To die a Martyr

To die a Martyr

To die a martyr in the Islamic faith is one of the greatest honors. The rewards granted to the martyr are so sublime and are superior to the rewards for performing almost any other righteous act.

The martyr is given seven special favors and privileges from Allah. Once the first drop of his blood is shed, all of his sins are forgiven. Before he dies, the martyr can see the beauty of his palace in Paradise. The martyr will not be tested in the grave, nor will he be punished in the grave. The martyr will not feel fear on the Day of Judgment. A crown of honor will be placed on his head, which has jewels that could illuminate the Earth from their brilliance. The martyr will marry the most beautiful women of Paradise. The martyr will be able to intercede for seventy members of his family, who can be rescued from the punishment of the Hellfire and will enter Paradise in honor of the martyr.

In an authentic Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, no one is injured in the Path of Allah - and Allah knows best who is truly wounded in His Path - except that he comes (with his wound) on the Day of Resurrection, its color the color of blood, and its scent that of musk.” (Sahih Muslim)

It is no wonder that we read in the Islamic literature that to die a martyr is the dream of many righteous men and women in Islam, who aspire to the highest ranks in Paradise.

To die a martyr does not mean that one must raise a sword, stand in the front lines of a battle, and fight. Loss of life and bloodshed are not the goals of a Muslim.

Peaceful and noble people, those who lived upright lives, who worshiped Allah sincerely and stayed away from what Allah has forbidden them, have let out their last breaths in this world as martyrs, even though they never even carried a weapon.

There are so many ways that a believing Muslim can be granted the honor of dying a martyr.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “He who truthfully asks Allah for martyrdom, Allah will raise him to the high status of the martyrs, even if he dies on his bed.” (Sahih Muslim)

From among the martyrs are the one who dies of plague, the one who dies of a stomach disease, the one who dies of a fire, and the one who drowns. Scholars have classified cancer as one of the diseases in which its victim dies a martyr. The one who is crushed under a collapsing building and dies is a martyr. The patience and suffering that one endures through the diseases mentioned above or the calamities as fire or drowning or being crushed under the rubble makes these believing Muslims deserving of the honor of martyrdom.

Women are martyrs too.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “He who is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr; he who dies of plague is a martyr; a woman who dies due to pregnancy and a woman who dies during delivery, her baby will drag her into Paradise with the umbilical cord.” (Musnad Ahmad)

If you were to die defending your family from an attacker, defending your wealth from an armed robber, or defending yourself from an assailant, you would die a martyr.

A man once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “O Prophet of Allah, what about if a man came to me asking for my money (meaning to take it by force)?” The Prophet said, “Don’t give him your money.” So the man said, “What if he fights me?” The Prophet said, “Fight him (back).” The man asked, “What if he kills me?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Then you are a martyr.” (Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “Whoever is killed defending himself is a martyr, whoever is killed defending his family is a martyr, whoever is killed defending his property is a martyr.” (At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)

To be a martyr in Islam, how you live your life is just as important as how you die.

Some habits and rituals of worship, if performed on a daily basis, can give us exactly what we are seeking, martyrdom, sometimes without even leaving our home. Take the following examples.

“Whoever recites the Divine Names in the last three verses of Surat al-Hashr after the dawn or after Maghrib then dies that day or that night, dies a martyr” (At-Tirmidhi)

If you haven’t already memorized those three verses and are not in the habit of saying them every morning and every evening, then that is the next thing on your to-do list.

To always be in a state of purification is another good habit to develop.

The Messenger of Allah once said to Anas, his servant boy, “My son, if you are able to always be on ablution, then do so, for the angel of death when he seizes the servant’s soul while the latter is in ablution, he records martyrdom for him.”

It was reported in a weak chain that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “If death comes to the student of knowledge while he is thus engaged, he dies as a martyr.” (Al-Bazzar)

The one who calls to prayer is also given the status of a martyr.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The muezzin who expects reward is like the bloodied martyr and when he dies and is buried the worms leave him alone.” (At-Tabarani)

To die a noble, honorable death, one must live a noble, honorable life.

source: saudigazette.com.sa

When Day of Judgment will bring ‘death’ to this universe

source: arabnews

When Day of Judgment will bring ‘death’ to this universe

Allah Almighty says: “And the Moon is eclipsed, and the Sun and the Moon are fused together, on that Day man will ask: “Where can I run?” No indeed! There will be no safe place. That Day, the only resting place will be your Lord.” (Qur’an, 75: 8-12)

Consider the people and events that shape your life. You are working hard to get somewhere, trying to find your place in the struggle for a good life. You are very attentive to some matters and reflect deeply upon them. At the same time, you carefully avoid thinking about other matters and, as it happens, many people close to you do the same. Everyone knows what subjects to avoid in conversation and thought. Death is one of these, perhaps the most important one. For them, death is an end to which there is no solution.

The Day of Judgment, which will bring “death” to the universe just like the death of people, is a matter that people do not like to think about; rather, they consider it as a remote and distant matter. They have a vague idea of what will happen on that Day, but since the thought of it scares them, people are inclined to forget about it. Rather than facing up to it, they just get on with their lives instead.

The Day of Judgment is the final day of life on Earth and for the universe. But at the same time, it is the beginning of the eternal life in the Hereafter. On that Day, people will be resurrected, created anew. Believers in Allah and the Hereafter will be hosted in Paradise, whereas unbelievers will be driven to Hell. Therefore, for those who expect such a Day, fully aware of what this event means, it is meaningless to run away from death, the Day of Judgment, and the Hereafter. To the contrary, the reality of death and the events of that Day will lead people to do good in the cause of Allah, direct them to believe in the Hereafter, and bring them closer to Allah. Only the believers will be spared the great fear on that Day, on which previously unseen events will take place, for Allah reveals that they will have no cause for fear or sadness, for: “Not so! All who submit themselves completely to Allah and are good-doers will find their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and know no sorrow.”(Qur’an, 2:112)

Those who believed in this Day and in the Qur’an, as well as that the real life is in the Hereafter, while alive and lived accordingly will be safe. They did not disregard the existence of death and were not too vain to worship Allah. Such people will be received in the most pleasant way in the Hereafter, and Allah’s guiding light will be with them on the Day of Judgment. The faithful are given the good news in the Qur’an, as follows: “...on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the prophet and those who believed along with him. Their light will stream out ahead of them and on their right. They will say: ‘Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us! You have power over all things’.”(Qur’an, 66:8)

This book reveals the Day and its events, and warns of its difficulties. What matters most is that the Day of Judgment is a reality for all people and, as such, should not be ignored. This book will help you think about its existence and reality.

The Day is approaching
“And the Hour is coming without any doubt, and Allah will raise up all those in the graves.”(Qur’an, 22:7) Death is coming closer by the day. Whether you are young or old, death is a little closer to you every day, even every minute. You cannot resist time or prevent death’s approach. Nothing you do can change the fact that you and those close to you are only “temporary” beings. Like every other living being, you are advancing toward the Day on which your life will end.

Humanity is not the only part of creation that is subject to death. All other creatures, Earth itself and the whole universe, have a day of death fixed for them. The Day of Judgment is a day of terror and unimaginable fear. But at the same time, it is most wondrous. Everything on Earth will be flattened, the stars will be extinguished and fall in rapid succession, and the Sun will be wrapped up in darkness. All human beings who have ever lived will be gathered and made to witness this Day. This Final Day will be dreadful for the unbelievers, and its Lord will be Allah, Who owns all that exists.

The Day of Judgment, contrary to many people’s belief, is approaching; it is not in the distant future. When it arrives, Earth and everything belonging to it will be destroyed. Ambitions, desires, anger, expectations, lusts, enmities, and pleasures will cease. Plans made for the future will become meaningless, for those who had forgotten that they will be returned to Allah, preferring this world over the eternal life and its misleading wealth, beauty, and pleasures, will have met their end. On this Day, everyone will witness clearly Allah’s existence and will come face to face with the death that they had tried so hard to forget. Their attempt to forget Allah and the Hereafter is finished, and a new beginning, one which will be eternal and bring no happiness to the unbelievers, is awaiting them. From the very first moment of this eternal life, the punishment is so fearsome that those who experience it will beg for “death” and “annihilation.” The beginning of this life is the Day of Judgment and, “the Hour is coming without any doubt.”

Life is temporary, death is real
From your earliest childhood onward, you head for certain goals or are guided by others. You probably will have a family and a job, try to earn more in order to have a better life, educate your children, and hope that they will have a better life than you did. Once a week you meet the other members of your extended family. You take vacations, go to work, and spend the rest of your time at home. Except for a few hiccups on the way, your life progresses orderly and you usually encounter nothing outside the ordinary.

Everything in your life seems to be premeditated, and everyone’s life is like everyone else’s. You need to work to realize these goals, and you need to have a family to continue your lineage. According to this worldview, what else could you possibly want besides “a good job” and “a nice family?” Having achieved these goals, you expect to lead a happy life.

However, some important changes are happening in your body and environment. Many cells with diverse functions fulfill their purpose and die. As you age, it becomes harder to replace them. Your body is ageing visibly, as seen through your illnesses and weaknesses. Time moves fast, and the impossibility of reversing it becomes clearer every day. Thinking that you were going to live happily and comfortably forever, you are nevertheless nearing death.

Thus, this worldly life can never give the sense of contentment and peace you expect. When this “satisfying” life ends, you will come face to face with the real truth. Given this fact, none of your life ambitions should become your true purpose in life. This life is a temporary trial to separate the righteous from the evildoers. Allah reveals this reality in the following verse: “He Who created death and life to test which of you is best in action. He is the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving.”(Qur’an, 67:2)

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Article by: arabnews.com