Quran Garden

Session 475

Chapter 3

Verse 145

It is not for a self to die except by God's permission, a decree appointed.  And whoever desires the reward of this world, We give him of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We give him thereof.  And We will reward the grateful.  (Chapter 3: Verse 145)

In the previous verse, God discussed how Muslims should act upon the death of Prophet Muhammad.  In the verse under study, God addresses a general matter that touches every person, "It is not for a self to die except by God's permission."  The expression "It is not for" means "it should not happen."  For example, you may say, "It was not for you to hit George," meaning it was neither of your business nor proper for you to punch George.  Such statements are said in matters where you have a choice.  So, we ask, does the phrase "It is not for a self to die except by God's permission" mean that death is a matter of choice?  No, but God's words give us clues about it.  Even when some people drive themselves towards death, they can't die except with God's permission.  And, if death cannot come to a person who seeks it, then the same must apply to people who are avoiding death at all costs. 

Death can only come where God allows it.  We can pull many examples from real life.  Take the case of a person in deep despair wanting to end his life.  He turns to suicide because his faith cannot endure the hardship and tribulations of the world.  On the other hand, a person with proper faith of contentment looks at whatever suffering life throws and says, "I have a Lord, and whatever my Lord has decreed for me is best, for God knows my welfare better than I do.  Perhaps this suffering is atonement for my sins."

Let's get back to the person in despair.  He may decide to end his life by taking a bunch of pills or setting himself on fire.  Yet, we all heard of those who did something similar only to be saved at the last minute.  A person who took pills may be discovered by a family member and rushed to the hospital for a stomach pump.  Another who burns himself or herself may cause severe damage but not die.  Why?  Because if God does not permit death, it will not happen.  A suicidal person tries to shoot himself or herself, but the gun won't fire.  Life is only taken by He Who gives it. 

Here you may ask, how about someone who murders another?  Isn't he or she causing death?  We answer that a famous adage goes: "If the killer had been patient just for a few more minutes, the victim would have dropped dead by themselves." The life of each one of us has a predetermined end, and you will not live for one moment longer than God has decreed.  Sometimes death comes without any reason.  How many times have you heard people say, "She was with us just an hour ago and looked very healthy."  They forget that she died because she was predestined.  The famous poet Ahmad Shawqi said:

In death, and what I understand of its causes... Every man is tied to his book of destiny

If death sleeps, any medicine is a cure… If it does not, then medicine is one of its infantry

Many people have gone to the hospital for an operation to preserve and improve life, only to die during the procedure.  God says, "It is not for a self to die except by God's permission, a decree appointed." 

Let's look through the Quran to learn how death is carried out.  From the verse under study, we know that it only happens "by God's permission," meaning God alone gives the order.  Sometimes the action of death is attributed to Allah, and sometimes the angels carry out His command.  Listen to the following verses.

God retains the selves of the dead and the selves of the living while they sleep.  He keeps hold of those whose death He has ordained and sends the others back until their appointed time.  There truly are signs in this for those who re?ect.  (39:42)

In another chapter, death is assigned to a single angel:

Say, "The Angel of Death put in charge of you will reclaim you, and then you will be brought back to your Lord." (32:11)

And, in another verse, death is carried out by God's envoy of angels:

He is the All-Dominant over His subjects.  He sends out guardians to watch over you until, when death overtakes any of you, those sent by Us take his soul; they never fail in their duty.  (6:61)

All the above accounts give us a clear picture of the process of a person's death.  Allah, the Almighty, is the One and only who decrees the order of death of an individual.  Then, Azrael, the Angel of Death, is tasked to carry out the order by himself or through his angel assistants. 

The verse continues, "And whoever desires the reward of this world, We give him of it." In other words, whoever works in this world will earn a living even if he is a disbeliever.  If you plow the land, you can expect an excellent crop in a few months regardless of your faith, and so on.  God says:

As for anyone who desires this fleeting existence, We hasten in it whatever We will to whoever We want.  Then We will consign him to Hell, where he will roast, reviled, and driven out.  (17:18)

And in another chapter:

Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We increase him in his harvest.  And whoever desires the harvest of the world, We grant him out of that, but in the Hereafter, he will have no share.  (42:20)

Why is this important?  Because it answers those who criticize the Muslims and say that the disbelievers are in a far better shape, with advanced civilizations, while the Muslims are backward.  Well....the disbelievers did the necessary labor to build a civilization, from scientific research to long hours of hard work, while in the last two centuries Muslims have been lazy.  We also ask, wasn't there a period when the believers were advanced, cultured, and civilized while the rest of the world was in the dark ages?  Weren't cities such as Damascus and Baghdad the jewels of the planet with the best markets and top universities?  Who could deny this?  Be careful of only focusing on the distorted, one-sided media fed to you.  Always do your own research and due diligence.   

Allah put the means of success on earth at everyone's disposal.  It is every Muslim's duty to take advantage of God's bounties to the fullest and not leave them for the disbelievers.  Why would you, a believer in Allah, be lazy and leave the means of success to others?  People attached to the Lord are best suited to study, work and explore His secrets in the universe.  If we leave scientific exploration to the disbelievers without competing, then being backward is our own shortcoming.  God says, "Whoever desires the reward of this world, We give him of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We give him thereof.  And We will reward the grateful."

Note that Allah emphasized that He will "reward the grateful" twice, once in Aya 144 and again in the verse under study.  If you work hard, Allah, the Exalted, gives you blessings in the form of material wealth, which warrants deep gratitude to Him.  More importantly, God sent you heavenly guidance to help guard your affairs and guide your spirit to the best of the Hereafter, and that also warrants your deep gratitude and appreciation.