Is It Wrong To Want To Know When I Will Die?
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
I wish badly to know what age I will die and what is my final destination in Hereafter, and I have strong hopes that I’ll be from People of Paradise.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate
I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah.
The wisdom of Allah creating us is to test us in faith and good conduct.
Allah Most High says,
“He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.” [Quran, 67:2]
Not knowing when we will die gives us a sense of urgency about turning to Allah. As Allah tells us in Sura al-Asr:
“By Time! Surely humanity is in ˹grave˺ loss, — except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance.” [Quran, 103:1-3]
The exception here refers to those who lived their faith through sincerity in worship and practice, and reminded others of what is good and beautiful. [Qushayri, Lata’if al-Isharat]
This is the key to Paradise. Hold fast to it and—by the Mercy and Grace of Allah Most High—its Doors will be open.
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.
