By Haroon Balogun

D-e-a-t-h, the five letter word is surely inevitable. It’s debt owed and that must be paid! A finality that will hit all creatures and put an end to what began at a particular period. No matter where we look in nature, all that has a beginning must end someday. The ability to be alive depends upon the existence of death. So, human beings must die. This is unavoidable.

In fact, it is normal. It is natural.    So, our existence in this material world is only an illusion.  It is not real. One of our aversions to this reality, is always our unconcious attitude to death. Some will even spurn any discussion about death.

The young ignore it, the old avoid it. In fact, nobody young or old with copious examples will  despise the warning of the scripture. As human beings, we tend to forget about death and move on in life most times without a dint of consciousness until it strikes around us again.

For anyone who is spiritually conscious, it will not be a source of great fear.  The consciousness will numb him daily and he will be guided by his actions and deeds. That is how the Holy Prophet Muhammed wanted us to live our lives.

 Treasured material

Sadly, as it is won’t to, death struck and took away one of our colleagues. Ifeyinwa Obi was full of life days and hours before her death. It came again like a thief to pick another of our treasured material. The question was why and what happened? But no answer. Losing someone really hurts. It was a sad news difficult to contend with, not because death was strange. No! It was not, but like the mortals we are, it was never expected. It was an abrupt end that jolted everyone of us. It knocked us because we forgot that death has nothing to do with age, or any clean bill of health. No one really knows when it will come. May God grant the family the serenity to bear the great loss. Amin.

Because the end is never known, we all have to prepare as Allah tells us in the Quran in Surah Luqman “…No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things).” (Verse 34).

That is why in Islam the whole life of a Muslim is said to be a trial and test by which his final destiny is determined. For him, death is the ultimate return of his soul to his Creator, Allah.  He must as a matter of fact live daily with the consciousness that he will die at a time he does not know.

This serves to keep all of his life and deeds in perspective as he tries to live in preparedness for what is to come. For Muslims, the concept of death and the afterlife in Islam is derived from several portions of the Holy Qur’an. “Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned.” (Quran (Surah Al-Anbiya:21). All that is on earth will perish. (The Holy Qura’n 55:26)

Again, Allah says in the Quran: “Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, this person is indeed successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” (The Holy Qur’an:3:185)

The period between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep (the holy Qur’an: 2:259; 6:60; 10:45; 16:21; 18:11, 19, 25; 30:55). At the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; heaven or hell. For the disbelievers, death is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they snatch away their souls (the holy Qur’an:8:50, 47:27, 79:1). Consistently, the holy Qur’an talks about two deaths; the first death took place when we failed to make a stand with God’s absolute authority. That first death lasted until we were born into this world. The second death terminates our life in this world (the holy Qur’an 2:28, 22:66, 40:11).

The perspective of the hadiths will also make the explanation more clearer and insight to the eternal journey. The Prophet said:

‘When the believer is about to depart from this world and go forward into the Next World, angels with faces as bright as the sun descend from the heavens and sit around him in throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at his head and says, “Good soul, come out to forgiveness and pleasure from Allah!” Then his soul emerges like a drop of water flows from a water-skin and the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling of an eye. They take it and place it in a perfumed shroud and a fragrance issues from it like the sweetest scent of musk found on the face on the earth.

‘Then they bear it upwards and whenever they take it past a company of angels, they ask,”Who is this good soul?” and the angels with the soul reply, “So-and-so the son of so-and-so,” using the best names by which people used to call him in this world. They bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the gate to be opened for him.

Subsequent heaven

It is opened for him and angels who are near Allah from each of the heavens accompany him to the subsequent heaven until he reaches to the heaven where Allah the Great is. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,says,’Register the book of My slave in ‘Illiyun and take him back to earth. I created them from it and I return them to it and I will bring them forth from it again.”

‘His soul is then returned to his body and two angels come to him. They make him sit up and say to him, “Who is your Lord?” He replies, “My Lord is Allah.”They ask him, “What is your religion?” He replies, “My religion is Islam.” They ask him, “Who is this man who was sent among you?” He replies, “The Messenger of Allah.” They ask him, “How did you come to know these things?” He replies, “I read the Book of Allah, believed it, and declared it to be true.” Then a Voice from on high declares, “My slave has spoken the truth, so spread out carpets from the Garden for him and open a gate of the Garden for him!” Then some of its fragrance and perfume comes to him, his grave is expanded for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with beautiful garments and a fragrant scent comes to him and says, “Rejoice in what delights you for this is the day which you were promised.” He asks, “Who are you? Yours is a face which presages good.” He replies, “I am your good actions.” Then he (the soul) says, “O Lord, let the Last Hour come soon so that I may rejoin my family and my property!”