A Good Death Comes From a Life Well-Lived
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
143 |
| Khutbah Date: |
04/01/05 |
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِكَ قُلْ كُلًّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ فَمَا لِهَـؤُلاء الْقَوْمِ لاَ يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًاWherever you are, death will find you, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!" If some good befalls them, they say, "This is from Allah.; but if hardship, they say, "This is from thee" (O Prophet). Say: "All things are from Allah." But what has come to these people, they fail to understand? [Quran 4:78]Earthquake, Terri Schiavo and the PopeThe news of the massive Indonesian earthquake that killed hundreds, the death of Terri Schiavo (the case of the brain-damaged Florida woman - who died yesterday after 15 years in what doctors called a persistent vegetative state and almost 13 days after her feeding tube was removed), and the imminent death of Pope John Paul II (the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, longest reigning pope in history and the person physically seen by more people than any other human being in history, having traveled to 129 countries) has once again brought to our attention in a vivid way, the reality of death and ponderance over the purpose of life.
Inevitability of DeathRemember the ultimate reality, that كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
each living thing must eventually die [Qur'an 3:185]. There is no avoidance of birth or death except to utilize the interval effectively. Our existence in this world seems like a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Death is certain and أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ
wherever you are death will reach you [Q 4:78] . A visitor to Basra met Ibrahim bin Adham and asked him the way to the place where people most hang out/gather. Ibrahim bin Adham walked with him till they came to the graveyard. The man was upset and said,
“I wanted direction to the place where people come together.” Ibrahim bin Adham replied;
الذين هناك سيأتون الى هنا و ليس لأحد من الذين هنا سيعود هناك “Those who are there (in the city) must come together here, and those who are here (in the graveyard) never go back there.”Living PurposefullyIf you don't act on life, life has a habit of overtaking you. Most people dread finding out when they come to die that they have never really lived. Note how the hours slip into days, the days slip into weeks, the weeks slip into months and the months slip into years. Then we wake up one day, in the twilight of our lives, and wonder what could have been. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) so aptly reminded us; الناس نيام فاذا ماتوا انتبهوا
People are asleep. Upon death, they wake up. A purposeful life requires moral consistency, genuine care, courage to be you-nique, fostering meaningful relationships, commitment to excellence, and leaving the world better place by your involvement.
- Be consistent in thought, word and deed. Moral consistency is simply about being clear, being honest and being authentic, without being hurtful. Who you are speaks far more loudly than anything you could ever say. ‘Walk your talk’ and be aligned with your core values. Aim to be noble and good; aim to be trustworthy, respectful and caring.
- Genuinely care about others, helping and empowering those around you. Be like the sun which gives away all it has to the plants and the trees; and in return, the plants and the trees in return provides sustenance and shade to others as well as always growing towards the sun. Our lives are but footnotes on the page of history; each has his/her own life and each life is a unique story. Sometimes we enter into each other's lives and become a temporary or permanent part of each other's stories. All our lives are but part of a larger story. The important question is; how do we contribute to the larger story? Sayedna 'Ali advised: “Socialize with people in such a way that when you die, they mourn for you; and when you live, they desire your company.”
- It takes tremendous courage to be YOU-nique. We live in a world where so many people walk the path of least resistance, but if needs be, do not be afraid of taking the road less traveled and doing, not what is easy, but what is right. It takes a lot of courage to wander from the crowd. All too often, we live the lives of other people. We do not live our truth. Realize that the greater the incongruency between the person that you are deep down at the core and the way your public persona appears, the greater the amount of dissatisfaction you will notice in your life. Rather than always giving into the expectations of others, make sure you honor yourself as you live out your life. Know yourself, improve your self, be your self. Remember, at the end of the day, you are the one who has to live most with yourself.
- Foster meaningful human relationships and lasting friendships. The way we relate to people, significantly affects how we live as social beings, and greatly determines the quality of communal life we experience; hence the Prophetic saying الدين معاملة “The Deen (Islamic way of life) is about inter-human relationship”.The way we relate to people, significantly affects how we live as social beings, and greatly determines the quality of communal life we experience. The fact that Islam emphasizes mu'amalah (social relations) as an essential component of the Deen (Islamic Way of Life) clearly indicates the significance of social relations to human existence. Wise ones have said that among the most important ingredients in the formula for a successful and fulfilling life is knowing how to get along with people and being of benefit rather than a nuisance.
- No human being is perfect, but every single one is a work in progress. Commit yourself to excellence in everything you do, but do not seek perfection; and have the wisdom to know the difference. The quest for excellence is not a quest for perfection, for only Allah is perfect; the quest for excellence is actually a willingness and determination to maximize the potential which Allah has granted to you. A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault. Remember that excellence can be attained by man, while perfection is the domain of the Divine. So, there is nothing wrong with making a mistake - there is, however, something wrong with making the same mistake over and over again. Make sure you learn from errors and setbacks, so that your past serves as a lesson to you and you get better and wiser each and every day.
- Leave a legacy. Note that being successful is wonderful but being significant is even better. To live in the hearts of the people around you is to never die. As Jalaluddin Rumi said; “After our death, do not search for us in the tombs of the graveyards of the world, but search for us in the hearts of the people we have inspired.” You were made to contribute and to leave a mark on the world around you; and you achieve that by constantly building your legacy by adding deep value in every encounter with everyone you deal with and leaving the world a better place in the process. Note that part of the fruits of faith is the commitment of the faithful to do good while avoiding the wrong and the harmful.
The very presence of the believer should be a source of benefit, a resource for goodness, إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ whose actions reflect
‘adl/justice and
ihsaan/ goodness
[Qur’an 16:90]. In keeping with the divine injunction,
manifest goodness as Allah has been good to you. [Qur'an 28:77] , Bayazid al-Bustami said,
that person is truly good who does good to others because such doers of good manifest the goodness of Allah. Sayyedna 'Ali said:
“Make yourself the standard in social between yourself and others, love for others what you love for yourself and dislike for others what you dislike for yourself. Do not wrong others just as you do not wish others to wrong you, rather do good as you would wish that good be done to yourself.”
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