Islamic quotes about death, and preparing for it

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ

Every soul will taste death.

Quran 3:185, Surah Al-Imran, part of the ayah

Said in three places in the Quran: 3:185, 21:35 and 29:57.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.

Quran 29:57, Surah Al-Ankabut

Revealed to believers facing persecution in Makkah: death comes to all, and then the return to Allah.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةًۭ ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.

Quran 21:35, Surah Al-Anbiya

Both the good and the bad in life are a test.

قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْمَوْتَ ٱلَّذِى تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مُلَٰقِيكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Say, "Indeed, the death from which you flee - indeed, it will meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you about what you used to do."

Quran 62:8, Surah Al-Jumuah

No one escapes the death they run from.

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا۟ يُدْرِككُّمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُوجٍۢ مُّشَيَّدَةٍۢ

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction.

Quran 4:78, Surah An-Nisa, part of the ayah

Not even the strongest walls keep it out.

وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍۢ تَمُوتُ

No soul perceives in what land it will die.

Quran 31:34, Surah Luqman, part of the ayah

Part of the five things whose knowledge is with Allah alone.

وَجَآءَتْ سَكْرَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

And the intoxication of death will bring the truth; that is what you were trying to avoid.

Quran 50:19, Surah Qaf

The stupor of death, which every person will feel.

وَأَنفِقُوا۟ مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَآ أَخَّرْتَنِىٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ قَرِيبٍۢ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous."

Quran 63:10, Surah Al-Munafiqun

The regret of those who delay charity until it is too late.

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍۢ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ

Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.

Quran 55:26-27, Surah Ar-Rahman

Everything perishes except Allah. From Surah Ar-Rahman.

يَٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿٢٧﴾ ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ ﴿٢٨﴾ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَٰدِى ﴿٢٩﴾ وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى

[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], And enter among My [righteous] servants And enter My Paradise."

Quran 89:27-30, Surah Al-Fajr

What the believing soul is told at death and on the Last Day, as Ibn Kathir explains.

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.

Quran 2:156, Surah Al-Baqarah, part of the ayah

What the believer says at any loss, and above all at a death.

أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ

Remember often the destroyer of pleasures, meaning death.

Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Ibn Majah, narrated by Abu Hurayrah. Graded hasan

إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ

When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that benefits people, or a righteous child who prays for him.

Sahih Muslim 1631, narrated by Abu Hurayrah

مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ

Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6507; Sahih Muslim 2683

Aishah asked if this meant hating death. He explained that at death the believer is given good news of Allah's mercy, and so loves to meet Him.

يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ وَيَبْقَى وَاحِدٌ: يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ، وَيَبْقَى عَمَلُهُ

Three things follow the dead: his family, his wealth and his deeds. Two go back and one stays. His family and wealth go back, and his deeds stay with him.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6514; Sahih Muslim 2960

زُورُوا الْقُبُورَ فَإِنَّهَا تُذَكِّرُ الْمَوْتَ

Visit the graves, for they remind you of death.

Sahih Muslim 976, narrated by Abu Hurayrah

كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ

Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6416

الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ

The wise person is the one who holds himself to account and works for what comes after death.

Jami at-Tirmidhi, narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws. At-Tirmidhi called it hasan; al-Albani graded it weak (daif)

Widely shared. Its chain is disputed, so it is labelled here; the meaning is supported by the ayat above.

ارْتَحَلَتِ الدُّنْيَا مُدْبِرَةً، وَارْتَحَلَتِ الْآخِرَةُ مُقْبِلَةً، وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُمَا بَنُونَ، فَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَإِنَّ الْيَوْمَ عَمَلٌ وَلَا حِسَابَ، وَغَدًا حِسَابٌ وَلَا عَمَلَ

The world has set off, going away, and the Hereafter has set off, coming closer, and each of them has its children. So be children of the Hereafter, and do not be children of this world. Today there is action and no reckoning, and tomorrow there is reckoning and no action.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, reported by al-Bukhari in his Sahih without a chain (Book of Softening the Hearts)

إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ

When you reach the evening, do not wait for the morning, and when you reach the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death.

Abdullah ibn Umar, Sahih al-Bukhari 6416, after the hadith "Be in this world as if you were a stranger"

O son of Adam, you are nothing but a number of days. Whenever a day goes, a part of you goes with it.

Al-Hasan al-Basri, reported by Abu Nuaym in Hilyat al-Awliya

Wasting time is worse than death, because wasting time cuts you off from Allah and the home of the Hereafter, while death cuts you off from this world and its people.

Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Fawaid