“You arrived naked and you will pass out naked.

You arrived with nothing and you will leave with nothing.

Your first bath, someone washed you and your last bath, someone will wash you. This is life.”

That thin line or veil that exists between life and death is acceptance. In life, we fight many tests, many obstacles. Often, fighting only makes the inevitable, harder.

There is a thin line that separates life from death, but once it is crossed, it becomes as large as an ocean, and so treacherous that it is impossible to cross back.

What is the space between life and death called? The word liminal is defined as the space in between. Often it’s the space in between living and dying.

It is said that people living deeply have no fear of death. …No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away. …It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone. …The boundaries between life and death are at best shadowy and vague.

The last days or hours of a person’s life are sometimes called the terminal phase. This is when someone is “actively dying”. Everyone’s experience of dying is different, and some people will die suddenly or unexpectedly. Therefore, not everyone will experience active dying.

A vegetative state is another aspect of what we consider the gray zone between life and death. Medically, this is when sufficient damage to the brain has occurred, where the person isn’t aware of and can’t respond to their surroundings. It is often called a state of coma. Many people pass this stage before giving up the ghost.

“May God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.” “Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you’ve lived.”

We all live our lives from within one of the Three Zones of Living: the Complacent Zone, the Survival Zone, and the Comfort Zone. Typically we bounce in and out of each of these zones throughout our life.

Many people believe that death marks the end of life and that there is nothing beyond it. Others believe that death is merely a transition to another dimension of existence. Ultimately, the relationship between life and death is complex and multifaceted.

In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. —Proverbs 12:28

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. —Proverbs 14:12O

After a vertebrate dies, many of its organ systems, tissues, and cells remain functional while its body no longer works as a whole. We define this state as the “twilight of death” − the transition from a living body to a decomposed corpse.

Today as we commemorate 20 years of the passing of our brother, husband, father, friend and cousin (which was how we introduced each other), Dr. Bob Adeboye Owolade, we take cognizance of many traditions, and belief that the soul lingers on Earth for 40 days, engaging in a journey of purification, judgment, or preparation for its ultimate destination, which may be reincarnation, heaven, or another form of afterlife. However, 20 years is enough for Bob to get to his ultimate destination. Wherever he is, we wish him eternal rest and peace till the day of Resurrection…

It is said that during the 40 days of contemplation, the soul of the departed could wonder and appear to loved ones who have not been informed of its demise. Ade appeared to his niece in New York and when asked, he claimed to be there on a short visit and was going back soon. The lady did not see him again until she learnt from home that he had died. Such is the way of wandering souls.

Ade was everything rolled into one, a friend, an in-law, a brother, a co-traveler in the good life, a fine guitarist and lover of good music, a footballer in his school days and a veritable fan of Arsenal Gunners. But above all, Ade was a fine gynecologist and obstetrician as attested to by the many patients who passed through his hand. Even in Swaziland he was the preferred doctor to the wives of the King until he died.

We remember him today because his death reminds us of the thin line between living and death. Sometimes we regard such a phenomenon as mysterious, considering the manner in which the angel of death visits the victim.

Bob’s death was one of such incidents. Here was a man who woke up in the morning from the same bed with his wife without any sign of ailment. The wife, my amiable sister, was also a doctor in the service of Swaziland Health Services as a Consultant Anesthesiologist. They had their morning coffee and Bob left for Mbabane Clinic where he was a consultant. He had a problem patient whom he needed to see that morning. After a day at the clinic, he bade the staff farewell with instructions that they should come for him in case his patient developed any complication.

Ade got home and met his wife who was already preparing dinner. He sat on the bed fiddling with the television to get the DSTV Supersports channel for the day’s match between Manchester United and Arsenal. While at this, his wife called him that the food was ready. Unbeknown to her Bob has crossed the thin line. He had crossed the luminal. Yetunde entered the room with the intention of making him stand up to come to the table but met another wonder of God. She was alarmed because all of a sudden he became incoherent bordering on speaking in tongue.

The poor wife was afraid and had to call for an ambulance from the clinic. By the time they got to the clinic, event took another dimension. Arrangement had to be made to transfer Bob to Pretoria in South Africa, a distance of over 300 miles. At the hospital in Pretoria, he was in the ICU with all the ubiquitous tubes and wires all over his body. In all honesty, the first picture that was sent to my phone was so scary; I was in Pakistan. Two days later my son Pappi Jose, who was in school in SA called to inform me that Bob had passed on.

Many thanks to the Ambassador our uncle Dr. Tunji Olagunju, who made the necessary arrangements for the body to be freighted back to Nigeria and for my sister and the three children, including Pappi to come home for the burial. These were harrowing days. His schoolmates at Government college, Ibadan, University of Ibadan, and Ain Shams University, Cairo and the friends and Eku’lu crowd of Mbabane, Eswatini all played important roles during his rights of passage.

We thank God for his life, though short but impactful, his children, Damola, Dotun and Dino and of course we thank God for standing by our sister Yetunde and for helping her lift the burden Bob left for her. It had been a journey powered with God’s Mercies.

May I join you in sharing the Psalmist delight when he said in Psalms 145:8-17: The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; Slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: And his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; And thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; And thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, And holy in all his works.

To our sister, Yetunde, the children and the entire families we say Aku iranti. Didun didun ni iranti olododo.

Inna lillah wa ina ilehi rajiun. With total submission to the will of Allah, we announce the passing of Major Fatai Shittu Rtd, 2^nd Vice President of Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria who crossed the line to meet his maker last Tuesday, 4^th February. The late Major Fatai Shittu was from our Iseyin Mission and a pillar of the Movement. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdous.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend

Radix malorum est cupiditas: “greed is the root of evil”.

“Beware of greed, for it was only greed that destroyed those before you. It commanded them to be miserly and they did so. It commanded them to sever their family ties and they did so. It commanded them to behave wickedly and they did so.” Source: Sunan Abu Dāwūd 1698

“Thou wilt indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life, even more than the idolaters: Each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years: But the grant of such life will not save him from (due) punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do.” (Quran 2: 96)

Greed is an extreme or excessive desire for resources, especially for property such as money, real estate, or other symbols of wealth. A greedy person is covetous, acquisitive, grasping, avaricious and mean; having or showing a strong desire for, especially material possessions. Covetousness will simply imply an inordinate desire often for another’s possessions. Greed (Latin: avaritia), also known as avarice, cupidity, is like lust and gluttony, a sin of desire.

However, greed (as seen in religious terms) is applied to an artificial, rapacious desire and pursuit of material possessions. Their inability to empathize, their lack of genuine interest in the ideas and feelings of others, and their unwillingness to take personal responsibility for their behavior and actions makes them very difficult people to be with. They are never satisfied. Greedy people look at the world as a zero-sum game.

Fear, insecurity, anxiety, tendency to betray or harm others and arrogance are the results of greed. Greed is rightly called a deadly sin because it kills the possibility of a proper human relation to the Creator.

In Luke 12:15 we read; “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

According to the Bible, the seven deadly sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth, which are also contrary to the seven heavenly virtues. These sins are often thought to be abuses or excessive versions of one’s natural faculties or passions (for example, gluttony abuses one’s desire to eat, to consume).

Plutomania: is defined medically as excessive or abnormal desire for wealth. The root cause of greed is thinking of ourselves in isolation from others or as members of elite peer groups that define what we should want. We are members of larger communities with many kinds of people, on whom we depend and who depend on us.

This is where the attitudinal disposition of our leaders comes in. They are a race of men from another planet. They are an embodiment of the seven deadly sins and make no regrets about it. They are gluttonous, rapacious and will stop at nothing to convert the commonwealth to their personal property.

What is enough for one to lead a happy life? This question can be answered in many different ways. In fact, the variety in answers is something that can be appreciated. Nonetheless, Islam has made it very simple by emphasizing the connection between one’s wishes and desires and serving Allah.

Allah has given human beings the full right to strive and achieve what they can from what He has allowed, and in our history we have examples of people who had tremendous amounts of wealth and enjoyed its benefits. But when the time came, they did not hesitate for even a moment to sacrifice it all in the way of Allah.  Such an act of devotion though is only possible when a Muslim understands that real happiness is in pleasing Allah and the only thing worth being greedy over is success in the Hereafter.

Hence Allah says in Sura Al-Layl: But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, And gives the lie to the Best, We will indeed make smooth for him the Path to Misery; Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit). Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide, And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning.  (Quran 92:8-13)

It is not just the greed of wealth and power that has resulted in the oppression of our Ummah; it is also the greed for life. This greed spread in the name of individualism and presents us with a choice where the value of our own selves is sized up against the value of others. So if one can save or benefit themselves, even if that comes at the expense of their brothers and sisters, then that is a fair choice to make.

Rasulallah (SAW) said: “…and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “Love of the world and dislike of death.”

This need for the material over the divine has taken over most all societies. We are primarily a brand and class-conscious people. The greed that leads to needing to achieve a certain material standard unfortunately even pushes some Muslims to the Haram.

Some Muslims adopt cultural practices that involve extremely extravagant wedding celebrations where there is pride in spending the most money and outdoing others in their wedding spending. There is a greed in attaining possessions but then another type of greed that seeks status, attention and the outdoing of others even if that is through sometimes unconscionable means.

We must remember that it is also greed that brought certain peoples to disobey Allah. Greed is selfish excessive or uncontrolled desire for possession, especially when this denies the same goods to others.

Imam Hassan Mujtaba said: “The annihilation of people lies in three things: Arrogance, Greed and Envy. Arrogance causes destruction of the religion and because of it Shaitan (Satan) was cursed, and Greed is the enemy of one’s soul, and because of it Adam was expelled from Paradise, and Envy is the guide to wickedness, and because of it Qabil (Cain) killed Habil (Abel) – the two sons of Prophet Adam.”

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir said: “In his love for the world, the greedy is like the silkworm: the more it wraps in its cocoon, the less it has of escaping from it, until it dies of grief.”

Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: “If son of Adam were to possess two valleys of gold and silver, he would long for a third. Son of Adam, your stomach is but an ocean or a valley that cannot be filled in with anything except dust.”

Greed enslaves man and causes him grief. The greedy cares only for collecting fortunes without stopping at any limit. Whenever he achieves a goal, he works for achieving another and, so, he becomes the slave of avidity until death strikes him.

In school we studied a novel on defeating greed by Tolstoy called “How Much Land does a Man Need?” According to the peasant Pahom “Our only trouble is that we haven’t land enough. If I had plenty of land, I shouldn’t fear the Devil himself”. In a continuous mission to find the ‘more’ that would be land enough, Pahom dies. His servant picked up the spade, dug a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his toes was all he needed. A GREAT LESSON TO ALL: The Bible said: “. . . nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:10

The Army Chief who embezzles the vote meant to procure arms and ammunition for the defenders of our territory will in the end get only six feet of land. The same goes for the Air and Naval Chiefs who are led by greed to criminal atavism. What then can one say of the Oil minister who stole so much money that could fund a luxury space travel to Venus with a stopover at the International Space Station but will eventually return and end up in her own portion of ‘standard’ 6 feet? That, my brothers and sisters, is the end of greed. It answers the question: How much land does a man need?

Good men too will not get a bigger portion of land. Six feet is all they will get; except that they will inherit the kingdom. 2:156 of the Quran; Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, a phrase meaning “Verily we belong to God, and verily to Him do we return.”

Last Wednesday, 29^th January, our friend and brother Babatunde Adewale Okegbenro aka Lakabo received his own 6 Feet. He was not buried with his tennis racket or balls. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Barka Juma’at and Happy Weekend

There are six Articles of Faith in Islam. These basic beliefs shape the Islamic way of life. They form the basis of his belief system, values and idiosyncrasies that uphold his values as a Muslim.

The foundation and basis of faith is faith in God Almighty, which is innate to man’s primordial nature. As God Almighty says: When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (Who cherishes and sustains you)?” – They said: “Yea! We do testify!” (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgement: “Of this we were never mindful”. (Quran 7:172).

The Muslim believes, and is certain, and testifies, that; there is no god but God, alone with no partner: a Mighty God, a Glorious king, besides whom there is no other Lord, nor any other object of worship. He is eternal, without beginning or end; there is no beginning to his First‐ness, nor any end to his Last‐ness. He is One, the self‐sufficient Besought of all, who neither begat nor was begotten, and none is like him. He has no likeness or counterpart; there is nothing like unto him, and he is the All‐hearing, All‐seeing.

In his holiness he is beyond time and space, and the re-semblance of any created thing. Direction does not encompass him, nor do temporal events befall him. He is settled upon his Throne in the way that he said it, according to the meaning he intended, with a settling that befits the might of his Majesty and the height of his Glory and his Grandeur. He is near to all things, and nearer to man than his jugular vein. He watches over all things, and observes them. He is Living and All‐sustaining. Neither slumber nor sleep overcome him. He made the heavens and the earth; and when he decrees a thing, he but says to it ‘Be!’, and it is. God is the Creator of all things, and the Patron of all things. 

Another article of faith is faith in the angels (peace be upon them), who are creatures of light: O ye who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive fro Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded. (Quran 66:6).

Quranic verses and noble Hadiths speak of them with praise and honour, and indeed with love. The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them (by His Glory): And the angels celebrate the Praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for (all) beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Quran 42:5).

There are also angels who come in turns to mankind by night and by day, and the recording scribes who abide with every person at all times. There are also angels charged with certain tasks pertaining to mankind, including:

1. Revelation: Gabriel 

2. Provision: Michael 

3. Blowing the trumpet [of the resurrection]: Raphael (Israfil)

4. Taking spirits: the Angel of Death Azrail

5. Counting good and bad deeds: the Diligent Observer

6. The questioners of the grave: Munkar and Nakir 

7. The guardian of Paradise: Ridwan 

8. The guardian of hell: Malik. Peace be upon them all. 

Faith in the messengers and prophets (peace be upon them all), and in the revealed scriptures is another article of faith, without which the Muslim’s faith is invalid; these include the scriptures of Abraham, Moses, the Psalms, the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur’an. Islam is the religion which includes all the prophets and envoys in faith, belief, allegiance and love; and God Almighty has made our worship contingent on faith in all the messengers and prophets.

In Islam, there are 25 prophets named in the Quran, but Muslims believe there were many more. There is a Hadith that says that the Prophet (SAW) mentions 124,000 (or its roundabouts) prophets before him. There is also a Hadith by Musnad Ahmad that says there are 124,000 prophets, 315 of which were messengers.

The principal and general basis, for our relations with all of our blessed prophets is the connection of faith, and allegiance to their guidance: for God Almighty says: The Apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. “We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles.” And they say “We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.” (Quran 2:285).

Yet it is valid to believe that some of them are preferred over others, for God has said: Those apostles we endowed with gifts, some above others: To one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary we gave Clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after Clear (Signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah fulfilleth His plan. (Quran 2:253).

The Father of the Prophets, Abraham (peace be upon him) was blessed with a special position, which gives him a certain eminence in our connection to him, in several ways. These include the ascription of the primordial faith (al-hanifiyya) to him. He is the father of the Abrahamic religions.

Moses (peace be upon him) also has a special eminence in his connection to us. It was his intervention in advising Prophet Mohammad to seek reduction in the number of prayers from 50 to the present 5 daily prayers.

As for Jesus (peace be upon him), he has a special place with regards to his connection to the Islamic community in that God Almighty made him one of the most distinctive major portents of the hour, and one of the keys of deliverance for this community in the end times, when Jesus (peace be upon him) will descend.

Another article of faith is faith in the resurrection, the Last Day, the reckoning and the requital according to divine mercy and justice, as God says: Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, (Quran 25:70). 

This is his way of stirring the believer’s aspiration and strengthening his resolve to take hold of himself and buckle down to acts of obedience and good deeds, and to forswear indulging caprices and delusions of happiness based on passions and fleeting pleasures. It also shows the believer how to take the long view of his future, which will stretch out without limit, far beyond the time he spends in this world. 

The last of these articles is faith in Providence, both the good and the bad, the sweet and the bitter; and faith that the universe is never outside the control of the Lord’s mercy, justice and wisdom. This is what causes the believer to live a life which is refined by contentment, tranquillity, security and patience.

There is however the issue of test of faith: A test of faith is a trial that Allah gives to humans to test their patience and faith. Allah tests people in many ways, including through fear, hunger, loss, and calamity. The purpose of these tests is to distinguish believers from non-believers.

Recently, we have seen people whose  faith have been subjected to severe tests.  We can only pray to Allah to be lenient with them. May all they have worked for in life not go to nought in the evening of their life.

Among other things God has promised to test us with are our:

• Wealth and children to see if they will be grateful or distracted by them.

• Jihad: Allah tests people through jihad, or fighting in His cause.

• Calamity, to see if they will accept it with patience.

• Sacrifice: Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as a test of faith.

Rewards for passing tests:

• Allah rewards those who are patient with blessings, mercy, and forgiveness.

• Allah records those who are patient as victorious and gives them a place in Paradise.

Our brother Ahmad Olayinka Jose has had his faith tested with his health which Allah subjected to supreme test short of death. Ahmad was able to pass this test with glory to Allah. Not only did he have his heart replaced, but much more. But, Allah has been most merciful.  Today, Yinka marks his 63rd birthday. He is an example per excellence of a man with faith. Throughout his trials he never wavered nor sought an alternative to the powers of the Living God. May Allah bless his new age and may his days be long. God bless his children and children’s children. And may he continue to dwell in the house of the Lord.  Mr Yinky, happy birthday.

The Building of the Faithful Soul is the Beginning of the Building of Faith‐based Society. May Allah guide us in faith. 

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend