Death, dying and martyrdoom

In Islam the concept of death is not the end, but a transition to paradise for believers and a sentence to hellfire and doom for the wicked “Every soul will taste of death. And you will be paid your reward fully only on the day of resurrection.” (Quran 3:184). Translations by Maulana Muhammed Ali] “Every soul must taste of death; then to Us you will be returned.” (Quran 29:57)

In Islam, death does not result in a final ending, but opens the way to a different or higher form of life, according to the late Maulana Muhammed Ali, a Pakistani writer and scholar. This transition depends on the deeds the individual has done. If he or she has done good deeds, he or she goes to Paradise; however, if they have done bad things, they will suffer in Hell. It is debatable whether that individual stays in Hell for eternity or is allowed out by God’s will.

When an individual is at the point of dying, an angel or archangel known as the “Angel of Death” is assigned to remove the soul from the body. “The angel of death, who is given charge of you, will cause you to die, then to your Lord you will be returned.” (Quran 32:11) The journey of the dead soul to heaven is taken up in the hadith, or traditions concerning the life and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. This is not unlike present-day accounts of near-death experiences in which the individual is escorted along a path by an unseen presence and is asked such questions as to who he or she is.

Under normal circumstances family members and friends would be with the dying person and encourage that person to say the Fatiha, or opening verses of the Quran in their shortened form known as the shahada – “There is no god but...