We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: {And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for} (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169).
He said: We asked about that and the Prophet (pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them (1) and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be. (1) i.e. at those who had been killed in the cause of Allah.
It was related by Muslim
Three years ago part of our ummah, the Muslim community in Quebec, witnessed a very heavy trial.
We pray that Allah (swt) has accepted Mamadou Tanou Barry, Abdelkrim Hassane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Azzeddine Soufiane, and Ibrahima Barry among His shuhada. We pray that their families are granted sabrun jameel, and that they are reunited with their loved ones in the gardens of Jannah.
This is a stark reminder that we may face trials at any turn, and one of the greatest among them is death. When tragedies like this occur, it is imperative that we do not become desensitized. It is our duty to be reflective, to make sincere dua for our brothers and sisters, and support them in any way that we can. We should use these moments to remember, reflect and send dua upon those who lost their lives, and to take these moments as lessons to remember that one day we will face death too.
Al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajr states in Fath Al-Bārī:
Extensive hopes (about this worldly life) give rise to lethargy when it comes to acts of obedience, procrastinating with repentance, desire for worldly things, forgetfulness of the hereafter and hardness of the heart; because the softness of the heart and its purity only comes about by remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors of the hereafter…for if one remembers death, he strives to do acts of obedience, his worries decrease and he is satisfied with less.
The souls of those lost in the Quebec massacre have experienced the great trials of this dunya. We pray that with Allah (swt)’s Mercy, they are now enjoying the afterlife amongst the blessed shuhada. We must now turn the magnifying glass inwards. What have put forth for tomorrow? Would we be able to withstand such a trial? What have we prepared for the end of our lives? Don’t let another day pass without putting forth the utmost effort for your deen and striving for the sake of Allah (swt). As trials like this have shown us, we never know when our last step and last breath will be.
