Causes of a Bad End (1/2)

Some of those who appear to be Muslims and act in accordance with Islam come to a bad end - we seek refuge in Allah from that. This bad end may be apparent in the case of some when they are dying.

Siddeeq Hasan Khan discussed the issue of a bad end, and said:

"There are reasons for this of which the believer must remain very cautious."[1] Then he mentioned these reasons, as follows:

(1) Corruption in one's belief ('aqeedah)

Even if a person is perfect in his asceticism and conduct, but there is something incorrect in his belief which he is convinced is right and he clings to that belief without thinking that he is mistaken, that false belief may become apparent when he is dying. This incorrect belief may have the effect of destroying the rest of his beliefs at the time of death. If his soul departs before he realizes and is able to come back to true faith, then this will be a bad end for him, and he will depart from this world not as a believer. Thus he will be one of those of whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:

“…And there will become apparent to them from Allah what they had not been reckoning.” (Qur'an, Surah Az-Zumar, 39: 47)

“Say [O' Muhammad]: 'Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of [their] deeds? *Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.’” (Qur'an, Surah Al-Kahf, 18: 103-104)

Everyone who believes in something incorrectly, whether it is the matter of personal opinion or the matter of following other people who believe it in that way, is in great danger, and his asceticism and righteousness will be of no benefit to him. The only thing that will benefit him is correct belief which is in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, because the only religious beliefs which count are those which are taken from these two sources.

(2) Persisting in sin

Whoever persists in sin gets used to it, and everything that a man gets used to in his life will come back to him at the time of his death. If he was more inclined towards acts of worship, then what he will remember most at the time of death, is those acts of worship. If he was more inclined towards sin, then what he will remember most at the time of death is his sin. It may preoccupy him so much at the time of death that it may prevent him from repenting, so he is chained by it and it forms a barrier between him and his Lord, and it becomes a cause of his being doomed at the end of his life. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"Sin is the harbinger of kufr."

The one who does not commit a sin at all, or who commits sin but then repents, is far removed from this danger. But the one who commits many sins, until they outnumber his acts of obedience, and does not repent from them, but rather persists in sin, is in great danger, because his being so used to sin may become the cause of the image of those sins appearing in his mind and his being inclined towards them. So his soul is taken when he is in that state, so that it becomes the cause of his bad end.

This may be understood by means of an analogy. Undoubtedly, what man sees in his dreams are things that he is used to in his life. Hence the one who has spent his life in the pursuit of knowledge sees in his dreams things that have to do with knowledge and scholars. The one who has spent his life as a tailor sees things that have to do with sewing and tailors. In his dreams, one only sees the things that one is used to because one has dealt with them for a long time. Death is more intense than sleep, but its stupor with its associated unconsciousness is akin to sleep. If a person has been used to committing sin for a long time, this means that he will remember it at the time of death; it will come back to his mind and he will feel an inclination towards it. If his soul is taken at that point, his end will be a bad one.

Ad-Dhahabi said in Al-Kabaa'ir: "Mujaahid said: there is no one who dies, but his companions with whom he used to sit appear to him. One of those people who used to play chess was dying, and it was said to him, 'Say Laa Ilaaha illallah.' He said, 'Checkmate!' then he died. The words that he used to say in his life whilst playing chess came to his tongue, and instead of uttering the word of Tawheed, he said 'Checkmate!'"

It is narrated that another man used to sit with wine-drinkers. When he was dying, a man came and urged him to say the shahaadah. He said to him, 'Drink and pour me some,' then he died. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty.[2]

(3) Turning away from righteousness[3]

If a man was righteous in the beginning, then he changed and turned away from that, this will be a cause of his having a bad end, like Iblees who at first was the leader and teacher of the angels, and strove the hardest in worship, then when he was commanded to prostrate to Adam he refused and was arrogant, and became one of the disbelievers. And Bal'aam ibn Baa'oor to whom Allah gave His signs, but he threw them away and preferred this world, and followed his own whims and desires, so he was one of those who went astray.

And Barseesa the worshipper, to whom the Shaytaan said, "Disbelieve", and when he disbelieved, the Shaytaan said, "I have nothing to do with you; I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." The Shaytaan led him astray and caused him to disbelieve, but when he disbelieved, he declared that he had nothing to do with him, lest he share in the punishment. But that was of no avail, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says,

“So the end of both will be that they will be in the Fire, abiding therein. Such is the recompense of the Zaalimoon [i.e. polytheists, wrongdoers, disbelievers in Allah and in His Oneness].” (Qur'an, Surah Al-Hashr, 59: 17)

(Continued)