Diseases of the Heart
Forgetfulness of Death
OSU MSA Workshop
This presentation is available at www.mascolumbus.org
Certainty of Death
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the
Day of Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense.
Only he who is saved from the Fire and admitted to the
Garden will have succeeded. For the life of this world is but
goods of chattels of deception" (al-Imran 3:185)
Certainty of Death
"Wherever you are, death will find you out. Even if
you are in towers built up strong and high."
(al- Nisaa 4:78)
Reasons for Forgetfulness
• Love of this world
– The heart is reluctant to leave this world
– Occupied with illusions and worldly hopes
– Enjoying life and expecting to change when older
• Ignorance
– Thinking that death only comes to old people
Different Attitude
• Habib Abi Mohamad used to say to his wife
every day: “If I die today, send to so and so to
wash me, and let him do so and so, and you do
so and so”
• Al-Hassan said: “I am surprised by those who
were ordered to prepare for the trip, the call of
depature has arrived, and many of them left
already, yet they are sitting and playing.
Hadeeth of the Grave
Muhammad Ibnun-Nadr informed us saying: Mu’aawiyah Ibn ’Amr said:
Zaa‘idah informed us saying: Sulaymaan al-A’mash informed me: al-Minhaal Ibn
’Amr informed me saying: Zaadaan informed us saying: al-Baraa‘ informed me
saying:
We went out with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) in the
Funeral Prayer for a man from the Ansaar (helpers). So we stopped at the grave,
and the niche at the side of it had not been dug out yet. So the Messenger of
Allaah raised his head to the sky, and then he looked down to the ground and
conversed to himself. He said: Then he said: “Seek refuge with Allaah from the
Punishment of the Grave,” a few times.
Then he said: “Verily when the Muslim man has yet to reach the Hereafter, but
he has already been cut off from this world, Angels from the sky descend upon
him having faces like the sun. So they sit as far as him as the eye can see, with
them are the burial shrouds from the burial shrouds of Paradise, and embalming
perfume from the embalming perfumes of Paradise. So then the Angel of Death
comes and sits at his head, so he says: “Come out, O good soul to the forgiveness
of Allaah and His pleasure.”
Hadeeth of the Grave
He said: “So it flows out as a drop flows out [from] a water-skin. So when he
takes it, he does not leave it in his hand for the blinking of an eye.” He said:
“And there comes out from him a smell like the best musk to be found upon the
face of the earth. So they ascend with him, and they do not pass by any of the
angels except that he says: Who is this good soul? So they say: This is so and so.
So the doors of heavens are open for him, and they follow him through every
level of heaven, until they reach the end of the seventh heaven. It is then said:
“Write his book in highness (’illiyyeen).” He said: So it is written. He said: Then
it is said: “Return to the earth, because it is from there that We created you. and it
is to there that we return you, and it is from there that We raise you up again.”
So it is returned to his body, then the Angels come to him, then they say to him:
Sit. Who is your Lord? So he says: My Lord is Allaah. He said: They say: What
is your Religion? He said: He says: My Religion is Islaam. So they say: Who is
this man who was sent amongst you? He says: He is the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). So they say: How did you come to know of him?
So he says: I read the Book of Allaah, and I believed in it, and I attested to it.
Hadeeth of the Grave
So it will be called out from the heavens: “Indeed he has spoken the truth, so
make space for him in Paradise, and clothe him with the clothes of Paradise, and
show him his place in Paradise.” He said: So he will be allowed to see it and his
grave will be made spacious for him as far as the eye can see. A man with
beautiful clothes, a handsome face, and a good smell will be presented to him; he
will say: “Receive the glad tidings that will please you upon this day that you were
promised. So [he] will say: May Allaah have mercy upon you, who are you;
because your face seems to represent goodness? He said: So he says: I am your
righteous deeds.”
He said: “However, if he was a disbeliever, Angels with black faces will descend
upon him, and with them are coarse woolen cloths. So they sit as far from him
as the eye can see.” He said: “And the Angel of death comes and sits at his head,
so he says: Come out O foul soul to the Anger of Allaah and His displeasure. He
said: So he does not like to be taken out of his body. He said: So he takes it out,
he does not leave it in his hand for the blinking of an eye. So the Angels take it
in the burial shrouds of coarse woolen cloth. He said: And there emanates from
him the most offensive smelling stench like the foulest smelling corpse upon the
face of the earth.
Hadeeth of the Grave
So they ascend with him, so they do not pass by any one of the Angels, except
that he says: Who is this foul soul? He says: “So and so,” using the most evil of
names. So when they reach the heaven, they open the door, but it closes upon
him, and it is called out: “Return to the earth, since I created you from it, and to
it I return you, and from it I shall raise you again.” So he is placed back in his
body, so the Angels come to him and they say: Sit. So they say: Who is your
Lord? He said: He says: Haah, [haah], I do not know. So they say: What is your
Religion? So he says: Haah, haah, I do not know. I heard the people speaking.
He said: So they say: Who is this man who was sent amongst you? He said: So it
is called out from the sky: “Verily he has lied, so make space for him in the Fire,
and clothe him with the clothes of the Fire. And he will be shown his place in
the Fire. He said: So he will see his place in the Fire, and he will be overtaken by
its heat and its scorching air, and his grave will be constricted for him, until his
ribs start to interlace. And then there will be represented a man with an ugly
face, repulsive clothes, and a repugnant smell, so he will say: ‘Woe to you, who
are you? So by Allaah your face seems to resemble evil.’ So he will say: O lord,
do not establish the Hour! [O Lord,] do not establish the Hour!”
Death of the Prophet
• He led the Muslims in prayer for eleven days though he was sick. The total
number of his sick days were either thirteen or fourteen.
• When his sickness grew severe he asked his wives: "Where shall I stay
tomorrow?" "Where shall I stay?" They understood what he wanted. So they
allowed him to stay wherever he wished. He moved to ‘Aishah’s room leaning
— while he was walking — on Al-Fadl bin Al-‘Abbas and ‘Ali bin Abi Talib.
Head banded as he was, he dragged his feet till he came into her abode. It was
there that he spent the last week of his life.
• On Wednesday, five days before he died the Prophet’s temperature rose so
high signalling the severeness of his disease. He fainted and suffered from
pain. "Pour out on me seven Qirab (water skin pots) of various water wells so
that I may go out to meet people and talk to them." So they seated him in a
container (usually used for washing) and poured out water on him till he said:
"That is enough. That is enough."
Death of the Prophet
• In the evening he grew so sick that he could not overcome the strain of
disease or go out to enter the Mosque. ‘Aishah said: The Prophet [pbuh]
asked: "Have the people performed the prayer?" "No. They haven’t. They are
waiting for you." "Put some water in the washing pot." Said he. We did what
he ordered. So he washed and wanted to stand up, but he fainted. When he
came round he asked again "Have the people prayed?" Then the same
sequence of events took place again and again for the second and the third
times from the time he washed to the time he fainted after his attempts to
stand up. Therefore he sent to Abu Bakr to lead the prayer himself. Abu Bakr
then led the prayer during those days. [Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/99] They were
seventeen prayers in the lifetime of Muhammad [pbuh].
• Three or four times ‘Aishah talked to the Prophet [pbuh] to exempt Abu Bakr
from leadership in prayer lest people should despair of him, but he refused
and said:
• "You (women) are like the women who tried to entice Joseph (Yusuf)
into immorality. Convey my request to Abu Bakr to lead the prayer."
Death of the Prophet
• He led the Muslims in prayer for eleven days though he was sick. The total
number of his sick days were either thirteen or fourteen.
• When his sickness grew severe he asked his wives: "Where shall I stay
tomorrow?" "Where shall I stay?" They understood what he wanted. So they
allowed him to stay wherever he wished. He moved to ‘Aishah’s room leaning
— while he was walking — on Al-Fadl bin Al-‘Abbas and ‘Ali bin Abi Talib.
Head banded as he was, he dragged his feet till he came into her abode. It was
there that he spent the last week of his life.
• On Wednesday, five days before he died the Prophet’s temperature rose so
high signalling the severeness of his disease. He fainted and suffered from
pain. "Pour out on me seven Qirab (water skin pots) of various water wells so
that I may go out to meet people and talk to them." So they seated him in a
container (usually used for washing) and poured out water on him till he said:
"That is enough. That is enough."
Death of the Prophet
• On Sunday, a day before he died, the Prophet [pbuh] set his slaves free, paid
as a charity the seven Dinars he owned and gave his weapons as a present to
the Muslims. So when night fell ‘Aishah had to borrow some oil from her
neighbour to light her oil-lantern.
• narration by Anas bin Malik, he said: "While the Muslims were performing
the dawn prayer on Monday — led by Abu Bakr, they were surprised to see
the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] raising the curtain of ‘Aishah’s room. He
looked at them while they were praying aligned properly and smiled
cheerfully. Seeing him, Abu Bakr withdrew to join the lines and give way to
him to lead the prayer. For he thought that the Prophet [pbuh] wanted to go
out and pray." Anas said: "The Muslims, who were praying, were so delighted
that they were almost too enraptured at their prayers. The Messenger of Allâh
[pbuh] made them a gesture to continue their prayer, went into the room and
drew down the curtain." [ibid 2/640]
• The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] did not live for the next prayer time.
Death of the Prophet
• When it was daytime, the Prophet [pbuh] called Fatimah and told her
something in a secret voice that made her cry. Then he whispered to her
something else which made her laugh. ‘Aishah enquired from her after the
Prophet’s death, as to this weeping and laughing to which Fatimah replied:
"The first time he disclosed to me that he would not recover from his illness
and I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first of his family to join
him, so I laughed." [Sahih Al-Bukhari 2/638]
• He gave Fatimah glad tidings that she would become the lady of all women of
the world. [Rahmat-ul-lil'alameen 1/282]
• Fatimah witnessed the great pain that afflicted her father. So she said: "What
great pain my father is in!". To these words, the Prophet [pbuh] remarked:
• "He will not suffer any more when today is over." [Sahih Al-Bukhari
2/641]
Death of the Prophet
•
•
He asked that Al-Hasan and Al-Husain be brought to him. He kissed them and
recommended that they be looked after. He asked to see his wives. They were brought
to him. He preached them and told them to remember Allâh. Pain grew so much
severe that the trace of poison he had at Khaibar came to light. It was so sore that he
said to ‘Aishah: "I still feel the painful effect of that food I tasted at Khaibar. I feel as
if death is approaching." [ibid 2/637] He ordered the people to perform the prayers
and be attentive to slaves. He repeated it several times. [ibid 2/637]
When the pangs of death started, ‘Aishah leant him against her. She used to say: One
of Allâh’s bounties upon me is that the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] died in my house,
while I am still alive. He died between my chest and neck while he was leaning against
me. Allâh has mixed his saliva with mine at his death. For ‘Abdur Rahman — the son
of Abu Bakr — came in with a Siwak (i.e. the root of a desert plant used for brushing
teeth) in his hand, while I was leaning the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] against me. I
noticed that he was looking at the Siwak, so I asked him — for I knew that he wanted
it — "Would you like me to take it for you?" He nodded in agreement. I took it and
gave it to him. As it was too hard for him, I asked him "Shall I soften it for you?" He
nodded in agreement. So I softened it with my saliva and he passed it (on his teeth).
Death of the Prophet
• In another version it is said: "So he brushed (Istanna) his teeth as nice as he
could." There was a water container (Rakwa) available at his hand with some
water in. He put his hand in it and wiped his face with it and said:
• "There is no god but Allâh. Death is full of agonies." [Sahih AlBukhari 2/640]
• As soon as he had finished his Siwak brushing, he raised his hand or his finger
up, looked upwards to the ceiling and moved his lips. So ‘Aishah listened to
him. She heard him say: "With those on whom You have bestowed Your
Grace with the Prophets and the Truthful ones (As-Siddeeqeen), the martyrs
and the good doers. O Allâh, forgive me and have mercy upon me and join
me to the Companionship on high." [ibid 2/638-641] Then at intervals he
uttered these words: "The most exalted Companionship on high. To Allâh we
turn and to Him we turn back for help and last abode." This event took place
at high morning time on Monday, the twelfth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, in the
eleventh year of Al-Hijrah. He was sixty-three years and four days old when
he died.