Death is the greatest reminder, which makes every person a man ‘cut-to-size’. Ignoring the reality of death is not possible for any human being. Every death admonishes a person to live in this world with modesty. The Prophet of Islam said, “Remember death much, which demolishes all desires.” (al-Tirmidhi). This means that the thought of death serves to make a person a realist. It is the reality of death that helps one to come out of wishful thinking. Death makes a person distinguish between ‘what he is’ and ‘what he is not’. If a person focuses on ‘what he is’, it would bring about realism in his thinking. On the contrary, if a person is governed by thoughts of ‘what he is not’, he would develop an unrealistic approach to life. A person’s greatest strength is in developing a realistic approach. It is realism that makes a person a right thinker. One who is a right thinker is in a position to do successful planning for his work; no one can place obstacles in the path to his success. Remembering death is the greatest source of wisdom for any person—it guarantees that one’s planning will be realistic.
Death: The Final Journey