Aslam

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Chapter X: Remembrance of Death

When the illness of Hazrat Abu Bakr became serious and the people expressed wish for the nomination of his successor, he nominated Hazrat Omar for the Caliphate. The people-said to him : You have nominated for us a very stern and harsh man. What answer will you give to your Lord? He said : I will say that 1 nominated for the people the best qualified man available. When Omar was sent for, he came and Hazrat Abu Bakr said to him : I give you one wasiat. Know that God does not accept your day duties to God at night and He, dpjs not accept your night duties to Him at day. He does notlaccept optionafttUttes until you perform your obligatory duties. Trie balance oiTtriose will be heavy on the Resurrection Day who will follow truth. The duty of the Balance is that it will be heavy if truth is placed in it. The balance of those will be light on the Resurrection Day who follow untruth. The duties of the Balance is that it will be light if untruth is placed in it. God has bestowed the dwellers of Paradise with good works and pardoned their sins. God narrated the verses of mercy and punishment so that a believer renunciates the world and does not lead himself towards destructions and does not hope for anything from God except truth. If you keep my wasiat, you will love no other thing except death which must come to you. If you do not fulfill my wasiat, nothing will become hateful to you than death. Death must come to you and you cannot baffle it.

Sayeed-bin-Mosayyeb said: When there came the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr, the companions came to him and said : O

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representative of the Prophet, give us advice as we see your death near. He said : He who expires saying all these, God places his life in an open space. The companions asked : What is open space? He said : It is an open space before the Throne wherein there are gardens, rivers and trees. One hundred mercy surrounds it every day. He who says this, God places his soul in that place : O God, thou hast created men first although you had no need of them. Then Thou divided the people into two factions, one faction for Paradise and another faction for Hell. Make me an inmate of Paradise and don't make me one of Hell, O God, Thou hast created the creation into different classes before they were created. Thou hast created them into classes of fortune and misfortune, guidance and misguidance. Don't make me unfortunate with sin.

Source: Imam Al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Islamic Sciences)
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