Why are you afraid of death?

They say that paradise and salvation in the Hereafter is destined only for them. If they really believe like this then why are they afraid of death and the loss of material things and why are they constantly praying for extension of worldly life for enjoying constant benefit of the worldly passions and desires? Challenging such persons the Lord of the universe says:

قُلْ إِن كَانَتْ لَكُمُ الدَّارُ الآَخِرَةُ عِندَ اللّهِ خَالِصَةً مِّن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“O Prophet! Tell them: If with God your abode of the Hereafter (paradise) is exclusively for you, then if you are true, then long for death (so as to get into the paradise soon).”

(Surah Baqarah 2:94)

It is mentioned in Tafseer Majmaa that one who is sure about getting paradise must give preference to death which is the only way to reach paradise in comparison with the worldly life which is full of hardships. The one who is sure that death is the means of getting excellence and success will certainly love death more than life as the Amirul Momineen (a.s.) says: “By God, the son of aboo Taalib is so much attached to death as a suckling baby is to its mother’s breast.” Therefore when the Imam (a.s.) was strolling fearlessly between lines in the war of Siffeen, his son Hasan Mujtaba (a.s.) told him: ‘O father, your moving like this in the midst of battle lines is not desirable because it is likely to enable the enemy to harm you’ he replied: ‘You father does not worry weather he falls on death or death falls on him.’

Likewise, when in the said battle Ammar Yaasir (a.s.) decided to join war he was extremely happy and being sure of his martyrdom saying joyfully: “I am proceeding to my friends, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and his companions.”

It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) once said:

‘One of you should long for death because of being caught in worldly hardships and troubles. He should pray: O Lord! Keep me alive until life is good for me and give me death when death is good for me.” Tafseer Majma al Bayaan has quoted this hadith in Arabic like this:

This hadith says that longing for death is condemnable because it shows a dislike for the will of God (whereas here what is hinted at is Sabr or patience and Tasleem or submission to divine will). But where a wish for death has been prohibited it is for the expression of a longing of the faithful Momin that death should not come to him so that during that time he may try to compensate for his sins and make provision for his journey to the Hereafter.

If this aim is in one’s heart then the desire for the world is not different from a wish for death. Its example is like a king calls someone to him but does fix a time for it, whereas that man takes only that much time for presenting himself to the king which is absolutely necessary for its preparation. His only desire is that the men of the king should arrive to take him with them only after he has made preparation for it. As has been detailed in the previous lines the only aim of this preparation should be to present oneself to God. That is why a temporary love for the world is an essential demand of Faith in God and the Hereafter.

But so far as the Jews are concerned, they are mad after this world only for enjoying its pleasures. That is why they long for a long life and wish to live for a thousand years. This desire of theirs makes them fearful of death and proves that they are lying when they claim that they are the lovers of God and worthy of the paradise.

On the other hand, all groups of Muslims think themselves to be the followers of the Holy Quran and the lovers of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and his progeny (a.s.). Every one of them claims that it will attain salvation and that others will be destroyed whereas, barring a few, almost of them are full of love for the world. Instead of being ardent lovers of God and His prophet they are dazelled by the glamour of this world. Instead of obeying the commands of the Holy Quran they are obeying their desires and evil satanic suggestions. The centre of their activities is only the worldly success. They are ever ready to acquire every knowledge or science which can guarantee their worldly benefits. But they never try to understand the divine knowledge and religious commands. They answer every devilish call and attend every meeting or gathering which takes them away from God and Aakhirat. They always avoid meetings which draw their attention toward God and His Prophet and the Hereafter.

Evil Signs of running away from the Ulema (Religious Scholars)

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said:

“A time will come for the people when they will run away from Ulemna as goats run away seeing wolves. (At that time) God will entangle them in three calamities: (1) He will take away Barkat (blissful abundance) from their wealth, (2) He will impose a cruel ruler on them and (3) They will be called up from the world without (devoid of) Imaan (Faith).

(Safeenat ul Bihaar. Vol. 2. p. 220)

In another hadith, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:

“People will see days when they will make their bellies their gods, their women their Qiblaas (centre of constant attention), worldly wealth their religion and property their criterion of excellence or ability. (It will be a time when) nothing from Faith except the name nothing from Islam except rituals and nothing from Quran except lessons will remain. Their mosques will stand only like buildings of stones whereas their hearts will have nothing like Guidance. The Ulema of that era will be the worst men on the surface of earth. (That is, the majority of them will be world-worshippers).

O Saahib az zamaan, please hasten your arrival

Let it be know that the ever-increasing dishonesty and faithlessness, the destructive corruption, the overflowing shamelessness and obscenity in which today’s man is imprisoned because of his intense love for material world cannot be stalled by any power. This current is going to spread endlessly, to such an extent that people will find it extremely difficult to live and they will anxiously wait for a reformer who may relieve them from misfortune. That will be the time when Almighty God will make the twelfth Imam Mehdi (a.s.) appear in the world. The Imam (a.s.) will, by the divine authority grant enlightenment to hearts and wisdom to minds until truth will appear dazzling openly. The intense love for this world, which is the route cause of every trouble and corruptioned will be wiped out from hearts. The human hearts will overflow with the love of God, Prophet and the Hereafter and people will incline towards the other world and give up love for temporary material things. When this will happen people will realize the real truth about man’s pure life and they will enjoy real happiness. To trust that the Holy Hujjat (12^th Imam as) will appear and fill the world with justice and fair play is one of the essentials of religion. In this connection, not only there are several continuously narrated hadiths of the Holy Prophet but God of the universe also has given good tidings of all prophets that in the last era, man will become God-fearing and virtuous and that the earth will become totally tranquil and peaceful. It is mentioned is Surah Ambia (21) verse 105:

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ

“And We had, after admonition in Torah, written verily written in Zaboor (Psalms) that our earth will be inherited by Our virtuous slaves.”

(Surah Anbiya 21:105)

What will be the overall condition of people in that time? To know it, please refer to volume 13 of Bihaar. Here we quote only one relevant hadith:

When intelligence will become perfect

In Usul al-Kafi there is a hadith of Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) in chapter Kitaab al Aql val jahl (Knowledge and Ignorance):

“When Our Imam will stand up, he will put his hand of mercy on the slaves of god so that their minds and ambitions will be perfected.”

People will become so wise and gentle that even if a woman will travel from Bagdad to Damascus with a box full of diamonds and other precious stones, no one will even throw a passing glance at her. In short, the worldly love will be totally wiped from human hearts.

Our Responsibility in the present age

It is the duty of every believer to, first of all, reform himself and drive away the worldly love from heart as detailed before. Then, acting according to Nahya anil Munkar, warn his near and dear ones and try his utmost to remove the route cause of every trouble and corruption viz love for worldly matter from hearts of people. In this way he should fulfill his responsibility imposed on him by Shariat to reduce restlessness and trouble and corruption from the society.

Croocked thinking of the unwise and its answer

Some senseless people think that big industrial countries are drowning human societies in materialism, worldly love and passion in such a big way that no individual or a group can, despite all their wishes, escape copying and imitating them. Rather such people are not considered as living at all. So in these circumstances and in this state of affair there remains no need from any effort to make men think about God and Aakhirat. Thus it is necessary for all to imitate the world-worshippers.

We say that such talk is like imitating animals which intelligence does not accept, because if a wise man sees that some people have fallen in dirt can his reason allow him to drown himself also for remaining connected with others? In the said big countries there are some wise and intelligent people whose hearts are weeping seeing the widescale waywardness, dishonesty, corruption and bloodshed and lack of humanity. They are also constantly warning their governments about its dangerous consequences. But there is none to pay any attention to their talks.

Why go far? Just look at our own country. How many people pay attention to the words of ulema? For example the religious scholars are constantly drawing our attention to the harms and destructiveness of films, about its evil effects on society, immorality and shamelessness etc. They are being repeatedly told that just for gaining some coins some selfish persons are arousing passions of our youth to take them in the world of crime through cinema. But did the Muslims pay any attention to their talks? Did those in power do anything to reform the affairs?

An advice for all faithfuls

Since, some inclination toward animality too is found in man, he has strong desire of imitation also. For example, to imitate those who are in power and position or to follow the majority. But the Lord of the universe has, against this inclination, bestwed man with the wealth of wisdom and reason also so that he may follow knowledge and the wise, in the light of wisdom despite being weak and in minority, may avoid the ignorants even if they are powerful and in majority.

Therefore reason and intellect and wisdom says that it is not at all wise to imitate the ways of Europe and other big countries because though they have made big progress in material sciences to the same extent, they are ignorant of the Truth and the things beyond perception of senses (supernatural matters). For example, if they are asked: Is there any owner or master of this vast universe? They will reply: we do not know because our knowledge is limited only to material science and earthly things. Who created the astonishing workshop of human body? They will say: we do not know. We know only about its working. What is the reality of man? They will answer: we do not know. We have seen man only from the viewpoint of his animality. If they are asked as to what is their view about life after death which can guarantee his salvation and success, they will say: We are not aware of any world except the material world. Does the success of human life depend only on gratifying passions, gathering wealth and acquiring strength and power? Or it depends on human perfections like modesty, courage, bravery, kindness, justness and well wishing for all? They will say: In our opinion the secret of human life’s success is in the gratification of his desires and passions. Such people, for covering theirignorance, just ridicule such questions and say that, in today’s time, such questions are of no significance that what is important is that man should strive continuously to add to his wealth the power so that he may not lag behind in social race. This age demands that we should manufacture jet planes, atom bombs so that happy human inhabitation is turned into smoke and greenery should be burnt and innocent blood should be spilled. Passions and desires should recklessly be gratified, constant efforts should be made to brighten one’s personality. In the modern time, words like mercy, kindness, justice, fair play, forgivance, benevolence, patience, honour, humility etc; which had value in the past have become almost meaningless. Let aside act according to them, people do not know even what they mean.

They say that today the same of God, the Lord of the creation, must only be uttered. World worship should take the place of God worship. Every means fair or foul, legal or illegal should be resorted to for filling belly and gratifying passions. More and more effort must be made for living a luxurious life. It will become lengthy if we discuss and throw light on the ignorance and unawareness of the materialist world-worshippers. If our readers just think over their conditions they come to know better. What has been described above is sufficient to expose their ignorance. What we aim to drive home is that advance of technology and industry and various discoveries should not give them a permission to continue their devilish ways.