Why fear the death?

By: Ayatullah al-Uzma Nasir Makarim Shirazi from ‘Tafsir i-Namunah’
Translated from Farsi into English by Fatima Zabeth Beenesh
Commonly the most of the people fear the death, only a small group of people smile upon the face of death and hug it tightly. They give the colourful cloak and at its place they take the eternal place.
But we see why death and its faces, even its name for a group of people is painful. Mostly it is for the reason that they do not believe in the life after death. Or in the case they have the belief but it is not penetrated deep into their hearts and It did not rule over their thoughts and feelings.
The fear of man is natural toward the death and to get wiped out. Even he fears the dark, the eradication of light and sometimes he fears the dead body. Because this body is positioned in the way of destruction.
When the man began to believe whole heartedly that the world is the prison of the believer and it is the heaven for the unbeliever.
If he believes that this earthly body is a cage for the bird of soul that when he breaks this cage and freed himself. He will fly high towards the abode of his beloved.
If he believes that he himself is a curtain upon his real self and his body is the dust upon his soul. Certainly he yearns for the moment to cast off the veil from this face.
If he is certain that he is the bird of the angel’s land and he is not from the earthly world just he made a cage of his body for himself.
Yeah when the view of man about the death is in such a manner, he never fears the death and he always wishes to step over the path of perfection.
Hence in the hadis of ashura we read: as much as the circle of enemy’s blockade was getting narrower and the pressure of the enemy was increasing upon Husain alaihis salam and his companions, their faces were getting brighter on the morning of the Ashura. When they were asked the reason, they were replying: because in the upcoming hours we are going to drink the goblet of martyrdom and hug the hurul ain (the Hourise of Paradise.)
Another reason for the fear of death is the ultimate love towards the world. As the death brings the separation between him and his beloved (wealth).and divert him from such facilities which he provided for a luxurious, lavish and comfortable life, it will get very painful for him.
The third factor is the emptiness of the good deeds column and the loads of the bad deeds in the deed file.
In a hadis we read, somebody came to meet the prophet peace be upon him and said: O prophet of Allah! Why I do not like the death?
The prophet peace be upon him asked: do you have the wealth?
He replied: yes.
The prophet peace be upon him asked: did you send some part of it beforehand.
He replied: No.
The prophet peace be upon him said: to this reason you do not like the death (because your deed file is empty).
Another person came to Hazrat Abu zar Ghaffari (Radhiallahu Anhu) and asked: why we hate death?
He replied: For the reason that you enriched this world and ruined your hereafter, naturally you do not like to transfer from the enriched place to the ruined abode.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِي لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (62:9

فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (62:10

وَإِذَا رَأَوْا تِجَارَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا انفَضُّوا إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَائِمًا قُلْ مَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ