Means of keeping one's faith intact at the time of death

  

 

Dying with one’s faith intact and reasons and means for it

To preserve your faith at the time of death, do the following things:

 

 

In seclusion or at night, offer Salaat, cry (before Allah Most High) and supplicate for a death with faith intact.

 

Love the pious folk.

 

Recite La Ilaaha Illallah and Astaghfirullah profusely.

 

Offer the 4 Sunnah Raka’at of ‘Asr.

 

Keep your body free of sins.

 

Even if one doesn’t actually commit sins, one keeps thinking of them, save yourselves from this as well.

 

If you don’t remain in the company of the sinful, you will die with your faith intact.

 

If you desire to die with your faith intact, don’t keep postponing and delaying it, keep preparing for death.

 

Remember Allah Most High profusely.

 

Be in the world but not of it.

 

Keep visiting the friends of Allah Most High, at least once a week.

 

Sleep in a state of ritual purity (Tahaarah).

 

Always thank Allah Most High for the faith and be grateful for it.

 

Anecdote:  Hadhrat Fakhruddin Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was a very great scholar.  He wrote an exegesis of the Holy Quran in 8 volumes.  He came to Hadhrat Najmuddin Kubra (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) and expressed the desire to get his heart reformed.  The Shaykh started gracing him with his attention, which led Hadhrat Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) to feel that Hadhrat Najmuddin (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was removing knowledge from his heart.  He asked the Shaykh:  O Shaykh!  What is happening?

 

The Shaykh replied:  I am removing the knowledge from your heart to fill it with divine knowledge (‘Ilm Ladunni).

 

Hadhrat Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) said:  I have acquired this knowledge with a lot of effort.  It is surely going away.  Who knows whether the divine knowledge will enter my heart or not?  Let my knowledge remain with me.

 

The Shaykh said:  As you wish.

 

After this, Hadhrat Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) returned.  However, he got the thought that at the time of death Satan comes and tries to shake one’s belief in the Oneness of Almighty Allah (Tauheed).  For this reason, he wrote 300 proofs of the Oneness of Almighty Allah and thought that he would best Satan with them.

 

At the time of death, Satan came and tried to shake him off the Oneness of Almighty Allah.  Imam Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) started giving the proofs of the Oneness of Almighty Allah.

 

Satan said:  You please give all your proofs.  The Imam presented all his proofs.

 

Satan asked:  Are all your proof over or something is still left?

 

The Imam replied:  All the proofs are over.

 

Then Satan gave one such argument that bested all the proofs that the Imam had given.  His faith started wavering. 

 

Hadhrat Najmuddin Kubra (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) got to know through spiritual insight (Kashf) that a great scholar is departing from the world without faith.  At that time, the Shaykh was making his ablutions.  He slammed the pail on to the wall and said:  Qul Huwallahu Ahad….(i.e. Say without any proof that Allah is One and Only).  There, Hadhrat Raazi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) also uttered Qul Huwallahu Ahad and he died with his faith intact.

 

        Did you see how the company of the saints, even for a small moment, can work wonders?  For this reason, consider their company as a great blessing.  Develop a relation with them so that you die with your faith intact.

[Excerpted from Qiyaamatnaama of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan]