Death is our Graduation Day from this School of Life.

 I have stood by gravesides on many occasion where i attended the funeral of my departed friends and relatives and being a Muslim I have a good sense of what lay in store for my fellow Muslim Brothers and sisters when  and after one is laid to final rest, at least according to the teachings of Islam. It is the practice in Islam that the physical human is put in the ground soonest possible upon dying. The body is laid in the ground about six feet by three and in a wooden coffin made of the softest wood available. Also the corpse is placed in such a way as to face the Holy Land of mecca and the Kaaba and that it is brought into contact with the earth around it as much as possible unlike the Chinese and other cultures whereby thick an expensive coffins are being used to keep the body from decay much more longer. Death in this physical sense is treated with as little attachment as possible, the whole idea is to return the body to the soil soonest possible, earth to earth, dust to dust.

What becomes to the soul of a Muslim who dies? It is said that after the last three steps away from the grave has been taken by the last person at the site, tow angels would arrive to take care of business of the afterlife; time to work out the registration process. After the whole process of burial is completed, the Imam or Ustaz present will read the 'Talqin' or the recitation of Shahadah and other creedal information or instructions to the deceased. It like the final instruction to the deceased as to what to expect and how react or answer to the questions that will be put to him/her. Much debate has been made over this practice over the years, however in my experience in attending a Muslim burial ceremony, this has been one of the practices common to the Muslim Malays. So as not to incriminate myself in sharing religious knowledge beyond my understanding i would ask anyone interested to Google it. Like Google, what is the Talqin or who are the two angels Munkar and Nakir who will appear to the dead at the moment of being buried. For every Devout Muslim this knowledge is crucial. Muslims in general are by virtue of their daily prayers of five times a day and for many including the zikr or chants of the Quranic verses as an added practice are well prepared towards facing the moments of death. They are spiritually and psychologically in tune with the remembrance of Allah and in taking refuge in His Grace and Mercy when facing the final moments of their lives. The mind in this moments is focused only on God and not subjected to fear or confusion and thus will face death with complete acceptance and surrender in their faith.

To most devout Muslims death is a welcome event as it heralds the end of one dimension of life and opens up a whole new dimension where the well being of the soul is guided by their faithful worship of the Divine and in surrendering to that which is the Creator. I have witnessed many final moments of death happening before me among my fellow Muslim family and friends and the support that was given by those present no doubt aids in the process through reminding the dying person of his or her true belonging and what to hold on to at the final moment. T recitations of the verses from the Quran by family members and friends keeps the mind from being hijacked by fear and confusion. The dying person often leaves the body in peace unless he or she is in physical pain due to some form or ailments. The recitations from the Quran has the vibrational quality that the dying person can relate to even if he or she does not understand what was read to them and this vibes helps to keep away any interference of unwanted thoughts to the individual's consciousness at death. I understand that Islam discourages the act of loud mourning or wailing in the presence of a dying person as this would not help in the smooth process of transition from life to death. I am no mystic or even a devout Muslim and what i understand may not be absolutely correct, so I will stand corrected by anyone who reads this and finds it not true. In the final say, the process of death is as mysterious as that of birth and we all will face it according to our own personal understanding. We can either die with Grace or in Disgrace through how much we have prepared for it in our lifelong existence. If this life is our schooling than death is the graduation; how we choose to live defines how we die.