Signs Indicating a Good End (2/2)

Death Due to Diseases or Accidents

Death   which   is  caused   by  certain   diseases   or  accidents   as specified  in  the  sunnah   also  bears  tidings   of  a good  end.  The following tradition concerns the plague, in particular:

'A'ishah related that she asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) about the plague, and he informed her. "It is a form of punishment which Allah sends upon whom He pleases. However, Allah has made it [a form of] mercy for believers. If when the plague occurs a believing  servant  stays in  his land patiently  in the knowledge that nothing  can happen  to him other than  what Allah has decreed for him, then he will have a reward like that of a martyr.” [1]

In addition to this, other diseases and accidents are mentioned   in the following tradition of the Prophet   (Peace be upon him):

"Martyrs other than those slain in the path of Allah are seven: the  one  overcome  by plague,  the  drowned  person,  the  one who  dies  of pleurisy,[2] the one  who  succumbs  to stomach disease,[3] the  one  who  dies  in  a  fire or under  a collapsed object,[4]and the woman  who dies during  her pregnancy  or delivery.” [5]And in a narration   from Ahmad:  "Death from consumption [6]is martyrdom."

Death in Defence of One's Rights

Those  who die defending  themselves,  their family, their wealth, their  faith or any other  legal right  or who  are wrongfully  killed by those  who  practice   injustice  and  tyranny  are  considered   to have the  reward  of martyrs.  The   following traditions   bear witness to this fact:

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said. "Whoever is killed defending   his wealth or possessions is a martyr; whoever dies defending his family is a martyr; whoever is slain because of his faith [7] is a martyr; and whoever dies defending himself is a martyr.” [8]

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said; "Whoever is killed as a result of tyranny and injustice [9]is a martyr.” [10]

Death on Jumu'ah (Friday)

There   is a special  grace  and  mercy  from  Allah,  the  Blessed and Exalted,  for those  believing  Muslims   whose  lives He   takes on Jumu'ah, the  day of congregational prayer.  It is reported that Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:

"There is no Muslim who dies on Jumu'ah [Friday] or on the eve before it[11]that is not protected by Allah from the trials and torment of the grave.”[12]

The Perspiring Brow upon Death

A perspiring brow at the time of death is also a sign bearing good tidings for a Muslim:

Buraydah bin al-Khasib related that he was in Khurasan where he visited a brother who was ill and found him dying, his brow covered with perspiration. Thereupon he cried.

"Allahu Akbar! Verily, I heard Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) say, ‘The death of a believer is [accompanied by] perspiration on the brow.’” [13]

Death During or After Good Deeds

It is considered a good sign when death occurs during one’s engagement in acts of piety and worship or shortly thereafter. A number of dependable   narrations   traced to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attest to this:

"Whoever (sincerely) pronounced the shahadah [i. e., La ilaha illa Allah] seeking the pleasure of Allah as his last act will enter Paradise.[14]Whoever fasted a day, seeking Allah's pleasure - and it was his last act - will enter Paradise. And whoever   gave charity, seeking Allah's pleasure - and it was his last deed - will enter Paradise.[15]”

May Allah, the Almighty,  in His  beneficence  and  mercy, grant us His favour and grace so that  our souls are taken  while we are in the most  pleasing  state; and  may He  protect  us from the torment of the grave and the fire of jahannam.[16]May Allah, in His Infinite Mercy, admit us into His Paradise without any settling of accounts or reckoning. Truly, He is the Compassionate, the Forgiving, and the Merciful.