THE LAST HOURS

Now I must write about the last hours, which have been imposed, on me. There is no way out; death spares no one. The Holy Quran says,

﴾Wherever you are, death will overtake you though you be in lofty towers﴿¹...

Is there any escape from Allah's order? The Divine narration says, Whoever rejects My rule, should leave My Earth and Heaven. Every believer should accept death willingly; with whatever pleases Allah, the Almighty. Am I sorry to be leaving this world? The answer is: Yes and No. I am sorry at leaving it because it is the way that leads to Allah's pleasure and mercy. Its days are trials offered to man in which to make his choice. Had I to live longer I might achieve a better level in the worship of Allah. There is another reason for my sorrow. My friends and relatives will feel sad and miss me; but this is the nature of life. I am not sorry, because it is not worth a feather, as a poet says,... One should be careful of its plots. Divorce is thrice (three times in the Islamic Religion) yet I divorced it a thousand times... Its changes are fearful, its promises are false and its hopes are worn out. I wonder how some hold onto such a hope. Don't they know, good deeds are the best provisions and that the final settlement is in graves?... Oh, how sorry one feels when the last hours draw near. How regretful one is for past errors! How one wishes for a new chance to make-up for them! One is ready to give whatever one has, to make-up for those sins. How wonderful it is for one to call oneself to account. How wise it is for one to consider the result of each step one takes in life, so that one may not feel sorry at the last hours. The Holy Quran says,... ﴾most surely (one's) self is wont to command evil except such as my Lord had mercy on, surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful﴿².

Oh God, I do love Thee, the same as I fear Thee... Oh God, grant me Your mercy and forgiveness, deprive me not of Your pleasure...Oh Mighty God, how happy I am to be released of the chains and concerns of this world. I am happy to becoming free of its evils and sins. Oh God, grant those who loved me patience and double their reward. ﴾Oh God, keep them on the right path, so that they can continue their good deeds through which I may survive...Oh God, grant me mercy... surely Thou art the most liberal Giver﴿³….

^{* Short Stories, The Last Hours. By: Bint Al-Huda. Published by: Islamic Thought Foundation Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran October 1987. Reproduced with permission by the Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project team.}

^{1- al-Nisa: 78
2- Yousef, 53
3- Aale-Imran: 8}