It might have happened for all of us\nthat things get terrible to an extent and the life becomes miserable and\nunwanted. In such cases many people hope for death. Is death something\ndesirable, and is it counted as success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There have been schools in which\ndepict the relation between the human and the world, or the soul to the body as\nthe relation of the prisoner to the prison, and the relation of the bird with\nthe cage. Obviously, based on such schools, death would be release and freedom.\nSo suicide is acceptable, and death is a positive value. (1) Therefore death\nshould be desired, and no one\u2019s death is sorrowful, but rather joyful, because\nit is freedom from the prison, and release from the cage. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another view is that death is\nannihilation and vanishing, and on the contrary life is being and existence.\nTherefore life is preferable to death in all occasions, as it is evident that\nexistence is preferable to nonexistence, and being to nonbeing. (2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another theory is that death is not\nannihilation, but rather transfer from one world to another. However, the\nrelation between the human to the world, or the soul to the body is not like\nthe relation of the prisoner to the prison, or the bird to the cage. Instead it\nis similar to the relation of the student to the academia. Although the student\nis far away from home and friends, sometimes away from his homeland, and has to\nstudy in a restricted place, but he finds the prosperous life in the society\nattainable by a successful academic record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The relation of the world to the\nafterworld and the body to the soul is like that. Therefore if the people with\nsuch attitude do not attain an acceptable standard, and spend their time in\nuseless and wasteful actions they would definitely look to death as a very\nhorrible matter. Such people fear death because they fear themselves and their\nactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the one with the same attitude who\nin practice, as well, has succeeded is like the student with an acceptable\neducational record. A student like this would obviously miss his homeland and\nhis family and friends with a burning heart, but still he would struggle\nagainst such quest of returning because he does not want to leave his studies\nundone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The saints are similar to that\nsuccessful student, who the transference to the other world that is called\ndeath is a wish for them (3), a wish that keep on their minds. At the same\ntime, they never choose death upon life because they know that the only\nopportunity for hard work and perfection is what is called life. They know that\nthe more they stay the more they achieve human perfection. Therefore they fight\ndeath, and always pray for a longer life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the saints give up praying for\nlonger life in two conditions. First is in martyrdom. The saints appreciate\ndeath in the form of martyrdom because it includes both hard work and\nperfection. Second is in the case in which they feel that if they stay more\nthey not only do not move toward perfection, but also they move against it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This logic and point of view towards\ndeath is reflected in a short but deep statement from the prayer \u201cMakarim\nal-Akhlaq\u201d taught by Imam Ali Ibn al-Hussain (PBUH). He whispers to his creator\nas thus, \u201cMy God, grant me life as long as it gets devoted to compliance, [but]\nif my life is to be used by Satan as a pasture, then take me back to Yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, how do you and I look to death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Selection taken\nfrom the article \u201cMartyr\u201d, by martyr Mutahari (with minor changes and\nsummarization))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roshd website offers condolences upon\nthe 25th of Muharram al-Haram, the martyrdom anniversary of the Master of\nProstrators and the beauty of worshippers, Imam Ali ibn al-Hussain (PBUT) to\nthe Muslims of the world and especially you dear friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Apparently\n\u201cMaani\u201d, who claimed being a prophet, had such theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Some\nattribute this statement to Galen, the famous European physician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. The Holy\nQuran says to the Bani Israel, who claimed that they were friends of God, \u201cSay\nto (them): \u2018If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is indeed for you specially\nand not for others, of mankind, then long for death if you are truthful.\u201d Then\nadds,\u201d But they will never long for it because of what their hands have sent\nbefore them (i.e. what they have done). And Allah is All-Aware of the\nwrong-doers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It might have happened for all of us that things get terrible to an extent and the life becomes miserable and unwanted. In such cases many people hope for death. Is death something desirable, and is it counted as success? There have been schools in which depict the relation between the human and the world, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[20951,18757,20950,18762,17940,20431,18418,20952,20953,17965],"class_list":["post-4330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2008-02-03","tag-death","tag-death-or-life","tag-hope","tag-human","tag-imam-sajjad","tag-occasion-letters","tag-schools","tag-soul","tag-success"],"yoast_head":"\n