REMEMBERING DEATH
Remembering death is the best means of self-correction. Everyone will face death, after which one can no longer act but only face the consequences of one’s actions.
Man is an intensely sensitive being. He cannot easily tolerate any difficulty, no matter how small. Therefore, people must reflect on how they will live amidst very difficult conditions after they die if that happens to them. If we ponder over this issue thoughtfully, it can create a revolution in our lives.
The Quran says that when the inhabitants enter Paradise, they will say: “Praise be to God Who has taken away all sorrow from us.” (35:34). A life of pain is the most intolerable thing for a human being. A life free of pain is the most desirable thing for a person. If we reflect on this matter with the attention it deserves, death will become our most significant concern. We will think more about death than about life.
Realizing that we all must die can be a ‘masterstroke’. In the game of caroms, a ‘masterstroke’ is a stroke that causes all the coins on the board to shift from their present position. In the same way, if we develop an awareness of our eventual death, our whole life will be completely transformed.
Ignoring the reality of our death makes us unaware of our reality. In contrast, remembrance of our death makes us fully aware and alert.
Awareness of death makes a person very serious about life. The most significant concern for such a person is to realize who he is and what his future is. “What is my life?” he asks. “What is my death? What do I need to do in the phase of life before death? What is going to happen to me in the phase after death?”
Remembrance of death makes a person serious about the affairs of life. He begins to take stock of his life at every moment. If a person seriously thinks about death, it would change the entire focus of his life. His life would become Hereafter-oriented from being solely present-world-oriented.
Someone who has adopted the path of worldliness, of worship of the world, is busy, at every moment, trying to earn worldly wealth. This is made possible for him because he derives pleasure through his busyness. He thinks he will construct a magnificent worldly future for himself. But if he knew that one day he would have to leave all his material acquisitions behind and depart from this world, he would no longer have any interest left in his occupation. This realization would become a means for new thinking to develop in him. He will now think: “If nothing of the worldly wealth I have earned will accompany me, I need to change the direction of my activities.”
If you get angry with someone and want revenge on him, the thought of death can change your life’s direction. You will think: “When my taking revenge cannot harm anyone in the eternal sense, why should I waste my time doing that?”
Awareness of death serves as a reminder for us. It helps us reform our behaviour. It can take us away from negative actions and make us busy doing good actions. This thinking is a powerful means of self-correction. Awareness of death makes us serious about life and realistic in our approach. Death reminds us that one day we will have to depart from this world of humans and enter the world of God.
Every person will have to face death someday or the other. After death, one can no longer act but only face the consequences of one’s actions.
