Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)

Have you prepared your shroud?

Have you prepared for that? Indeed, we busy ourselves with things that preoccupy us so much that we lose track of time. Sadly, some even preoccupy themselves with things that don’t benefit them here and the Hereafter. 

Whenever I hear of stories of death, nothing impacts me more than the deaths of the sahabah, let alone the time when our beloved Prophet ﷺ passed away. Yet, one particular incident in one of the lives of the most prominent sahabah and one of the 10 Promised Jannah (العشرة المبشرون) had always rerouted me to keep in track - and this was the moment when Sa'ad Ibn Waqqas Radiyallahu Anhu was about to pass away. 

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The story goes as follows: In a placed called Aqeeq, when Sa'ad Ibn Al Waqqas Radiyallahu Anhu was sitting his head on the chest of his son (Mus'ab); he with his tearful eyes says: “Don’t worry, I have full faith in my Lord, he will not punish me." 

At last, the time came which none can escape. Sa'ad Radiyallahu Anhu then gestures his son towards a box, his son opens the box and finds a robe. Before his son asks, he says: "This is the same robe I wore on the day of Badr, I was keeping it safely for this day, this is my shroud." 

He was 78 when he died. The people carried his shrouded body on their shoulders to the Prophet’s ﷺ masjid in Madinah. During this time, the governor of Madinah, Marwan Ibn Hakam led his funeral (janazah) prayer. He was the last Muhajir who died in Madinah.

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Subhan'Allah. Look at how he lived his life, him keeping and preparing his shroud throughout his life tells you so much about how he had prepared to meet his Lord. 

Let me ask you something, when you read this story just now - did it affect you? If not, then I ask you to read it again but now put yourself in the shoes of Sa'ad, imagine that moment when you are about to pass away from this world and you are on your deathbed - are you prepared? 

- and I mean now in this status you are in life in terms of your ibadah and have you truly fulfilled the rights of Allah upon you, would you be like Sa'ad who was able to reassure his son that he has full faith in Allah? 

We all sin, none of us have never sin and we ask Allah to forgive our sins and accept our repentance for things that we have done both in public and especially the ones we have committed in private. 

Think about it, even the Prophets had to die to meet Allah even the most beloved one (the Prophet ﷺ) to Allah had to die to be with Him - so how are you living this life as if you will not eventually go through what they went through?

Indeed, maybe it is time we have to think about things like our shrouds but most importantly we have to prepare ourselves with our meeting with Allah - not just by keeping our shrouds ready but through improving our ibadah and fulfilling the rights of Allah upon us so that our meeting with Him would be the most beautiful day of our lives. 

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and we pray that Allah kindles our hearts to repent to Him in full sincerity and enable us to change into the person that He would be most pleased of and may He take us only at the time when He is most pleased with us and that we are Muslims. 

Amin. 

Story taken was taken from: 

[1] Al Mujam Al Saber | Tabarani 1/143 Hadith 316 [2] Al Mustadrak | Hakim 3/496 

For detailed story see Usud Al Ghaabah 2/452 and Tabaqat Al Kubra | Ibn Sa'ad 147, 145, 140
Zohayma