Dying in Hope
A famous film producer died some years ago. He was in his 80s. In his last days, he lived almost all by himself. With him only his domestic help remained. His last stage was painful. Dialysis ventilators were his companions for several months. More than that were the sorrows of his personal life. His wife, his brothers, and even his younger son had passed away.
In his last days, a close friend of this man went to meet him. The man took his friend to sit outside and watch the sun go down. When the sun had set, he broke his long silence and said, “One more day has gone by.”
When I read this report about this man, I thought that this was the tragedy of a person who had been unable to discover the reality of life, a man who had spent his last days in despair.
In contrast to this man is someone who has discovered Truth. Such a person has learnt that life doesn’t end with death but, rather, that after death one enters the next phase of life, where God’s mercies and His eternal Paradise are awaiting those who have lived in the way pleasing to God. Instead of mourning about one more day go by as he sees the sun set, such a person will joyfully exclaim, “One more day closer to Paradise!”
This reality we can learn from the life of Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi, a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Bilal ibn Rabah died at the age of 63 in 642 CE. It is said that in his last days he was seriously sick. Seeing his condition, his wife bemoaned: “O sadness!” When Bilal heard this, he exclaimed: “O happiness!” Then he said: “Tomorrow I shall meet Muhammad and his companions!” (Kitab al-Shifa, Qadi Iyad, vol. 2, p. 53)
The stark difference between these two events—one, relating to the famous film producer, and the other concerning a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad—clearly shows the difference between someone who has no knowledge of Truth and someone who is aware of Truth. A person who doesn’t know that there is life even after death may seem happy for some time, but when he becomes old and enters the last stage of his life in this world, he feels that there is now nothing but darkness for him. He is drowned in depression and despair. He dies in a state of hopelessness.
In contrast to such a person is someone who has learnt about God’s creation plan. He knows that he should lead a God-oriented life in the pre-death phase of his life so that in the post-death phase of life he can receive a place in God’s eternal Paradise as a reward. For such a person, life, including old age, is an experience full of hope. He lives with hope, and he welcomes death with hope. For him, there is no question whatsoever of despair—neither in this life, nor in the life after death.
Modern civilization has provided an individual with many things that provide him comfort and ease. But despite this, most people live in stress and tension. This is because modern civilization provides a person with a great many things for his life before death, but it cannot save him from death, and nor can it give him any message of hope for the life after death. It is this fact that, consciously or unconsciously, causes people to drown in stress and tension.
