The Prophet of Islam said, “Remember death much, which demolishes all desires.” (al-Tirmidhi). This means that the thought of death serves to make a person a realist. It is the reality of death that helps one to come out of wishful thinking. Death makes a person distinguish between ‘what he is’ and ‘what he is not’. If a person focuses on ‘what he is’, it would bring about realism in his thinking. On the contrary, if a person is governed by thoughts of ‘what he is not’, he would develop an unrealistic approach to life. A person’s greatest strength is in developing a realistic approach. It is realism that makes a person a right thinker. One who is a right thinker is in a position to do successful planning for his work; no one can place obstacles in the path to his success. Remembering death is the greatest source of wisdom for any person—it guarantees that one’s planning will be realistic.
The Concept of Death in Islam
