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death: a beginning––not the end

people of poor faith, or those having no faith at all in the Hereafter, have a distorted perception of death and the life that comes after it. that is why they consider death a calamity rather than as a blessing. they believe that when they lose someone to death they lose them for ever; therefore, according to them, in the ground he is reduced to nothingness.

the fact is, however, that death is not eternal extinguishment; on the contrary, it is a transition to the life of the hereafter, our resting place. it is a moment we are all drawing near to, to the day we will have to give account of all that we engaged in the life of this world, that is, the Day of Judgement. every human being, without exception, will meet the moment of death and pass to his eternal resting place. this may happen at an early age as well as later in life. ultimately then, everyone will one day depart from this world; every day brings that predetermined date nearer. as such, to strive to escape death, or avoiding the very thought of it, or considering it as a calamity, is completely irrational.

Say: "Death, from which you are fleeing, will certainly catch up with you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible and He will inform you about what you did." [QS al-Jumu’ah 8]

man never actually disappears. from the very moment we are created, our eternal life begins. that is, we have already started our eternal life. once our worldly trial has ended, and immediately following the moment of transition, which we call death, we will live on into eternity. whether that time will be spent in torment or in bliss depends on one's commitment to the Word of God, the Qur'an, and his fastidiousness in observing His limits. this entire system: the universe, the world, human beings, and everything created for human beings, have been designed for an ultimate purpose–the life in the Hereafter. Allah informs us that man's existence in this world is not without a purpose and that, in the Hereafter, after his short life in this world, man will have to offer an account of his deeds:

Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us? [QS al-Muminun 115]

the life of the Hereafter is important in the sense that it represents the manifestation of Allah's infinite justice, as well as the provision of His infinite blessings. the Hereafter will be the place where everything a man does in this world will be repaid, where justice and compassion will prevail. the absolute justice of the Hereafter is described in a verse as follows:

...Say, "The enjoyment of the world is very brief. The Hereafter is better for those who have fear. You will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck." [QS an-Nisa' 77]

of love, life and deity

some people's heedlessness prevents them from living the peace of faith as they should and cause them trouble in a number of ways. from others they expect love, respect, affection, friendship, self-sacrifice, patience, forgiveness and many other blessings. likewise, they believe that they will achieve them by their own acts, efforts and their own will. however, only Allah can make an individual be loved, respected and admired. no matter how hard he tries, a person can never affect the hearts of others. Allah places love in a person's heart as a blessing resulting from his observance of the morality of the Qur'an. likewise, no one can create love for another in his own heart. it is Allah Who gives him this emotion. whatever people acquire materially or spiritually is created by Allah.

setting the approval of others above Allah's approval causes considerable trouble. living according to others' rules and ideas rather than those of the Qur'an also has the same effect, for no one can please a large number of people at the same time. when a particular behavior pleases one person, it angers somebody else. this is a vicious circle, and such an individual is doomed to live an uneasy life.

for a person who seeks only Allah's approval, everything is easy. the Qur'an informs him of all the deeds to which he should conform, and which he should avoid, during his life. what others think and how they behave towards him is of no importance. as long as he conforms to Allah's will, a sincere Muslim lives in the hope of finding salvation both in this world and the next. consequently, he lives out a far more tranquil, simple and beautiful life than those who feel compelled to judge themselves against those around them and seek the approval of others.

Allah describes the situation of people who seek the approval of others in this verse: "Most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others with Him" [QS Yusuf 106]. for this reason, without excepting himself, everyone should think carefully on the subject of idolatry and regulate his beliefs and his life according to this truth. everybody should take a warning from this important truth which Allah reveals to us in the verse:

That is part of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. Do not set up another deity together with Allah and so be thrown into Hell, blamed and driven out. [QS al-Isra' 39]