A few years ago, I was having a casual discussion with an officemate who asked how I would feel if suddenly I discovered that I had a terminal illness and would soon die. Taken aback, I asked him why he raised such an unusual question. He said that he has always been afraid of death and what would happen after a person dies. To alleviate his fears, he began reading books on experiences of people in near-death situations. A common experience among these people, who for some moments have been declared clinically dead, is that of seeing themselves being separated from their physical bodies and seeing a light at the end of a tunnel which gave them a feeling of serenity. Accounts of these near-death experiences helped my officemate cope with his fears. He believes that when he dies, it would be painless and he would experience the same feeling of peace as related by those people.

In response to his question, I said that it would certainly be normal for me to feel distressed if I were to learn of a terminal illness that would soon end my life in this world. However, while fear of death is natural to man, I am confident that my faith as a Muslim would give me the necessary strength and fortitude to face death because Islam has given me clear guidance on how to live life to prepare for death and the hereafter. In His Omniscience and Infinite Wisdom, Allah (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala [swt] – the Most Glorious and Most High) decrees what is best for His servants no matter how devastating or bad such decree could be, for reasons only He can fathom. Man should therefore accept anything bad that happens to him as Allah’s test of his faith instead of rejecting and being bitter and miserable about it. Should an incurable illness afflict me (Allah swt forbids), I would try my best to bear it with patience and forbearance and accept it as part of His will and plan for me. The best thing I could do, aside from preparing my family for the inevitable, is to repent for my sins and wrongdoings, carry out my spiritual obligations with greater devotion and pray for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. I would pray to Allah (swt) to minimize my pain and suffering and cure me of the illness but if death were better for me, that He would grant me a peaceful and pleasant journey to the afterlife.

By instinct, human beings share with animals, a natural desire to survive which is built in all creatures. This instinct is of course necessary for man to survive and fulfill the purpose of his creation and be able to enjoy the joys and wonders of living as well as endure the hardships and trials that may befall him. However, death is inevitable and irrespective of what a person believes in, he cannot deny the fact that one day, he would die and leave this world due to old age and other natural causes, accident or calamity. While man will do anything to stay alive and takes great efforts in developing various means to prolong life through advancement in technology and medicine, death will surely come to man at a predetermined time, which cannot be advanced or delayed. Man may face death unexpectedly, no matter how much he may try to avoid or escape it. On the other hand, even if man is afflicted with a terminal illness, he could still recover and survive by Allah’s will because no man can die except by Allah’s permission. The Holy Qur’an clearly reveals these truths in the following verses:

"Every soul shall have a taste of death: In the end to Us shall you be brought back." (Qur’an 29:57). “Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!” (Qur’an 4:78)

“Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing.” (Qur’an 3:145). “But He gives them respite for a stated term: when their term expires, they would not be able to delay it for a single hour, just as they would not be able to anticipate it.” (Qur’an 16:61). “Say, The Death from which ye flee will truly overtake you: then will ye be sent back to the Knower of things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that ye did!” (Qur’an 62:8).    

 "Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense." (Qur’an 3:185) “…… and We test you by evil and by good, by way of trial. To Us must you return." (Qur’an21:35).

If we know that death is something inevitable and certain to happen, why do we fear it?  The primary reason is man’s natural fear of the unknown. Without faith in divine revelations, man will never find answers to his questions on what happens during death and in the grave and whether or not there is life after death. While there are accounts of people in near-death situations who were clinically dead but came back to life, no one who actually died was buried and came back from the grave to relate his experiences. We could therefore not rely on the narrations of people with near-death experiences to provide reliable and accurate information on what happens during and after death.

If our intelligence serves us properly, we should go beyond our instincts and not fear something which is inevitable and absolutely certain. We will surely die one day and leave this world and everything we have including loved ones and material possessions. Our intellect tells us that we should not be attached to this world. However, in reality, we fear death and fear losing the world. These fears will forever stay with us unless we come to understand the reality of this life and the real essence and purpose of our existence.  The important thing that should concern and bother us is whether or not we are prepared to face death and are assured of a good life in the hereafter. We should therefore search and find answers to our questions and doubts on the unknown. Only Allah (swt) who created life and death to test who among His servants are the best in deeds, could provide these answers.

Allah (swt) explains in vivid detail, through His divine revelations in the Holy Qur’an as well as various sayings (hadiths) of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam [saw] – peace and blessings be upon him), what happens when the angels take away our souls during death, what we would face in the grave, what life would be in barzakh (state between death and resurrection), and what would take place during resurrection, day of judgment and finally in eternal life. In my article on “Journey to an Eternal Life”, printed in Universal Message in 2004, I provided information on these details based on my research on the subject. One of the reasons for writing that article was for me to gain more understanding and knowledge of death and the afterlife in order to better cope with the death of my beloved son Hamdani in 2003. It is only Islam that has provided me with answers to my questions on the unseen and has greatly helped me cope with my grief.

Fear of death could therefore be rooted out if we take efforts to understand the teachings of Islam and truly make it as our way of life. Not fearing death does not mean however that we can neglect our health or wish for death. Islam enjoins a believer to take care of his health and exert all efforts to find cure for any illness that afflicts him within his means and capacity. Even when a person is seriously sick, Islam forbids him to long or wish for death but instructs him to bear his sickness and suffering with hope and patience. Mercy killing is therefore also prohibited. When a sick person reaches a point where his sickness becomes unbearable, he should pray and ask Allah (swt) to lighten his suffering and cure him of his illness if living would be good for him. But if dying would be better for him, he could pray to Allah (swt) to let him die and make death painless and easy for him.

Suicide is also considered a grievous sin in Islam. A person who wants to commit suicide has lost hope and has despaired of the mercy of Allah (swt) and is therefore forbidden. He thinks that due to his suffering and hardships, life is worse than death. Such person has not understood the essence of life or death. If he understood, he would try to bear his hardships and suffering with patience and find solutions to his problems instead of taking his life in his own hands. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an,  “On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.” (Qur’an, 2:286).  No problem is insurmountable provided a person perseveres and puts his trust in Allah (swt) to overcome his difficulties. Allah (swt) is therefore the only way and it is trust and faith in Him that could give man true consolation and solace in facing various trials in life.

            Instead of fearing death, we should prepare for it and for our life after death. We should strengthen our faith in Allah (swt) and try our best to follow His laws and commandments. Death is merely a transition to Allah’s promise of a much better life in the hereafter. Anyone could achieve Allah’s promise through patience, perseverance and determination to live life in accordance and in full submission to His will. Faith however does not entail mere rituals. Prayers, fasting and other forms of worship would be meaningful only if done with sincerity and devotion as manifested in our deeds and actions.

The worst thing that could happen to a person is for him to die in a state of shirk, i.e., worshipping beings other than Allah (swt). If man worships a false God or associates any partner with Him, this will defeat the purpose of his creation and he will never reach the destination prepared for him in eternal life. In Islam, Allah (swt) can forgive any sin but the only sin he cannot forgive is shirk as revealed in the following verses:

“Allah forgiveth not (the sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allah, hath strayed far, far away (from the Right).” (Qur’an, 4:116).  “Whoever joins other gods with Allah—Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode.” (Qur’an, 5:72).

Belief in the oneness of Allah (swt) and reflecting this belief in everything that a Muslim does, should therefore be the framework of the life of the believer in completing his limited time on earth and preparing for his journey to eternal life. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Anybody whose last words are: Laa Ilaha Illallah Muhammadar Rasulullah (there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) will go to paradise.” This actually means much more than uttering the words at the time of a person’s death. This testimony of faith can be accepted by Allah (swt) only from a person who truly lived its meaning in his life.

Advancement in medicine and technology while valuable and necessary to improve the health and well-being of the people of a society does not necessarily provide stability in life. It is faith and trust in the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in them that provides such stability. Let us therefore strengthen our faith, perform our duties and obligations to Allah (swt) with sincerity and devotion, prepare for the inevitable and be aware of the consequences in the hereafter of the choices and actions we make in life. These are the means by which we could positively overcome our fears.

    29 November 2007