THE LAST MOMENT OF LIFE

Osman Nûri Topbaş

..:: 3 ::.. 

    He went on and on, mentioning similar questions. He became lost in details, missing the point, so the Sheikh called to the preacher and said:
   "O preacher! God doesn't ask that many questions. He asks: O my servant! I was with you. Who were you with?"
   As this episode makes clear, the most important thing to do is to remain close to God and never waste a moment in life. One day the Prophet Muhammad took Ibn Omar by his shoulders and gave him the following advice: "Act as a passenger in the world", indicating that the world is only a temporary place, a place where people come and then go. After receiving this prophetic advice Ibn Omar used to say the following:
   "When you reach the evening, do not expect to see the morning; when you reach the dawn, do not expect to see the sunset. Take preventive measures for illness when your are healthy, and get prepared for your death throughout your life". (Bukhari, Riqaq, 3)
   These remarks remind us that life flows like the rain, and helps us to turn our attention to the eternal life. In his prayer Prophet Muhammad clearly demonstrates where the eternal life will be. He is reported to have said:
   "O my Lord! The only real life is the life in the hereafter". (Bukhari, Riqaq, 1)
   The Companions of the Prophet understood his message better than anyone else, and thus they demonstrated their unwavering commitment. Their life stories are full of wonderful examples for us. For example, enslaved by the non-believers, Hubayb, a companion of Muhammad, had only one wish before his death, which was to send his love and regards to the Prophet. He prayed to Almighty God and said. "O my Lord! There is nobody here who can forward my regards to the Prophet. I pray you to forward my regards to him". At the same time, the Prophet was with his companions in Madina. He said "peace be upon him too". When the companions heard him saying this they asked:
   "O messenger of God! To whom is your response? For whom did you say this?"
   The Prophet replied: "For your brother Hubayb" and he described Hubayb as a "noble martyr" and added "he is my neighbour in paradise". This incident is good example of how much the companions loved Muhammad.
   The following is another example of such devotion and commitment among the Companions:
   At the end of the battle of Uhud, the Prophet Muhammad ordered his companions to count the dead and check the wounded. He was especially interested in finding out what had happened to a particular companion, Sa'd Ibn Rabi. The Prophet sent one of his companions to the battlefield to find out what had happened to Sa'd Ibn Rabi. But the companion was not able to find Sa'd and his calls were never answered. Before going back, he said one last time "O Sa'd! The Prophet sent me here. He told me to find our whether you are alive or among the martyrs." When he heard this call, Sa'd was about to die, yet he was able to say, "I am among the dead".
   Having heard Sa'd, the companion rushed towards him and saw that he had been badly wounded by a sword. He approached Sa'd, who whispered to him: "If you do not protect the Prophet and let him get hurt while you are alive, you will have no excuse before God." These were the farewell words of Sa'd. This episode is a reminder to us that the priority of the companions, even at the moment of death, was to express their love for the Prophet.
   The following episode, narrated by Huzayfa, also demonstrates how sensitive the companions were in their love for and commitment to the Prophet, even when they were about to pass away. Huzayfa said:
   "We were at the battle of Yarmuk. The fighting had died down and those Muslims who had been seriously injured started to die on the hot desert sands. Meanwhile, I started to search for my cousin, my uncle's son, Kharis. While searching among the badly injured and dying people I found him. Unfortunately, he was covered in blood and could only talk with his eyes. I asked him.
   "Do you want water?"
   He might have wanted water because his lips were almost cracked because of the heat. However he had no strength to answer me. It was as if he was trying to tell me about his pain with his eyes. Then I opened the bottle to give him some water. Meanwhile we heard Ikrime who was saying:
   "Water.. Water.. Please give me a drop of water!"
   As soon my cousin heard Ikrime's cry for water, he told with his eyes to give the water to Ikrime first. Then I rushed to Ikrime to give him some water. As he was about to take the bottle from my hand, we heard Iyash asking for water. He was begging us:
   "Please give me a drop of water for God's sake. Please just a sip of water!"
   When Ikrime heard this cry, he signalled me to take the water to Iyash. Ikrime did not drink the water, in the same way that Kharis had not, putting Ikrime before himself . Then I walked towards Iyash. When I came closer to him I heard his last words, saying:
   "O my Lord! We never hesitated to sacrifice our lives for our faith. Please do not deprive us of martyrdom. Please forgive our mistakes." Iyash saw the water but could not drink it. There was not enough time for this. He passed away there. Then I quickly returned to Ikrime, yet he too had become a martyr. Quickly I returned to Kharis. I ran towards him. When I came closer to him I saw that he too had become a martyr.
   Huzayfa later described to his friends what he felt during his experience as follows:
   "I came across many events. Yet, non-of them affected me that much emotionally. Although they were not related to one another, they demonstrated deep love for each other. They made sacrifices for their Muslim brothers and showed compassion to each other. I envied their farewell to life as real Muslims, a farewell that left a remarkable mark on my memory"

 

<<< Back   Main