Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 935 [Read full issue]
Imagining Death
The exercise of imagining death is an act of thinking about death and beyond, bringing to mind the dread and loneliness of the grave, remembering the perils that await a person on the road to the afterlife and living with the consideration that death may come at any moment. In other words, not thinking, "I am still young anyway. Given that I am twenty, I probably have some sixty more years before I die. Some people live to see their eighties," but seeing death as a surprise visitor that can appear at anytime, and making preparations accordingly. As an Arab poet said, "Death comes all of a sudden; and the grave is a chest of deeds." So, whatever a person has gained so far will be the provisions he takes along with him.
Such a sentiment is very important for the sake of the afterlife, for if a person did not walk on a safe road in the worldly life, then the road will not be safe for him in the afterlife either. Thus, that person will have to travel a very dangerous road in the afterlife. Since the exercise of imagining death makes a person gain constant awareness in this respect and makes him think about what will be beyond the grave, it is an important factor that needs to be made use of.
As it is known, during the early period of Islam, the noble Prophet prohibited believers from visiting graves, probably due to the improper practices relating to graves that remained from the Age of Ignorance. However, after some time, when this mistaken understanding was abolished, he stated: "I prohibited you from visiting graves. Now visit graves, for it reminds you of the afterlife." [Muslim]
Compiled From:
"The two dynamics that keep religious life alive" - Fethullah Gulen