In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Some people understand this verse
to mean that a person
must not die except while they are a believer.
However,
can a person guarantee that?
And does a person know
when they will die, so that
they may die as a believer?
No one is able
to guarantee that.
Nor does a person know the time
or the place in which they will die.
But they can only
strive to die
with a good ending,
dying while they are upon faith
and Islam.
At that point, it does not harm them in which
land they die.
For the life of a person, even if it is long,
is short,
and hearts are prone to change.
And you, O servant of Allah,
are required to die
while you are upon faith.
You are required to worship Allah
until the very last moment.
The Almighty says:
"And worship your Lord
until there comes to you
the certainty [of death]."
So beware of having
a bad ending.
For the command to observe piety and worship
continues until death,
so that you may attain a good ending.
The Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has explained
that some people
strive in acts of obedience
and distance themselves from sins throughout
their lives,
but shortly before death,
they commit evil deeds and sins,
and thus die in that state,
and their lives are concluded with
an evil ending.
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A man
may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise
until there is only a cubit
between him and it,
then the decree overtakes him,
and he performs the deeds of the people of
the Fire and enters it."
On the authority of Sahl Ibn Sa'd,
may Allah be pleased with him,
[it is narrated] that a man among the Muslims
in one of the battles with the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
fought with great valor.
The Companions were impressed
by this and said,
"No one among us
has performed today as
so-and-so has."
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"Know that he
is among the people of the Fire."
Some of the Companions asked,
"Who among us is of the people of Paradise
if this man is of the
people of the Fire?"
A man from the group said,
"I will follow him and see
what he does."
He followed him, and he said:
"The man was severely wounded,
and he sought to hasten his death.
He placed his sword upon
the ground, with the tip of
his sword between his breasts,
then he leaned upon his sword
and killed himself."
The man returned to the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and said,
"I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah."
He asked, "Why is that?"
He said,
"The man whom you mentioned earlier,
that he is of the people of the Fire—
the people were astonished by that,
so I said, 'I will find out for you.'
I went out in pursuit of him,
until he was severely
wounded,
and he sought to hasten his death.
He placed the blade of his sword on the ground,
with its tip between his breasts,
then he leaned upon it
and killed himself."
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said
at that moment:
"A man may perform
the deeds of the people of Paradise
as it appears to the people,
while he is actually of the people of the Fire."
Indeed, deeds are judged by their endings.
So work, O Muslim,
and be consistent in your deeds,
and beware of dying
while you are in a state of sin.
For what matters is the end.