The Kids Ask About Life After Death

Kid: "What is death?"

Father: "Death is a natural physical change for all living things. Death overtakes the human body and it continues to develop through the processes of declining and decaying.

In Al Qur'an states:

• "Does man think that we shall not assemble his bones? Yes, surely, yes, we are able to restore the very shape of his fingers." (Al Qur'an surah 75:3,4)
  
  
• "We have ordained death among you, and We are not to be overcome, so that We may change your state and make you grow into what you know not."
  (Al Qur'an surah 56:60-61)
  

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Kid: "Is death the same as sleeping?"

Father: "Yes, Death is exactly like sleeping. The period between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep. Death brings an end to our temporary life on this earth. It is occasion of sorrow and grief for the loved ones of the deceased. In Islam, people mourn by reciting Al Qur’an and prayers for the dead."

In Al Quran states:
"Allah is the One who puts you to death during the night, and knows even the smallest of your actions during the day. Allah resurrects you every morning."
(Al Qur'an surah 6:60)


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Kid: "How is the situation inside the grave?"

Father: "When one dies, soul is taken off from the body; and then, the soul is kept in "Barzakh" for a period of time. Barzakh is the temporary place where a person enters into this from the time the soul leaves the body, to the time of resurrection.
After the burial, the people return home, then 2 angels, Munkar and Nakeer, will come in the grave. Those Muslims, who led good lives and obedient to Allah, will rest in comfort in the Barzakh, awaiting the Day of Judgment. Those Muslims, who led bad lives, will be punished severely in the Barzakh."

In Al Qur'an states:

• "(In falsehood they will be) until, when death comes to one of them he says "oh my Lord send me back (to life), in order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected" by no means! It is but a word he utters and before them is a "partition" (barrier-Barzakh) till the Day they are raised up".
  (Al Qur'an surah 23:99-100)
  
  
• "O soul who is at rest, return to thy Lord, well-pleased (with Him), well-pleasing (Him). So enter among My servants, and enter My garden."
  (Al Qur'an surah 89:27-30)
  
  
• In the Quran emphatically asserts that death is not the final end but a gateway to a different kind of life: We mete out death among you that We may transfigure you and make you what you know not. And verily you know the first creation. Why then do you not reflect.
  (Al Qur'an surah 56: 61: 63)
  
  
• And they say, what! When we have become bones and dust shall we indeed be raised up a new creation. Say thou: Be ye stones or iron or a substance still more improbable in your hearts (to be restored to life). But they will say; Who shall bring us back? Say thou: He who brought you into being for the first time.
  (Al Quran surah 17:49-51)
  
  
• "There is no other than life in this world. We live and die and nothing destroys us but time."
  (Al Qur'an surah 45: 24)
  
  
• "The great horror shall not grieve them."
  (Al Qur'an surah 21: 103)
  
  

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Kid: "Why do people afraid of death?"

Father: "People do not want to die, it is because that the world is very pleasure life for them. As Muslim, we learn that Islam teaches us that death can arrive at any time. Only Allah knows when His servants will die. Death puts an end to human body but it does not destroy our soul. The soul is taken away the angel Malakul Maut (‘Izra’il or Azrail) to Allah. "

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Kid: "Why do we have to believe life after death?"

Father: "It is important because:

• to encourage man to do good and restrains him from doing evil.
  
• to teache us that the inner worth of man (good deeds such as salah, fasting, charity) will survives forever even after death, rather than the outward appearance (such as wealth, position, beauty, or education)."
  

The Qur’an repeatedly tells us that those who believe and do righteous deeds will be greatly rewarded in the afterlife, while those who disbelieve and do bad deeds will be severely punished.

Believing in life after death gives meaning to our life, for it tells us that this life is only a test and preparation for an eternal life.
Believing in life after death encourages a person to lead a good life on earth,


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Kid: "What will happen if we don't be good?"

Father: "Allah will punish who do not do good deed in their life."

Those who have believed and acted righteously will be made happy in a splendid Garden. Those who disbelieved and rejected Our Signs and the meeting of the Hereafter will be brought face to face with punishment.
(Al Qur'an surah 30:15-16)

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Kid: "Do you think someone will angry to angel of death because the angel will take his soul from his body?"

Father: "Allah already plans about how someone will die. Allah will make a cause how someone will die. For instance, he dies because of heart attack or because of accident or because of sick. This person dying is not because all of above. It is just because his life time in this world stop in here. When the angel come to the person who will die, ready or not that person has to say "Yes, I am ready to die."

The Qur'an says:
"Everyone shall have to die." (3:185)

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Kid: "What should we say when hearing Muslim die?"

Father: We have to say, "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rojiun."

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The story above came from the kids when they saw the janazah one of our father's friend who just passed away in the hospital.
My kids could not believe to see this.
They saw him everyday in masjid for salah jamaah, especially in Isha.
Sometimes, the man gave the kids alot of candies or sweet.
The kids feel so sad. He returned to Allah because he was very nice man.

May Allah(SWT) forgives him, showers with His mercy upon him, bless his family with patient, and strengthen their Iman...Aamiin Allaahumma Aamiin.

When our kids were facing this kind of situation, we should remind them about how important doing good deeds in this life, such as:

• Telling the kids that everything in this world will die.
  
  
  • Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun.
    
    To Allah we belong and truly to Him we shall return.
    (Surah Al Baqarah, 2: 155-156)
    
    
  • "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens
    and whatever is on the earth.
    And to Allah will [all matters be returned]."
    (Al Quran 3:109)
    
    
  
  
  
• The important of salah five times a day in the right time,
  
• The important of giving charity to poor and orphans,
  
  "Verily, Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth,
  but Allah looks to your heart and to your deeds."
  (Sahih Muslim Book 32 Number 6221)
  
  
  
• The important of fasting in Ramadhan, salah sunnah, Hajj, and other good deeds.
  
• The important of reading, learning, and memorizing Al Qur'an.
  
• The important of listening and be nice to parents and all human beings.
  
  "You shall do good to your parents and to the near of kin and to the orphans and the needy."
  (Al-Baqarah:83)
  
  
• The important of being nice to people and your environment.
  
• Making alot of doa for yourself and other Muslim.
  
  "Rabbana'ghfirli wa li walidayya walil-Mu'minina yawma yaqumul-Hisab."
  
  "Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established."
  (Al Qur'an, surah Ibrahim 14:41)
  
  
• etc.
  

We went to go to masjid on that Friday for salah Jumuah and after that we went to funeral home for the ghushul the janazah.

Seeing the janazah is very good for us to remind that how important to do good deeds all the time. It also give you reward for accompanying the process of funeral, as you can read the hadith below.

Narrated Abu Huraira (Radi Allah Anhu): Allah's Apostle (sal-allahu- alleihi-wasallam ) said, "(A believer) who accompanies the funeral procession of a Muslim out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's reward and remains with it till the funeral prayer is offered and the burial ceremonies are over, he will return with a reward of two Qirats. Each Qirat is like the size of the (Mount) Uhud. He who offers the funeral prayer only and returns before the burial, will return with the reward of one Qirat only."
[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 2, Number 45]



This video is very good reminder for all of us,

• Benefits of Remembering Death
  

Other useful links are:

• The Angel of Death
  
• Be Good To Parents
  

Our life's time is so short.

May Allah guide us in the right path, let us enter Jannah, and save us from the Jahannam.
Ameen.

The Angel of Death

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun.
To Allah we belong and truly to Him we shall return.
(Surah Al Baqarah, 2: 155-156)
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Encounters with the Angel of Death

• The King and the Angel of Death
  
  Wahb Bin Munabbah Rahmatullah alaihe has narrated the following story: 'A king once decided to tour his dominions and survey his kingdom. He ordered out his stately robes and was presented a suit, but it did not please his fancy. He called for another, and still another and, after rejecting so many, found one that was to his liking. He wore this most elegant suit, and ordered his horse. A fine horse was brought, but he did not like it and sent it back. Then two more horses were presented to him, one after the other, but he did not like them either. At last, the whole stable of riding-horses was brought before him and he selected the best steed. The king then mounted the horse. The accursed Shaitan infused pride and vanity into his mind and he rode off proudly, followed by his courtiers, attendants and armed-men, in a mighty cavalcade. But the king was too full of disdain to take notice of them. As he rode on, he came upon a decrepit old man, dressed in rags, who greeted him, but the king paid no attention. At this, the ragged man took hold of the horse's bridle. The king flew into a rage and said to him threateningly, Off with you! How dare you catch hold of my horse's reins?' The man said, 'I have some business with you'. The king said, 'Be patient and wait till I come back and dismount; for, then I shall have time to listen to what you have to say'. The man said, 'I must say it just now' and saying this, he gave a violent tug to the bridle and snatched it away. The king said, "Well, what do you want to say.?" The man said, 'It is a secret;- I must whisper it in your ears'. The king bowed his head and the man whispered into his ear 'I am lzraeel (the Angel of Death), come to take your soul'. And then, of course, the king turned pale and his voice quavered, and he said in a faltering voice, 'Could you give me a brief respite, to go home, meet my people and arrange my affairs? The angel said, 'No, you shall have no respite. Never again shall you meet your kinsmen or we your possessions'. Saying this, the angel pulled out the soul from his body and he fell down from the horse like a log of drywood.
  
  
• The Pious man
  
  "After this, the Angel of Death went to a pious Mu'min (Believer) who was also going on a journey. He greeted the man saying, 'Assalaam-o-Alaikum' (peace be upon you!) and the man returned, 'Wa'Alaikum-us-Salaam' (And upon you be peace!). The angel then said to him, 'I want to say something into your ear'. The Angel whispered into his ears, 'I am lzraeel the Angel of Death'. The man said, 'Most welcome! Blessed is your visit.? For, you have come after I have waited so long. Of all the persons who are far away from me, you are the one I was most anxious to see'. The angel said,"' Go and hasten to do the task for which you have undertaken the journey. The man said,'l would dearly love to meet my Allah, more than anything else in the world'. The angel said, 'Choose for yourself any state in which you would like to meet death and I shall draw out your soul when you are in that state.' The man said, "I leave it to your choice' The angel said, 'I have been commanded to do as you please'. The man said, 'If so, let me take Wudhu (ablution) and stand in Salaat; when I lie prostrate (in Sajdah) before my Lord, you can pull out the spirit from my body'. So, the pious man was engaged in Salaat, lying in Sajdah, when his soul was taken out of the body. (Ihyaa).
  
  
• Ibrahim(Alaihis sallaam) and the Angel of Death (Izraeel Alaihis sallaam)
  
  So horrible is the appearance of lzraeel Alaihis sallaam when he comes to take the souls of the sinners, that the strongest of men cannot bear the sight. It is said that once Prophet Ibrahim Alaihis salaam asked lzraeel(A.S.) to show him the aspect that he were while taking the souls of the wicked. The angel told him that he would not be able to bear the sight, but Ibrahim Alaihis salaam said that he could stand it. The Angel then asked him to turn aside and he did so. After a short while the Angel said, 'Now, look here" and Ibrahim Alaihis salaam turned round to him. What he met his gaze, there was a most horrible giant- like figure dressed in black, dark-complexioned and long-haired, with each hair standing stiffly on end, giving off a most disgusting smell, with flames of fire leaping up from his mouth and nostrils! Ibrahim Alaihis salaam could not bear to look at the sight and swooned. When he regained consciousness, Izraeel Alaihis salaam had resumed his normal form. Ibrahim Alaihis salaam then said, 'Even if there were no other affliction for the wicked, the terrible ordeal of facing Izraeel, in such a horrible form, should suffice for their punishment" This is the form in which the Angel of Death appears when he visits the wicked people. But when he comes to take the souls of the pious and the devout servants of Allah Ta'ala, he appears in the most handsome form, wearing a very pleasant look. When Ibrahim Alaihissalam asked Izraeel Alaihis salaam to appear before him in the form that he adopts while visiting the pious people, he saw, standing before him, a handsome young man elegantly dressed, with perfumes all round his body. Ibrahim Alaihis salaam said, "Even if there were no other joy for the believer than the bliss of seeing the handsome face of Izraeel Alaihis salaam at the hour of death, it should suffice for his pleasures.'
  
  
• Angel of Death's visit during mourning
  
  Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alaihe says, " When a person dies and members of his household begin to weep and cry, the Angel of Death stands at the doorway and, addresses them, "I did not deprive him of his livelihood(he has already exhausted his decreed portion), I did not cut short his life time. I have been commanded to visit this house again and again, until none of its inmates is left alive." Hasan Rahmatullah alaihe says, "By Allah ! If the mourners could see the Angel at that time and listen to his talk, they would forget about the deceased and start worrying about themselves."
  

Source: Virtues of Sadaqaat(English Translation Pg. 581;589)

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.com
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Let's learn about Death

• Poetry: Angel of Death
  
• Life After Death
  
  
• Preparation of the Deceased and Janazah Prayers
  
  
  
• Sheikh Feiz Mohammad - True Stories of Death Part 1 (10 min)
  
  
• Sheikh Feiz Mohammad - True Stories of Death Part 2 (10 min)
  
  
• Sheikh Feiz Mohammad - True Stories of Death Part 3 (10 min)
  
  
• Sheikh Feiz Mohammad - True Stories of Death Part 4 (10 min)
  
  
• Your Last Day on Earth - Sheikh Feiz (46 min)
  
  
• Death
  
  
• Lecture relating to death
  

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Activities and Worksheet for kids:

• Teaching the kids about Death that we are going back to Allah where we belong. Death is natural. Every soul will taste death.
  Soon or later, we have to be ready.
  Let's kids learn how to take care of the deceased.
  
  This is very good way to teach the kids about death:
  Washing and Shrounding the Deceased
  
  Insha Allah, the kids will learn and get more close to Allah.
  
  
• Writing poetry, paragrah, and story that relating to the death in Islam, such as:
  
  
  
  • "Islam guides Muslims from birth to grave"
    
  • and "Islam is a complete way of life."
    
  
  
  
• Reading articles or books about
  
  
  
  • What To Do When A Muslim Dies
    
  • Death
    
  • Life After Death .
    
  
  
  
• Listening to lectures above about death.
  
  
• Writing in Arabic and memorizing:
  
  
  
  • Last Words Before Dying : La ilaha illallahu
    Meaning: There is no deity but Allah.
    
  • For Calamity: Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un
    Meaning: We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.
    
  
  Please see in Death Du'as to know how the du'as are written in Arabic.
  
  
• Learn how to do The Funeral Prayer.
  
  

Please share with us in the group, if you know something how to teach the kids about death.

May Allah accept all our ibadaahs in this world life. Ameen.