ISLAMIC PUBLISHING

The most important things that give one s life a meaning are taqwâ (piety) and sincerity. Taqwâ is to curb one s fleshly desires and to strengthen the spiritual potential through prayers to God and doing good deeds for humanity. Hence taqwâ is required in every field of life, in our belief, worship, in our dealings with others, even in our every breath.

The greatest fruit of the blessing of faith is to look at creation with the eyes of the Creator and to approach all creatures with love. This elevates the life of a human being to higher levels and causes him or her to enter a world of forgiveness, mercy and love. One can then spread love and mercy to all creation. Mercy is a fire that is never extinguished in the heart of a Muslim. In this world, it is the distinguishing essence of being human which leads us through the heart to union with our Lord… A believer is always on the first line of every struggle which bestows peace to the hearts of others.

Our every breath consists of an exhalation and an inhalation, each succeeding the other without pause. This process occurs naturally and most often without any consciousness on our part. Every breath is essential to our continuation; with each one our life is prolonged. Yet one day this will stop; at that time, at the moment of our final breath, what will be the state of our hearts? In this elegantly written book, Ustadh Osman Nuri Topbas provides us with an important reminder of the necessity of preparing for death. Every living creature will die, even the most dogmatic sceptic will concede this. Yet not every creature will have spent its life in preparation for the final moment, for the last breath.