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Tomorrow is not Guaranteed
By Kadeeja Mansoor
I will always miss my dad, but now I walk with purpose – a purpose of helping my dad in his final journey.
To Allah belongs the intercession altogether.
To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth then to Him you shall be brought back
(Holy Quran 39:44)
The Quranic ayat kept throbbing my mind, as I watched the lifeless body of my beloved father lying in front of me. The sound of rumble of relatives in the room did not register in my mind…. My heart ached at the thought of not seeing my dad again, not hearing his hilarious comments at amma , not knowing his rationalization of issues, not hearing his eloquent and articulate dialogues………
More than ever before I was concerned of him now….concerned about his after life. A wonderful father, he inculcated the right values and principles in his children, now —would he successfully face the consequences of after life? Regretfully my most magnificent dream of praying behind my father lay shattered before death.
Mankind has struggled in vain on the deep rooted question of death - What is death? What happens after death? What is life like in a strange new world – the hereafter? Can we ever imagine crossing the boundary between these worlds into a new strange world? Our imaginations fail to even perceive this inexpressible feeling which can be understood only by divine revelation and inspiration.
Although, we try to avoid this issue, we have to sooner or later address it as it has great implications on our life in this transitional world. There are many competing answers to this question.
Islam, the final and complete religion teaches that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. At the end of existence, God will judge the works of all men. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will enter into paradise. The Prophet of Islam Muhammad (Pbuh) preached “Live in this world as though you are a stranger or a traveller (passing through it)” Muslims consider death as an opportunity to remember that their own existence here on earth is brief.
Now, the outstanding question is how can we help the dead person who has left us? How can we back him in that severe trial? He is now alone, buried in a grave inside the earth. His actions have come to an end. He is in fact in greater need of us than the living. Or while living. He can only benefit from his past goodness and the actions those that the living perform on his behalf with Almighty’s permission.
According to this beautiful religion “When a man dies, his actions cease except for three things: a sadaqa which goes on, knowledge which continues to benefit people or a righteous child who makes supplication for him.’
A righteous son or daughter is a true treasure for a man and profits him during his lifetime and after his death. That is the reason why every parent should try as hard as possible to bring up their children righteously. It must be realised that a dead person knows what his living family are doing. It is said that a man in his grave delights in the righteousness of his children after him. There are many things which the living can do to rescue the dead. They include paying his debts, praying and requesting mercy for his sins, acts of generosity, hajj, fasting and other sorts of worship. These can be credited to the dead person with Allah’s permission.
We all lose our loved ones and grieve at some point in our life. A month has passed after my father’s death. My heart still aches for him. There is not a day that I have stopped thinking of him ….But now the people around me register to my mind, slowly I return to my previous self. I will always miss my dad, but now I walk with purpose – purpose of helping my dad in his final journey.
(The writer can be reached at khadeeja@hamriyahfreezone .ae)
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