The Outlook of People of Perfected Faith on Death

"Every soul shall taste death. You shall receive your rewards only on the Day of Resurrection. Anyone who is spared the Fire and admitted to the Garden will surely triumph. The life of this world is just the enjoyment of delusion." (Surah Al 'Imran, 185) Death will come upon every man existing in this world at a predestined time in compliance with the verse, "Every soul shall taste death. In the end you shall return to Us". (Surat al-'Ankabut, 57) Nothing a man possesses, neither property, fortune, status, fame, grandeur nor good looks can ward off death. Death is a law of Allah; no one can escape this absolute and unavoidable fact. As the verse, "Wherever you are, death will catch up with you, even if you are in impregnable fortresses…" (Surat an-Nisa', 78) reminds us, there has never been anyone who could succeed in escaping from death. This fact is an issue about which people of perfected faith attain a profound understanding. Once they comprehend the certainty and closeness of death, they understand that they need to prepare for the life after death. Fearing an imminent death that may come upon them before attaining the moral perfection Allah demands from His servants and earning His approval, they embrace the religion of Allah with great sincerity and enthusiasm. They lose no time in drawing nearer to Allah and earning His approval, since they realise that they may meet death at any moment. The prayer of the people of perfected faith in the Qur'an is as follows: ... Our Lord, give us patience and take us back to You as Muslims. (Surat al-A'raf, 126) ... Originator of the heavens and earth, You are my Protector in this world and the Next. So take me as a Muslim at my death and unite me with those who are sincere. (Surah Yusuf, 101) The people of perfected faith accept death with full submission, since it is a law of Allah. Over and above this, they consider it as a gate through which to attain paradise. Meanwhile, they never forget that they must strive hard to avoid the punishment of hell and earn the approval of Allah. Believers unceasingly feel fear and hope until they meet death. They hope for paradise because they believe. Likewise, they fear hell since they never find themselves self-sufficient. Their fear of evil reckoning, the good behaviour they display and the good results they attain are stated in the Qur'an as follows: Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break their pledge; those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined and are afraid of their Lord and dread the terrors of an evil reckoning; those who are steadfast in seeking the face of their Lord, and attend to their prayers and give from the provision We have given them, secretly and openly, and stave off evil with good, it is they who will have the Ultimate Abode-The Gardens of Eden which they will enter, along with all of their parents, wives and children who were true. Angels will enter to welcome them from every gate: "Peace be upon you because of your steadfastness! How wonderful is the reward of the Ultimate Abode!" (Surat ar-Ra'd, 20-24)