إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون..
Recently, a public figure passed away
I don’t know much about the person, but I do know this : Regardless
of which side of the political fence you were on, everyone who has met him or truly
knew him, would respect him, if not love him – whether it was in his words, his
sincere smile, or humility.
Despite his heavy tasks as leader, he would not compromise
his prayers in jamaah or in teaching conducting his religious classes, and despite
having the means to access of great wealth, he deliberately chose a modest,
humble lifestyle throughout his leadership, and ending on a high by stepping
down after the winning the elections, proving through his actions that it was
never about personal glory or motives.
But as inspiring as he was in his lifetime, it was even more
so touching and inspiring after his death..
The minute the news was out that he passed away, thousands
of Facebook walls, WhatsApp groups, were filled with prayers for him – it went “viral”
on a completely different level, so much so that this hadith suddenly became
extremely popular :
The Prophet Muhammad said, “Allah will not deprive you of
knowledge after he has given it to you; rather, Allah will take away (knowledge)
through the death of the religious men of knowledge.
Then there will remain the people of ignorance, who, when
consulted, will give verdicts according to their opinions, which they will
mislead others and go astray."
(Narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari)
There was such widespread recognition of this person’s
status of a person of knowledge, and a feeling of such a great loss to the ummah,
and that the people lost someone they genuinely love and respect.
And the funeral procession certainly showed.
People would drive for hours to attend his funeral to pray
for him and follow the procession. Streets were filled with waves of crowds,
tens of thousands would come in an event
that can only be described as Kelantan’s streets being “flooded” yet
again – not with water, but with people, for a funeral procession.
Now, you have to stop to think about this for a second :
there is no worldly benefit or material gain in braving this insane traffic to
attend a funeral. This wasn’t a mere act of “public show” to please others: People
didn’t pray for a politician – they prayed for a person.
This was an earnest effort to attend the last rites of
prayer because prayers is the “least I can do – if I truly loved and respected
this man”.
His name, if translated from Arabic, meant “slave to (Allah,)
the Most Honourable and the One who Grants all Honour and Glory” – and Allah
certainly granted him an honourable passing.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, one of the four great imams of
Islamic Jurisprudence, he used to say to the deviants/heretics : “the decisive
factor between us and you is the day of funerals” – and truthful were indeed
his words, when an estimated 800,000 people attended his funeral in Baghdad (!),
whereas for his deviant enemies, only a handful would turn out.
His name will always be associated with the recognition of a
“teacher”, and to his favor, this, along with his contributions to the ummah
and the prayers of his children, will be a means of continuously earning reward
of good deeds even after his departure.
The Prophet Muhammad said, “when the son of Adam dies, all
his deeds are cut off, except three : (1) continuing charity, (2) knowledge
which others continue to benefit from, and (3) a righteous child who prays for
him” (Narrated in Sahih Muslim)
Regardless of which political side of the fence you’re on, as
a human being, this was an inspiring passing and legacy, and that we pray that
Allah grants us with the same, if not better.
اللهم اغفر له وارحمه و عافه و اعفعنه..
May Allah forgive his sins, have Mercy on him, pardon him,
and admit him into Paradise. And may He grant us all with a good honourable
end. Amin
The Prophet said,
" إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ
الْعَبْدَ نَادَى جِبْرِيلَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ فُلاَنًا
فَأَحْبِبْهُ. فَيُحِبُّهُ جِبْرِيلُ، فَيُنَادِي جِبْرِيلُ فِي أَهْلِ
السَّمَاءِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ فُلاَنًا فَأَحِبُّوهُ. فَيُحِبُّهُ
أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ، ثُمَّ يُوضَعُ لَهُ الْقَبُولُ فِي الأَرْضِ "
"If Allah loves a person, He calls (the angel) Jibril saying, "Allah loves so and-so; O Jibril!
Love him."
Jibril would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the
Heaven. 'Allah loves so-and-so, therefore you should love him also,'
and so all the inhabitants of the
Heaven would love him, and then he is granted the Love of the people on the earth."
(Narrated in Al-Bukhari)
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