“Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 31:34)
“Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 31:34)
Although often forgotten about or guiltily pushed away from our thoughts, the fact remains that this world is but temporal. Death is the only thing certain for us all, and is the only thing truly guaranteed in this life.
But Islam teaches us not to fear death, and to embrace our fate with the next world. While it is easy to fear the pain of death or the unknown, it is in fact our lives here on earth today that we must fear the most. For those who truly believe in Allah, death is a welcome passage.
Death and Islam: 8 Hadiths You’ve Probably Never Read About Death
In respected remembrance of our shared fate with death, here are but a few verses from our Holy Quran:
1. Every Soul Shall Taste Death
“Every self will taste death. You will be paid your wages in full on the Day of Rising. Anyone who is distanced from the Fire and admitted to the Garden, has triumphed. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of delusion.” (Quran, 3:185)
Here, Allah reminds us that we all, collectively as a human race, have a shared destiny with death – none can escape it. What remains for us to do, then, is to ensure we are truly living lives worthy of worshipping and loving Allah. We musn’t fall into the trap of believing this temporal world is worth risking our relationship with Allah.
2. Allah Will Never Delay A Soul When Its Time Has Come
“And spend [in the way of Allah ] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous’. But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” (Quran, 63:10-11)
The Quran reminds us time and time again to never take this life for granted – and to never overestimate how long we have on this earth. We must continously strive towards becoming better Muslims, lest we regret it when it is too late.
3. No Soul Perceives In What Land It Will Die
“Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 31:34)
To truly understand tawheed, the Oneness of Allah, will be a lifelong journey – and this verse is a powerful reminder of how much at mercy we are with Allah. None of us can know when our time with death has come, and we must truly believe, accept, and embrace whatever Allah has Planned for us.
4. When Their Specifed Time Has Come, They Cannot Delay It For A Single Hour
“When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward.” (Quran, 16:61)
Here again, we are reminded of our fate with death – none of us can change it. As much as we like to believe we are in control of our lives – even our health, we must submit to Allah’s Will at all times and accept death as a blessing and a preordained end to our life here on earth.
5. Oh Soul At Rest, Return To Your Lord
“O soul that are at rest! Return to your Lord, well-pleased (with him), well-pleasing (Him), So enter among My servants, And enter into My garden.” (Quran, 89:27-30)
Finally, despite our innate fears around death, we must be assured that to embrace death is perhaps the only true comfort we have in this world – we are finally returing to Allah and inshallah, will be blessed with His Glad-Tidings. All we can do is pray for the strength to welcome our death as the last of Allah’s blessings here on earth.
