The Intelligent Person Remembers Death Often and Follows Good and Avoids Evil

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

In this worldly life (dunya), we measure intelligence in many different ways. We like to consider ourselves as intelligent and like the company of those whom we consider intelligent. To gauge intelligence, we have various different exams and yardsticks, for example, IQ, qualifications, titles, profession, general knowledge, etc.

If a person is thought to be very intelligent, yet fails his exam after exam, soon all those around him will begin to think that he is not really very intelligent after all. To get through life with your faith intact, with good deeds, and with Allah’s pleasure and His Noble Face as your greatest goal, is the biggest exam you will ever face.

If you fail the exam of life you cannot call yourself intelligent, regardless of what else your “intelligence” allowed you to accumulate of education, wealth, fame, titles, or pleasure. These will all go to waste upon your death, while you will still have to stand before your Lord and face the consequences of your failure for eternity.

Your intelligence would have failed you if it didn’t give you the sense to properly attempt the biggest exam of your life. Such intelligence is cursed! In an examination hall if you start watching a movie, or listening to music, or calling or texting your friend, or discussing the score of a ballgame, or pull out a lavish meal to eat, would you be considered sensible? No matter what your IQ is, you would be considered crazy, mad or insane!

The most intelligent person is the one who gives the exam of life his full attention, since there are no re-takes. The people in Hell will regret,

وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ‌ ﴿١٠

Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we should not (now) be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire. [Qur'an, Al-Mulk 67:10]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "The intelligent or wise person ( الكيس) is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish and incapable person (العاجز) is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires". [At-Tirmidhi].

This life is one big exam. Those who prepare and do well in the test of life are the intelligent ones for eternity. The most intelligent person is one who recognizes that he is here for a test and he does not take anything from this place. He came with nothing, he will leave with nothing. Thus, the most intelligent person is the one who remembers death often.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Remember the terminator of all pleasures i.e. death." [Tirmidhi]

We can't run away from death. Death will come unannounced and will happen whenever and wherever Allah decides. Allah Almighty says,

... أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا۟ يُدْرِ‌ككُّمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُ‌وجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction...[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:78]

But so many of us are so engrossed in our various worldly pursuits that the reality of death does not occur to us, as if we think that our death is far away while Allah is showing death every day. Constant remembrance of death would keep us from getting easily distracted by the glittery entertainment beckoning from all directions, preventing us from seriously attempting the test of life. Keeping death in mind would help us abstain from sin and motivate us to rush to do good deeds.

If the intelligent person wants to succeed, he should lower his animalistic desire or lower self (nafs). This world is an attraction, it is play and amusement. We have to fight our nafs to remind ourselves of that. As we feed the nafs, it becomes stronger and derails us from the path we want to tread. Every human has needs and desires. Needs are part of the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions), desires are where the nafs lies. For example, we all need to eat to survive. Sunnah states one third food, one third water, one third air but our nafs dictates that we eat until we are full or even beyond full. Simplistic decisions need to be considered in the paradigm of the nafs. Feeding your nafs makes you an animal.

The Sunnah is the best model of what to give your body e.g. sleep, eat, wear. How much dunya we should interact with in a healthy way and how much we should concentrate on the Hereafter. Intellectually and academically we know the target is Allah's Noble Countenance. And in order to see the Face of Allah, we have to get in Jannah first.

Allah Almighty says,

وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا آخَرَ‌ ۘ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ ۚ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْ‌جَعُونَ ﴿٨٨

And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgment, and to Him you will be returned. (88) [Qur'an, Al-Qasas 28:88]

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَ‌بِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَ‌امِ ﴿٢٧﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَ‌بِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢٨

Everyone upon the earth will perish, (26) And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. (27) So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny? (28) [Qur'an, Ar-Rahman 55:26-27]

وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ ﴿١٩﴾ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَ‌بِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْ‌ضَىٰ ﴿٢١

And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded (19) But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High. (20) And he is going to be satisfied. (21) [Qur'an, Al-Lail 92:19-21]

فَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْ‌بَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ‌ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِ‌يدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣٨﴾ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّ‌بًا لِّيَرْ‌بُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْ‌بُو عِندَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَاةٍ تُرِ‌يدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّـهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ ﴿٣٩

So give the relative his right, as well as the needy and the traveler. That is best for those who desire the countenance of Allah, and it is they who will be the successful. (38) And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah - those are the multipliers. (39) [Qur'an, Ar-Rum 30:38-39]

وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ‌ فَلِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ‌ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٧٢ ...

...And whatever good you [believers] spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good - it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. (272) [Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:272]

وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُ‌وا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَ‌بِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّ‌ا وَعَلَانِيَةً وَيَدْرَ‌ءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ‌ ﴿٢٢

And those who are patient, seeking the countenance of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them secretly and publicly and prevent evil with good - those will have the good consequence of [this] home - (22) [Qur'an, Ar-Ra'd 13:22]

The paths to Jannah are many but whichever path you take, you must leave disobedience and constantly strive to follow good and avoid evil. That is what makes you intelligent.

Bishra ibn Al-Harith reported: Sufyan ibn Uyaina, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “The reasonable/intelligent person is not one who merely recognizes good and evil. Rather, the reasonable/intelligent person is only one who follows good when he sees it, and who avoids evil when he sees it.” [Hilyat al-Awliya 12893]

May Allah help us to leave our wrong doings and make us of those who say, "We listen and we obey" May Allah grant us steadfastness in this life and His Noble Countenance in the Hereafter. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam