DEATH: A DEMOLISHER OF DESIRES

DEATH: A DEMOLISHER OF DESIRES Live Life Better Every human being is bound to taste death. (THE QURAN 3: 185) T HE Quran reminds us that our deaths have been decided by God. We are brought to life by God’s decision. Likewise, death, too, happens because God wills it so. Unlike what many people believe, death is not an accident. Rather, it is a test. If we think of death as an accident, it leads us to be miserable. On the other hand, if we accept death as a reality, we can be fired with a new determination. Accepting the above concept of death will create a mindset wherein a person will take life seriously resulting in motivating him to live a God oriented life. It will prevent him from misusing God given freedom. Everyone who is born into this world has been born in order to go through an examination. For each of us, a certain period of time has been decreed for this examination. Once this period of time is over, the angel of death appears to take our souls and convey us to the world of the Hereafter. We need to be realistic—to face the reality as it is—on the question of death. We must accept death as an undeniable fact. We need to take death as a means to learn appropriate lessons, not as something to regret or mourn about. Along with acceptance one should also remember death often as it demolishes all desires. Just as the one who accepts the reality of death, will become exceedingly serious, the one who remembers death often will become very conscious of the accountability for each and every deed he does in this world. He will be extra careful to spend his time, talent and energy for doing good in this world and refrain from going towards what gives him pleasure. He will train himself to be a paradisiacal personality. The Prophet of Islam said, “Remember death often because it demolishes all desires.” (Sunan Ibn Majah). We need to accept death as an undeniable fact. We must take death as a means to learn appropriate lessons, not as something to regret or mourn about.