THE LAST MOMENT OF LIFE
Osman Nûri Topbaş
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God Almighty has reserved the quality of eternity in the universe solely for Himself. He is the only eternal and immortal being. Except for God, all will pass away, as pointed out in the Qur'an: "All that is on earth will perish." (ar-Rahmân 55, 26) Another verse, in Chapter 21, confirms this fact with the following announcement: "Every soul shall have a taste of death." (Al-Anbiya 21, 35). Having seen the reality of mortality, man should always bear in mind that one day they will pass away. The Qur'an reminds us of the reality of approaching death in the following verse:
"And the stupor of death will bring Truth (before his eyes): This was the thing which thou wast trying to escape!" (Al-Qaf 50, 19)
Man is created and sent to this earth in order to test him. Therefore, his most ambitious aim must be to gain the blessing and mercy of Almighty God and to enter Paradise. Before the Day of Judgement, man must work hard to earn his place in the heavens, otherwise on that day nothing will be of any assistance to him, as pointed out in the following verse:
"The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, but only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart" (As-Shuara, 26, 88-89)
One can achieve a good grasp of the meaning of this verse and act upon it accordingly by training the lower-self. At the core of self-training lies a complete submission, obedience and loyalty to the Prophet Muhammad. This entails learning from his prophetic experiences of 23 years and getting a taste of his spiritual wealth. It should be remembered that Almighty God revealed the Qur'an to his heart via the Archangel Gabriel. Therefore, all the prayers, words, deeds and practices of the Prophet are regarded as an explanation and interpretation of the Holy Qur'an. In order to learn from him properly and to benefit from his spiritual heritage one must love him more than their own life, family, wealth and all else. This love will transform the human being with the love of God and will enable him to reach a higher status. In a sense, loving the Prophet Muhammad means to love God, and vice versa. The heart must gain a proper level of training and maturity in order to achieve unity.
Training one's self and following the example of the Prophet are the most glorious steps in the preparation for the final moments of one's life. When a glass is filled near to its limit, one last drop can cause it to overflow. Similarly, as all our previous breaths performed a function, our last breath also performs the function of completing and ending a process. Therefore, the success of preparation for our final breath before death depends upon how we have used our breath up to that time. Those who perform good deeds in their former years, who have filled their hearts with the love of God and His Messenger, and who act accordingly will be able to pass away with faith and in peace. To such is heaven promised, in the following hadith:
"He who can profess the oneness of God while dying will enter Paradise." (Hakim, Mustadrak I, 503)
Those who lead their lives according to the principles of Islam will pass away in faith and belief. Their union with Almighty God can take place because these believers have cleaned from their hearts temporary worldly selfish desires and idols, while at the same time filling their heart with the love of God .
It should be remembered that this universe was established, decorated and furnished by the Divine Power, yet it is a temporary station. Everything has a purpose in this universe. Nothing is created without a purpose. The purpose of human beings on this earth is to gain happiness in the hereafter. Therefore, God Almighty warns us as follows.
"O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam." (Al-e-Imran 3, 102)
Every living person or being will experience death. This is the moment of farewell to the temporary life and a unique experience for all living beings.
One should keep in mind that human beings, knowingly or unknowingly, come face to face with numerous causes of death. Death is constantly waiting for man, hidden away . The Sufi poet Mawlana Rumi refers to the reality of death and its inevitable experience as follow:
"A part of human life is always in a state of passing (death),
Every moment is a time of passing and the fading away of life."
Is it not the case indeed that while we progress, leaving behind us years, we approach the end of our lives and thus come closer to our graves? Is it not a reality that whenever a day passes our lives become shorter and shorter?
Mawlana Rumi warns us against the danger of falling into the blindness of not recognising this reality. He says:
"O man! Look at the last image in the mirror!
Imagine what happens to a beauty when she becomes old
Think of the fact that a sound house one day becomes a ruin
Then never let the (temporary) image in the mirror deceive you!"
The last moment of our life and our last breath should be regarded as a divine mystery, embedded in a profound wisdom. This means that the death experience is not an ordinary piece of knowledge. What we now about our future is that one day we will die, but we are not able to know when this will take place. The length of our lives depends upon divine will. Human beings come face to face with death numerous times throughout their lives. Diseases, unexpected surprises, disasters, hundreds of deadly situations of which we are not always aware, show that there is a thin line between life and death. On many occasions, man escapes these deadly situations; this can be seen as a second chance to prepare for the hereafter. Yet, despite such generosity, man remains indifferent to the fact that every passing day shortens his life, instead of being aware of and careful about the remaining life span. From the moment we are born we are dying, little by little, without being aware of it. Our journey to the last moment in our life starts with our birth. Each passing moment brings us closer to death. The following verse explains this reality in a striking manner:
"If We grant long life to any, We cause him to be reversed in nature: Will they not then understand?" (Al Yaseen 36, 68)
Kus Ibn Saide, who predicted the coming of the Prophet Muhammad before his birth, although he lived much earlier than the Prophet, made some remarks when addressing some people in the Ukaz market. His remarks clearly elucidate the journey in this mortal life. He told the audience around him:
"O people!
Come around, listen and learn some lessons!
Living things die, death perishes the union. It rains and grass grows. Children are born and replace their parents. Then they also perish. This circle goes on ceaselessly. Each circle follows the other..."
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