Sufficient* is* death* as* an* admonisher,* sufficient* is* sure* faith* for* contentment,* and* sufficient* is*

worship* to* keep* one* busy* (Authentic,*Imaam*Ahmad*&*Ibn*Abee*Ad=Dunya).** ! The$Undeniable$Certainty$ ! Death!is!an!indisputable!fact,!as!Allah,!the!Most!High,!states,! And*the*stupor*of*death*will*come*in*truth:*This*is*what*you* have* been* avoiding!* (50:19).! Who! can! argue! about! death! and!its!agonies!after!hearing!these!words?!Who!can!dispute! the! pressing! of! the! grave?! Who! can! delay! death! from! its! appointed!time?!Allah,!the!Most!High,!says,!When*their*term* comes,* neither* can* they* delay* it* nor* can* they* advance* it* an* hour*(or*a*moment)*(7:34).!! ! O!Mankind!!Why!are!you!so!arrogant!when!worms!will!soon! consume! you?! Why! do! you! transgress! when! you! will! eventually!be!thrown!into!a!ditch!under!the!ground?!Why!the! delay! and! heedlessness! when! you! know! that! death! comes! suddenly,! without! any! warning?! Allah,! the! Most! High,! says,! Everyone* shall* taste* death.* And* only* on* the* Day* of* Resurrection*shall*you*be*paid*your*wages*in*full.*And*whoever* is* removed* away* from* the* Fire* and* admitted* to* Paradise,* he* indeed*is*successful.*The*life*of*this*world*is*only*the*enjoyment* of*deception*(a*deceiving*thing)*(3:185).! ! The$Reality$of$Death$ ! O!Muslims!!He!who!thinks!that!death!is!the!final!stage!of!his! existence,! after! which! there! will! be! no! accountability,! no! Paradise!or!Hellfire,!and!no!life!after!that!is!in!serious!error.!If! this!was!the!case,!there!would!be!no!wisdom!behind!creation! and!existence!to!start!with,!and!all!people!would!be!equally! at!rest!after!death.!The!believer!and!the!infidel!would!be!the! same:! the! murderer! and! his! victim,! the! oppressor! and! the! oppressed,! the! obedient! and! the! disobedient,! the! adulterer! and!the!one!who!guarded!his!prayers,!and!so!on.!This!is!the! belief! of! the! polytheists! who! are! worse! than! animals.! Only! one! who! is! shameless! and! senseless! would! utter! such! a! statement.!! ! Allah,! the! Most! High,! says,! The* disbelievers* pretend* that* they* will* never* be* resurrected* (for* the* Account).* Say* (O* Muhammad*sallallahu*alayhe*wa*sallam):*Yes!*By*my*Lord,*you* will*certainly*be*resurrected,*then*you*will*be*informed*of*(and* recompensed* for)* what* you* did;* and* that* is* easy* for* Allah* (64:7).!And!He,!the!Most!High,!says,!And*he*puts*forth*for*Us* a*parable,*and*forgets*his*own*creation.*He*says:*Who*will*give* life* to* these* bones* after* they* are* rotten* and* have* become* dust?*Say*(O*Muhammad*sallallahu*alayhe*wa*sallam):*He*will*

give*life*to*them*Who*created*them*for*the*first*time!*And*He*is* All=Knower*of*every*creation!*(36:79).*! ! Remember$the$Destroyer$of$Pleasures$ ! O! Muslims!! The! Prophet! sallallahu* alayhe* wa* sallam* encouraged! us! to! always! remember! death! saying,! Frequently! remember! the! destroyer! of! lifes! pleasures;! death!(Authentic,!AtNTirmidhi).!! ! Imam! Qurtubi! said,! Our! scholars! said! that! this! statement! from! the! Prophet! sallallahu* alayhe* wa* sallam* is! short! but! inclusive! of! a! great! reminder,! because! remembering! death! and!mentioning!it!frequently!is!likely!to!destroy!any!pleasure! one! might! feel! and! prevent! him! from! wishing! for! any! other! enjoyment!in!the!future,!making!him!indifferent!to!pleasures,! which! he! previously! craved.! However,! since! peoples! hearts! became! heedless,! now! we! require! longer! admonitions! with! more! decorated! words;! otherwise! words! of! the! Prophet! sallallahu* alayhe* wa* sallam,! Frequently* remember* the* destroyer* of* lifes* pleasures;* death,! and! the! saying! of! Allah,! the! Most! High,! Everyone* shall* taste* death* (3:185)* are! enough!for!those!who!listen!and!reflect.!! ! The$Limited$Breaths$ ! Ibn! Masood! radi* Allahu* anhu* said,* The* Prophet* sallallahu* alayhe*wa*sallam*drew*a*square*and*in*the*center*of*it*he*drew* a*line,*the*end*of*which*extended*beyond*the*square.*Further* across* the* center* line* he* drew* few* smaller* lines,* then* he* sallallahu* alayhe* wa* sallam* said,* This* illustrates* man* (i.e.* his* ambitions),* and* the* encircling* square* is* death* which* encompasses* him;* the* center* line* represents* his* desires* and* the*smaller*lines*are*the*adversities*he*faces*through*life;*if*one* of*them*misses*him,*another*one*distresses*him*and*if*that*one* misses*him*another*one*strikes*him*(Al=Bukhari).*! ! Imam! AlNQurtubi! said,! The! Muslim! scholars! unanimously! agreed!that!death!is!not!restricted!to!a!certain!age,!time,!or! sickness,! so! that! man! would! always! be! ready! to! receive! death!and!be!prepared!for!what!comes!after!it.!! ! The$Agonies$of$Death$ ! O! Muslims!! Death! has! agonies,! the! extent! and! severity,! which! are! known! only! by! those! who! experienced! it.! The! dying!person!loses!his!voice!and!the!ability!to!scream!out!in! pain;! death! impairs! his! body! and! weakens! his! limbs! and! senses,! and! leaves! him! with! no! energy! to! ask! for! help.! His! color! changes! and! each! part! of! his! body! feels! the! misery! of! death! until! his! soul! reaches! his! throat! and! he! loses! the! link!

with! this! life,! whereupon! he! becomes! miserable! if! he! is! amongst! the! sinners! or! joyful! if! he! is! from! the! pious.! Aysha! radi*Allahu*anha* said,! During*his*death*sickness,*the*Prophet* sallallahu*alayhe*wa*sallam*had*a*bowl*of*water,*which*he*used* to* dip* his* hand* then* wipe* his* face* and* say,* There* is* none* worthy*of*worship*except*Allah;*indeed*death*has*its*agonies* (Al=Bukhari).*! ! O!the!one!who!is!heedless!!Ponder!over!the!agonies!of!death! and! its! bitter! difficulties.! Death! is! a! promise,! which! will! definitely! come! true;! the! thought! of! death! is! enough! to! wound!the!heart,!wet!the!eyes,!disunite!the!people,!destroy! pleasures!and!prevent!ambitions!for!this!life.!O!the!one!who! hoarding!wealth,!eager!to!build!and!prosper!in!this!life!!The! only! wealth! you! have! is! your! shroud.! Your! riches! will! eventually! vanish;! your! body! will! become! ruined.! What! will! happen! to! your! treasures,! which! you! accumulated?! Indeed!! You!will!be!leaving!them!all!behind.!O!people!!Where!is!your! preparation! for! death! and! its! agonies?! Where! is! your! preparation! for! the! pressing! of! the! grave?! Where! is! your! preparation! for! answering! the! two! angels! in! the! grave?! Where! is! your! preparation! for! the! meeting! with! Allah,! the! Most!High,!the!AllNCompetent?!! ! Admonitions$Regarding$Death$ $ Constantly* remember* the* destroyer* of* lifes* pleasures,* for* there*is*not*a*servant*who*remembers*it*at*times*of*hardship* except* that* it* would* make* things* easy,* and* no* servant* remembers* it* at* times* of* ease* except* that* it* would* make* things*difficult*(Subul*as*Salaam*by*As=Sanaani).* ! The! print! on! Umar! ibn! al! Khataabs! ring! was,! Sufficient! is! death!as!an!admonisher!O! Umar!(Al!Istiaab!fee!Marifat!al! AsNhaab! by! ibn! Abdil! Bar).! This! print! on! his! ring! was! to! remind!him!of!death!whenever!he!looked!at!it,!and!it!would! deter! him! from! whatever! he! wanted! to! do,! for! indeed! a! person!constantly!looks!at!his!hand,!so!by!having!it!there!he! would! continuously! remember! death! (Mahd! as! Sawaab! by! Yusuf!ibn!Hasan!ibn!Abdul!Haadee).!! ! Abu!Bakr!ibn!Ubayd!stated!that!Swayd!ibn!Amr!al!Kalbi!said,! There! was! a! righteous! woman! who! performed! a! lot! of! worship!wasnt!in!need!of!anyone,!she!only!used!to!sleep!for! a! small! portion! of! the! night.! She! was! reprimanded! for! that! and! responded;! Sufficient! is! death,! and! the! long! period! of! time! laying! in! the! grave! as! rest! for! a! believer! (Sifat! as! Safwah!by!ibnul!Jawzee).!! !

AtNTameemi! said,! Two! things! prevented! me! from! enjoying! life:! Remembering! death! and! remembering! the! questioning! in!front!of!Allah.!! ! AdNDaqqaaq!said,!He!who!frequently!remembers!death!will! be!granted!three!things:!A!rapid!repentance,!a!content!heart,! and!enthusiasm!to!worship!Allah;!and!the!one!who!neglects! remembering!death!will!be!afflicted!with!three!things:!Delay! in! repentance,! discontentment,! and! laziness! in! worshipping! Allah.!! ! Benefits$of$Contemplating$Over$Death$ ! O! Muslims!! There! are! many! benefits! to! be! gained! from! contemplating!over!death,!such!as!the!following:!! ! It!encourages!one!to!prepare!for!death!before!it!strikes.! It! makes! man! lose! hope! in! living! longer,! which! causes! heedlessness.!! It!makes!a!person!content!with!very!little.! It! makes! one! inclined! towards! the! Hereafter! and! the! obedience!of!Allah.! It!makes!worldly!hardships!seem!insignificant.! It!prevents!one!from!greed!and!extravagance.!! It! encourages! one! to! repent! and! make! up! for! what! he! missed!in!the!past.! It! softens! the! heart,! makes! the! eyes! shed! tears,! assists! one! in! becoming! committed! to! Islam! and! expels! base! desires.!! It! makes! a! person! humble! and! prevents! arrogance! and! oppression.!! It!makes!a!person!kind!and!forgiving!towards!his!fellow! Muslims.!! ! Things$that$Remind$One$of$Death$ ! Visiting! the! graves,! as! the! Prophet! sallallahu* alayhe* wa* sallam* said,! Visit* the* graves* for* they* remind* you* of* the* Hereafter*(Ahmed).!! Visiting! the! places! where! dead! are! washed! and! witnessing!the!washing.! Being! around! people! who! are! dying! to! see! how! they! suffer!and!to!try!to!get!them!utter!the!Shahaadah.!! Accompanying! funerals,! the! funeral! prayers,! and! attending!the!burial!of!the!dead.! Reciting!the!Quraan,!especially!the!verses!that!mention! the!agonies!of!death.! Having! gray! hair! and! becoming! sick,! because! these! are! two!messengers!of!death.!

Pondering! over! earthquakes,! volcanoes,! floods,! and! landslides,! which! remind! one! of! the! nearness! of! the! death.! Reading!about!previous!nations!who!died!and!vanished.!!

The$End$of$Life$ ! O!Muslims!!Know!that!a!good!end!only!comes!to!those!who! are!inwardly!and!outwardly!upon!the!straight!path,!and!that! an! evil! end! comes! to! those! who! are! corrupt! and! sinful,! remaining!so!until!they!die!without!repenting.!! ! It! was! said! to! someone,! Say! Laa! ilaha! illa! Allah.! So! he! replied,! King!! ! Rook!! ! Checkmate!! and! then! he! passed! away.!And!it!was!said!to!another,!Say!Laa!ilaha!illa!Allah.!So! he! started! singing! irrationally,! saying,! Taatinaa! tinintaa,! [no! meaning,!just!irrational!singing]!and!then!passed!away.!And! someone! who! was! present! at! the! death! of! someone! who! would!beg!told!me!that![they!told!him!to!say!the!shahaadah]! so!he!started!saying,!For!Allaahs!Sake.!A!penny!for!Allaahs! Sake,! until! he! passed! away! (AdNDaa! wadNDawaa! by! Ibn! AlN Qayyim)! ! Hammaad!ibn!Zaid!said,!I!visited!Salaam!AbulNMundhir!while! he! was! going! through! the! agonies! of! death.! So! someone! started! to! remind! him! to! say,! Laa! ilaaha! illallaah.! But! he! didnt!say!it!and!that!grieved!me.!Then!the!muadhin!started! to!pronounce!the!call!to!prayer!on!the!minarets!of!the!Jaami! Mosque,!saying,!Ashhadu!an!Laa!ilaaha!illallaah!!So!Salaam! said,! I! bear! witness! that! none! has! the! right! to! be! worshipped!except!Allaah,!nothing!except!what!He!will!takes! place! in! the! Heavens! or! the! earth!! Then! he! passed! away,! may! Allaah! have! mercy! on! him! (Zuhd! of! Imaam! Ahmad).! Zurarah!ibn!Abi!Awfaa!was!the!head!judge!of!Basrah!and!he! passed!away!whilst!he!was!in!sajdah!(Tahdheeb!alNKamaal).!!
! Source:* Sufficient* is* Death* as* an* Admonisher* by* Nadir* Ahmad,* Death* is* Enough* as* an* Admonition* by* the* Educational* Department* of* Daar* Al=Watan,* and* two* translated* articles* called,*Say,*Laa*ilaaha*illallaah!*by*Ahmed*Abu*Turaab.**

! ! !

is Enough as a Reminder
Sisters Only Monthly Events Brought To You By: Sisters For Sisters
Compiled By: Nasrin As.Salafiyah

Death

Contact us for any information at Sisters4rsisters@gmail.com!

Brought To You By: Sisters For Sisters!