Death and the Grave

Details: Category: Death and the Grave

A police officer in a Muslim country wrote the following letter to a Shaykh describing the events that led to his return to Allaah. He recalls:

twocarscrash Seeing accidents and crash victims was a normal part of my day, but one incident was different.

My partner and I had parked on the shoulder of the highway and began to chat. In a random second, the scene shattered to the hideous sound of metal bodies becoming one. We threw our heads back to see what had happened: a head-on collision, the result of a vehicle slipping into the lane of the oncoming traffic.

You couldn't describe the carnage. Two young men sprawled in the first car, both in critical condition. We carried them gently away from the car and rested them on the ground.

Quickly we returned to assist the owner of the second car. He was dead. Back we went to the two young men lying side by side on the pavement.

My partner began dictating the Shahaadah to them. "Say: La iIaha illAllaah (there is no god but Allaah), La iIaha illAllaah..."

... their tongues wouldn't acknowledge. They started humming the hypnotic lyrics of some song. I was terrified. My partner had experience however and he kept repeating his instruction.

I stood watching, no movement, eyes locked. Never in my life had I seen anything similar to what was going on before me. In fact, I've never actually seen someone die, and never in such a satanic way.

My partner continued to instruct them to say the Shahaadah but there was no use. The hum of their song came to a slow silence, slowly. The first one stopped and then the other. Not a stir. Dead.

We carried them to our patrol car, my partner made no effort to speak. Not a whisper between us two as we carried the corpses to the nearest hospital.

The police officer who narrated this incident fell back into normal routine, as he narrates, and started to drift from Allaah. But another event happened to him that sealed the return. He continues...

Ambulance-passing-at-high-007 What an odd world. After some time, about six months, a strange accident took place.

A young man was moving along the highway normally, but within one of the tunnels leading to the city, he was maimed by a flat tire. To the side of the tunnel he parked and stepped to the back to remove the spare tire. The whistle of a speeding car from behind. In a second, it collided with the crippled car, the young man in-between. He fell to the ground with critical injuries.

I rushed to the scene, myself and another partner other than the first. Together we carried the young man's body into our patrol car and phoned the hospital to prepare for his arrival. He was a young adult in his blossom years. Religious, you could tell from his appearance. He was mumbling when we carried him, but in our rush, we had not paid attention to what he was saying. However, when we placed him on his back in the patrol car we could make it out. Through the pain his heart was reciting Qur'aan! He was so immersed in the recitation... Subhan Allaah, you would have never said that this person was in intense pain.

Blood had soaked his clothes crimson red, his bones had clearly snapped in several places. To tell the truth, he looked like he was staring into the eyes of death. He continued to read in his unique, tender voice. Reciting each verse in proper rhythm. In my entire life, I had never heard any recitation like it. I said to myself, I'm... I'm going to instruct him to say the Shahaadah just like I saw my friend doing; especially since I had previous experience.

My partner and I listened intently to that soft voice. I felt a shiver shock my back and up my arm, the hair stood. Suddenly, the hymn ceased. I watched silently as his hand rose softly. He had his index finger pointed upward to the heavens, saying the Shahaadah "(La iIaha illAllaah / There is no god but Allaah)." Then... his head slumped. Nothing. I jumped to the back seat, felt his hand, his heart, his breathing. He was dead!

I couldn't stop staring at him. A tear fell but I hid it in shame. I turned back to my partner and told him that the boy's life had ceased – he burst out loud crying. Seeing a man cry like that, I could not control myself and my partner faded away behind the fall of my own tears. The patrol car fogged from the emotions.

We arrived at the hospital. As we rushed through the corridors, we told all the doctors, nurses, and onlookers what had happened. So many people were affected by what we said, some stood there speechless and tearful. No one wanted to lose sight of the boy until they had been assured of the time and place he would be buried.

One of the hospital staff phoned the boys home. His brother picked up and was told of the accident. His brother told us about him: He used to go out every Monday to visit his only grandmother outside of town. Whenever he visited her, he made sure to spend time with the poor children idling the streets and the orphans. The town knew him – he was the one that would bring them the Islamic books and tapes. His dusty car would be filled with rice and sugar and even candies – couldn't forget the candies – for those families who were in need.

He would not stand for anyone to discourage him from the long journey to that town. He would always politely reply that the long drive gave him time to review his Qur'aan and listen to Islamic lectures on his cassette deck. And that with every step to the town he hoped for the reward he would find with Allaah...

So let us take lesson from these incidents and make a firm vow to start changing our lives from now on.

Details: Category: Death and the Grave

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When an adulterer commits illegal sexual intercourse, then he is not a believer at the time he is doing it, and when a drinker of an alcoholic liquor drinks it, then he is not a believer at the time of drinking it, and when a thief steals, then he is not a believer at the time of stealing, and when a robber robs, and the people look at him, then he is not a believer at the time of doing robbery." (Al-Bukhaari)

*Please click here if you can't see the above video.

“And come not near to unlawful sex. Verily, it is a Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits: a great sin, and an evil way that leads one to Hell unless Allah forgives him)” [17:32 – interpretation of the meaning]

Regarding the Mi'raaj (ascension), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"... then we proceeded and came to something like a tannoor (a kind of oven)." [The narrator] said: "I think he said, 'in which there were clamouring voices.'" He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] said: "We looked into it and there we saw naked men and women. Flames were coming to them from the bottom of it, and when the flames reached them, they made an uproar. I said to them [i.e., the two angels who were accompanying him], 'Who are these?' They said, 'Proceed, proceed!'... I said to them, 'I have seen strange things this night. What is this that I have seen?' They said, 'We will tell you.... The naked men and women in the structure that resembled a tannoor oven are the adulterers and adulteresses.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari).

Details: Category: Death and the Grave

Martyrs are among the believers whom Allah (SWT) has chosen because they have fulfilled their promise with Him, their commerce prospered and they eventually have won. Allah, the Ever-Living and Sustainer, bestowed on them everlasting life though we do not perceive this.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “And call not those who are slain in the way of Allah “dead.” Nay, they are living, only ye perceive not.” [The Cow 154] They are the ones who come in order after the prophets and the saints and before the righteous in the verse: “Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!” [Women 69-70] The part of the first verse that reads, “only ye perceive not” is itself a miracle. For when we die we all decompose; yet, this does not apply to prophets’ bodies as our prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us in the hadith narrated in the books of Ibn Dawoud and An Nassaey.

Likewise, the martyrs’ bodies remain intact because their souls feed on the Heavenly fruits. This may explain the scent of musk, the bleeding of the wounds, the growth of the beard, the sweating, the intact cells, and the non-existence of microbes, insects and the rodents near their bodies although they may have died long ago.

Decomposition, Medically Speaking

It is well known that after death flesh decomposes within a period of six months to one year and bones within twenty to fifty years. Body decomposition depends on the nature of the surrounding atmosphere (humidity, heat, exposure to sun, location and nature of death, and nature of the body). (1)

Four minutes after death decomposition starts internally. This is called ‘self-decomposition’ during which oxygen vanishes and the percentage of carbon dioxide and excrements increase, hence cell poisoning. Then some enzymes start decomposing the cells from within due to high acidity percentage. Fats, proteins, and sugars decompose to simpler elements. This stage of decomposition cannot be perceived during the first few days following death. It is concentrated in the liver due to the intensity of enzymes and in the brain due to the availability of fluids there. Blood color changes to dark green and gathers under the skin. As a result of over-acidity, cytoplasm congeals and then the next stage starts, that is, worn out. Aerial and non-aerial bacteria as well as fungi start decomposing the cells after they put an end to the remaining defenses of the white corpuscles which collapse entirely and turn into gases, fluids, and primary materials. The gases that result from decomposition and cause the smell of stench are methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphate, and ammonia. If these gases do not release through the normal orifices, they may cause the explosion of the body. All this takes place during the third week after death. Afterwards, some insects play an important role in decomposition. They lay their eggs in the open holes and their larvae start feeding on the decomposing body. They then cooperate to decompose the flesh and the bones. Due to its own nature, flesh vanishes before the bones do. Then the stage of dry decomposition starts. Some mosses grow on the bones and help crumbling them according to the available humidity. During the first decade following death, grooves appear on the bones, which peel off. By the passing of time, bones turn into dust: (from dust and unto dust we return). (2)

Martyrs’ Miracles: Authentic Stories

We know from so many documented and recurrent stories told by truthful and reliable narrators that the bodies of some of those who died as martyrs in the way of Allah remained as they were for decades and even centuries. The color of the skin did not change, blood still bled, the musk smell was everywhere, their beards grew, and some bodies remained in the deserts for years and were not eaten by wild animals.

Martyrs of Uhud

In his series (Story of the End) Dr. Tariq Suwaidan mentioned that Sheikh Muhammad As-Sawwaf, one of the scholars who were chosen to rebury the martyrs of Uhud after the flood that uncovered the bodies, told him that their bodies did not change, decompose, or rot even after 1400 years from their death. Sheikh Muhammad As-Sawwaf said that: “Among the bodies was that of Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him). He was big and his nose and ears were cut. His abdomen was ripped apart and he put his hand on it. When we took his hand up, blood flew down as if he died one hour ago.(3)

Samir the Martyr: Intact Body after 15 Years

Maher Katkout from the old town in Naples has a story to tell. He says “We, like many others, hear about the miracles of the martyrs and we sometimes think they are a little bit exaggerated. Yet, what happened a few days ago let me believe all that from the bottom of my heart. When we opened the grave we found Samir Shihada’s body intact; it was as it was on the day of his death 15 years ago.”

Amer, Samir’s brother continues:

“When my mother died we wanted to bury her in the same grave with her son Samir. We asked the scholars about that and they did not object, especially that Samir had died 15 years ago and his remains would not be more than some bones. Yet, the surprise was that when we opened the grave we found Samir as he was on the day of his martyrdom. His body, his clothes, and the Palestinian flag he was wrapped in were intact. His hair was combed and wet because the day of his death was rainy. When we moved him to bury our mother, his body was still warm and his sanguineous blood started bleeding anew as if he was shot a few minutes ago.” (4)

The Christian Boy

Al Qurtubi wrote in his book: “This is also the case with the martyrs of the previous nations who died in the way of Allah defending the right cause along with their prophets.” in the story of Ashab Al Okhdoud (lit. the owners of the ditch) Al Tirmizi mentioned that the boy killed by the king was buried and in the time of Omar Bin Al Khattab he was uncovered and found putting his finger on his temple as he put it at the time he was killed. The story of the owners of the ditch is narrated in Sahih Muslim. They were at Najran during the period between Jesus and Mohammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon them). (5)

Egyptian Martyrs of the Nakbah (lit. catastrophe)

Dr. Mahmoud An-Najjar tells us that he and his brother participated in 1956 in a memorial ceremony of the martyrs of the Egyptian army who fought in the way of the Allah against the Zionists in 1948. He saw with his own eyes the transfer of about 45 martyrs whose bodies and clothes remained intact after 8 years of their martyrdom.” (5)

The Jordanian Martyr

The Jordanian corporeal Hussein Muhammad Awadh Al Momni from Abeen town in the Governerate of Ajloun – Jordan met his martyrdom in Tobas, Palestine in 1976. After more than 10 years, his body remained intact and the people of Tobas refused to let his relatives take his body to his birthplace because they considered it as a good omen.

The Martyrs of Afghanistan

One of the Mujahedeen (Said Shah) was known for his night worship. His dreams always came true and he had many miracles. He met martyrdom and after two years and half his body was found intact, except that his beard grew. Stranger than that, over his body was found a unique black silky aba whose smell was better than musk and ambergris.

Habibu-Allah tells us: my brother Yaqout died and after three months my mother dreamt of him and he told her that all his wounds have been healed except for a wound in his head. My mother insisted on opening the grave and when we reached the body we smelt musk and found that the wound in his head was still bleeding. My mother dipped her finger in the blood. For more than three months, the fragrance did not go from her finger.

Abdul-Galeel was a righteous scholar. A missile hit him and he died. After the funeral prayer was finished in the afternoon his body was sent to his father and he remained there until next morning. The Mujahedeen went to see him and he kept smiling with his eyes open till morning. They went to their sheikh and asked him not to bury their colleague because they thought he did not die and they had to pray the funeral prayer again. He told them Abdul-Galeel had already died the day before but these were the miracles of the martyrs.

·Mohammad Sahib, an attorney general from Kabul , told me that he saw sweat on the forehead of martyr Eid Muhammad after three days of his martyrdom. Whenever we wiped that off, we smelt musk and sweat flew anew.

Palestinian Pure Martyrs

Gafaar, brother of the two Qassamite martyrs Muhammad and Asem Rihan from the village of Tall southwest of Naples, was surprised when he opened the grave of Muhammad after 100 days of his martyrdom on 18/2/2002 to prepare a shrine for him and for another Qassamite martyr Yasser Aseeda that the grave was full of musk fragrance. He felt the blood of his brother and found it still warm. He was lying in complete peace. He wiped the sweat off his forehead to the surprise of all present. More still, his beard grew.

Martyr Anwar Hamran: his mother, wife, and sister went to have the last look over him in the hospital morgue. When they hugged him his blood stained their clothes and from these clothes one could clearly smell musk fragrance.

Martyr Muhammad Yusuf Al Ashqar from Al Aqsa Battalions: his blood kept bleeding from the wound in his head since his death and until he was laid down in his grave.

And there are many other stories in the following books:

- Al Rahman’s Miracles in the Afghanis’ Jihad by Abdullah Azzam.

- Microbes and the Martyrs’ Miracles by Dr. Abdul Hameed Al Qadhah.

- Faleuja Epic (Moslem Scholars Authority).

Scientifically Speaking

Science has no explanation for this. Atheists have their usual doubts as they call every intangible thing a superstition. Unfortunately, some Muslims are in doubt as well.

Yet, Dr .Abdul Hameed Al Qadhah has a sound justification. He tells us that microbes are among the soldiers/ creatures of Allah and they perform His orders. He orders them not to approach martyrs’ bodies and so they do. There are also many other signs such as their smiling faces, bleeding, sweat, beard growth and the musk fragrance.

Merit of Martyrdom in the Way of Allah

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have provision. Jubilant (are they) because of that which Allah hath bestowed upon them of His bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those who have not joined them but are left behind: that there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. They rejoice because of favour from Allah and kindness, and that Allah wasteth not the wage of the believers.” [The Family Of Imran 169-171]

Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said: “The martyr has six merits from Allah: with the first gush of blood his sins are forgiven; he sees his place in paradise; he is saved from grave torture; he is saved from the greatest fear; he wears the costume of Iman; he marries houris, and he intercepts on behalf of seventy of his relatives.” (Sonan of Ibn Majah) The annotator of the Tahawi Belief mentioned that: “Allah orders the earth not to decompose the Prophets’ bodies. Some of the martyrs remain intact even after long periods of burial. It is possible they shall remain the same until the Day of Judgement or their bodies shall take longer time to decompose as a tribute for what they did. This may differ from one martyr to another according to the degree of his martyrdom.”

In the fourth section of his Sahih, Imam Al Bukhari devoted a chapter to “The Merit of Jihad and Battles” starting with the verse: “Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is the promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. Who fulfilleth His covenant better that Allah? Rejoice then in your bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph.” [Repentance 111] Here the buyer is Allah (SWT) and as we know that good prevails so that the body gets the same merit as the soul.

This divine tribute to martyrs is a sound proof on the rightness of the way and the soundness of the objective. It is Allah’s choice of the truthful worshipers to be honored during their life and even after their death. Through these tributes Allah urges all of us to follow in the steps of martyrs[H1]

Notes:

1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_...terdeath.shtml

2) http://www.sgm.ac.uk/pubs/micro_today/pdf/110108.pdf

3) http://www.denana.com/articles.php?ID=1149

4) http://www.assabeel.info/inside/arti...682&section=79

5) Professor of Archaeology – Specialist in human bones – Yarmuk University-Jordan.

6) Refer to the chapter about the martyrs’ souls are in paradise in Al Qurtubi’s Reminder of the States of the Dead and the Issues of the Afterlife.

Details: Category: Death and the Grave

OpenGrave HOW often do we remember death? Yes death, a harsh and fearful reality that escapes no living person. None can avoid it. The people around a dying person don’t have the ability to prevent it. Death happens every moment and it does not discriminate between the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak. Everyone is equal in front of death, because no one has any means to escape it or use intercession to avoid it or even delay it.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Say: Indeed, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to Allah, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. And He will then tell you what you used to do.” (Qur’an, 62:8)

“Every one is going to taste death. And We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us will you be returned.” (Qur’an, 21:35)

Our hearts tremble with fear on the thought of this indispensable reality. A person’s actions are sealed with death and what comes after that is more fearful, because will there be a place where one can flee to in order to escape the afflictions suffered in the grave? What will our reply be when we are questioned in the grave? None of us know where we will end up. Will it be Paradise whose width is like the heavens and the earth or will it be the Fire whose fuel is of men and stones?

Ibrahim Bin Adham (d. 160H) was asked about the verse: “Call upon Me and I will respond to you.” (Qur’an, 40:60) that: “We call upon Allah, but He does nor respond to us.” So Ibrahim replied:

“You know Allah; yet you do not obey Him. You recite the Qur’an; yet you do not act according to it. You know Shaytan; yet you continue agreeing with him. You claim to love Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him); yet you abandon his Sunnah. You claim to love Paradise, yet you do not work for it. You claim to fear the Fire; yet you do not stop sinning.
You say ‘indeed death is true’; yet you have not prepared for it. You busy yourselves with the faults of others; yet you do not look at your own faults. You eat the sustenance that Allah provides for you; yet you are not grateful to Him. And you bury your dead; yet you have not heeded its lesson.” (Ibn Rajab’s Al-Khushu’-fis-Salah, pg. 62)

This reality must be firmly established in our heart – the reality that life in this world is limited and has an appointed end, and that this end will surely come. Sheikh Ali Hasan Al-Halabi mentions some good reflections in his book Al-Mawt:

“The righteous will die; and the wicked will die. The warriors who fight jihad will die; and those who sit at home will die. Those who busy themselves with correct beliefs will die; and those who treat people as their slaves will die. The brave who reject injustice will die; and the cowards who seek to cling to this vile life will die. The people of lofty goals and ambitions will die; and the wretched who live for cheap enjoyment will die...So keep death in mind, and the passing on to the next life, and the number of sins that one has committed and the small amount of good that one has done. Think of the good that you would earnestly like to do at that time – then bring that forward and do it today. And think of all those things which you would desire to clear yourself of – then clear yourself from them now.” – Al-Istiqamah

Details: Category: Death and the Grave

deathseeking

Sister Rehab el Buri passed away on Sunday 6th of March 2011 at the age of 26. She died due to cancer after fighting a courageous battle against it. A section is pasted below from her blog to reflect upon and is really worth the two minute read.

It took me about three days to accept my death. On the first day, as you read, my mind was in chaos. On the second day, I was numb. And on the third day, my husband and mother began talking sense to me, and I finally came to some important realizations:

1. We are all going to die. The people who took the news of my disease calmly and those who panicked- they are going to die one day too. Death is one of the few realities we can be certain of in this life, and yet we somehow slip into thinking that we are exempt.

2. We live this life for the next. I was living my life as a Muslim...praying and fasting, but I had somehow allowed my real goal in life to be swallowed by buying salad plates for my next dinner party, and trying to get free shipping on my next jcrew order, and finding pillows that popped against my cream sofa. In between being a consumer and entertaining myself to death, I let what really matters in my life slip away from me. If I was truly living my life for the Hereafter, I should not be so fearful of the future I had created for myself. The Quran says, "And this life of the world is nothing but a sport and a play; and as for the next abode, that most surely is the life- did they but know!" [29.64]

3. I am in the same boat as everyone else. None of us are given any guarantees in life. Our health, our wealth, and our families are trusts give to us by Allah- and they are His to take when He, in his infinite wisdom, deems fit. We all claim to believe this, but in practice we often falter. I don't know why I thought I could push the thought of death out of my mind for at least a good 30 or 40 years. Allah (SWT) could claim any of us at any time. I am in the same boat as everyone else- I have no idea when my time is, but I should try to live everyday as if it is my last.

4. Each day is a gift. Receiving this wake up call is such a blessing in that each day Allah grants me is an opportunity to do some more good and try to make up for some of the mistakes I made in the past. For some reason, the mornings are usually a little rough for me. I think it's just waking up from my dreams and realizing that I still have to live with this disease. But every morning I try to tell myself, "Alhamdulilah, I feel good today, what good can I do today?"

These realizations, and the support of my mother, husband, his mother, my sisters, his sisters, my father, his father, my friends, and my community have helped me not merely cope with what I'm going through, but actually seek the reward of going through this trial, and try to sincerely accept what Allah wills for me.