea, in the dark of night, in the stomach of a whale. He supplicated:
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَـٰضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿٨٧(Qur'an, Al-Anbiya' 21:87)
And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." (87)
Prophet Yunus (alayhissalaam) also sought refuge in Allah through his belief in Tawheed and was saved. Why Yunus (alayhissalaam) and not Pharoah? Allah Almighty) said:
فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَنَجَّيْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُـۨجِى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٨٨(Qur'an, Al-Anbiya' 21:88)
So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers. (88)
Pharoah was not of true faith, therefore his repentance was rejected by Allah. True faith is always present, not simply in times of distress. Remember the mud thrown in the mouth of Pharoah when he cried out. When Yunus (alayhissalaam) supplicated to Allah the angels responded saying: "A familiar voice from a well known slave." A very important lesson from this is that we should try to remember Allah, at all times and asks Him for help even when we are in comfort and free of problems. By remembering Allah in easy times He will remember you in difficult times just as He did Yunus (alayhissalaam).
Presence of Shaytan and His Tricks
Just as the angels will be present, shaytan will be too. It is his last chance to try to turn man to evil. He will do what he can to cause him to die upon Shirk (Polytheism), or at least commit sin.
"Indeed Shaytan is present in all of your affairs, even at the time of eating. Therefore, if a morsel of food falls to the ground, one should remove any harmful thing from it, and eat it. Don’t leave it for Shaytan to eat. And when one finishes, he should lick his fingers, for no one knows where the blessing in the food might be." [Related by Al-Bukhari]
Shaytan can assume any form he desires in order to deceive man. He can come to you when you are dying in the form of your deceased Mother or Father or close friend saying:
"I come to you from the other life and I have found that Christianity is the truth." (Related by Dr. Umar Al-Ashqar Al-Yawn Al-Aakhir - Al-Quyaam As-Sughraa p.29)
This is the time when the weak in faith may fail. Never consider yourself to be of firm, unshakable faith. Allah holds our hearts between His fingers.
Even those of great knowledge never consider themselves of unwavering faith. They fear that they may lose the gift of Islam. The Qur’an tells us of such people:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِنْهُ ءَايَـٰتٌ مُّحْكَمَـٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَـٰبِهَـٰتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـٰبَهَ مِنْهُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ ٱلْفِتْنَةِ وَٱبْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِۦ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱلرَّٰسِخُونَ فِى ٱلْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ﴿٧﴾ رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ ﴿٨(Qur'an AleImran 3:7-8)
...But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding. (7) [Who say], "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the the Granter of bounties without measure."
An example of Shaytan’s work at the time of death is seen in the story of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, the great scholar and founder of the Hanbali school of thought.
At his death, his son was beside him telling him: "Say Laa illaaha illallaah." Imam Ahmad replied: "No! No!" The son was horrified and repeated to his father: "Laa illaaha illallaah." And again Imam Ahmad said: "No! No!" He then lost consciousness. When he came to he told his son: "I see my devil saying: Ahmad! I was not able to deviate you!" The devil had come to him and tried to get him to admire himself for his righteous life by insisting that before he die, he say he was of the people of Paradise. Imam Ahmad reply was: "No!, No!, not until I die."
May Allah guide us and our families on the straight path, forgive all our sins, help us endure the throes of death and grant us an excellent ending. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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