A Sudden Loss
A young brother died in an auto accident this week, and we have Janazah today. It is devastating for the family, and the community is shocked. We try to seek guidance from Quran and Sunnah on this topic.
Baqarah 153-157
We will deal with each topic covered in these verses: sabr and salah, the concept of shaheed, the test from Allah, what to say, and the promise of reward.
یَاأَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِینُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِ ینَ وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَن یُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِیلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْیَاءٌ وَلَـكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُ ونَ وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَ اتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِ ینَ الَّذِینَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِیبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَیْهِ رَ اجِعُونَ أُولَـئِكَ عَلَیْهِمْ صَلَوَ اتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَ حْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salât. Truly! Allâh is with As-Sâbirun. And say not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh, 'They are dead.' Nay, they are living, but you perceive it not. And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirun, who, when afflicted with calamity, say: 'Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.' They are those on whom are the Salawât from their Lord, and Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.”
Al-Baqara 2:153-157
Sabr and Salah
Allah SWT is asking us for patience because He alone knows the wisdom of what happens, and daily prayer helps us be patient and steadfast. "Those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning" (Az-Zumar 39:10). "Verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) will die and verily, they (too) will die" (Az-Zumar 39:30).
No one knows where they will die: "No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die" (Luqman 31:34). "Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" (An-Nisa 4:78). "Everyone shall taste death. Then unto Us you shall be returned" (Al-Ankabut 29:57).
The Concept of Shaheed
According to Islamic jurisprudence, 'shaheed' is of two kinds: shaheed in the real sense, and shaheed in the constructive sense. A shaheed in the real sense is a Muslim killed during jihad or killed by any person unjustly — such a person is buried without a ritual bath (though the Janazah prayer is still offered, and a proper kafn given), and deserves a great reward in the Hereafter, with hope Allah forgives his sins and admits him to Jannah. Some traditions state the body of such a person remains protected in the grave from contamination or dissolution.
The Prophet (PBUH) included in the category of shaheed 'in the constructive sense' a large number of others — someone who dies in an epidemic, in an unexpected accident like a fire or traffic accident, drowned in water, or a woman who dies during childbirth. Allama Jalaluddin Suyuti collected the Hadiths relating to this and found thirty such categories mentioned by the Prophet. In normal usage the word 'shaheed' is applied only to the first kind, though it is not prohibited to use it for those in the second.
Test from Allah — Part of Life
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَ اتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِ ینَ“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives, and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirun (the patient).”
Al-Baqara 2:155
What to Say
We all know to say this — we are leaving matters to Allah SWT. We came from Him and to Him we return. This can be said for any loss, not just loss of life.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَیْهِ رَ اجِعُونَ“Truly! To Allâh we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.”
The Promise of Reward
أُولَـئِكَ عَلَیْهِمْ صَلَوَ اتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَ حْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ“They are those on whom are the Salawât from their Lord, and Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.”
Guidance from the Prophet (PBUH)
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allah Almighty says that My believing servant has paradise when I take a loving member of his family and he is patient" (Bukhari). He also said, "The test from Allah continues to stay with the believing male and female in himself, in his child, and in his wealth till he meets Allah Almighty and has no sins" (Tirmidhi).
Abu Yahya Suhaib ibn Sinan (RA) narrated the Prophet said, "It is a strange thing for a believer — everything is good for him. Whenever good reaches him, he is thankful, hence rewarded; and whenever he is hit by a calamity, he is patient, hence rewarded" (Muslim). Anas (RA) narrated, "The level of reward depends upon the gravity of the test, and when Allah likes a group of people, He tests them; whoever accepts happily is rewarded, and whoever is disappointed and unhappy is to be punished" (Tirmidhi).
Abu Said and Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated the Prophet said, "Whenever a Muslim is afflicted with fatigue, lasting illness, worry, sadness, harm, or distress, or even pricked with a thorn, Allah will forgive his sins and mistakes" (Agreed Upon). And Anas (RA) narrated that when the Prophet entered the room where his son Ibrahim was dying, tears fell from his eyes; asked about it by Abdur Rahman ibn Auf (RA), he said, "Indeed, the eyes shed tears, the heart saddens, and we can't say but to please our Lord, and we are sad for the departure of you, O Ibrahim" (Bukhari).
A Sobering Reminder: Get Your Affairs in Order
If you died today: would your spouse know where everything related to your responsibility was? Would he or she know how to talk to the kids about important topics, how to contact people at your work, or have access to your accounts and financial information? Would they know how many missed fasts or prayers you needed to make up, so it could be done after your death? Would they know who you owed money to, and where the will or power of attorney paperwork was?
We plan for many useless things in life. We talk to our spouses about many things, but the one thing we don't talk about is what happens after we're gone. Please talk today like it's the last day and last opportunity.
Closing Duas
O Allah! Forgive the living and the deceased, present and absent, young and old, males and females. To whomsoever You give life, keep him faithful, and whomsoever You take in death, take as a believer. Forgive our deceased brother and show him Your mercy — You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.