Sakarat al-mawt
| From Death to Resurection |
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Simultaneous Events with Death
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Obligations towards the Dead
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After Burying in the Grave
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Resurrection
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Sakarāt al-mawt (Arabic: سَكَرات المَوت) or the agonies of death refers to the difficulties that come upon a dying person (muhtadar) at the time of death. In the Qur'an, this matter is mentioned in Qur'an 50:19. According to hadiths, "sakarat al-mawt" are very severe, and all humans experience them at the time of death.
According to hadiths, some believers die with difficulty so that their sins may be forgiven through this process. In the sayings of the Prophet (s) and the Imams (a), ways to ease the difficulty of the agonies of death have been mentioned, some of which are as follows: maintaining family ties (silat al-rahim), doing good to parents, helping religious brothers, reciting Suras Yasin and al-Saffat, love for Imam Ali (a), and frequent visitation of Imam al-Hussayn's (a) grave.
Meaning
In this state, a person loses their ability to discern. The term "sakarat" is the plural of "sakrah", which means drunkenness, difficulty, and confusion. The word "mawt" also means death.
Sakarat al-mawt (agonies of death) is defined as states resembling drunkenness that occur in the muhtadar (dying person) at the time of death due to the severity of difficulty. In this state, a person loses their ability to discern.[1] The term "sakarat" is the plural of "sakra", which means drunkenness, difficulty, and confusion.[2] The word "mawt" also means death.[3]
In the Qur'an and Hadiths
In the Qur'an, the term "sakrat al-mawt" is used in Qur'an 50:19, where it states: "The throes of death bring the truth: This is what you used to shun!"
In hadiths, both the terms "sakrat al-mawt"[4] and "sakarat al-mawt"[5] are mentioned. In the hadith compilation Bihar al-anwar, a section is dedicated to the topic of the agonies of death, containing 52 hadiths.[6] In Tahdhib al-ahkam by al-Shaykh al-Tusi, a supplication narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) includes the phrase: "O God, help me during the agonies of death."[7]
Nature of Sakarat al-Mawt
Based on a hadith that al-Shaykh al-Saduq narrated from Imam Ali (a), the most difficult moments of one's life are three moments: the moment when one faces death, the moment when one rises from the grave, and the moment when one faces God.[8] In the book Payam-i Qurʾan, which is a thematic commentary on the Qur'an, the term sakrat al-mawt in Qur'an 50:19 is interpreted as indicating that death is accompanied by hardship and terrifying confusion.[9]</ref> According to this book, based on narrations, even the prophets (a) and friends of God were not spared from the struggles and difficulties of the agonies of death.[10]
Differences in the Agonies of Death Between Believers and Non-believers
In a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a), it is mentioned that the agonies of death are very easy for a believer; however, for some believers, they become difficult to purify their sins. Conversely, the death of a disbeliever is described as being accompanied by severe hardship and anguish. Still, the agonies of death for some disbelievers are easy to compensate for their good deeds in this world, and in the hereafter, they only face punishment.[11]
Ways to Ease the Agonies of Death
In some hadiths, ways to make the agonies of death easier have been mentioned. For example, al-Kulayni, the Shi'a hadith scholar, has narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that whoever clothes his religious brother, it becomes obligatory upon God to clothe him with a heavenly garment and make the agonies of death easy for him.[12]
A number of other deeds that, according to narrations, reduce the agonies of death are as follows: maintaining family ties (silat al-rahim),[13] being kind to one's parents,[14] fasting in the month of Ramadan,[15] reciting Sura Yasin,[16] fasting in the month of Rajab,[17] love for Imam Ali (a),[18] and frequently visiting Imam al-Hussayn (a).[19] According to Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi in Jami' al-Sa'adat, based on narrations, someone whose mother is displeased with him will have more severe agonies of death and punishments after death.[20]
Reducing the Agonies of Death for the Dying Person (Muhtadar)
The Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi, a Shi'a jurist, says that according to narrations, it is recommended that a dying person be moved to a place where they used to perform their prayers. This action makes the agonies of death easier for them.[21] Al-Muhaqqiq al-Karaki, citing a hadith attributed to Imam al-Kazim (a), considered it recommended to recite Sura al-Saffat for a person who is dying. (muhtadar).[22] According to this hadith, if Sura al-Saffat is recited at the bedside of a dying person, God will ease their passing quickly.[23] In a hadith from the Prophet (s) as well, it is mentioned that reciting Sura Yasin near a dying person makes the agonies of death easier for them.[24]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 18, p. 348; Warrām, Majmūʿat Warrām, vol. 1, p. 26.
- ↑ Dihkhudā, Farhang-i lughat, under the word "sakra" (سکرة).
- ↑ Dihkhudā, Farhang-i lughat, under the word "mawt" (موت).
- ↑ Kafʿamī, al-Balad al-amīn, p. 105; Ṭūsī, Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid, vol. 2, p. 443.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-aḥkām, vol. 3, p. 93.
- ↑ See: Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 6, p. 145-173.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-aḥkām, vol. 3, p. 93.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, al-Khiṣāl, vol. 1, p. 119.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 431.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 432.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, vol. 1, p. 274-275.
- ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, p. 204.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, p. 208.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Amālī, p. 432.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 2, p. 74.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Thawāb al-aʿmāl, p. 111-112.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Faḍāʾil al-ashhur al-thalātha, p. 12.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Faḍaʾīl al-Shīʿa, p. 4.
- ↑ Ibn Qūlawayh, Kāmil al-zīyārāt, p. 150.
- ↑ Narāqī, Jāmiʿ al-saʿādāt, vol. 2, p. 273.
- ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 4, p. 18.
- ↑ Muḥaqqiq al-Karakī, Jāmiʿ al-maqāṣid, vol. 1, p. 353.
- ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 3, p. 126.
- ↑ Nūrī, Mustadrak al-wasāʾil, vol. 2, p. 136.
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