'Not now, I'm not ready'

For us Muslims, we should take a lesson from the deaths of people, especially young people, and realise that at some point death will also come upon us - not when we are ready for it, but when it has been decreed for us. Many people today focus on how to live longer and how to enjoy their lives to the fullest, but they neglect correcting their own selves until it is too late. At the time the Angel of Death comes to any one of us, we certainly will not be able to say, "Not now, I'm not ready."

"O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of all that you do." (Al-Hashr 59:18)

Allah is telling us in this aayah to check ourselves and to be prepared for the inevitable day, our own personal "Hour". Ask yourself how you spent this day: Did you strive in doing good deeds and sincerely repent for your sins? Or were you too busy watching TV? Did you perform your prayers on time and with a presence of heart? Or did you just make your prayers out of habit, treating them as mere physical exercise, hurriedly trying to get such 'chores' out of the way? Did you give charity? Or were you more concerned about the sale at the mall? Or did you watch the latest movie, full of adultery, violence, drinking, gambling etc and then talk about how 'good' it was? Did you teach someone something from the Qur'an, or the hadith or other beneficial knowledge? Or were you spending your time sitting around talking about matters that don't concern you, backbiting and mocking others?

Remember that there are two angels recording every single action  that we do :

"But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch, kiraamun kaatibeen (Honorable in Allah's sight writing down your deeds) they know all that you do." (Al-Infitaar 82:10-12)

So consider: will this day have been recorded as a proof for you or against you? If your Hour came today, would your end have been a good or an evil one?

While many people consider 'getting ahead' in this life to be gathering wealth, we must consider that our material wealth, except for what we spend in charity, is actually not for us. Meaning, once we die, our heirs will inherit our wealth and we will go to the next life with our deeds. Ask yourself: Have you performed good, righteous deeds with the intention of pleasing Allah and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet صلّی اللہ علیه وسلّم or have you gathered up evid deeds for yourself? One or the other will be your companion in the grave, as the Prophet صلّی اللہ علیه وسلّم informed us that three things will follow us after death: our wealth, our family and our deeds. However, two of these three will leave us in the grave. Our wealth and our family will go back; they won't stay with us in the grave and we can't take them with us in the grave and use them in the hereafter. We will be left with only our deeds and nothing else will remain with us.

Take a lesson from these deaths. Do not think your youth makes you safe from death. Do not think that repentence comes 'later', when you are older and have finished committing all of the sins that your self desires. Do not think doing good deeds comes 'later' when you are not so engaged in doing what Allah has forbidden, there may be no 'later' for you!

We should also strive in doing those deeds which will continue to benefit us after we die. These deeds will continue to earn us rewards. The Prophet صلّی اللہ علیه وسلّم said:

"When a person is dead, his deeds are ceased except for three: Deeds of continuous charity, knowledge by which people benefit, and a righteous son or daughter who begs Allah to forgive his or her parents." (Al-Muslim)

So what prevents you from donating to the construction of a masjid, an orphanage or a well of water? Why aren't you working to teach others knowledge of this religion or something else of benefit? Certainly all of us have the means to teach our children to love Allah and Islam and to pray for our forgiveness after our deaths. What are we waiting for?

It's hard to imagine that when death comes to a person, he would wish he had watched more TV, gossiped a little more, or committed more of any sin, isn't it? Then why are we working so hard at those things, and not at repentance and doing good deeds?

The death of anyone we know does make us think about what we are doing (or not doing), but just thinking about it is of no consequence. We must do something. Take the initiative by taking a good, hard look at yourself and what you are doing with your life: your time, your wealth, the many favors that Allah has bestowed upon you. These are the things we will all be questioned about on the Last Day, so we must be prepared for that time. This is why 'Umar Bin Al-Khattaab said: "Call yourselves to account before you are called to account."

After death comes to any one of us, it is too late. 'Ali Bin Abee Taalib said: "Go with this life behind you and go with the next life in front of you. Today are deeds without reckoning and tomorrow is reckoning without deeds." Today we commit sins, and because we are not immediately being called to account for them, we forget that one day we will be called to account. However, when that reckoning does come, we will not be able to come back to this life to perform good deeds and repent for our sins.

To summarize: 

1) Make the decisions to repent and continually repent for your sins. The Prophet صلّی اللہ علیه وسلّم said: "Islam destroys what came before it and repentance destroys what came before it." (Al-Bukhari) and "All of the descendants of Adam constantly err, but the best of those who constantly err are those who constantly repent." (Ibn Maajah; hadith hasan according to Al-Albani)

2) Commit yourself to striving hard in obedience to Allah and in the performance of good deeds. Allah tells us in many places in the Qur'an of the great reward awaiting those who truly believe, perform good, righteous deeds, and who fear Him, but He also tells us that we must strive for those rewards: 

"Verily, the Abrar (the pious who fear Allah and avoid evil) will be in delight (paradise). On thrones, looking (at all things). You will recognize in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink pure sealed wine. The last thereof (that wine) will be the smell of musk, and for this let (all) those strive who want to strive (i.e. hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allah)." (Al-Mutaffifeen 83:22-26)

The deaths of others should be a watershed for us; it should remind us of our own deaths and of the Last Day and remind us to repent from our sins and renew our commitment to hasten to obedience to Allah and to performing good deeds. And we ask Allah to guide us, help us and support us in that endeavour.