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This day had seemed so far away. In fact, you had never quite come to terms with the idea of being a corpse, nor of the fact that you would be prayed over. Neither had you come to terms with the fact that a day will come when you will be entirely covered in white sheets by your own beloved ones.

Now it has come to light. As they carry you towards your funeral prayer, indeed this world was a transient exam that has now ended and bids you farewell… your futile pursuits were a waste and the small good deeds you had presented are now a treasure that you are unwilling to give up - even for the whole world and all it contains.

Allaah says, “Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).”(Aal-‘Imraan 3: 175)

Such is the reality of death and what comes after it. Every one of us shall taste it whether poor or rich; healthy or sick, old or young; leader or led and none of us can escape it.  Allaah says, “Wheresoever’s you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in a fortress built up strong and high.” (An-Nisaa 4: 78).

Death, as manifested in its character and effects is one of the mysteries that dazzles human intelligence because it has to do with the soul. Allaah says, “And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the spirit. Say: ‘The spirit is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little.” (Al-Israa’ 17: 85)

The hard floor no longer bothers you, nor do the white sheets over your face feel claustrophobic.

You are unable to move your limbs so as to gesture towards those around you, to move the sheet from your face and allow you to breathe. For just as your breathing was limited, the time which you stayed on the face of this earth was also limited. This time for you has now run out.

There you lie; within 30 minutes your body temperature has now decreased. Your blood has become stagnant; it misses the days when it would gush forth, pumping from the heart to the rest of the body, adding life to life.

The heart that was once a junction, pumping blood around your body, has now cut off all roots and has lost its movement – its very beat. Those tunnels, which we refer to as veins, are now silent: with no life and no energy. Your veins now evidently manifest themselves as they come to the surface, visible for everyone – but you. The lack of oxygen in your blood has caused your body to stiffen; a process which is also referred to as ‘rigor mortis’. The cold plank below your cold body doesn’t help. No, you can’t seek an appointment with your GP nor can you visit the hospital. The GP has forever closed your file and the hospital is no longer in need of your records.

Your time is up; your body lies motionless, within a few seconds the angel of death has seized your soul. How can you describe the painful separation your body underwent as the soul was taken out from the body? The many years you lived in the world, your body and soul had become one and you never realised the difference between the two. As the soul was being extracted from your body, every single vein in your body screamed in pain.

You have now come to realise the true impact of the words of the Prophet (sallallahu a’lyhi wa sallam) , when he described the evil as well as the disbelieving souls’ reaction towards the angel of death,