Allah (swt) has created a spirit in man, which provides him with life. Hence, we have to believe that death has a reality, when it sneaks to man, it takes away his soul. So in this regard we understand Allah’s saying:

(… الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ) (He Who created death and life …): So that, death is not a negative process – as some people may think- rather, it is a positive one. It is created with a very precise secret in appropriate to its Creator, Allah (swt).

In this verse, we notice that Allah (swt) mentions death before life despite that the later comes first – as we think- but this is not true; death comes first then life exists. Man thinks that life was crated first because life gives him the power to make use of the created reasons by which he plants the earth, buys and sells and makes and invents what benefits him and enjoys his hearing and sight.

So, Allah (swt) here draws our attention to that fact that thinking carefully in life should be proceeded by thinking of its opposite and as the human being is brought to life, hence his/her life will end. This makes it easier to understand the following Hadith which explains what will happen after the people of Paradise enter it and the people of Hell enter it, after that Allah (swt) calls the death and is brought in a shaper of ram and it is slaughtered. Abo Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (saws) said:

“Death will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and made to stand on the Sirat (the Bridge over Hell). It will be said: “O people of Paradise!” And they will look. Anxious and afraid lest they be brought out of the place they are in. Then it will be said: “O people of Hell!” and they will look, hoping that they will be brought out of the place they are in. Then it will be said: “Do you know what this is?” They will say: “Yes, this is Death.” Then the command will be given for it to be slaughtered on the Sirat, and it will be said to both groups: “It is eternal wherever you are, and there will never be any death therein.”[1]

 Being the death in a form of ram indicates that it has an entity. The Prophet (saws) tells us that Allah (swt) will put an end to death so that we will live eternally.  

Allah (swt) is the One Who created life and death, He is the Ever-Eternal, He is not in need of any human to keep His life. He is the Powerful and everything cannot go beyond His Power. Allah (swt) reminds us of His bestowments, mentioning first the death in order to warn us of it, so that we will not be deceived with it and to look at it taking into consideration its end which is the death. Accordingly, Allah (swt) mentioned in this verse that He has created death before life, urging us to think about death seriously and manage our life accordingly. Allah (swt) says:

 إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ

(Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.) (Az-Zumar: 30)

 كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

(Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.) (Al-Imran: 185)

The words: ‘Death is enough as an admonisher, O Umar’.[2] were engraved on the ring of Omar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). In this regard, also Ali bin Abi Talib (May Allah honour his face) said:

“People are asleep as long as they are alive, when they die they wake up.”[3]

This is the truth of the death, from dust to dust:

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ

(From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.) (Ta Ha: 55)

Ali bin abi-Talib (may Allah honour his face) used to say:

‘Wretched is the son of Adam. His time of death is concealed, his flaws are hidden, his actions are recorded, he is hurt by bugs, he is killed by a single choke, and he becomes malodorous from sweat. I wonder at how the one whose days eat up a month, whose months eat up a year and whose years eat up his age, can be pleased with this worldly life. And I wonder at how the one whose life leads him to his death and his age leads him to his time of death, can be pleased with his worldly life.’

This is the reality of life and death. Never to think that you should stop your activities in this world, and wait for the death to come. Never, rather one should be aware about his behavior and actions, keeping in mind that this life has an end and has to expect the trials, the diseases …. and to be patient. Allah (swt) says:

 

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (155) الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (156) أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

(And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, (156) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.”

(157) Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.) (Al-Baqara: 155-157)

Why are the patients specified here? Because in this worldly life you are exposed to ordeals, diseases, death of your beloved people, and cannot anyway escape them whatever you try and whoever you are. Taking this into account, the man will watch his deeds and behavior, so that he will not steal, accepts a bribe, or even lie… rather, will love others, accepts them and lives in peace and accepts Allah’s decree. Hence, reforming the life begins by understanding the fact of death which no one has control over.

 فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

(So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede.) (Al-A’raf: 34)

As this is a certain fact, let everyone does according to this saying:

“Act for your life as if you were to liver forever, and act for your hereafter as if you were to die tomorrow”

However, the Holy Quran states this meaning by:

 وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ ۖ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ

(But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world.) (Al-Qasas: 77)

It summaries the whole rule that the human should live accordingly.

(… لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا… ) (…to test you, which of you is best in deed – …): Allah (swt) has created us for a purpose, life is a test and trial and then we are accountable according for our deeds:

وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ (39) وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ (40) ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ

(And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives (40) And that his effort is going to be seen – (41) Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense) (An-Najm: 39-41)

Clearly, the human who do good deeds in his life will gain Allah’s mercy in the day of judgement.

(  وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ… ) (…and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving –): He is All-Sufficient and is not in need of any creature, neither the believers benefit him, nor the disbelievers harm him.

The Prophet (saws) as saying that Allah (swt) said:

“O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My dominion in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My dominion in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I record for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.”[4]

Allah (swt) is no need of His creatures, without His mercy no one would enter the paradise, the Prophet (saws) said:

“The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise.” They (the Prophet’s companions) said, ‘Not even you, O Allah’s Messenger (saws)?’ He said, “Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me.”[5]

So, He is the absolutely al-Mighty, no one can go against His will, no god but Him:

رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ

(the Lord of might,) (As-Saffat: 180)

He is The Forgiving, as well, due to His Almightiness, He forgives and pardons the sinners:

} إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ ۖ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ{

(If You should punish them – indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them – indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.) (Al-Maida: 118)

[1] Sunan ibn Majah: The Book of Asceticism, Chapter of Intercession, Hadith No. 4327.

[2] Muwatta’ al-Imam Malek, The Men of al-Muwatta’, Omar bin al-Khattab, Hadith No. 266.

[3] Khashf al-Khafaa wa Muzeel al-Iltibass: Vol.2, The letter “Noon”, Hadith No. 2795.

[4] Sahih Muslim: The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good manners and Joining of the Ties and Kinship, Vhapter of Prohibition of Oppression, Hadith No. 2577.

[5] Sahih al-Bukhari: The Book of Patients, Chapter of The patient’s wish for death, Hadith No. 5673.