Dear Islamic brothers! Life is a trust from Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ which is gradually or suddenly overpowered by death. Every soul will have to pass through the door of death. The time of death is fixed but we do not know the hour of our own death. However, when our hair turns grey and we begin to experience old-age, then we must understand that the trial of death is hovering over our heads because after having seen the days of youth, old-age gives us an indication of death, as a messenger of death. Let’s listen to a parable about the messengers of death, and let us try to reform ourselves by pondering over the following Madani pearls.

Three messengers of death

Hujjat-ul-Islam Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Ghazali عَـلَـیۡـهِ رَحْـمَـةُ الـلّٰـهِ الۡـوَالِی narrated in Mukashafa-tul-Quloob that Sayyiduna Ya’qoob عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام was friend with the angel of death [Malak-ul-Maut] Sayyiduna Izra`eel عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام. Once, when Sayyiduna Izra`eel عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام came, Sayyiduna Ya’qoob             عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام asked him, ‘Have you come to just visit me or to take my soul?’ He replied, ‘To meet you.’ Sayyiduna Ya’qoob عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام then requested, ‘Before you arrive to take my soul, send some messengers (to warn me)’, the angel of death, Sayyiduna Izra`eel عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام agreed, ‘I will send two or three messengers.’

Later, when the angel of death came to seize his soul, Sayyiduna Ya’qoob
عَلٰى نَبِيِّنَا وَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوة ُ وَالسَّلَام asked, ‘Where are the messengers you were supposed to send me before taking my soul?’, Sayyiduna Izra`eel عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام replied, ‘white hair after black hair, weakness after strength, and a hunched back after a straight back; O Ya’qoob عَلٰى نَبِيِّنَا وَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوة ُ وَالسَّلَام! These are my messengers, I send towards people before their deaths.’ (Mukashafa-tul-Quloob, pp. 21)

Illness is also a messenger of death

My dear Islamic brothers! We have now learnt that the angel of death sends its messengers before death. In addition to these three messengers, there are also some other messengers mentioned in other blessed Hadees; like sickness, complete loss or weakness of vision, and impaired hearing. There are many of us who have already encountered the messengers of Sayyiduna Izra’eel. But