REMINDED AGAIN

"Say The Angel of Death put in charge of you, will (Duly) take your souls, then you shall be brought back to your Lord " (Qur'aan 32:11) Like many others, we have experienced the loss of a dear friend of the family. She was a believer, and the third sister we knew in about a five year span who died after having been stricken by cancer. There have been others since the original publishing of this piece. With all of them, the cancer was often found at some advanced stage that required surgery and radical treatment. In some cases, it was supposedly all found and removed and even in remission after therapy, only to resurface and spread. They all left behind husbands, young children and many friends and were relatively young women. It is one thing to lose an older parent or relative, but what must it be like to have to bury your wife, mother, or daughter and watch them deteriorate before your eyes? Another reminder that life is short. Life is unpredictable. Life must end. Those they left behind will greatly miss them. May Allah have mercy upon their souls, and grant comfort to their loved ones, ameen. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: When a person dies all his deeds discontinue except a continuous charity, knowledge which benefits, a righteous child who can make supplication for him. [Muslim] Death is always an occasion for us - if we are wise - to ask ourselves what will we have left behind if we were to die? At least one of the three mentioned in the hadeeth, or nothing to speak on our behalf on the Day when we will not be able to speak for ourselves? Are we prepared to go and what have we prepared for that Day? This piece was prompted by the memory of our departed sisters and is dedicated to them and of all the Muslims who strove to die upon Islam and not upon kufr (disbelief). May Allah forgive them their sins and grant them Al-Jannah. Let us husbands appreciate our wives, our families and our brothers and sisters in faith, but most importantly...our deen. 'Allah has not created a disease except that He has created a cure for it, except for a single disease ... old age" [At-Tirmidhi] As believers we know that it is not good health that determines life or death, but it surely affects the quality of life and to care for ourselves is pleasing to Allah. We know that He is in total control, yet He has given us causes and reasons that we should pursue all the while knowing that our lives are in His Hands. I should add that in most of these cases, the culprit was breast cancer. I cannot stress enough the importance of women getting examined and not being afraid to do so. Early detection and treatment have a much higher rate of successful treatment. My own mother is a survivor as are other members of my family. Therefore, to my Muslim sisters especially take care to have regular examinations and screenings for breast cancer, eat right and exercise and take heed to the reminders that come to us from time to time with the loss of a friend. Perhaps we can more appreciate one another and take care about how we treat of our families and as our Muslim brothers or sisters whom we may suddenly find ourselves hearing news of their return to Allah and subsequently standing in prayer for at their janaazah. Likewise, it their prayers we may need if it is we who precede them. Abdul-Qaadir Abdul-Khaaliq