For all people, not just Muslims, death always seem to come at a very inappropriate time.
Before I go into what I find comforting in the Qur'an I will explain a bit about myself and my family culture.
I too am a rairly recent revert to Islam. Although no longer a newbie. It has now been a little over 2 years since I said the Shahadah.
My early history goes back to family culture and to a large extent that probably has ingrained a concept of death will always be with me. I am of very mixed ancestry. However, I am nearly 50% Lipkas (Lithuanian Tatar). I identify with my Lipkas heritage more than any other.
The Lipkas have suffered much in the past 400 years and most of it had been within the past 125 years. As a result we have formed a very fatalistic attitude about death. We welcome death and do not mourn a funerals, we see a funeral as a time of great joy. We feel that the person has been released from the hardships of life. to a certain extent we tend to believe that life is the Hellfire and a death means a person has been released. (These are cultural, not religious beliefs) Oddly I was raised as a Catholic and was a firm believer in Christianity as believed by Catholics. I did have a difficult time resolving my cultural belief and my religious teachings.
I said that so you can have a small understand of where I was before I embraced Islam.
Needless to say I had to come to an understanding of what life and death really are. We all know that one day we will all face death. It is part of each of our lives. Our own death seems to be very easy to face. It is much more difficult to see those close to us die.
We do need understanding as to what hope is there. Everybody seems to find different things in the Qur'an that are of help for specific things. Perhaps others will share what gives them comfort. To me I find total comfort in the beauty of Surah One, Al-Fatiha.
7 short little ayyats
1: 1. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Y S
1: 2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, Y S C
1: 3. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Y S
1: 4. Master of the Day of Judgment, Y S
1: 5. Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. Y S C
1: 6. Show us the straight path, Y S C
1: 7. The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. Y S C
Pickthal's Quran Translation
But the power behind them and the wisdom.
I am told in that little surah that there is only One in control of judgment. The one who is all merciful and will and has provided for all of our needs and will give to all of us in accordance with our obedience. he has shown each and every one of us the path we are to walk and He alone will be the one to judge us and it will be with Divine mercy and Justice. I have full trust in his judgment and his plans for me. He is the best of planners. I also know that all of my loved ones who have left this world were judged with pure mercy and fairness that can only come from Allah(swt) I need not worry about their final end as it is/was/will be as merciful as Allah(swt) wills.
