The silence of not hearing the call for the Janazah Salat after the Fardh Salat is uncommon.  Not that there weren’t any deaths in Madinah since the last prayer, just that the deceased may not have been prepared in time. Hospitals have the rule that once someone has passed over two hours must elapse before they release the body. Many choose to wash and shroud their loved ones in the home, with staff from the central ‘Department of Preparation’, the funeral facility adjacent to Jannatul Baqi, attending, bringing the folding, slatted wooden bench for Ghusl and the shroud if the family does not already have this. Many add the leaves and bark from the Sidr tree, camphor and attar between the layers of the shroud.  If the deceased is prepared in the home they still must be taken to the Department of Preparation, before being transported to Masjid Nabawi. Such is the journey, a final departure towards a final arrival.

 

 

Allah Ta’ala has long ago written the time He will send Malakul Maut to visit each and every one of us. Some will be given a specified time to prepare, others will be decreed to be taken back to our Rabb at an instant. We all know we shall taste death…yet very few of us give this journey much thought as we become more and more entangled in the distractions this fleeting existence is constantly tempting us with. Almost 7000 people across the world pass away every hour. Nothing is predicable or preventable; age, cause, place, time, are all Allah Ta’ala’s sole domain.

“The servant will certainly labour under the difficulties and agonies of death. His joints will bid each other farewell, saying ‘Peace be upon you! You are parting from me and I am parting from you until the Day of Judgement’” said our Blessed Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.

We will reap what we have sown, journeying from this temporal abode that we have been deluded with, thinking is permanent, to the beginning of the next life that is Eternal.

 

The words of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam should help us to be alert and awake to reality of deception in this world:

“Truly smart is the person who controlled his desires and prepared for life after death.”

Remembering death is as an antidote for deception, bringing into focus that soon we all will be standing before Allah Ta’ala, accountable for our obedience as well as our disobedience. Not an atom’s weight; good or bad escapes the knowledge of Allah Ta’ala, but at least there is hope, Insha’Allah.

Our death is our wedding with eternity.

What is the secret? “God is One.”

The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.

This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;

It is not in the juice made from the grapes.

For he who is living in the Light of God,

The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.

Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,

For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.

Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,

So that he may place another look in your eyes.

It is in the vision of the physical eyes

That no invisible or secret thing exists.

But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God

What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?

Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light

Don’t call all these lights “the Light of God”;

It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,

The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.

…Oh God who gives the grace of vision!

The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.

Rumi

The children whose art work often graces the pages of this humble space are currently dealing with one of the more ugly faces of death. Their maternal grandmother, who as yet has not been gifted with Hidayah has been given moments to live. Many of us, whose extended families are of us but not of us, need your Du’a; pleading to Allah the Almighty, that His Mercy pierces their hearts before it is too late, especially this loved Grandma.

Oh God, who gives the grace of vision, in her final hours of darkness, let her bird of vision fly towards Your Light. May the journey she is about to take be to You, as You reach out to her, Ameen.  And may those of us already blessed with the gift of Iman prepare for the inevitable journey as if each day is our last, Ameen.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.