WHISPERS OF THE LAST JOURNEY- BY PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED

I must confess that I am still shaken by the accident I had last week, and this shock has deepened my reflections about life and death. Though I was scared to my core, I have come to see death as not a shadow to flee from, but a horizon to understand, a melody to dance to, and a reality to embrace.

It does not come with cruelty, but with calm, with serenity - like the final note in a long, unfinished song,

the last ripple upon a still lake, or the hush that follows the wind.

We often spend our lives in pleasure - wining, dining, playing, fighting, laughing, weeping, and amassing wealth upon the shore of time. Yet, most of what we gather slip softly through our hands like sand at dusk.

Death reminds us that nothing belongs to us,

and perhaps, that is its grace and mercy. For only when we lose can we learn what was truly ours - love, kindness, and the moments we gave away.

Those who remember death do not grow bitter -

they grow tender.They speak more softly, more meekly, because they have heard the echo of eternity. They forgive more easily because they know how brief even the longest life can be. They love more deeply because they have learned what truly lasts.

Death is not the enemy of life - it is its mirror that reflects what we have been,

and what we might yet become. If we live with the awareness that every breath is a borrowed miracle, every sunrise, a reminder that the universe still thrives in renewal.

When death comes - let's strive that it finds us not afraid, but ready- ready like the tide returning home,

like autumn leaves bowing to the earth, like a candle that has given all its light

and finally rests in the dark - not extinguished, but transformed.

This is one truth that belongs to all of us, regardless of our creed, race, or nation - the truth that one day, this chapter of our story will climax and end.

Death - a word that can stiffen the heart and yet awaken the soul. It is not a punishment nor an accident, but a reminder written into the fabric of existence: that life, no matter how long, is a sacred loan, not a possession.

Each morning, we rise as if we were promised another day, yet each sunset tells us the quiet truth - we are only travelers here. The breath we draw is a gift; the love we share, a legacy.

So let us not fear death,

but let it refine the way we live. Let it soften our hearts,

and open our eyes to wonder. Let it teach us to be present, to give generously, to cherish the miracle of now.

And when our time comes -

may it find us not clinging,

but grateful - grateful that we walked this earth, that we loved and were loved,

that we left behind some small light to guide those who follow after.

In the life of a true Muslim death is not the end - it is a homecoming. It is the gentle unraveling of illusion, the return of the soul to its Beloved. *To the one who walks in righteousness, death is not darkness, but light - not separation, but reunion.*

For the Muslim, each breath is a rehearsal of surrender - each act of love, a step closer to dissolving the self in Divine Oneness.

When the final breath comes, it is, but the last note in a song that has been sung since the beginning of time: “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” — We belong to Allah, and to Him, we shall return.

Wise people do not mourn the passing of life; they mourn a life unlived, a heart untouched by love, a soul unrefined by dhikr, shukr, and sabr (remembrance of Allah,  gratitudeto Him, and patience with Him and His creation).

Death teaches us to awaken - to polish the mirror of the heart until it reflects only Allah. The Sufis remind us:

"Die before you die - so that when death comes, there will be nothing to fear"

Therefore, die to your ego before the body dies - to anger, to pride, to the illusion of control, and to vain sense of authority.

Live as a traveler who knows that every step is a borrowed time, and every heartbeat, an echo of Divine mercy.

So that when the soul finally takes flight, let it do so like a lover running toward the arms of the Beloved - not with fear, but with longing;  not with regret, but with peace.

May our lives be a mirror of Allah’s Mercy. May our souls be vessels of His Grace, and may our deeds be a celebration of His Will.

Jum'ah Mubarakah 

© PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI 

- Nigeria