Alhamdulillah, certainly all praises and glorification are for Allah Ta’ala for His countless Bounties and Favours, which He continues to bestow on us every moment of our lives. My dear readers, we are all enjoying life now but we must constantly keep at the back of our minds that the Angel of death (Izraeel A.S) will visit us one day and we will all have to go through the ordeal of facing him. His horrible appearance alone, when he comes to take the souls of the sinners and unbelievers, is a severe form of punishment for them.

It is narrated that once Ibrahim (A.S) asked Izraeel (A.S) to show him the form that he adopts while taking the souls of the wicked. The angel told him that he would not be able to bear the sight, but Ibrahim (A.S) said that he could stand it. The Angel then asked him to turn aside and he did so. After a short while the Angel said, ‘Now look here’ and Ibrahim (A.S) turned round. What met his gaze was a most horrible, giant-like figure, dressed in black, dark-complexioned and long-haired, with each hair standing stiffly on end, giving off a most disgusting smell, with flames of fire leaping up from his mouth and nostrils. Ibrahim (A.S) could not bear this and fell down unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he said: “Even if there were no other affliction for the wicked, the terrible ordeal of facing Izraeel (A.S) in such a horrible form, would suffice for their punishment”. This is the form in which the Angel of Death appears when he visits the unbelievers and the wicked people.

However when he comes to take the souls of the pious and the devout servants of Allah Ta’ala, he appears in the most handsome form, adopting a very pleasant look. When Ibrahim (A.S) asked lzraeel (A.S) to appear before him in the form that he takes while visiting the pious people, he saw standing before him, a handsome young man elegantly dressed, with perfumes all round his body. Ibrahim (A.S) said “Even if there were no other reward for the believer, the bliss of seeing the handsome face of lzraeel (A.S) at the hour of death would suffice for his pleasures”.

My dear readers, besides the horrible appearance of the Angel of Death, the throes and agonies of death itself are indeed tremendous. No one can truly understand the severity of the pangs of death until he himself experiences it. It was in view of these pangs of death that Rasulullah (S.A) used to make a specific supplication to Allah Ta’ala: “0 Allah! Make my death easy for me and lighten for me the pangs of death”. As followers of Rasulullah (S.A), we also should be supplicating to Allah Ta’ala to make death easy for us, but we take it lightly, not realizing how severe the pangs of death are. The Ambiya (A.S) and all the saints were terribly afraid of death. Esa (A.S) once said to his companions: “Supplicate to Allah Ta’ala to protect me from the agony of death”.

It occurs in another Hadith that Rasulullah (S.A) said, “0 Allah. 0 The One Who drags forth the soul from the muscles, the bones and the fingers, lighten for me the pangs of death’. Hasan (R.A) says that Rasulullah (S.A) once said concerning the severity of death: “The agony of death is as severe as three hundred blows of the sword struck on various parts of the body. Ali (R.A) when exhorting people to go for Jihaad, would say: “If you are not killed (in Jihaad as martyrs), you will surely suffer death in your beds. And, by Him, Who holds my soul in His Hands, the death in bed is far more severe in pain than a thousand blows of the sword struck on various parts of the body at one time”. Auzaa’ee R.A. says: “We have heard it from the Divines that the dead will continue to feel the after-effects of the pangs of death until they rise from the graves on the Day of Resurrection”.

A Hadith says: ‘When two thirds of the night had passed, Rasulullah (S.A) said: “O people, remember Allah! The quake of Doomsday will occur soon! The time for the blowing of the Trumpet (Soor) is drawing near! And everybody’s hour of death, along with its pangs and throes, has come!” (Mishkaat)

It is reported that when Musaa (A.S) passed away from this world and met Allah Ta’ala, he was asked about his experience of death. Musaa (A.S) replied, “I felt as though I was like a goat being skinned alive”. Aishah (R.A) says “When the hour of death drew near, there was a bowl of water lying beside Rasulullah (S.A), he would put his hands into the water and wipe his face over and over again saying “0 Allah! Grant me relief in the throes of death”.

Umar (R.A) asked Ka’b (R.A) about the agony of death and he replied: “0 Amir-ul Momineen! It is as though a branch of a tree, that is all overgrown with thorns, were thrust into a man’s body so that it should entangle with every part and then the branch should be pulled out violently. Such is the anguish experienced by a dying man, in the throes of death”.

My dear readers, we can understand from all these traditions that the pangs of death is not something to be taken lightly. In fact it is indeed a frightening affair which all of us will have to go through. Based on our actions and the preparations we make for death, we will either have an easy and pleasant time when facing the Angel of Death or a difficult and painful one. Let us all, just as our Noble Prophet (S.A) himself did, continue to supplicate and beg Allah Ta’ala to lighten the pangs of death for us at the time of our death. May Allah Ta’ala through His Infinite Mercy cause us to live as Muslims and also die as Muslims with the Blessed Kalimah on our lips. Ameen