Why Do We Fail to Remember Death?
Imam Ali (AS) said: “What I fear most about you are two things - acting according to desires and extending of hopes. As regards acting according to desires, this prevents from truth; and as regards extending of hopes, it makes one forget the next world.”
In another Hadith, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: “Those who have extending of hopes are the ones who remember death and the Resurrection Day less.”
The Quran says in Verse 5 of Surah Al-Qiyamah: “In fact, people want to have eternal life in this world.”
Some humans want to pave the way for revelry and debauchery and justify them, so they deny the Resurrection Day and say there will be no Day of Judgment so that they can live as they please.
One way for man to deceive his conscience is via justification. He wants to use something that belongs to someone else. His conscience warns him against doing it but he justifies it in different ways. The power of justification is such that sometimes even one believes his own justification.
In numerous verses of the Quran we read that disbelievers and deniers have no reason and logic for denying the Resurrection Day. They only consider returning to life to be impossible. Some of these verses are as follows:
- “They say: 'There is nothing except this life, we die and we live, it is only time that destroys us.' Surely, of this they have no knowledge, they are just guessing.” (Verse 24 of Surah Al-Jathiyah)
- “The unbelievers think that they will never be raised up. Say: 'By my Lord, yes indeed, you shall assuredly be raised up! Then you shall be told of all that you have done. That is easy for Allah.’” (Verse 7 of Surah At-Taqabun)
- “They say: 'What, when we have been destroyed in the earth, shall we indeed be in a new creation?' Indeed, they disbelieve that they will meet their Lord.” (Verse 10 of Surah As-Sajdah)
- “What, does he promise you that when you are dead and turned to dust and bones, you will be brought forth?” (Verse 35 of Surah Al-Muminun)
The Holy Quran answers these questions with reasoning and logic that we discussed in our previous sessions. Here we only mention a Hadith from the Hoy Prophet (PBUH), who said: “When you see the spring season remember the Resurrection Day and your return to life after death.”
Many verses of the Quran too say that returning the death to life is like revival of the earth and plants in spring.
The Quran also mentions examples of God’s power to point out that the same power that has created us can destroy our body and make it again, which is even easier.
