What a near-miss reminded me about life, death and purpose

Assalaamu’alaykum,

I was reminded of death again recently.

A few close family members were involved in a serious accident. Alhamdulillah, they are okay.
But it could so easily have ended very differently.

One moment, you’re thinking about everyday, ordinary things. What you need to do. The calls you need to make .
The next, everything could simply stop.

It made me pause and reflect on life, not morbidly but honestly. A reminder of just how fragile this life really is and how close we all come to death far more often than we realise.

And this contemplation and keeping this reality alive in our hearts is so important that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged us to:

“Visit the graves, for they remind you of the Hereafter.” (Sahih Muslim)

This isn’t meant to make us walk around fearful or heavy-hearted.
And it isn’t to depress us.
It’s to wake us up.

There is no permanence here. Every soul has an end date and we have no idea when ours is. It could be today or decades from now. Only Allah knows.
And when we truly accept that uncertainty, the world takes on a different shade. We begin to approach life with a different attitude.

Death is not a distant concept or something we should shy away from speaking about. It is inevitable.
And on some level, we encounter it in our everyday lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. We hear of individuals who pass away. We witness it on a global scale. Some of our own loved ones may be living with days that doctors have numbered. 

The secular world tells us to turn away from it, as though it signifies the end of life.
Our faith tells us otherwise.
It opens the door to the beginning of real life.

So how do we use this awareness in a way that brings us closer to Allah?

Here are three ways to let mortality soften and strengthen the heart at the same time:

1. Begin the day with intention, not assumption. 
   Live as though this day matters deeply. Speak what needs to be said, choose what pleases Allah, let go of what doesn’t concern you and don’t delay any good you are able to do.
2. Loosen your grip on what doesn’t last.
   When you remember that nothing here is permanent, grudges feel smaller, pride feels heavier and forgiveness feels more urgent. Examine where your energy and efforts are going. What needs to change before it’s too late?
3. Anchor your choices in akhirah awareness.
   Let this question guide you: If this were my final chapter, what would take me closer to my ultimate forever home and what would pull me further away?

We are not residents here. We are travellers passing through.

And remembering death, when held with faith, doesn’t steal life from us. It gives life depth, clarity and direction, inshaAllah.

Reflection of the Week

If your life were to end right now, what would you regret the most?
How can you begin to bring that awareness to life, more intentionally, from today?

Dua of the Week

اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي، وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي

Allāhumma aḥyinī mā kānat al-ḥayātu khayran lī, wa tawaffanī idhā kānat al-wafātu khayran lī.

O Allah, grant me life as long as life is good for me, and grant me death when death is better for me.

(Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)

Allah's name of the Week

Al-Muhyi (The Giver of Life) and Al-Mumit (The Taker of Life)

O Giver of life and Taker of life, bring our hearts to life through Your remembrance, do not allow us to be among the heedless and grant us a beautiful ending.