The Day and Night are two vehicles in which we sit in; without any stops, these vehicles continue their journey ending at the destination of death. We are happy when the day and night has passed, even though a day or night of our life has actually decreased, bringing us closer to death! We are like a bulb, whose entire energy and light is hidden in one plastic button; a simple press of the button puts off that bulb, similarly when death arrives, our healthy body becomes so powerless that we cannot willingly move even our hands. It is fixed that one day we have to die as well, but we do not know how much time is left for our death.

Perhaps today will be the last day of our life or maybe tonight will be our last night! We are not even sure whether we will be able to take another breath or not. It is quite possible that the breath we are taking right now will be our last one and we may not be able to take the next breath! It is commonly heard that a certain person was healthy and apparently had no illness, but suddenly he had a heart attack and died within a few minutes. Likewise, at any moment, we must leave this life, because the night we have to spend in the grave cannot be spent in the world.

دِلا! غافل نہ ہو یکدم یہ دُنیا چھوڑ جانا ہے باغیچے چھوڑ کر خالی زمین اَندر سمانا ہے

اَطلَس و کمخواب کے بِستر پہ یُوں نازاں نہ ہو اس تَنِ بے جان پر خاکی کفن رہ جاۓ گا

Ameer-ul-Mu`minin, Sayyiduna ‘Umar Farooq-e-A’zam رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ said to the Sayyiduna Ka’b-ul-Ahbar رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ : O Ka’b! Inform us about death. Sayyiduna Ka’b-ul-Ahbar رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ said, ‘Death is a thorny branch made to enter the stomach of a man, so that each thorn becomes tangled with an artery. Then someone pulls it out with a jerk, and it takes out whatever it takes, and leaves behind whatever it leaves.’

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 5, pp. 518)

Sayyiduna ‘Īsa عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّنَا وَعَـلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوةُ وَالسَّلَام has said: O my followers! Pray to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ that he relaxes the agonies of death upon me, because I am so terrified due to death that I fear I might die for fear of death.

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 5, pp. 208)

Sayyiduna Imam Awzaa’I رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has said: We have heard that the deceased person feels the agony of death until the Judgement Day.

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 5, pp. 209)

To truly imagine the horrors of death in a proper way is itself terrifying. Surely, wise is he who is busy preparing for it keeping in mind the agonies of death and its troubles by abstaining from the interest of this mortal world. But Alas! Despite being wise, we are heedless of death. The Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said: If animals had knowledge of death as you have, then you would not eat any fat and strong animal.

(At-Tazkirah, pp. 8)

As a matter of fact, the agonies of death may be understood by only that person who has tasted it, (without a real comparison) one who has not as yet tasted death, may get some amount of understanding by ‘comparing’ it with the pain and tortures he suffers from. Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Ghazali عَـلَـیۡـهِ رَحْـمَـةُ الـلّٰـهِ الۡـوَالِی has said: You can understand in this way, that a part of the body which has become paralysed has no feeling of pain, but that part which is not dead feels pain. And this pain is felt by the soul. Therefore, if any part gets injured or burnt, the same pain or burning is experienced by the soul, the more feeling means greater pain to the soul. Just imagine, in this case, the pain is divided among the flesh, blood and other parts of the body and only very little of it reaches the soul. However, if the same pain does not reach the other parts and reaches the soul directly, what would the state of its agony be!

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 5, pp. 207)

He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه further stated: The agonies of death directly affects the soul, then this spreads all over the body in such a way that the soul is ripped out from every vein, muscle, part and joint. Furthermore, the soul is ripped out from the root of every hair and from every part of the skin (from head to toe).

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 5, pp. 207)

Besides the pain of the soul being ripped out, the sorrow of losing one’s wealth, friends, relatives, mother, father and siblings, the fear of seeing Malak-ul-Maut عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام fear of the narrow and dark grave, to answer the questions of Munkar and Nakeer, these would be very difficult stages! We beg Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ for His blessing and mercy; surely we will not be able to bear the agonies and horrors of death. Therefore we should not commit sins and avoid committing those things which may displease Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ We should be afraid of His hidden plan. We should repent today, no, not today, but right now and let us make a firm intention not to commit sins again in future. Everyone undergoes the agonies of death according to their deeds. If we spend our life performing good deeds, when death arrives, our soul will be easily removed and مَـعَـاذَ الـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ if we commit sins throughout our life, then we will not be able to bear the painful agonies of death. Therefore, life is a precious thing and we must abstain from even a minor sin and not miss even a minor good deed out of laziness.

This world is Daar-ul-‘Amal (the place of performing deeds) and the Hereafter is Daar-ul-Jaza (the place of receiving reward); whatever we plant here we shall reap in the Hereafter; if someone sows wheat and wants rice, it will be called foolishness. Therefore, it is wise to plant what you want. To get paradise you must perform those deeds that lead you to Paradise. Paradise is an extremely beautiful place; where there is no agony of death, no illnesses, no debts, no weakness of old age, no poverty, disability, compulsion but all the beauties of life have been gathered there. Beautiful maidens, delicious food and fruits which none can even imagine, beds and so beautiful clothing are present that even kings do not have, the rooms and palaces are so splendid that the huge palaces of this world would look tiny before them.

Furthermore, these things and much more will be given forever; neither will there be any fear of such things being reduced or taken away. One has to make some efforts to earn virtues; man works hard in his job then only does he receive his salary for sustenance. Today we consider wealth very important, but remember, even if we fill our graves with gold, or all of our wealth, even then, we cannot get a single moment of peace; our property will not benefit us. We think that this land is ours; no! We belong to it because one day we have to become a part of it. Children, friends and relatives know only how to lay down (the body) in the grave, then only deeds will be our companion there. The tears and sorrow of the people of this world will not benefit us in Barzakh; what benefit shall we get if we have a large number of mourners! Have you ever thought? If only we focused our attention to the Hereafter so that when we see darkness, then we recall the darkness of the grave, when we have any troubles, we think about the troubles of the grave and Judgement Day, when we go to bed, we recall death and the act of lying in the grave! If only we took much interest in performing good deeds and remove even the thought of sins!

Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـه making our mind to prepare for the grave and Judgement Day has said: Indeed the wise individual is he who before death is able to collect righteous deeds, and takes with him a ‘Madani’ light of Sunan and in this way arranges a means of illuminating his grave or else the grave will not care who has come inside it, whether he is rich or poor, president or councillor, ruler or the ruled, officer or office attendant, boss or worker, doctor or patient or whether he be a businessman or unemployed.

If anyone does not have what is needed for the afterlife, did not offer Salah on time, did not fast (without a valid Shar’i reason), did not give his Zakah being obligatory, did not perform his Hajj being obligatory upon him, was disobedient to his parents, had a habit of lying, backbiting, gossiping, remained busy in watching films and dramas, listened to songs and music, kept shaving the beard or trimming it less than a fistful, in brief remained busy in committing sins, then nothing will be obtained other than regret and hardship in the form of the anger of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and His Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Whoever, whilst offering their Fard Salah also read Nafl Salah, would fast in the month of Ramadan and then kept Nafl fasts, called people towards righteousness from street to street, learnt the Al Quran and taught it to others, did not feel embarrassed to give Chowk Dars, gave Dars at home, travelled with the Madani Qafilahs of Dawat-e-Islami on a regular basis to learn and preach the Sunnah and also encouraged others, filled in the Madani In’amaat card everyday and handed it in every month to his Zimmahdar then, اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ he will see that the ocean of mercy will be flowing, and will witness the fountains of the blessed Nur of Mustafa صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in his grave till the Day of Judgement.

قَبر میں لہرائیں گے تا حَشر چشمے نور کے

جلوہ فرما ہوگی جب طَلعَت رسولُ ﷲ کی

اٰمِيۡن بِجَاهِ النَّبِيِّ الۡاَمِيۡن صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيۡهِ وَاٰلِه وَسَلَّم

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد