Death is the fate of all people. We should get ready before it arrives.
Every person who comes into this world has to leave it one day and move to the other world. The difference between these two worlds is that the first is temporary but the latter is eternal and once one transfer to the other world there will be no coming back. To be ready for this once and for all journey to the other world one needs to prepare himself by doing good deeds and purifying his or her soul.
Readiness for the journey
Imam Ali (as) said: Whoever remembers the long journey gets ready for it.[1] The same way that we prepare ourselves for a journey that may take two or three days, getting ready for a journey from which there will be no coming back will be more necessary. Unfortunately we become so much busy with worldly matters that we often forget about it.
Speaking about readiness for the last journey, Imam Ali (as) says:" O people! Get ready may God bless you! Verily the call for departure has been announced. Thus why the obsession with this world after announcement of the call for departure. Get ready may God bless you and move with the best of provisions which is piety".[2]
How to get ready
If we'd like to get ready for this journey we should seek advice from the words of the infallibles and implement what they have told us. Imam Ali (as) was asked about how to get prepared for death. He said:" By doing the obligations and abstaining from what is forbidden and acquiring the virtues. After that, he has no worry whether he meets death or death meets him. By God it makes no difference for the son of Abi Talib whether he sees death or death sees him".[3]
Those who perform their obligations and refrain from what is forbidden prepare themselves for death, which is the last journey. The Quran says:
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقًّا إِنَّهُ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ بِالْقِسْطِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
"To Him is your return all together. [It is] the promise of Allah [which is] truth. Indeed, He begins the [process of] creation and then repeats it that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for what they used to deny".[4]
This verse speaks of returning to God. According to this verse those who do good deeds and refrain from committing sins are ready for death and there reward will be paradise and those who do not believe in it and do not prepare themselves their fate will be punishment and hell.
Imam Ali (as) in another hadith narrated from him said to people: "O servants of God! Fear God! Overtake death by your deeds. Exchange what perishes with what remains. Depart from this world because you have to do so and get ready for death for it has cast its shadow over you… Make provisions in this world from this world by which you may safeguard yourself tomorrow".[5]
Of course, Imam Ali (as) does not mean us to leave our worldly lives idle. In fact this piece of advice from him refers to the verse of the Quran which says:
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّـهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا
"But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world".[6][7]
May God help us all to be ready for that inevitable journey, before it starts.
Footnotes:
[1] Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 68, p. 189, مَنْ تَذَكَّرَ بُعْدَ السَّفَرِ اسْتَعَد.
[2] Ibid, p. 172, أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تَجَهَّزُوا رَحِمَكُمُ اللَّهُ فَقَدْ نُودِيَ فِيكُمْ بِالرَّحِيلِ فَمَا التَّعَرُّجُ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا بَعْدَ نِدَاءٍ فِيهَا بِالرَّحِيلِ تَجَهَّزُوا رَحِمَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَ انْتَقِلُوا بِأَفْضَلِ مَا بِحَضْرَتِكُمْ مِنَ الزَّادِ وَ هُوَ التَّقْوَى.
[3] Sheikh Saduq, al-Amali, p. 110, وَ قِيلَ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع مَا الِاسْتِعْدَادُ لِلْمَوْتِ قَالَ أَدَاءُ الْفَرَائِضِ وَ اجْتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِ وَ الِاشْتِمَالُ عَلَى الْمَكَارِمِ ثُمَّ لَا يُبَالِي أَ وَقَعَ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ أَمْ وَقَعَ الْمَوْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اللَّهِ مَا يُبَالِي ابْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ أَ .وَقَعَ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ أَمْ وَقَعَ الْمَوْتُ عَلَيْه
[4] 10:4.
[5] Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon 64, فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ وَ بَادِرُوا آجَالَكُمْ بِأَعْمَالِكُمْ وَ ابْتَاعُوا مَا يَبْقَى لَكُمْ بِمَا يَزُولُ عَنْكُمْ وَ تَرَحَّلُوا فَقَدْ جُدَّ بِكُمْ وَ اسْتَعِدُّوا لِلْمَوْتِ فَقَدْ أَظَلَّكُم... فَتَزَوَّدُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا مَا تُحْرِزُونَ بِهِ أَنْفُسَكُمْ غَدا.
[6] 28:77.