Death
Now let us
discuss the second injunction contained in the ayah: “and see that you do not
die except in the state of Islam.” What does Islam literally mean? It means
submission and surrender to Allah (SWT). Islam implies belief in the unity of
God and the prophethood of Muhammad (SAW). Anyone who testifies to this belief
fulfills the legal requirement for entry into the fold of Islam. This belief
has very significant practical ramifications. The edifice of a complete Islamic
life can only be built on a belief in God’s unity (Tauheed) that permeates a
person’s entire personal and social life, and which is so strong that he
considers himself and all that he possesses as really belonging to Almighty
Allah (SWT); he accepts Him as the sole rightful Owner, Object of worship,
Receiver of obedience, and Law-giver for himself as well as for the rest of the
world; he considers Him the fountain-head of guidance, and is fully aware that
disobedience to Allah (SWT) or indifference to the divinely revealed law
constitutes deviation from the right path of Islam. Indeed, controlling the
baser prompting and desires of the self and always striving to act according to
the dictates of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet is what Islam essentially
means.
Moreover, the command given in a most emphatic style — “and see that you do not die save in the state of Islam” — is very significant and subtle. As a matter of fact, nobody knows as to how long he is going to live and where and in what conditions his death will take place. We often hear that a person travels in the morning to a certain place on a business or pleasure trip. His family members fondly expect him back after a few days, but instead in the evening of the very same day he left his house, his wife and children receive his dead body. Thus, if a person firmly decides that death does not take him except in the state of submission and total surrender to Allah (SWT), he will have to be extremely and ceaselessly alert so that not even a single moment of his life is spent in sinful activity. Nobody has any guarantee whatsoever that he is not to die at the time of indulging in sin and thus transgressing the limits set by the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Many Qur’anic ayaat and ahadith emphasize that an un-Islamic act cannot co-exist with Iman, indeed to the extent that, at least while man is committing a sin, his Iman leaves him. Let me here quote a very authentic hadith.
Hadrat Abu Hurayra (RAA) says that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: While one is committing fornication, he is not a believer; while one is stealing, he is not a believer; while one is taking liquor, he is not a believer; while one is plundering, as people look on, he is not a believer; while one is committing fraud, he is not a believer; so beware, beware! (Bukhari and Muslim)
Leaving aside
for a moment the arguments of the jurists and theologians about Iman and its
relation to a’maal (actions), one must try to understand the matter in the
light of the Qur’an. It is crystal clear from the Qur’an that the inner
conviction of faith and the practice of Islam are essentially interdependent.
Allah (SWT) almost invariably mentions faith and righteous conduct together.
Verbal profession of Islamic beliefs, though important in its own right, is not
sufficient for supporting the edifice of an Islamic morality and way of life
and for winning him salvation in the Hereafter. Just imagine the utter
misfortune of a person whose soul is overtaken by death while he is committing
a grievous sin and no time is left for him to repent and make amends. This
situation can only be avoided by a Muslim who makes Islam the ultimate,
paramount and all-time concern in his life.
to be continued....
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