The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) stood at the edge of a grave and cried and he then said: “O my brothers! For this (death), prepare yourselves.”(Ibn Majah)
A man asked the Messenger: “Who is the most wise of people O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “The one who remembers death most often and the one who is well-prepared to meet it; these are the wise; honorable in this life and dignified in the Hereafter.”
[Ibn Majah,Tabarani]
Do good deeds before it’s too late
Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said, “Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.” Then (giving a warning) he said, “Are you waiting for poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion, or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or a disease which will disable you, or senility which will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death which will take you all of a sudden, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected, or the Hour; and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter.”
[At-Tirmidhi]
Your death is nearer than you think it is
The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) drew a few lines and said, “One of them represents man and another indicates death; and a man continues like this until the nearest line (i.e., death) overtakes him.”
[Al-Bukhari]
4 Simple Tips to Prepare for Death
1) Learn the do’s and dont’s: When you have recognized Islam as the true religion and chosen it as your way of life then you must know the laws of the deen so that you can start practising it. Learn about the permissible and impermissible matters, so that you know which actions will make you a beloved slave of Allah Ta’ala and take you to Paradise, and which actions will make you a follower of Shaitaan and take you to Hell-Fire.
The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said: “Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him.” (Al-Bukhaari)
2)Attain Taqwah: If you have knowledge but lack Taqwah, then you cannot practice the deen with devotion. Only those who have knowledge about Allah Ta’ala and about the life after death, truly fear Him as He should be feared, and only those will stay away from His disobedience. So, read about what awaits you in the life after your death and infuse the love for Jannah and fear of Hell in your heart.
3) Be passionate about performing good deeds: Grab opportunities to do good deeds. Learn ways to make your scale of good deeds heavy on Judgment Day (such as these ahadith- Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon Him) said, “The heaviest thing to be placed in the balance of a believing slave on the Day of Judgement will be good behaviour.” (At-Tirmidhi).
“There are two statements that are light for the tongue, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-‘Adheem.’‘ [Al-Bukhari].
“If the seven heavens and the earth were placed on one side of the scale, and ‘la ilaha ill-Allaah’ was placed on the other, the side in which ‘la ilaha ill-Allaah’ is placed will be heavier.” [Al-Bukhari])
4) Invoking Allah Ta’ala for His Mercy and His guidance: Remember it is only Allah Ta’ala who creates ways for you to earn hasanaat (good deeds) and it is He who gives you the strength to stay away from evil. So sincerely pray to Him to guide and have mercy on you, your family and the ummah.
May Allah Ta’ala make it easy for us. Ameen