Pearls of Islam Reminder Series

Death
By Ruby Ramjan
When a loved one departs
this world, the idea that you
will never, with your eyes,
see their face again, you
will never, with your hand,
touch their hand again, you
will never, with your ears,
hear their voice again, this
i dea i s unf at homabl e.
There is little that can bring
solace to a grieved heart.
There is little that can
counteract the bottomless sorrow and emptiness
that death scatters upon those left behind but God
does not burden the soul with more than it can
bear [2:286]. Even when you feel that all
happiness has evaporated from the river in which
runs your life, there is contentment in the words of
the Quran. Verily in the remembrance of Allah, do
hearts nd rest [13:29]. There is comfort in the
hopes of the Hereafter and in the knowledge that
the true happiness of this dunyah is to abandon
what lies within it. And you shall only be paid fully
your reward on the resurrection day; then whoever
is removed far away from the re and is made to
enter the garden he indeed has attained the object
(of Life); and the life of this world is nothing but a
provision of vanities [Quran 3:185].
We are so consumed by the roller coaster ride that
is life, we forget the destination we are all headed
to, indeed we forget there is a destination at all!
And when the pourer of death pours death upon a
loved one, it knocks us off our feet and it is a
struggle to get up again. But is it not much easier
to stand when you have help? It may be that you
hate a thing which is good for you, and it may be
that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah
knows and you know not [2:216]. We should never
underestimate the power of the words of the
Quran. Death is an inescapable truth and surely it
is a great reminder for us all of the true nature of
this life.
When we grieve, it is often a natural instinct to bury
your grief inside yourself. Although it is not
tangible, there is nothing as real as death. As we
mourn brothers and sisters in faraway lands, or in
planes nearby, let the reality of death be a
reminder to us all and an incentive to work for
your world as if you were to live forever, and work
for the hereafter as if you were to die tomorrow.
Knowledge of when that last breath will be is
impossible so what remains is to be prepared for it.
There is no house for the individual to live in after
his death, except the one he built before his
death (Imam Ali).
As the Prophet (SAW) advised Abdullah ibn Umar
whilst holding his shoulder, Live in this world as (if
you are) a traveller or a stranger.And Abdullah ibn
Umar (RA) used to say: If you live until night, then
do not wait for the next day and if you wake up in
the morning do not have hope that you will live until
the night. And take (advantage) of your health
before your sickness and take advantage of your
life before your death (i.e. do every possible
obedience in your life before death comes to you
for then no deeds can be performed.)
Let us live life as travellers, with our souls ready
to leave our bodies when the pourer of death pours
death upon us, having made the most of our health
before our sickness and ultimately, our life before
our death.
THE PEARLS OF ISLAM
REMINDER SERIES
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Pearls of Islam Reminder Series
You Are Never Alone

By Aamir Shamsi

Times will come in the life of a
believer where we will be tested in
this world whether it is through a
"loss in goods or lives or the fruits
(of your toils)" [2:155] but we must
always remember that we are
never alone and that we should
and need to turn to Allah in these
times.

Trials and tribulations can not only
change the course of your life but
also make you feel very down and
lost. Nothing remains the same
and although an oxymoron, those
who have been in such a situation
like I have will understand when I
say life can be consumed by
emptiness. Although it is
important to understand the many
reasons why calamities befall us
and how to cope with them, we
must never forget that we will
always have the one that loves us
more than a mother loves her
child (Muslim) close by to bring
some solace to our hearts. In
order to bring about this comfort
we must make du'a, build a
connection with Allah and believe
that everything that happens is for
the best.

'XD

Du'a is the weapon of the believer
for it can change the fate of our
lives. And it is for this reason, as
well as the fact that it shows our
need for Allah, that it is highly
encouraged in Islam. So we
should ask our Lord to alleviate
our pain, to make things easier
and to grant us peace and
happiness with His decree, even
though in some situations it is
extremely difficult to accept what
has happened and to want to
move on from it, for it is only He
that has the power to make things
better.

Connect with Allah

As the creation of Allah, we are all
connected with our Lord through
our souls. He is our provider, our
sustainer and our support. But it is
our responsibility to nourish this
connection for "Verily in the
remembrance of Allah, do hearts
find rest" [13:29]. We can do so by
reciting Quran, reading our salat
with concentration and regular
dhikr. The stronger our connection
with Allah the greater the comfort
our hearts will receive for it is then
when we truly feel Allah's
protection over us and this will
make the difficult times that much
easier for us.

Everything that happens is for
the best

Allah loves us so much that
everything that happens that is
not a direct result of our own
actions is for the best for us - "but
it may be that you hate a thing
which is good for you, and it may
be that you love a thing which is
bad for you. Allah knows and you
know not" [2:216]. Having this
belief at all times and being
thankful for all that comes your
way is a real test of our faith but
also an undeniable fact. If
adopted in our mindset it will ease
our pain for we will understand it
is for our best and so the true
believer would not want it any
other way than what Allah sees
best.

All the above can be summarised
with my favourite du'a that one
should regularly recite:
"Hasbunallahu Wa'Nimal Wakeel"
Allah is enough for me and
there is no better to look after me.



"When you feel all alone in this world
And there's nobody to count your tears
Just remember, no matter where you are
Allah knows, Allah knows"
- Nasheed by Zain Bhikha
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Monday 31st October 2011 4 Dhul - Hijjah 1432 Volume 4 Issue 1


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I nna l i l l ahi wa i nna i l ayhi r aj i 3oon
Ver i l y t o Hi m we bel ong and t o Hi m we shal l r et ur n [ 2: 156]