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"INNALILAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJIOON"
Allah says:
"Innalilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon" To Allah we belong and to
Him we shall return." (Quran Surat Al Baqarah 2:156)
"Every
soul shall have a taste of death, then to us you will be
ultimately returned." (Quran Surat Al Ankaboot 29:57)
We say this statement, "Innalilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon" "To
Allah We Belong and To Him We Will Return" when someone
dies, when we lose something, or suffer a setback or harm.
But...........do you know what it really means?
In a nutshell it means that whatever we have is not really ours. It
belongs to Allah.
Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have
and all that there is....in you, on you, around you....belongs to
Allah alone. It is Allah who has given you all the property and
goods you possess, the cars that you own, the house that you
live in, the kids that He blessed you with, the health that He
gave you, the time that He has allowed you to live on this earth
are all Allah's property. Even the bodies we live in and the life
that we have belongs to Allah alone. He is the true Owner of
them all.
"And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the
earth....." (Surah Aal-Imraan: 3:180)
"The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in
them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things." ( Surat
al-Ma'ida: 5:120)
Now, since everything belongs to Allah, then we have to include
even our souls in that list. The very souls that we think of as our
"self"; our "nafs"; our "being" – whatever you want to call it –
that very thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world,
belongs to Allah.
And this is the essence of the concept of submission to Allah in
Islam. Since He is the true Possessor of everything, and
everything is His property, He allots what He wills to whomever
He wills.......and then He takes it away. Just like a friend who
lends you his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back
and you give it back to him...no regrets.....no sorrow....no
questions asked. After all, it was Allah's to begin with.
So He may give you something and then take it back after a
while. He will bless you with a precious child that you love
dearly...and then He may take it away. He will grant you money,
honor and status....and then He may take it away. He may give
you youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it
away. Remember....man enters into this world empty handed...
and leaves it empty handed.
Each day that passes, each day we breathe, each day we
go about our lives, and it is but a day closer to our end, closer to
our return to our Creator. In many cultures Death is something
you don't talk about. In fact if you visit most cemeteries, they are
so beautiful with grass and decorations that they deviate you
from the reality of the occasion.
In this issue of the Islamic Bulletin we describe how to
pray Salat al Janaza on page 11 and 12. And while you are
standing praying for that deceased person, remember that the
day will come when you will be laying down helpless while
others pray for you. Have you thought about your death? When
your time is up and you can do nothing more than what you had
done? Every time you hear of someone dying, know that your
turn is getting nearer and one day it'll be your turn.
Think really hard when you are praying and ask for
forgiveness. I look at the whole thing as a reminder. Death is a
fact that is hard to comprehend because we think it is not for us.
Some people think they will go to Allah when they are older. But
how can we be so sure that we will even live an additional day?
The Prophet Muhammad (S) used to remember his death every
day many timesAfter death has come - those who did wrong in
this life, will surely wish they could come back to this life and to
have another chance to do good, and by this time, it will be too
late. Now is the time to change our lifestyle and obey Allah.
Before it's too late, let us be one of those who will be under the
shade of Allah.
The Islamic Bulletin
P.O. Box 410186, San Francisco, CA 94141-0186