For children, - Sakaratul Maut (Last Moments Before Death)

A police officer in a Muslim country wrote the following letter to a
Shaykh (Religious leader) describing the events that led to his return
to Allah (SWT). He recalls:
Seeing accidents and crash victims was a normal part of my day, but
one incident was different.
My partner and I had parked on the shoulder of the highway and began
to chat. In a random second, the scene shattered to the hideous sound
of metal bodies becoming one. We threw our heads back to see what had
happened. It was a head-on collision, the result of a vehicle slipping
into the lane of the oncoming traffic.
We couldn't describe the carnage. Two young men sprawled in the first
car, both in critical condition. We carried them gently away from the
car and rested them on the ground.
Quickly we returned to assist the owner of the second car. He was
dead. Back we went to the two young men lying side by side on the
pavement.
My partner began dictating the Shahadah to them. Say "Ash Hadu an La
Ilaha Illallah (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah) ..."
Their tongues wouldn't acknowledge it. They started humming the
hypnotic lyrics of some song. I was terrified. My partner had
experience however, and he kept repeating his instruction.
I stood up watching, no movement, eyes locked. Never in my life had I
seen anything similar to what was going on before me. In fact, I've
never actually seen someone die, and never, in such a satanic way.
My partner continued to instruct them to say the Shahadah but there
was no use. The hum of their song came to a slow silence, slowly. The
first one stopped and then the other. Not a stir but Dead.
We carried them to our patrol car; my partner made no effort to speak.
Not a whisper between us two as we carried the corpses to the nearest
hospital.
The police officer fell back into routine, as he narrates, and started
to drift away from Allah (SWT). But another event happened to him that
sealed the return. He continues:
What an odd world. After some time, about six months, a strange
accident took place. A young man was moving along the highway
normally, but within one of the tunnels leading to the city, he got a
flat tire.
To the side of the tunnel he parked and stepped to the back to remove
the spare tire. The whistle of a speeding car could be heard from
behind. In a second, it collided with the crippled car, with the young
man in-between. He fell to the ground with critical injuries.
I rushed to the scene, myself and another partner other than the
first. Together we carried the young man's body into our patrol car
and phoned the hospital to prepare for his arrival.
He was a young adult in his blossom years. Religious, as you could
tell from his appearance. He was mumbling when we carried him, but in
our rush, we had not paid attention to what he was saying.
However, when we placed him on his back in the patrol car, we could
make it out. Through the pain, his heart was reciting Noble Qur'an! He
was so immersed in the recitation. Subhan Allah, you would have never
said that this person was in intense pain.
Blood had soaked his clothes crimson red, his bones had clearly
snapped in several places. To tell the truth, he looked like he was
staring into the eyes of death.
He continued to read in his unique, tender voice, reciting each verse
in proper rhythm. In my entire life, I had never heard any recitations
like it. I said to myself, "I'm going to instruct him to say the
Shahadah just like I saw my friend doing," especially since I had
previous experience."
My partner and I listened intently to that soft voice. I felt a shiver
shock my back and up my arm the hair stood.
Suddenly, the hymn ceased. I watched silently as his hand rose softly.
He had his index finger pointed upward to the Heaven, saying the
Shahadah (Ash Hadu an La Ilaha Illallah - I bear witness that there is
no god but Allah). Then, his head slumped.
I jumped to the back seat, felt his hand, his heart, his breathing. He was dead!
I couldn't stop staring at him. A tear fell but I hid it in shame. I
turned back to my partner and told him that the boy's life had ceased.
He burst out loud crying. Seeing a man cry like that, I could not
control myself and my partner faded away behind the fall of my own
tears. The patrol car fogged from the emotions.
We arrived at the hospital. As we rushed through the corridors, we
told all the doctors, nurses, and onlookers what had happened. So many
people were affected by what we said, some stood there speechless and
tearful.
No one wanted to lose sight of the boy, until they had been assured of
the time and place he would be buried.
One of the hospital staffs phoned the boy's home. His brother picked
it up and was told of the accident. His brother told us about him:
He used to go out every Monday to visit his only grandmother outside
of town. Whenever he visited her, he made sure to spend time with the
poor children idling on the streets, and the orphans. The town knew
him; he was the one that would bring them the Islamic books and tapes.
His dusty Mazda would be filled with rice and sugar and even candies -
couldn't forget the candies - for those families who were in need.
He would not stand for anyone to discourage him from the long journey
to that town. He would always politely reply that the long drive gave
him time to review his Noble Qur'an and to listen to Islamic lectures
on his cassette deck and that with every step to the town, he hoped
for the reward he would find with Allah (SWT).
Rasool Allah - Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallamgave the example of a man
who loses his camel in the desert and in that wasteland loses hope of
life. In that state, he sits down awaiting death to come. Then, he
opens his eyes and finds his camel standing beside him with all the
provisions to take him home. In his extreme happiness he cries out, "O
Allah, You are my servant and I am your Lord!" He says it wrong from
the bliss of happiness.
Rasool Allah - Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam said that verily Allah
(SWT) is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than this man
is upon finding his camel!