Jummah Khutbah: Every soul shall have a taste of death

Every Soul Shall Have a Taste of Death

That's what Allah says in the Qur'an in clear Arabic words. He says:

When it comes to the subject of death, it's an already resolved issue that it's true. It's a fact, a fact of life. It's a certainty that no one can argue. It has already been proven Islamically, religiously. It has been proven legally. It has been proven even through the fitrah. It has been proven even rationally through experience in all measurements. Death is a reality.

What people argue about is what happens next. That's what they argue about. But no one argues that death is a reality.

Certainty Treated as Uncertainty

SubhanAllah, even though with all of that, Al-Hasan al-Basri, rahimahullah, he says:

(Attributed to Al-Hasan al-Basri, rahimahullah)

"I have never seen certainty — certainty that has absolutely no doubt in it — but treated so much as if it's uncertainty, as if it's a doubt that has no certainty in it, except for death." Like, people know death is real, but they live like they're not dying. They live their life not thinking about what could possibly be happening after death.

You see, Rasulullah ﷺ, the most honorable man — Allah even spoke about his death during his lifetime. He said to him ﷺ:

"You shall die and they shall die too." And that was given to the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime. So sometimes we need that reminder. Every now and then we get distracted in this dunya. So as Allah reminds the Prophet ﷺ in his lifetime that, listen, your life is going to come to an end — we need to continue to remind ourselves of that.

Allah says to the Prophet ﷺ:

"We did not leave anyone before you to live for eternity. No human being lived for eternity before you. If you die, can they live for eternity? Because everybody is going to die."

"Every soul shall taste death. We try you with that which is good and with hardships as a means of fitnah — trials and tests. And to Us you shall return." So as a believer, as a Muslim, I know that death is not the end of the journey. It's not the end of the journey. So what I need to do is use this life in the best way possible.

Our Origin and Our Return

Allah talked to us about our reality. Because when it comes to death, it doesn't recognize between young or adult. It doesn't recognize between man and woman, rich or poor. Everybody becomes equal. Death is like an equalizer. It brings everybody back flat. All of us.

Allah says:

He created you from dust, from dirt. And then from a sperm drop. And He made you into azwaj — couples, mates. No female bears a child or gives birth to a child except with His knowledge — nothing is random. And no one lives long, or is cut short in age, except that it is written in a book. Which means everything is determined. When people die, they don't die young. When people die, they don't die too old. When people die, they died when their term came to an end.

Death as a Musibah — and How to Respond

When it comes to the reminder of death, as a believer, as a Muslim, how should I understand it? How should I understand death to balance between my spiritual life and my material life?

You see, Allah acknowledges in the Qur'an and taught us that death is a calamity. No doubt about it. Some people, subhanAllah, when someone dies, they don't allow others to grieve. It's okay to grieve. It's okay to consider death as a musibah. You don't have to say, "No, it's a blessing." No, it's not a blessing. Allah said that in the Qur'an — in Surah al-Ma'idah, in the course of speaking about al-wasiyyah — writing the will on a journey — He says:

"While you are on a journey and the calamity of death, the disaster of death, befalls you." So Allah called it musibah. Death is considered a musibah.

In the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 11, Hadith 9)

"No believer is afflicted by a calamity, a disaster, a musibah, then says what Allah ordered you to say —

— 'We all belong to Allah, and to Him will be our return. O Allah, reward me in this musibah, in this calamity I am going through, and give me that which is better for me' — except that Allah will reward them and give them better than what they lost."

Umm Salamah, radiyallahu 'anha — when her late husband died, she made that du'a, and in her heart and mind she said, "Who is going to be for me better than Abu Salamah?" Her husband was so good to her that she thought no man after Abu Salamah would be better for her. She made that du'a though, and she said, "Soon after that I received a proposal from the Prophet ﷺ." Which means her du'a was answered immediately.

The Greatest Musibah: The Loss of the Prophet ﷺ

In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Darimi, Book 3, Hadith 88)

"If someone is ever afflicted by a calamity, let this person remember the musibah of my loss — my death." So he called his loss ﷺ — losing the Prophet ﷺ from this world — a musibah. He says, "It is the greatest of all calamities."

When you remember anything and you remember that, subhanAllah, I wish the Prophet ﷺ was with us — you realize everything that we lost in this dunya is nothing compared to losing the time to live with the Prophet ﷺ. A divine connection from Allah, safety around the Prophet ﷺ, certainty of the hearts and the mind about everything in this life. When you have the divine knowledge of the Prophet ﷺ from Allah, all of this is gone with his death. Indeed, it is a great musibah.

Balancing the Spiritual and the Material

But once again — how should I treat death as a believer, as a Muslim? For us, this is not the end of life. There is something coming after that. And therefore, I have to balance my material life with my spiritual life.

Today, a lot of people are going into anxiety, into depression, into so many things, subhanAllah. And they stress themselves out so much. Why? Because their attachment to this world is taking over the space that is supposed to be for their soul. What is supposed to be a spiritual experience, we're turning into just another material experience.

It saddens me, subhanAllah, even some of the most sacred spiritual journeys these days are turning into just tourism. Going for Hajj is becoming tourism. Going for Umrah is also becoming tourism. People go to Umrah with different intentions — and may Allah accept from them — but when we go there, the last thing we worry about is the spiritual journey. The most important thing becomes seeing the excitement of the sights over there. We lose that spiritual connection.

So every now and then, we need to remind ourselves with death. Because this is going to interrupt every thought of pleasure. And it also becomes a motivation, insha'Allah.

The Hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar: Three Reminders

Here is an example of how we should live our lives, from Rasulullah ﷺ.

Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6416)

Just keep in mind — Abdullah ibn Umar was a young man. He was a teenager, probably 17, 18, or even 19 when this encounter happened with the Prophet ﷺ. So at such a very young age, the Prophet ﷺ was reminding him: "Hey, don't forget the reality of this world."

He says the Prophet ﷺ held his shoulder — or maybe both shoulders — basically bringing his attention to him, making eye contact, with that beautiful, fatherly gesture, and gave him this advice:

"O Abdullah, live in this world as if you are a stranger, or a wayfarer — someone who is just on a journey — and count yourself constantly among the grave dwellers, those who are already living in the graves."

This hadith gives us three things to think about.

First: Living as a Stranger (غَرِيب)

You know when someone is a stranger — when you come to a different place, you visit a different masjid sometimes — and you get in there as a stranger, how do you feel? The first thing you feel is wahshah, this estrangement. There is no connection with anybody there. There is this discomfort with the surrounding. This mistrust. Even though you have no communication with anybody, but still, I'm uncomfortable. And then as a result of all of that, what do people start looking for in a moment of estrangement like this? We're looking for some sense of serenity, peacefulness, and tranquility.

And in this dunya, nothing is going to bring that quality of tranquility except having constant companionship with Allah. That estrangement — being a stranger — can be removed if you have constant companionship with Allah. Thinking about Him, remembering Him at all times. And as a stranger, we always look back to our beautiful moments in our lives — which means we want to go back home. As a stranger, I want to go back home. I want to be with my beloved and my loved ones.

Second: The Wayfarer (عَابِرُ سَبِيل)

As a abir sabeel — a wayfarer, someone always traveling on the road — what does that exactly mean? You don't carry too much load. If you're going on a road trip, on foot, on a bike, or even on a plane or a train — how much are you going to carry with you? You don't carry much load. You carry only the most precious stuff with you. Making sure the load is light, but the value is high. And that's what we carry in this dunya. We want to carry to the akhira that which is lightest in weight but most valuable at the same time.

SubhanAllah, when it comes to even eating as a traveler — you go to the airport — you just want any meal. Just anything on the road. A sandwich while walking, keep going from one station to the other. And as a traveler in this world, it's the same thing. I'm not going to sit in this life just to have a special cuisine and a buffet for every single meal. Every time there is an opportunity to indulge in pleasure, I'm not going to take that opportunity every day I get a chance. I'm going to restrain myself. Because I have other things to do in life. I need to keep moving and keep going.

So as a traveler, you always stay on the road moving from one station to the other. Never ever stop traveling on the way to Allah.

Al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullah, mentioned that the journey to Allah — you should be treading that journey with your heart, not with your body. Which means, you might be praying, you might be fasting, but where is the connection in the heart with Allah? So I have to keep focused in my ibadah to get the benefit of it.

As travelers, we don't stay in one place. We keep moving. And that's exactly what we should do in this dunya. Some people reach a certain position in life where they are comfortable with it and they never move out of it — even in ibadah, in worship. Many people, when I ask them, "Hey, why don't you pray the Sunnah?" — "Is it fard?" I say no. "Okay, alhamdulillah, I'm good then." Why can't you upgrade? Why in dunya we always look for upgrades, for promotions, but for the akhira we'll just do the bare minimum?

No one said you have to do the voluntary acts. But you're going to want to keep upgrading and going up. Never ever settle with one station. Keep moving. Try the station of fasting. Try the station of tahajjud and qiyam al-layl. Try the station of charity. Try every station possible that brings you closer to Allah. Never stay in one station. Keep moving on the road.

Third: Counting Yourself Among the People of the Graves

When the Prophet ﷺ said to him, وَعُدَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْقُبُورِ — "Count yourself among the people of the graves already" — what does that mean? What is so special about that?

Two things.

Number one: The people of the grave — they already know the truth. And that's why it was said, from one of the words of the Saliheen:

(Attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, radiyallahu 'anhu)

"People are sleeping. When they die, they wake up." We are just heedless. We know. We see all the signs. But the distraction is too powerful that we're not paying attention to the signs — until we die. And then when we die, we wake up. We realize the truth.

Allah says:

"The agony of death will come with the truth." Which means the moment you start seeing the angel of death, that's it. It's over. You're out of this world. So those who are in the grave — they know the truth.

So what does that mean to you and I? That means when the Prophet ﷺ says, عُدَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْقُبُورِ — if you know that the people of the grave have this certainty about the hereafter, then be one of them. Take the advantage of being alive before you die, before it's too late. Take that certainty from them. Have the same certainty while you're still alive.

The second thing about the people of the graves is that they understand the value of this dunya. They realize that the value of this dunya is not much. No matter how fancy it gets, no matter how long it gets, no matter how lucrative it becomes — the people of the grave know, comparing to what's there now that they've died, that the dunya is not worth that much.

In a story, there were some of the Saliheen who were sitting and a funeral procession passed by. They were asked, "What do you think this man would do if he got up?" One said, "Of course he would do good. He would do nothing but good — now that he died and knows the truth." So he turned to him and said: فَكُنْ أَنْتَ هُوَ — "Then why don't you be him? Put yourself in his position — you've been given the opportunity to still be alive. Now that you have it, what would you do?"

And that's exactly the meaning of the statement of the Prophet ﷺ, وَعُدَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْقُبُورِ — count yourself among the people of the graves, because they know the truth about this world and they already know the truth about the hereafter. No distraction now.

What Causes Us to Lose Focus?

What causes us to lose focus? The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6421)

"The son of Adam grows old, and two things grow old with him — become stronger with him: al-hirs, excessive attachment to this world, and tul al-amal, the long hope to live longer."

SubhanAllah, you see that as people age and get older, they become more attached to little things. Little things that we consider trivial, but subhanAllah it's a sense of attachment for them. I remember my grandmother — when she passed away, before she passed away she was in her 80s, mashallah — because her world was shrinking around her and her mobility had become very difficult, she still valued her little things. She had a plastic bag always in her possession with her spoon, her cup, and little things she would not let go. If she opened the bag and something was missing, she'd make a big deal out of it. That was her possession from the dunya. We think it's trivial, but subhanAllah, it's a natural thing.

So in this dunya, we get distracted as we age. We start seeing, alhamdulillah, the fruit of our hard work. We're getting, mashallah, more mature. We're getting more promotions, maybe wealthier, more stable, more established. And as we get that, instead of realizing that we're actually declining and coming closer to the akhira, we start thinking it's time for the reward — so we start opening our reward for ourselves. Taking more vacations, enjoying the dunya. And it's all halal. Never mind, it's all halal. But just don't forget — it's temporary.

So Allah says: Are you going to be satisfied with the dunya comparing to the akhira? The pleasure of this world compared to the hereafter is little. It's nothing. No comparison whatsoever.

Death as Motivation, Not Despair

My dear brothers and sisters, procrastination is what kills our momentum, our benefit from this dunya. Because we think, alhamdulillah, I still have time. We don't rush in doing the right things.

As a believer, I take death not as an obsession that will make me crippled and unable to do anything. No, not at all. As a believer, I take it as an opportunity. It's a natural thing. It's an opportunity. Allah made it the end of our life in this dunya — so therefore I'm going to make the best out of it, in the way that is pleasing to Allah. It has rules. I'm going to do it in a way that is pleasing to Allah.

When it comes to death, it's one of the means to reach the reward of the akhira. What is holding us from being there except still being alive? So as long as I'm alive, I will do my best, insha'Allah, so that when I get there, I have the best reward from Allah. May Allah make us among them.

Also, thinking about death is a motivation for the believer. I know that I'm dying — so I better not do these things that are wrong, that are haram. And I should be doing this, because that is what Allah wants. It's like a compass, always bringing me back to the right direction, insha'Allah.

And death motivates people to make great achievements. Why? Because if you don't fear death — because it is not the end of life, it is meeting your Lord — you'll do the right thing no matter what. Like Khalid ibn al-Walid, radiyallahu 'anhu. He lived long on the battlefield. And he himself finally died on his deathbed. And he was so, subhanAllah, in a grieving moment — just like he didn't die on the battlefield like everybody else. He said: "I've been traveling, I've been chasing death all my life. I've gone from one battlefield to another battlefield, and if you count the wounds on my body, they are all over the place." And then he said, "Now you look at me, dying like a camel on my deathbed." And then he said:

(Attributed to Khalid ibn al-Walid, radiyallahu 'anhu, upon his deathbed — narrated in various historical sources)

"Let the coward's eye find no sleep." Meaning — those who fear death, I've been chasing it my whole life. But Allah never decreed this for me on the battlefield. It wasn't decreed for me to die there. So just do the right thing. Take your chances. Do what is pleasing to Allah.

This Dunya Is a Farm

This dunya is a farm. In this world, what do you do? You plant your seeds — that you'll get reward for in the akhira. So this is the time for farming. This is the time for getting exhausted, for putting in the effort and the energy.

No matter how long it gets or how fancy it gets, it's still temporary. Remember, there's something better than this in the akhira. And this world was not meant to be perfect. A lot of people get upset about the qadar of Allah — that He promised He will test you with good and bad. But we get upset because we expect perfection from this world. And Allah told you: this is not going to be the perfect one. Perfection, you'll get that in the akhira. He says:

"What is the reward for excellence but excellence and perfection?" This world is not supposed to be perfect, so take it easy on yourself. However, as the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2307; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 1824)

Continue reminding yourself with the destroyer of all pleasures — and that is death. Once again, as a believer, that is not supposed to lead you to desperation. Because if I'm dying, why bother? No. As a believer, I know I'm dying, so I'm going to make the best out of it. So when I meet my Lord, I have the best reward.

Everybody is born into this world with an expiration date. We don't know it. Only Allah knows that date. My duty is to work the best until it comes. May Allah make the best of our deeds our last deeds. May He make our death lead us to what is pleasing to Him.

May Allah make you among those who receive this eternal life in Jannatul Firdaws al-A'la.