About The Moment of Death
Published in July 15, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Firstly:
1- A man whom we used to know lived within egoism and selfishness and he assumed that as if he were the center of the universe; he was stingy and never helped anyone; he received and never gave back anything; he insulted others and never accepted to be insulted by others; he was thus friendless and his relatives boycotted him; his only son immigrated to the West to flee his father's tyranny and as he hated his mother's submission to him. This mother, the wife of this man, bore patiently with his mistreatment, ingratitude, and his aggressive behavior; she chose to be a dutiful wife and mother instead of getting a divorce, as in Arab societies, divorce is a source of shame and disgrace and the masses blame, suspect, and doubt divorced women and never do the same to divorced men. She did not want to cause any mental anguish to her only son; she focused on the good qualities of her husband; he never consumed ill-gotten money and never cheated on her; he never knew any women but her; yet, his arrogance, selfishness, sharp tongue, and cruelty caused her unbearable pains; he used to desert her (and her bed) for months, though they live in one house, so as to make her submit to him and to his commands and obey him blindly by being at his beck and call while seeking to please him all the time.
2- Years later, this wife, who adhered to patience and piety and never expected a kind word from the husband who treats her as if she were dirt under his feet, was surprised as her husband one day fell ill and became bedridden. She felt as if he was dethroned and fell from his superior position which he assumed for years; within his ailment, his case was deemed by doctors as a hopeless one and they told her that her husband should wait for his death any time. This once-proud villain of a husband was paralyzed and he was surprised as his wife stood by him all the time dutifully and faithfully, with tender, loving care; she bathed, clothed, and fed him, she read to him, she gave him the medicines regularly and on time, and she helped him going to the bathroom, etc. Of course, he was surprised and his stance towards her changed as she stood by him and he needed her to do all things; his ordeal made him realize how good his wife was and that she was a gift from the Lord God to him and he felt mightily ashamed of himself because he has mistreated her for years; he was never thankful for her presence in his life; he was ungrateful; he never thanked the Lord God for all bounties, health, and wealth he enjoyed. This man woke up from his state of heedlessness and ingratitude; he began to perform daily prayers regularly and repented sincerely and implored God to accept his repentance and to have mercy on his soul; his conversations with his wife made him realize how clever, attentive, wise, and smart she was; he never recognized her good qualities before; he felt very sorry for insulting and humiliating her in the previous years. They spend nights on end reminiscing and he kept apologizing for her; he apologized also for neighbors, relatives, customers of his trade, and former friends, each of them separately. All of them accepted his apology and pardoned him; he spent half of his wealth on charity and gave gifts of money to his relatives and settled all his financial debts to these relatives and to all other people. The son, who heard about all this, came back to his mother and father and pardoned his father for his previous mistreatment and harshness. This caused joy to the paralyzed man and his wife. On the night of this man's death, he closed his eyes while feeling happy and content as one hand was held by the wife and the other by his son.
Secondly:
1- This is one man who has committed injustices against about 50 persons and forget all about worshiping and obeying the Lord God; when God has tested him with the adversity of ailment and disease, he remembered His Lord and repented and atoned for his sins. What about the Middle-Eastern tyrants?
2- The victims of Middle-Eastern tyrants are millions of people who have suffered poverty/robbery, torture, massacring, incarceration, oppression, etc. Could Middle-Eastern tyrants make amends to all their victims and ask their pardon; would their victims pardon and forgive them? What about dead victims? Would Middle-Eastern tyrants bring them back to life?! What about billions of US$ stolen from their nations? Would Middle-Eastern tyrants who consumed ill-gotten money and committed grave injustices and heinous atrocities be willing to repent and make amends? This is quite impossible; Satan and devils make their evil deed made attractive to them and seem good; besides, clergymen of earthly/terrestrial religions assure tyrants that they are in the 'right' however evil their deeds are! Tyrants will never wish sincerely to repent and make amends unless their moment of death comes; upon dying, repentance will be of no use; it will avail them nothing because when they die, it will be too late for them to repent.
3- There is about 30 tyrants in today's world who are responsible for the torture, impoverishment, hunger, and massacre of hundreds of millions of innocent people and rendering millions of others homeless. Most of these tyrannical rulers are over the age of 60; i.e., they are in the last phase of their lives while committing heinous atrocities and grave injustices and feeling they have the 'right' to do whatever they like; they forget the fact that the moment of their death draws nearer every day; they enjoy freedom of action now, they will lose this freedom forever upon the moment of their death and then in the Resurrection Day and its Judgment as they will stand before the Dominant Lord God and enter into Hell despite of themselves, where they will be tormented for eternity relentlessly and will never get out of Hell.
4- Thus, in return to the few years of life on earth when tyrants misused their freedom of choice and their power and abilities by committing heinous atrocities and grave injustices, they will lose this freedom forever upon the moment of their death; they will die in spite of themselves and will be forced to enter into Hell forever, where there is no freedom, sleep, or death.
5- This is not empty rhetoric of preaching; part of it is seen in this world in our daily life; e.g., (1) when persons lie in their deathbeds and no one (doctors, friends, relatives, sorcerers, etc.) can ward off death away from them; (2) when tyrants who ruled certain countries died and turned to dust and bones in tombs; other enthroned tyrants never remember that they ascended to power as previous tyrants died or got abdicated or ousted; they forget about death in a very stupid manner; their power and wealth make them assume immortality as if they would never die one day! They will die and be succeeded by other stupid tyrants who will commit the same heinous atrocities and grave injustices, as no one pay heed to the lesson of death!
Thirdly:
1- When someone lies in his/her deathbed surrounded by loved ones and relatives, God is nearer to this dying soul which is about to leave its body forever; the living persons cannot see the angels of death taking the soul and talking to it; souls are God's gifts to all human beings; such gifts are debts which will be returned to its Creator in Barsakh; we owe our life and our souls to Him, and no one can escape one's death or keep off death from others; God mentions the following about the moment of death: "So when it has reached the throat. As you are looking on. We are nearer to it than you are, but you do not see. If you are not held to account. Then bring it back, if you are truthful." (56:83-87).
2- The angels of death either being glad tidings of Paradise to the dying persons, who are the near Forerunners or repentant ones on the Right, or tell the evil, disbelieving sinners sternly about their fate in Hell, as per these Quranic verses: "But if he is one of those brought near. Then mercy, and flowers, and Garden of Delights. And if he is one of those on the Right. Then, "Peace upon you," from those on the Right. But if he is one of the deniers, the mistaken. Then a welcome of inferno. And burning in Hell." (56:88-94). These situations upon the moment of death are witnessed by dying human beings who cannot describe such a moment to others; they can no longer talk about it or about anything else; God has told the living human beings about it to preach and warn them. This is part of the Absolute Truth in the Quran: "This is the certain truth. So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Magnificent." (56:95-96). May the Holy Name of the Lord God be glorified forever.
Lastly:
1- Leaders and tyrants of the Third World countries will have a terrible moment of death descried here: "If only you could see, as the angels take away those who disbelieve, striking their faces and their bottoms: "Taste the torment of the burning."" (8:50); "How about when the angels take them at death, beating their faces and their bottoms?" (47:27).
2- Clergymen and imams will have a terrible moment of death because they have ascribed lies and falsehoods to the Lord God and they never repented: "Who commits graver injustice than someone who invents falsehood against God, or says, "It was revealed to me," when nothing was revealed to him, or says, "I will reveal the like of what God revealed"? If only you could see the unjust ones in the floods of death, as the angels with arms outstretched: "Give up your souls. Today you are being repaid with the torment of shame for having said about God other than the truth, and for being too proud to accept His Verses."" (6:93).
3- One should always visualize the moment of one's death and be sure to repent and perform good deeds within piety and monotheism so that this moment of death will be a good one and not a bad one; sinners and disbelievers will wish in vain for a second chance after it is too late for them; the Lord God has warned believers about this in the Quran: "O you who believe! Let neither your possessions nor your children distract you from the remembrance of God. Whoever does that - these are the losers. And give from what We have provided for you, before death approaches one of you, and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short while, so that I may be charitable, and be one of the righteous." But God will not delay a soul when its time has come. God is Informed of what you do." (63:9-11). As always, the Lord God says nothing but the Absolute Truth.