JUST think about it. The eyes follow the righteous soul as it floats effortlessly upwards through the seven heavens. It leaves the body like water flowing from a stream and angels greet it with beautiful words supplicating to Allah to bless it. The doors of heaven open and angels dress it with beautiful clothes, asking who this wonderful soul is. At last, that day arrives and records are placed in the right hand and it is told to return to its grave until the Day of Judgment. On the other hand, the evil soul is ripped apart from the body by angels with the sternest of faces, welcoming it to Allah's wrath and anger. The body is torn from the inside as the severity hits home. All angels curse the soul and the doors to heaven are shut. There is total pandemonium as angels ask about the ugly soul. Slowly but surely the records go to the left hand and Allah's promise is delivered. Allah says in the Noble Qur'an: “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 indeeds successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” (Qur'an, 3:185) Everyone must experience the end. This is the only real guarantee we have in life. Death is true and we all know people who have died. Think back, those who were alive last year are no longer here today and as another Ramadan approaches of the Prophet (peace be upon him), ask yourself, is this going to be my last? The Companions remembered death continuously and acted upon the knowledge of death they had. They were from the best of people and with the best of Allah's creation, Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But see how they remembered this reality. They would weep remembering that they will be held accountable for their deeds after death. We have recently witnessed the death of Michael Jackson, who was an icon to many and probably the most famous man in the world of pop music. It was reported that he accepted Islam few months back, and now he is gone. The whole world is talking about his life, his memorial and his wealth, but what no one knows is the state in which he is now. What does he need, what has he realized and what would he want to tell his millions of mourners? His life is over. He left this world for a different world, and he can never return now. What do you think he had with him when he was leaving? The millions of dollars have been left behind, but does money matter to him now? How profound are Prophet Muhammad's words (peace be upon him). He said, “Three things follow a dead man, two of which will return and one will remain with him. “His people, his property and his deeds follow him, but his people and property return, while his deeds remain with him.” (Al-Bukhari, 8/521) The lives of famous stars like Jackson and Presly are prime examples that happiness and success are not what our materialistic world defines them to be. By the materialistic definition, they had everything! But no peace. Happiness and true contentment of life are found only when one understands his purpose of life and lives according to that. Also, think about our state as Muslims. We know so much about the late pop star, but hardly a fraction do we know about our Prophet (peace be upon him), even though he is the best of creation. Let's start preparing Three questions await every man and woman, without exception, in the grave: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who was the man that was sent to you? If we lived by these questions in our life, we can answer them there. If we believed in our Creator, submitted to Him and followed His Religion that He revealed for the guidance of humankind, we will be able to answer those questions. If not, we will stumble, may Allah protect us from that. How many people bow down to and worship stones, sticks, animals and people besides Allah, even though all that they worship besides Allah do not own anything in the universe. The other day in Madina, I personally witnessed a man praying, in prostration, to the grave of Muhammad (peace be upon him). I explained to him after he had finished why this was wrong and he accepted it, Alhamdulillah. Unfortunately, not everyone is like that. So how can we really prepare for death? The first thing to do is to make sure our belief in Allah is correct. Ask yourselves, what is Tawheed? Have we learnt it? Do we know its categories? Do we actualize them in our lives? Have we really understood Who Allah is? Then we must strive to learn our religion and implement it in our lives. We must learn the rights of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upon us. We must learn and practice his Sunnah to the best of our ability. Following the Sunnah is of great importance because our deeds and worship are not accepted unless they conform to with his Sunnah. May Allah guide us all to what is beloved to Him.
