Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim
All praise is due to Almighty Allah Who regiments life with ultimate end of every specie and He supercedes all power. Innumerable blessing be upon the soul of the blessed Messenger Muhammad (SAW), and all deserving laities till eternity. This edition will launch us to some unit episodes on aspects of ultimate end of human beings and what follows. It is, however, our expectation that the attempt would cultivate in minds the real sense of accountability in all aspects.
The itinerary employable would include Death Signs; Talqin and Arguments around it (Indoctrination of deceased); Grave and its vicissitudes; Preparation of deceased for final journey; Al-Barzakh (Inter-mediate) and its content; Al-Qiyamah, An Nushur and Al- (Resurrection, Gathering and Judgement); As-Sirat; and of course Darul Khuld (Eternal Abode).
Before long, two main portions of the Glorious Qur'an appear paramount in this edition. These are Suratul Waqi'ah Qur'an 56:83-85 and Suratu Qur'an 75:26-30. While the former formants unanswerable query before man: 'Then why do you not (Intervene) when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat, And you the while (Sit) looking on, But We are nearer to him than you, and then see not; the latter categorically responds to the intriguing query: 'Yea, when (the Soul) reaches the collar bone ( in its exit). And there will be a cry, "Who is an enchanter (To restore him)? And he will think that it was (the time) of parting). And one leg will be joined with another. That Day the Drive will be (all) to your Lord!'.
The above two passages describe vividly the encumbrance faced by human being close to soul exit from his body. A period of disharmony! A moment of incongruence! A session of uncoordinated and dis-enchantment! No human passes through this to survive. It portends closeness of the ultimate termination of soul and eventual demise of the person. This places enormous duties and responsibilities on the close allies and nearby relatives and the victim as well.
To the dying person, it is a period of surrender, a moment of inertia and a point of no return. As part of the expectations, he submits towards Allah, the Creator towards the point of meeting Him. To the survivors, it beholds on them the duty of comforting him, indoctrinating him with the Kalimah (Islamic Code of Evidence i.e Lailaha illa Allah); and praying for him for Allah's mercy. There exists some schools of thought regarding possible recitation of Suratu Yasin (Surah 36 of the Qur'an) to ease his way. After his glorious exit and medical certification, wiping his face for the stuck eyes to close is essential. Removing his clothes, tidying the environment where the death took place and putting his arms legs straight would make his carriage and subsequent processes easier. The deceased is covered to protect his nudity before announcing to neighbours.
For the fact that the ultimate passing away is inevitable for each living soul, some general and specific signs appear observable at old age or sequel to terminal ailments. Granted that Medical Staffers do say in their 'Motto': 'We Care but God Heels'. At the point of 50/50 situation of an ailing patient, duties not limited to the above-mentioned form part of the humanly possible worships. And this would be an indication for series of personnel in whose present people do pass away. Such professionals as Medical Staffers, Fire Fighters, Emergency Staff, Road Safety Corps, LASTMA, Vehicle Inspection Service, Energy and Power Supply Officers, Religious House Principals, Educational and Social Gathering Management and lots more.
Specific signs that death may knock the door in the next 40 days include: I. At daily Asr period, daylight turns to night situation. II. Body feat occurs seldom from head to toe. III. Shivering seriously. IV. Strong remembrance of the past. V. Appearance of strange things; he looks right and left. VI. Zeroing mind for transition and he talks more about it. VII. Stronger health and power. VIII. Tenderness; wanting to be pampered by his people for fear of any eventuality. IX. Talking about strange things. These often happen to a person whose time is closer.
Generally, however, he exhibits traits including but not limited to the following: I. Increase in sleep and moment of rest. II. Reduction in food and drinks intakes. III. Socially, he withdraws from people more than necessary, and IV. There is sporadic change in his life-style. Also, V. There is change in his body anatomy such as urine and excreta system. VI. He experiences drastic lower body temperature. VII. There is physical body weakness. VIII. He struggles to breath i.e difficulty in respiration. IX. Sudden sharp brain, particularly in the aspect of recapitulation. X. There is pain all over the body, and finally XI. He hallucinates more i.e loosing the actual grip of situation.
As fearful as these symptomatic signs appear, they may not necessarily be evident in some other people and their time is fast approaching. This boils down to the reality of death coming incognito and no one has power over death other than Allah (SWT). On the other hand, the central theme of the following poem comes to mind in this respect. It says: كم من صحيح مات من غير علة # وكم من سقيم عاش حينا من الدهر meaning: 'Countless of men who die without dint of ailment as against; Innumerable ailing men survived but lived for decades.' This alone indicates The Omniscience and incomprehensibility nature of the work of Allah.
To this end, the main purpose of bringing this to bear is not only to remember death as in evitable but also that life is all about goodness and fairness to self, relatives, and several others in the body of life. In Sha'a Allah Ta'ala, the next edition would take on the arguments surrounding Talqin of the deceased. Till then, thanks for you being there always. Ma 'as Salaamah.
DR. RAZAQ BOLAWAYE UTHMAN, MISSIONER ANSAR-UD-DEEN SOCIETY OF NIGERIA, IPAJA BRANCH, NIGERIA.
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