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LIFE slips away second by second. Are you
aware that every day brings you closer to death or that death is as close
to you as it is to other people?
We are told in the Qur'an: "Every one shall taste death. Then unto Us you
shall be returned (29:57).
Everyone on this earth is destined to die. All nations that thrived in one
time or another throughout history came to an end. Today, we hardly come
across the traces of many of these people who passed away. Those currently
living and those who will ever live will also face death on a predestined
day. Despite this fact, people tend to see death as an unlikely incident.
Think of a baby who has just opened its eyes to the world and a man who is
about to take in his last breath. Neither had influence on their birth or
death whatsoever. Only God possesses the power to inspire the breath of
life or to take it away.
All human beings will live until a certain day and then die. In the Qur'an,
Allah gives an account of the attitude commonly shown toward death in the
following verse.
"Say (to them): "Verily, the death from which you flee, will surely meet
you, then you will be sent back to (Allah) the All-Knower of the unseen
and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do." (62:8)
The majority of people avoid thinking about death. In the rapid flow of
daily events, people usually occupy themselves with totally different
subjects: what college to enroll in, which company to work for, what
colour of clothing to wear next morning, what to cook for supper, etc.
These are the kinds of major issues that we usually consider. Life is
perceived as a routine process of such minor matters. Attempts to talk
about death are always interrupted by those who do not feel comfortable
hearing about it.
Assuming death will come only when people grow older, they do not want to
concern themselves with such an unpleasant subject. Yet it should be kept
in mind that living for even one further hour is never guaranteed.
Everyday, people witness the deaths of other people around them but think
little about the day when others will witness their own death. People
never suppose that such an end is awaiting them!
Nevertheless, when death comes to man, all the "realities" of life
suddenly vanish. No reminder of the "good old days" endures in this world.
Think of everything that you are able to do right now: You can blink your
eyes, move your body, speak, laugh; all these are functions of your body.
Now think about the state and shape your body will assume after your
death.
From the moment you breathe for the last time, you will become nothing but
a "heap of flesh". Your body, silent and motionless, will be carried to
the morgue. There, it will be washed for the last time. Wrapped in a
shroud, your corpse will be carried in a coffin to the graveyard. Once
your remains are in the grave, soil will cover you.
This is the end of your story. From now on, you are simply one of the
names represented in the graveyard by a stone.
During the first months or years, your grave will be visited frequently.
As time passes, fewer people will come. Decades later, there will be no
one.
Meanwhile, your immediate family members will experience a different
aspect of your death. At home, your room and bed will be empty. After the
funeral, little of what belongs to you will be kept at home: Most of your
clothes, shoes, etc, will be given to those who need them. Your file at
the public registration office will be deleted or archived. During the
first years, some will mourn you. Yet, time will work against the memories
you left behind. Four or five decades later, there will remain only a few
who remember you. Before long, new generations will come and none of your
generation will exist any longer on earth. Whether you are remembered or
not will be worthless to you.
While all this is taking place in the world, the corpse under the soil
will go through a rapid process of decay. Soon after you are placed in the
grave, the bacteria and insects proliferating in the corpse due to the
absence of oxygen will start to function.
The gasses released from these organisms will inflate the body, starting
from the abdomen, altering its shape and appearance. Bloody froth will pop
out the mouth and nose due to the pressure of gasses on the diaphragm. As
corruption proceeds, body hair, nails, soles, and palms will fall off.
Accompanying this outer alteration in the body, internal organs such as
the lungs, heart, and liver will also decay. In the meantime, the most
horrible scene takes place in the abdomen, where the skin can no longer
bear the pressure of gasses and suddenly bursts, spreading an unendurably
disgusting smell. Starting from the skull, muscles will detach from their
particular places. Skin and soft tissues will completely disintegrate. The
brain will decay and start looking like clay. This process will go on
until the whole body is reduced to a skeleton.
There is no chance of going back to the old life again. Gathering around
the supper table with family members, socializing, or having an honourable
job will never again be possible.
Compiled from various
sources.
Shahid Khan
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