Averting Excessive Fear and Cautiousness of Death

Taken from the book “Disciplining the Soul” by Ibn Al Jawzi (Rahimahullah), Dar as Sunnah book collection translation provided by brother Ayman Ibn Khalid (May Allah reward him). You will be able to download this on this site in the resources under more beneficial books subheading in sha’Allah.

Fear and Cautiousness occur in matters related to the future. A resolute person is he who prepares for what he fears before it befalls him, and avoids excessive fear of what must inevitably befall him, because (in this case) his fear does not benefit him. Indeed the fear of Allah was so intensified in the hearts of many righteous people that they asked Allah to decrease it. The reason behind asking Allah such is that fear is like a lash; if a camel is lashed continuously it will worry, but the lash should be used when it is lazy in order to motivate it.

It was narrated that Sufyan al-Thawri told a young man who
was sitting with him, “Do you want to fear Allah truly and rightfully?” The young man said, “Yes.” Sufyan said, “You are a fool! If you fear Him truly you would not be able to fulfill the obligatory acts!” (1)

(1) Sufyan al-Thawri: ibn Sa’id ibn Masruq, Abu ‘Abdullah al-Thawri, one of the great Imams and worshippers of this nation. He was titled ‘The Leader of Believers in Hadith’ and was well versed in tafsir. He was the teacher of Abu Hanifah and Malik amongst others and died in the year 161H

Section one: Excessive fear 

A person of sound mind should not fear illness excessively, because it must inevitably befall him some time during his life and  fearing what is inevitable is merely an increase in harm. As for fearing death and thinking about it, it is something that is hard to  do but what eases it, is knowing that death is inevitable so caution does not benefit the person in anyway rather it increases one’s cautiousness. Every time a person imagines the intensity of death,  he experiences it emotionally, this is why he should not picture death in his mind, he will only die once, not multiple times, and avoiding thinking about it will ease it. A person should also know that Allah is able to make it easier, if  He Wills, and that what is after death is more disturbing than death itself, because death is a bridge that takes us to our eternal dwelling. However, one should frequently think about death to work towards it, not just for the sake of imagination.

If the thought of leaving this life saddens the heart, then the cure is to know that this world is not a dwelling of satisfaction, rather its pleasure and satisfaction is in departing it, therefore this is not something that one should compete to possess. Thus, a wise person is saddened by leaving this life only because of the righteous deeds he will miss performing, and that is why the righteous predecessors used to be saddened by death as well. When Muadh ibn Jabal was on his death bed, he said, “O Allah! You know that I did not love this world and living long in it for the beauty of flowing rivers or for planting trees. Rather for fasting hot days, forbearing in acts of worship for hours and joining scholars in circles of Your remembrance.”

Section Two: Curing the Whispers

When death befalls someone, he should know that it is an hour of serious suffering because it is a moment of severe pain, when he is leaving all objects of love, his loved ones, add to all that the horror of the throes of death and fear of where his wealth will go. Then Shaytan comes and attempts to have the slave [of Allah] become discontent with his Lord, he tells him, ‘Look at you! What made you die? Is it painful? You are leaving your wife, your children and you will be laid under the ground!’ So he might cause him to become discontent with his Lord, hating Allah’s decree, making him say things that include any kind of objection, or he might make him unjust in his will, giving some of the inheritors preference over others, so on and so forth. In this case, we need to cure the whispers of Shaytan and cure the self.

Abu Dawud reported from Abu al-Yusr (RadiyAllahu anhu) that
the Prophet (SAW) used to say,

“I seek refuge in You that Shaytan flounders me at death.” (2)

(2) Reported by Abu Dawud 1552-1553, al-Nasal [8:283] through the chain of 
Afla* Mawla (emancipated slave) of Abu Ayyub from Abu al-Yusr that the 
Prophet (SAW) used to pray, “O Allah! I seek refuge in you from dying under abolishment, not being deliberate, I seek refuge in you from drowning, from burning and from senility, I seek refuge in you that Shaytan flounders me at death, I seek refuge in you that I die while escaping from fighting for Your sake and 1 seek refuge in you from dying because of a sting.”

Al-Khattab said, “His seeking refuge in the ‘floundering of Shaytan at death’,
that is if Shaytan seizes him when he leaves this world, preventing him from
repenting or hinders him from mending his affairs, leaving an injustice or he
makes him despair from the mercy of Allah or makes him hate death.”

In that minute Shaytan tells his assistants, “If you miss him now [i.e. you do not succeed to lead him astray before he dies], you will never catch him again [i.e. you will never be able to deviate him at any other time] ‘As for the cure for these trials we should first mention that whoever is mindful of Allah while in good health,  Allah will protect him when he is ill, and whoever observes Allah in his thoughts, Allah will protect him when he moves his bodily parts.

Ibn Abbas radiyAllahu anhu) narrated from the Prophet (SAW)
that he said, “Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. Know Him while in prosperity, He will know you in distress.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi 2516, al-Tirmidhi said it is a good authentic hadlth. Also reported by Ahmad [1 : 307 -308] and al-Bayhaql in Shifub al-Iman and al~ Asma wa’l-Sifat p.76. See al-Durar al-Manthur[1:66] and Tafsir ibn-Kathir [7:91].)

You have known the story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) – when he had previous righteous deeds that enabled his release him from the trial he suffered. Allah, May He be exalted, said,

“Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, have indeed remained inside its belly (of the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.” [al-Saffat 37:143-144]

It was narrated that the Shaytan is never tougher on a man as in death and he tells his assistants: ‘Take this person! if you miss him today you will never catch him again.’ We seek refuge in Allah from his evil, we ask him to bless our death and to have a good end.”

Due to the fact that Pharaoh had no righteous deeds, he did not find anything that he could attach to at the time of trial, and so it was said to him,

“Now (you believed) while you refused to believe before and you were one of the evildoers and corrupters.” [Yunus 10:91}

( Abdul Samad, the ascetic, said on his deathbed, “O my Master! For this minute I have kept You [i.e. I preserved Your Mercy so You bestow it upon me at this moment]. Whoever was negligent when in good health will be neglected when sick.”

It was narrated that one of the companions saw an old man begging so he said, “This man was negligent regarding Allah’s orders when he was young, therefore Allah neglected him when he became old.”

The cure for this disease is to encourage the self, to tell it that it is simply a fraction of time that will pass and after it will come the complete rest as the Prophet (SAW) said, “No anguish will befall your father after this day.” (Reported by Ibn-Majah 1629.)

Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash prayed to Allah when he was on his death bed and said, “Should I not lay my hope in Him and I have fasted eighty months of Ramadan for Him!”

Al-Mu’tamir ibn Sulayman said, “My father told me, ‘O son! Read for me the hadith in which state the concessions of Allah! So that I meet Allah while I expect the best from Him.”

Therefore a believer should remove fear and steer the camel as a cameleer of the desert said:

Its cameleer gave it glad tidings and said 
tomorrow you will see the acacias and the mountains

It was reported that Abu Hurayrah {radiyAllahu anhu) said, “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said (that Allah said), “I am just as My servant thinks I am.” Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It was also reported that Jabir {radiyAllahu  anhu) said, “I heard
the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say three days before his death, “None of you should die except while expecting the best from Allah.” (Reported by Muslim)

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad said, “Fear is better than hope. However when death befalls, hope becomes better.”

I say, that is true because as I have clarified fear is a lash that urges on a lazy person. If a camel is tired then we should use lenience. If one asks what of  Umar ibn ‘Abdul Aziz’s fear at death, then the answer is, that his fear was a result of his sense of responsibility for his people and the demands of his innate nature over not fulfilling the rights of others. He used to say: “Truly I fear this leadership!” though he used to clinch to the statements of men, therefore, when Ibn ‘Abbas told him: “Receive the glad tidings, O Chief of Believers! You were assigned the leadership, and you were fair in it and you died as a martyr!” He told him, “O Ibn Abbas! Will you testify that before Allah?”

Section Three: Increase in Anguish

If a sick person increases in anguish, then he should count that as a reward for our righteous predecessors used to like the intensity of the agonies of a sick person because it expiates sins. It was narrated that Ibrahim said, “They used to like to be overstrained at death.” It was also narrated that ( Umar ibn ( Abdul ‘Aziz said, “I would not like that throes of death be eased for me, because they are the last thing that expiates [the sins] of a Muslim.”

Section Four: Repentance

A sick person should repent, as long as he is sane, so that he meets Allah pure from all sins. He should also write his will, put his trust in Allah, Exalted and Glorified is He, to look after his spouse and children. For He supports and protects the righteous.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said this to Amir-ul-Mu’minln  Umar ibn ul-Khattab when he was stabbed. Ahmad reported it in his Musnad 1 :46, and al-Bayhaql in Ithbat ‘Athab al-Qabr through the chain of Dawud Ibn Abu Hind from ‘Amir from ibn ‘Abbas he said, “I dropped in on Umar Ibn ul Khattab when he was stabbed. So I said ‘Receive the glad tidings, O Amir-ul-Mu’minin! You converted to Islam when people disbelieved, you fought with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) when others, let him down and he (SAW) died while he was pleased with you. People did not differ in your khilafah and you died as a martyr.” So he said, “Repeat what you have said!” So I repeated it. He said, “By Allah, the only true God, if I had ail what is on earth of gold and silver I would have sacrificed it from the horror of the Day of Judgement.”

Section Five: Being Optimistic

If Shaytan bothers a dying person and reminds him of withering
away, then he should know that withering happens to the ship
after the traveler leaves it. He should also know that the Shariah has stated that a believer is going to live in everlasting delight after death. So whoever possesses true belief should not be sad, because the destination is a good one and whoever does not possess true belief should be sad over not possessing it.

It was reported that Ka’b (radiyAllahu anhu) narrated from the
Prophet (SAW) that he said, “The soul of a Muslim is like a bird that 
hangs on the trees of paradise, until Allah returns it to the Muslim’s 
body” (Reported by Al Bukhari)

The purpose of this chapter is to show that fear of death should
be moderate, so that it does not exhaust the body, causing harm,
one should fear what is to come after death and work towards it.