Today, we continue to discuss the topic of Day of Resurrection and death of mankind.

As a reminder, it was said that the most difficult moments in human life occur when the individual is on the verge of death. In this phase in time, the individual's spouse, children, belongings and assets cannot find a way to rescue the person, who is in the throes of death.

Sooner or later, mankind has to face death. In the throes of death, mankind observes scenes which are completely new to him. One of the observations of humans on the brink of death is the observation of the Angel of Death. The Angel of Death appears before good-doers and the faithful with a charming face, while appearing with a scary face before polytheists and evil-doers.

One of the main problems of those, who are on the verge of death, is the strenuous efforts of Satan to deceive them. Satan leaves no stone unturned in order to wipe out the faith of individuals in God, and to divert them from the righteous path. This is the most dangerous situation for an individual who is in the throes of death.

Usually, Satan tries to influence individuals via their beliefs and thoughts or their spiritual traits. Any drawback or diversion from the righteous path can provide an opportunity for Satan to infiltrate the individual's soul.

Obviously, given the destructive role of Satan, the options of Satan for leaving an impact on the individual should be blocked so that Satan's ominous efforts would fail. Upon maintenance of a strong faith in God, and carrying out good deeds, Satan would not be able to deceive humans.

According to Islamic narrations, Satan takes advantage of human's attachment of the material world, in a bid to somehow contain the individual.

In accordance with Islamic narrations, the individuals, who are on the brink of death, should only set their hopes on God, given that the divine blessings are numerous and are our sins are limited. Thus, the dying individual should remember God's never-ending blessings.

One of the interesting facts about death is that humans maintain different experiences in the verge of death. Good-doers are highly respected on the brink of death.

The 32^nd ayah of Surat al-Nahl in Holy Quran notes: "Those whom the angels take away while they are pure. They say to them, 'Peace be to you! Enter paradise because of what you used to do.'

The leading figures of the sacred religion of Islam have presented descriptions of the chaste and faithful individuals on the verge of death, which appropriately shows their situation. Based on these remarks, maintenance of faith in God and implementation of good deeds can turn the fear of death to peace of mind for those, who are in the throes of death.

Last week, it was pointed out that concurrent with the transference of evil-doers from the material world to Hereafter, they are highly repentant of the sins they have committed and the life that they have wasted. It should also be noted that evil-doers grapple with pain and hardships in the brink of death.

The 50^th and 51^st ayahs of Surat al-Anfal in Holy Quran note:  Were you to see when the angels take away the faithless, striking their faces and their backs, saying, 'Taste the punishment of the burning. That is because of what your hands have sent ahead, and because Allah is not tyrannical to the servants.'

One of the features of death is its unexpectedness. Humans usually neglect the possibility of their sudden death. Many individuals make plans for their future, and have several aspirations which they intend to fulfill. However, all of a sudden, they are in the throes of death and all of their plans remain unfulfilled. Thus, mankind should prepare himself for his death.

Remembrance of death prevents the individual from commitment of injustices, and corruption. Remembrance of death wipes out human negligence, and prevents hedonism. Paying attention to the instability of human life, fades away undesirable traits such as greed and jealousy in mankind.

An individual who contemplates about death, sees the material world with all of its beauty and grandeur as insignificant. The 38^th ayah of Surat Al-Tawbah in Holy Quran notes: "… Are you pleased with the life of this world instead of the Hereafter? But the wares of the life of this world compared with the Hereafter are but insignificant."

Mankind, throughout his life, may tread the righteous path, which is the best and least dangerous path for reaching one's destination. However, if he would divert from the righteous path, he would ultimately fail and collapse.

MR/EA