Six Feet Under - Death
By Saad Tasleem | 2026-01-16T16:27:18.745588+00:00 | Topic: Hereafter
Six Feet Under - A Khutbah on Death
Opening
(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)
(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)
Introduction: The Importance of Reminders
We all need reminders, and this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told the Prophet ﷺ in the Quran:
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers."
Remind them or remind them because the reminders benefit the believers. And it's interesting because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala didn't say that the reminders benefit people. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said the reminders benefit the believers, meaning those who are, those who have submitted to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Even those people they need reminders from Allah Azza wa Jal.
And inshallah who ta'ala at this conference as a whole, but especially this topic in this session today, I'm hoping with the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that this topic inshallah who ta'ala, this session will serve as a reminder like I said not only for all of you, but for me as well.
A Personal Story: Signs from Allah
I want to start off inshallah ta'ala with a story, something that happened to me, and this is a very, for me, it's a really odd story, something that happened to me and I actually talked about this in my class as well, the fiqh of chillin, but I've thought important, I thought it to be important to share with all of you because there is a big lesson in this story.
And this basically is this one time when I was traveling from DC where I live, Washington DC, Maryland. I was on a flight from DC to Minnesota and I believe it's a couple hour long flight. And during the flight, we started to experience some turbulence.
And now because I fly a lot, usually turbulence doesn't faze me like it's no big deal. I'm used to it now, and I remember once I even talked to a pilot and I asked him, I'm like listen, what's the deal with turbulence? Like should we be scared or is it something to worry about when you hit turbulence on the plane?
And he said, he said you know what turbulence is nothing to worry about. You're just hitting pockets of air and so that you know the plane gets a little bit, it shakes around and just as long as your seatbelt's on you'll be okay.
And he said you only have to worry if you like run into something, right? So like you run into a mountain or something like that's when you have to be scared.
He's like, but most likely that won't happen like so far above the earth. And then he said that this happened. He said, you know, this turbulence experience right now, you never have to worry. I was like, okay, and so until that moment when I'm on this flight I was thinking about what this pilot had said.
So we hit some turbulence and I was like no big deal and they love it's just some pockets of air, until the plane started to freefall. And what I mean freefall, I mean it literally started freefall. It was just dropping out of the sky and it started, it free fell for about I think is about three, maybe four seconds. And I know you're thinking, you know, that's not a long time like three four seconds.
What's the big deal? Wallahi when you're falling out of the sky, three or four seconds is an incredibly long period of time. And I remember subhanAllah as we were falling from the sky, I gripped my seat, started saying my Shahada.
And what I realized is that everyone around me is freaking out like people are losing it. And then I hear people going, "Lord Jesus, please save me." And I'm like, yeah Allah don't let me die with these people calling out to Isa.
But what I realized in that moment right there was that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in our lives continually gives us signs. And sometimes the signs are like big signs, like major signs, and for example falling out of the sky, that's a major sign.
And when we experience death, when we experience loss and all that, those are major signs from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But in our daily lives, almost on a daily basis, we are given signs by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to remind us of our mortality, to remind us that you know what, we're not gonna be here forever and our life on this earth is going to be shorter than what most people imagine.
The Lesson of Paper Cuts
And I'll give you just another analogy, another, not a thing that will help you make real what I'm talking about, and that is the issue of, I know you may find a little bit strange, but the issue of paper cuts. How many of you have ever experienced a paper cut in your life? Okay, most of the room.
Now even in paper cut subhanAllah, there's a sign from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and I'll tell you what that is. First of all paper cuts are very very interesting. Because if you were to go to someone who has never heard of a paper cut like they don't know that there's such a thing as a paper cut or whatever and you were to say to them, you know, I got a paper cut the other day, they'd be like what? Like you got cut by a paper? Like how can a paper cut you?
And imagine like they've never ever experienced it before so to them, it's like, you know, it's a piece of paper like I can tear it. It's so weak. Like what's the big deal? It's just a paper. But in a paper Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has made us vulnerable, right, to the point where we would never expect something so weak to harm us but something so weak and as you know, it can be incredibly painful. That's the first thing.
The second thing is that every time you experience a paper cut, what do you tell yourself? Right after some explicit is probably you say to yourself never again, right? Like oh you got me this time. It's never gonna, wallahi, it's never gonna happen again the next time I'll be very very careful. And what happens? You get a paper cut again.
So you tell yourself you remind yourself that I'm in control of the situation, that I next time I flip the page I'm gonna be very careful and you do that for a while until you forget that a paper can harm you and then lo and behold, you get another paper cut. And when you get a paper cut subhanAllah it's like this tiny little cut but it bothers you and it's painful, probably more painful than like someone punching you in the shoulder or something.
And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in a paper cut reminds us that listen, you're not in control. The reality is that you think you perceive to be in control, but the reality is that it is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who controls every single aspect of our life.
And when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decides that we will go through some hardship or we will go through some pain, or Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decides that our life is over, that's what's gonna happen and there is nothing you can do to control that situation. And if you're ever in doubt about it, think about how you thought that the paper cut could never harm you but indeed the paper cut harmed you.
And subhanAllah I remember yesterday, I was trying to take a nap. I traveled here and I was trying to take a nap. I was like, let me get an hour nap in and I laid in bed. It was here in this hotel and I closed my eyes and I tried really hard to fall asleep. And I was like, I really need to get just an hour's worth of sleep and inshallah ta'ala I'll be good to go for this late-night session that we had and I laid there and I could not fall asleep.
And then once again, I start to think about it and I thought to myself, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is reminding me once again that you're not in control. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we know in the Quran when he talks about the ayat of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:
"And in yourselves. Then will you not see?" (Quran 51:21)
That there are ayat, there are signs within yourself, in your own self. Do you not see? Do you not contemplate and think about what is happening here?
And subhanAllah the difference between someone who is conscious of death and their mortality and how weak they actually are and someone who isn't is that the one who is conscious of it is simply just paying attention. Because all you have to do is just pay attention to everything that is around you.
Desensitization to Death
And subhanAllah we live in a time now where we see major world events on a daily basis. We see hundreds of people being killed. We see a storm come in. We see a tsunami. We see all these things where technically, these are things that are supposed to bring us back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but we've become so desensitized to these things. We see people being killed around the world and wars and this and that and it doesn't even faze us.
All right, and the reality is that we're being disconnected from what we know to be true. And the thing about death, is the thing about dying, is that this is a fact that nobody will deny. It doesn't matter what faith you belong to, whether you're Muslim or a Jew or a Christian, even if you're an atheist, even if you deny the existence of God, right? Like I don't believe in God, even you will acknowledge the fact that you will die.
Not only that you will acknowledge the fact that you will die and you don't know when you're going to die and this is a reality for us, but it's simply a matter of us reminding ourselves and taking heed and looking into and paying attention to the signs that are around us.
Four Benefits of Remembering Death
So inshallah, I have four points for you. How many people are taking notes by the way? How many people are taking notes? Okay, alhamdulillah. I have four points for you inshallah ta'ala on how what death actually does for you, right? So four things that how death actually benefits you.
And I know people tend to think about death and they're like, you know, why are you being so morbid? Why are you always talking about death? Inshallah ta'ala there's benefit for us in discussing this topic.
Benefit One: Helps Us Worship and Stay Obedient to Allah
So four things, number one. The first thing thinking about death, the first thing it does for you, is that it helps you to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and stay obedient to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And this is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said:
أَكْثِرُوا مِنْ ذِكْرِ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ الْمَوْتِ
"Increase in remembering the destroyer of desires: death."
He said increase in remembering the destroyer of desires and then he said, al-mawt, he said death. He said this is something that will immediately put a stop to any type of worldly desires or any type of desires that are in the disobedience of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This will immediately put a stop to it.
And this is actually a very very powerful thing and the scholars of the past talk about this. Ibn Qayyim for example, he talks about how when you're in the moment when you're about to commit a sin, there is an internal struggle that takes place. And the internal struggle is this: do you value this desire that you're about to fulfill more, or do you value your akhira, your hereafter more? What is more important to you?
ARABIC TEXT (CRITICAL - PRESERVE EXACTLY)
As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, I haven't created man nor jinn except for the purpose of my worship, meaning this is the most important thing that you can be doing in life, the worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And when you think about death and you when you think about your mortality and you start paying attention to the signs that are around you, in that moment it will bring you back to the purpose of your life.
Benefit Three: Helps Us Realize the True Value of This Life
Number three, it helps us realize the true value of this life, the true value. And that my brothers and sisters is that this life, the dunya, the worldly things are worth actually nothing.
And you want to know the true value of life? Ask someone who is on their deathbed. Ask someone who has been given the news that you don't have too much longer to live. And I know a lot of us we have people in our lives who were, who are suffering from cancer for example or any life-threatening disease or a terminal illness and you go talk to them and you ask them how they feel and what is going on and they will tell you really subhanAllah this life that I had went by so fast.
And everything that I was chasing in my life, everything that I thought was important, all of a sudden is not important anymore. The things that I thought were so important to me, whether it be material things or this, that things that my priorities that were, that were completely different before I was given the news of death.
All right, so once again when we think about death, it'll make the reality of the dunya come to light. It will make us realize what this dunya is truly worth. And as we know the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when giving an analogy for this dunya, he said the worth of this dunya is like when one of you takes your finger and they dip it into the ocean.
And if you never been to the beach, if you ever been to the ocean you go there you look out as far as your eye can see, there's water everywhere and you begin to realize how vast this ocean is. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying dip your finger into this ocean and take it out and the wetness or the dampness that you have on your fingers or your finger, this is the value of the dunya compared to the akhirah.
Meaning the akhirah is like that ocean. Paradise is like that huge ocean and all that you've taken out of it is pretty much nothing. It says this is the true value of this life or the things that we chase after in this life.
Benefit Four: Ensures We Die in a State of Submission
Number four, it ensures that we die in a state of submission. It ensures that we die in a state of submission. Like I said if we are thinking about death then we will be in a submission in a state of submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And I don't want you to think by the way that just being in a state of submission just means that you're worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. What I mean by a state of submission is that you're living your life in a way which is pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, every conscious moment that you have in your life where
you make the conscious decision that I'm living my life in a manner which is pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
This is a state of submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:
"And do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]."
That do not let death come upon you except that you are in a state of submission.
And I know some people may think of that and say you know I guess I should be praying when death comes to me. That's not the case. What Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala intends here, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala means here is that make sure you're living your life in a way which is pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when death comes upon you.
Four Practical Steps to Remember Death
Lastly my brothers and sisters, and I know time's a little short, but I wanted to leave you with four things that you can do that will remind you of death or help you think of death.
Action One: Attend Funeral Prayers
Number one, attend the funeral prayers. And I know every single community, every single masjid out there, there are janazahs that are happening constantly and I visited many different communities and often times I see that it is quite often that there is a janazah that is taking place in the community and oftentimes I've witnessed these prayers where people stand there, and they pray, and it's just like any other salah.
And it's really interesting because when the companions describe how the janazahs, the funeral prayers used to be at their times, they would say that when we would pray janazah upon someone there would be this type of eerie silence. And that silence was there because each and every person who was attending the janazah prayer, they would be thinking about their own death and their own mortality in that state.
And that is one of the reasons why we attend the janazah prayer. Not just of course we want to send, we want to make dua for the person who's deceased and give our condolences to the family and all that, that is great alhamdulillah, but for you as an individual that is another sign from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for you to come back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
That is another sign from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for you to think and realize that:
"Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
That certainly we all came from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We belong to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and we will all certainly return to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Action Two: Visit the Graves
Number two, visit the graves. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
(Source Name)
"I had forbidden you from visiting the graves. However, visit the graves because the graves remind you of death."
He said I used, I had forbidden you from visiting the graves. He said however, visit the graves because the graves remind you of death.
And so it's not just about the janazah prayer and that is good alhamdulillah. But the moment when you're standing there and you're pouring dirt upon someone who you were talking to just a day ago or just moments ago for some people, that is a very very powerful spiritual experience.
And subhanallah even in those type of situations if you have someone who is talking about worldly things, you need to take it upon yourself and remind this brother and remind the sister and say you know what? This is a moment in our life where we're supposed to have, when we're supposed to be going through an intense spiritual experience when we are actually physically reminded of our own death because we are physically putting this person into the ground and we're thinking about the fact that one day this will be me and people will be burying me and in one day I will have to be accountable for everything that I did in life and that one day Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will raise me back up and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will question me about how I spent my life.
Action Three: Take Time to Contemplate
Number three, take time to contemplate. And this is why I started this talk today with the issue of simply paying attention to all the ayat, all these signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And what I mean by take time to contemplate is take moments out of your day where you're doing nothing, but contemplating life and contemplating death and thinking about your own mortality.
Wallahi if you were to sit for just a couple minutes and look at yourself and look at your own bodies and look at how weak you actually are and how you're not in control that would remind you of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That would remind you of how weak you actually are and how in the end of the day you're actually not in control.
And subhanallah, you know, I know we there's certain amount of dhikr, a certain amount of remembrance that we all do, most of us at least we sit after prayer and we remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or even during the prayer and all that. If you can't take out those moments of your day to contemplate death at least contemplate death when you're making dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Right, when you say subhanallah, remember that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is, you're praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and you're praising him because it is only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who can give you life and it is
only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who will take your life away.
When you say alhamdulillah, you are praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. For example, you're saying thanks to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You're praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because you know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you the ability in this moment to remember Allah. For how many people are out there at this single moment making dhikr and thinking of completely different things?
Lastly you say Allahu Akbar, you realize that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is greater than anything you have in your life, any type of attachment you have to this dunya. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is greater than that and your submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is worth more than anything that your heart may be attached to.
Action Four: Make a List of Reminders
Lastly my brother and sisters, brother and sisters, and this is a piece of practical piece of advice I have for everyone inshallah who ta'ala, make a list of reminders. Make a list of reminders and I believe every single Muslim should have in their life if not moments of contemplation, they should have a personal journal where when they experience things in their life when they look around and they're and they're and they're seeing the signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that they write them down and they contemplate this.
And this subhanallah, this was the way the scholars of our past were as well. Many of our scholars they had their own personal journals where every time they experienced a sign from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, every time they came across something that they thought was amazing or spiritually uplifting, they would write it down.
And so when a time comes when you're just sitting there and you can't think of anything, you open up your journal and you open up your diary and you begin to once again, you have a tool to return to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Conclusion: Death as a Transition, Not an End
Last thing my brothers and sisters. I'll leave you with this one thing and that is that you know what, as Muslims and I know sometimes people as I said before people will accuse us of being morbid. People say you guys are so morbid. You're always talking about death. What's the deal here?
I remember subhanallah when I was in college and I was trying to come close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, I was starting starting to practice Islam. I was speaking to my friends one day who were non-Muslims. They were not, they were not close to Islam in any way. And because this is an issue that I was struggling with I posed it to my friends.
And I said do you guys ever think about death? Because this is something that I was struggling when I was and I was, I was thinking about death now for the first time in my life. It was something which I actually started to contemplate and I asked them I said do you guys think about death and they said to me, they said no not at all.
And I said why? Why do you not think? Like don't you believe that you're gonna die? And they said of course, of course we believe we're gonna die and they said it's just, it's just such a morbid thought though. It's such a depressing thing to think about death. Why not just enjoy the life you have and have fun until you die?
And in that moment I realized, had a lot that the reason why people think this way about death is that they don't understand death properly. As a Muslim, our view of death is that our death is not the end. This is how a lot of people tend to think about death where the death, your death is the end. It's the end of the journey, is the end of your story and all that.
For us as Muslims, our death is a transition to a better life and for us it's a beginning. The birth of an even better life, a life unlike we can ever imagine, a life unlike we can ever think about, the type of pleasures that we can never even imagine. That is what death is for us and death.
So when we look at death and we think about death, it's not only the fact that yes, it keeps us detached from the dunya and it helps us get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Death also encourages us to think of the akhira and for us to remind ourselves and say, you know what? There is an amazing life waiting for me in the akhira and everything that I'm going through in my life, all the trials and the struggles and the problems and this and that, everything that is happening will pass by in the blink of an eye and I have waiting for me inshallah a life which is absolutely amazing.
So I want to leave you with that inshallah. I don't think that death is a morbid thing or a negative thing for us as Muslims. It is something which actually opens our hearts and makes us free and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best.
Closing
وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ