SPIRIT OF ISLAM DECEMBER 2018

36 Spirit of Islam Issue 72 December 2018 there are others who think about death very often. Now, in such cases the question arises, does remembering death help us in any way and does it have any benefits or will it lead people into fear and negativity? The Guardian weekly quoted Linda Kurtz in the following words: "Death is not the last taboo at all, but a very modern one. In this era of demystification, death becomes perverse and more mysterious, more terrible, than ever before. We need to have death back again. Its transcendence puts banalities, impotence, frustration, vanities and some kinds of love in their places. Contemplation of terminal issues is not in the least morbid, but life enhancing”. How so are they life enhancing, we might ask? Were man to remember the reality of death, his life would undergo the most sublime of transformations. It would drive home the point with tremendous force how inane it was to oppress the poor, unfortunate individuals who crossed his path and fell into his clutches. He would realize how senseless it was to ill-treat others, how mindless it was to entertain ideas of his own greatness, for greatness which cannot endure is of no intrinsic value, how useless it was to have accumulated wealth which is of no use after death. Not keeping the reality of death in mind makes man drift through life, an unthinking, pleasure-seeking, power-hungry, fame-loving, materially ambitious creature who enjoys making friends and accumulating riches and spending time in merry making. He revels in trivial distractions. Death comes unannounced and unbidden. In an instant he is bereft of all his worldly possessions , his friends, his loved ones, his pleasures, his riches—all that he holds dear and he is carried away to the utter solitude of the grave. The Messenger of God  said: “These hearts rust just as iron rusts" When someone asked what is the method of polishing, the Prophet replied, ”Frequent remembrance of death and recitation of  the Quran." o Persistence The only condition of success is continuous effort, that is, to make such unflagging efforts, as are essential to achieve the desired objectives.