Know that when a person is in good health, he should be both fearful and hopeful, equally. But when he is sick, he should be solely hopeful. The Islamic principles derived from the Qur’an and the Sunnah confirm this idea. Allah Almighty says: {But no one feels secure from the plan of Allah except the losing people.} [Al-A‘rāf: 99] He also says: {Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.} [Yūsuf: 87] And He says: {On that Day some faces will turn white and some faces will turn black.} [Āl-‘Imrān: 106] He also says: {Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; and indeed, He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [Al-A‘rāf: 167] And He says: {Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.} [Al-Infitār: 13-14] He also says: {So as for those whose scale is heavy, they will be in a pleasant life. But as for those whose scales are light, their refuge will be an abyss.} [Al-Qāri‘ah: 6-9] The verses in this regard are numerous. So, hope and fear come together in two connected verses or more or in one verse.
1) A person should be his own therapist. If he finds himself feeling secure from the scheming of Allah Almighty, which is manifest in his persistence in sin, he should turn away from this path and follow the path of fear. On the other hand, if he finds himself fearful beyond reason, he should also turn away from this path and follow the path of hope. He should act like this until his fear and hope are moderate and reasonable.
2) The Qur’an adopts the approach of combining fear and hope. So, a true insightful believer would follow the same approach, taking guidance from this noble Book.
443/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If a believer knew what is with Allah of punishment, no one would hope to enter His Paradise, and if a non-believer knew what is with Allah of mercy, no one would despair of entering His Paradise.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) The believer is honored by Allah Almighty, as He gives him hope for entering Paradise and guides him to do good deeds.
2) The disbeliever holds no value in the sight of his Lord, as He keeps him away from righteous deeds because he has turned away from Allah and followed worldly desires and vain inclinations.
444/2 - Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a deceased is placed on a bier and the people – or the men – carry it on their shoulders, if the he was righteous, it (the corpse) will say: ‘Send me forward, send me forward’, but if he was not righteous, it will say: ‘Woe to it, where are you taking it?’ Everything hears its voice, except humans. If they were to hear it, they would fall unconscious.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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1) The righteous dead person hopes for Allah’s reward, for he knows the good awaiting for him with his Lord.
2) It shows the Prophet’s guidance in education, as he mentioned both fear and hope.
His words “and the people – or the men – carry it on their shoulders” indicate that the deceased should not be carried in car, for the following reasons:
1) This is a tradition among the disbelievers, and the Shariah prohibits us from imitating and copying them.
2) This contradicts the Prophet’s guidance in carrying the dead persons.
3) Missing the benefit and lesson to be gained from carrying the bier and people seeing it.
You should know, fellow believer, that when remembrance of death disappeared from the hearts of the disbelieving nations and they indulged in vain desires and worldly pleasures, they started to avoid any reminder of death. So, they place their dead within these closed boxes inside cars.
4) It is a strong reason for reducing the number of those who follow the funeral procession in pursuit of the reward. Not everyone can join the funeral in this manner.
5) Holding the funeral through cars and motorcades does not accord with the simplicity and ease of the Islamic Shariah in terms of keeping away from formalities with regard to death.
Excluded from this prohibition is anything dictated by need, such as the graves being quite far, in which case we can do so as much as needed, without engaging in such formalities.
445/3 - Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Paradise is nearer to one of you than his shoe laces, and so is Hell.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
Shoe laces are given as an example of nearness because the shoes are in contact with the body.
1) A person should seek to redress any shortcoming in his fear or hope.
2) In his work and endeavor, a person is heading either to Paradise or Hellfire. So, the one guided to righteous deeds should be grateful to his Lord.