Die Before Dying

O you who possess sincerity, (if) you want that (Reality) unveiled, choose death and tear off the veil--
Not such a death that you will go into a grave, (but) a death consisting of (spiritual) transformation,
so that you will go into a Light.
...
Hence the messenger of good tiding said, (speaking) symbolically, “Die before ye die, O nobles,

Even as I have died before death and brought from Yonder this fame and renown.”

Do thou, then, become the (spiritual) resurrection and (thereby) see (experience) the resurrection: this (becoming) is the necessary condition for seeing (knowing and experiencing the real nature of) anything.

Until thou become it, thou wilt not know it completely, whether it be light or darkness.

(If) thou become Reason, thou wilt know Reason perfectly; if thou become Love, thou wilt know Love’s (flaming) wick.  

(Moulavi Rummi, Book VI, 754-759)

The followings are one of the most consistent and startling truth in the Quran to which I was blind most of my life.  Now reading them, I ask myself why did I never read them?  Or if I read them, not with principle of charity to set my heart straight and connect with the truth so plainly mentioned in them.  I was too sure of my ‘scientific outlook’ and my faith in the ‘verifiable world of appearance’.  What a fool I was!  But God brought the Day of Judgement to me before dying and my face darkened, before becoming dark after my death in the Day of Judgement.  Do you know what is ‘darkening the face’?  How you ever felt absolute despair and being trapped completely in the evil of your own deeds?  I remember the time that I felt the light is moving out of my body and I clearly felt the darkening of my face and body, when I was seduced by Satan to see myself as ‘unforgiven’ and ‘doomed’ for the disbelief in most of my life and the impossible undoing of the mistakes that I made.  God allowed Satan to seduce me into utter disappointment and unredeemable state of falling into Hell, both in this world and in the world to come, similar to his own destiny and state of being.  Thus, I died before dying.  I can’t thank God more for this suffering before the suffering of the Day, of this darkening of my face, before the darkening of my face in the Day that I have no time to change the course of my action and will carry my darkened face into Hell for eternity or as long as God wills. 

“When man suffers some affliction, he cries out to Us, but when We favor him with Our blessing, he says, ‘All this has been given to me because of my knowledge’– it is only a test, though most of them do not know it.  Those who lived before them said the same. What they did was of no use to them; they suffered its evil effects. Today’s wrongdoers will also suffer the evil effects of their deeds: they will not escape.  Do they not know that God provides abundantly for anyone He will and gives sparingly to anyone He will?  There truly are signs in this for those who believe.” (39:49-52)  

“Say, ‘[God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.  Turn to your Lord. Submit to Him before the punishment overtakes you and you can no longer be helped.  Follow the best teaching sent down to you from your Lord, before the punishment suddenly takes you, unawares, and your soul says, “Woe is me for having neglected what is due to God, and having been one of those who scoffed!”  Or it says, “If God had guided me, I would have joined the righteous!”  Or, faced by punishment, it says, “If only I could have another chance, I would join those who do good!”  No indeed! My messages came to you and you rejected them: you were arrogant and rejected the truth.’” (39:53-59)

“On the Day of Resurrection, you [Prophet] will see those who told lies against God, their faces darkened. Is there not ample punishment for the arrogant in Hell?  But God will deliver those who took heed of Him to their place of safety: no harm will touch them, nor will they grieve.  God is the Creator of all things; He has charge of everything; the keys of the heavens and earth are His. Those who have rejected the revelations of God will be the losers.” (39:60-63)

“Say, ‘Do you order me to worship someone other than God, you foolish people?’  It has already been revealed to you [Prophet] and to those before you: ‘If you ascribe any partner to God, all your work will come to nothing: you will be one if the losers. 66No! Worship God alone and be one of those who are grateful to Him.’  These people have no grasp of God’s true measure. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His grip. The heavens will be rolled up in His right hand– Glory be to Him! He is far above the partners they ascribe to Him!– the Trumpet will be sounded, and everyone in the heavens and earth will fall down senseless except those God spares. It will be sounded once again and they will be on their feet, looking on. 69 The earth will shine with the light of its Lord; the Record of Deeds will be laid open; the prophets and witnesses will be brought in. Fair judgement will be given between them: they will not be wronged 70 and every soul will be repaid in full for what it has done. He knows best what they do.” (39:64-69)

“Those who rejected the Truth will be led to Hell in their throngs.  When they arrive, its gates will open and its keepers will say to them, ‘Were you not sent your own messengers to recite the revelations of your Lord to you and warn you that you would meet this Day?’ and they will say, ‘Yes indeed we were.’ But the sentence of punishment will have been passed against those who rejected the truth.  It will be said, ‘Enter the gates of Hell: there you will remain. How evil is the abode of the arrogant!’” (39:71-72)

“Those who were mindful of their Lord will be led in throngs to the Garden. When they arrive, they will find its gates wide open, and its keepers will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you. You have been good.  Come in: you are here to stay,’ and they will say, ‘Praise be to God who has kept His promise to us and given us this land as our own.  Now we may live wherever we please in the Garden.’ How excellent is the reward of those who labor! You [Prophet] will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying their Lord with praise. True judgement will have been passed between them, and it will be said, ‘Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.’” (39:73-75)

Prophet: "Die before ye die."  

At this time there is no (means of) making (God) known except (by) denying the opposite: in this (earthly) life no moment is without a snare.

O you who possess sincerity, (if) you want that (Reality) unveiled, choose death and tear off the veil--

Not such a death that you will go into a grave, (but) a death consisting of (spiritual) transformation, so that you will go into a Light.

(When) a man grows up, his childhood dies; (when) he becomes a (fair-complexioned) Greek, he washes out the dye (swarthy color) of the Ethopian.

(When) earth becomes gold, its earthly aspect remains not; (when) sorrow becomes joy, the thorn of sorrowfulness remains not.

Hence Mustafa (Mohammad) said,: “O seeker of the mysteries, (if) you wish to see a dead man living---

Walking on the earth, like living men; (yet he is) dead and his spirit is gone to heaven;

(One) whose spirit hath a dwelling-place on high at this moment, (so that) if he die, his spirit is not translated,

Because it has been translated before death: this (mystery) is understood (only) by dying, not by (using one’s) reason;

Translation it is, (but) not like the translation of the spirits of the vulgar: it resembles a removal (during life) from one place to antoher—

If any one wish to see a dead man walking thus visibly on the eath,

Let him behold Abu Bakr, the devout, (who) through being a true witness (siddiq) became the Prince of the Resurrected.

In this (earthly) life look at the Siddiq (Abu Bakr), that you may believe more firmly in the Resurrection.”

Mohammad, then, was a hundred (spiritual) resurrections here and now, for he was dissolved (naughted) in dying to (temporal) loosing and binding.

Ahmad (Mohammad) is the twice-born in this world: he was manifestly a hundred resurrections.

They asked him concerning the Resurrection, saying, “O (thou who art the) Resurrection, how long is the way to the Ressurction?”

And often he would say with mute eloquence, “Does any one ask (me who am) the Resurrection concerning the Resurrection?”

Hence the messenger of good tiding said, (speaking) symbolically, “Die before ye die, O nobles,

Even as I have died before death and brought from Yonder this fame and renown.”

Do thou, then, become the (spiritual) resurrection and (thereby) see (experience) the resurrection: this (becoming) is the necessary condition for seeing (knowing and experiencing the real nature of) anything.

Until thou become it, thou wilt not know it completely, whether it be light or darkness.

(If) thou become Reason, thou wilt know Reason perfectly; if thou become Love, thou wilt know Love’s (flaming) wick.  (Moulavi Rummi, Book VI, 736-759)

۷۳۹	نَفیْ ضِدّ هست باشد بی‌شَکی		تا زِ ضِدّْ ضِد را بِدانی اَنْدکی
۷۴۰	این زمان جُز نَفیِ ضِدْ اِعْلام نیست		اَنْدَرین نَشْات دَمی بی‌دام نیست
۷۴۱	بی‌حِجابَت باید آن ای ذو لُباب		مرگ را بُگْزین و بَر دَرّان حِجاب
۷۴۲	نه چُنان مرگی که در گوری رَوی		مرگِ تبدیلی که در نوری رَوی
۷۴۳	مَردْ بالِغ گشت آن بَچْگی بِمُرد		رومی‌یی شُد صِبْغَت زَنگی سُتُرد
۷۴۴	خاکْ زَر شُد هیات خاکی نَمانْد		غَمْ فَرَج شُد خارِ غَمْناکی نَمانْد
۷۴۵	مُصْطَفی زین گفت کِی اَسْرارجو		مُرده را خواهی که بینی زنده تو؟
۷۴۶	می‌رَوَد چون زندگان بر خاکْدان		مُرده و جانَش شُده بر آسْمان
۷۴۷	جانْش را این دَمْ به بالا مَسْکَنی ست		گر بِمیرَد روحِ او را نَقْل نیست
۷۴۸	زان که پیش از مرگْ او کرده‌ست نَقْل		این به مُردنْ فَهْم آید نه به عقل
۷۴۹	نَقْل باشد نه چو نَقْلِ جانِ عام		هَمچو نَقْلی از مَقامی تا مَقام
۷۵۰	هرکِه خواهد که بِبینَد بر زمین		مُرده‌یی را می‌رَوَد ظاهِر چُنین
۷۵۱	مَر ابوبکرِ تَقی را گو بِبین		شُد زِ صِدّیقی اَمیرُالْمُحْشَرین
۷۵۲	اَنْدَرین نَشْاَت نِگَر صِدّیق را		تا به حَشْر اَفْزون کُنی تَصدیق را
۷۵۳	پَس مُحَمَّد صد قیامَت بود نَقْد		زان که حَل شُد در فَنایِ حَلّ و عَقْد
۷۵۴	زادهٔ ثانیست اَحْمَد در جهان		صد قیامَت بود او اَنْدَر عِیان
۷۵۵	زو قیامَت را هَمی‌پُرسیده‌اند		ای قیامَت تا قیامتْ راهْ چند؟
۷۵۶	با زبانِ حالْ می‌گفتی بَسی		که زِ مَحْشَر حَشْر را پُرسَد کسی؟
۷۵۷	بَهْرِ این گفت آن رَسولِ خوشْ‌پیام		رَمْزِ موتوا قَبْلَ مَوْتٍ یا کِرام
۷۵۸	هم‌چُنان که مُرده‌ام من قَبْلِ مَوْت		زان طَرَف آورده‌ام این صیت و صَوْت
۷۵۹	پس قیامَت شو قیامَت را بِبین		دیدنِ هر چیز را شَرط است این
۷۶۰	تا نگردی او ندانی‌اَش تَمام		خواه آن اَنْوار باشد یا ظَلام
۷۶۱	عقل گردی عقل را دانی کَمال		عشق گردی عشق را دانی ذُبال