Download PDF: [S] The Intention in which you Died

It is reported that there were once two brothers. One was very pious and the other was considered very sinful.

 

They both lived in the same house and the pious brother lived on the upper floor and spent his time in Ibadah. He hardly used to come downstairs. The sinful brother lived downstairs and spent most of his time in sport and play and other vices. The both continued to live in this fashion for many years.

 

One day, the pious brother thought to himself that he had spent many years in Ibadah and obeying Allah Almighty and should spend a few years like his brother in sport and play and other vices. He also thought when he had enough of this, he would seek the Divine Pardon of Allah Almighty. He decided to go downstairs so that he could also join his brother in all of these vices and decided that there was enough time for him to make Taubah.

 

On the other side, his sinful brother was also having a change of heart. He was thinking that he had spent all his life in sin and vice and had never obeyed the Divine Command of Allah Almighty. He felt that his pious brother was certainly entitled for Jannah while he was certainly entitled for the Fire of Hell. He then decided to go upstairs so that he could also join his brother in worshipping Allah Almighty.

 

This resulted in two different intentions. The pious brother decided to come downstairs so that he could start sinning and the sinful brother decided to go upstairs so that he could make sincere Taubah. However, such was the destiny of this person that as he went downstairs to meet his sinful brother, he slipped and fell on his sinful brother who was coming upstairs to meet him. In fact, the fall was so serious that both of them died on the spot.

 

The pious brother arose according to the evil intention he had made and the sinful brother arose according to the pious intention he had made.

 

In the Sahih Muslim Shareef, there is a Hadith Shareef in which the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Every person shall arise according to the intention on which he died.”

 

Ibn Jouzi mentions that there was a person who was a brother of one of his friends. However, this person had completely turned away from Islam and did not want to have anything to do with Islam. His beliefs had also become corrupted. The friend tried his level best to guide his brother but he remained adamant on his Kufr. At the last minute, when the person presented the Holy Qur’an to his brother, his brother refused to accept the Holy Qur’an and died in this Kufr. In other words, his intention on Islam and the Holy Qur’an had changed and because of this he suffered the ultimate damnation.