will be such a critical moment that only the one who receives the special grace and favour of Allah Almighty will succeed, and only his faith will remain safe.

My Master, the Imam of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Maulānā Shāh Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

During the agonies of death, two devils sit on either side of a person—one appearing as his father and the other as his mother. One says: “That person died as a Jew, so you too should become a Jew, for the Jews are in great comfort there...” The second says: “That person departed from the world as a Christian, so you too should become a Christian, for the Christians are in great comfort there.”^[1]

The matter is indeed extremely delicate; the hearts of those who possess the fear of Allah get torn asunder by the dread of losing faith.

The Admonitory End of a Devout Worshipper

Dear Islamic brothers! Satan is our open enemy. This wretched being is constantly occupied in making us heedless of our final end, misleading us, and making us deserving of Hell. To understand the various manners in which the accursed Satan misleads people and leads them to Hell, listen to this lesson-filled account:

It is recorded in historical texts that there was a devout worshipper named Barṣīṣā. Allah Almighty had granted him a long life, and he remained occupied in the worship of Allah in complete seclusion. He spent two hundred years in such a manner that he did not commit a single sin for even a moment. He had 60,000 students, and they received such spiritual grace from him that they used to fly in the air. Yet, alas! The hidden plan of Allah prevailed over him, and he departed from this world as a non-believer.

The incident transpired as follows:

Satan once approached him in human guise. Standing outside the hermitage where Barṣīṣā used to worship, Satan called out to him. Barṣīṣā replied: “He who wishes to worship Allah Almighty has no need