Mortality, Accountability and Time
How should awareness of death and accountability shape the way we live?
Learn how the Qur'an speaks about death, accountability and time, and how remembering that life is limited can lead to purpose, generosity and calm rather than fear.
Why it matters
Most people avoid thinking about death. Yet those who have faced a serious illness or lost someone close often say it changed their priorities overnight: what mattered became clear, and what did not fell away.
Islamic teaching asks people to keep that clarity without waiting for a crisis. This lesson explores how remembering mortality can lead to a more purposeful, generous and peaceful life.
The teaching
Every soul will taste death
The Qur'an states plainly: 'Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection' (3:185). Death is not presented as an end, but as a transition to accountability and to the Hereafter (akhirah).
The Prophet advised Muslims to remember death often (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2307, graded hasan by Darussalam). The purpose is not morbid fear, but perspective.
Nothing is wasted
Surah Az-Zalzalah ends: 'So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it' (99:7–8). No kindness is too small to count, and no wrong is too small to matter.
This is both a reassurance and a responsibility. A word of encouragement, a fair decision or a moment of patience all have lasting value.
A traveller in this world
The Prophet once took hold of the shoulder of the Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar and told him: 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6416). A traveller uses what they need, travels light, and keeps their destination in mind.
Ibn 'Umar drew a practical lesson from this: take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death. In other words, use your strength and time while you have them.
Do good before the opportunity passes
The Qur'an describes a person who, as death approaches, pleads: 'My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous' (63:10). The verse invites readers to act now, while they still can.
The Prophet also warned that 'health and free time' are two blessings many people waste (Sahih al-Bukhari 6412). Awareness of limited time can turn a vague intention into a concrete action today.
From the Qur'an
Each passage shows the Arabic text, an attributed English translation, and our explanatory note, kept visually separate.
Arabic text
كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوۡنَ أُجُورَكُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۖ فَمَن زُحۡزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدۡخِلَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ فَقَدۡ فَازَۗ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ185
Translation · Saheeh International
185Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Death is certain, and full recompense comes on the Day of Resurrection. Worldly life is described as brief by comparison.
Arabic text
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرٗا يَرَهُۥ7 وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٖ شَرّٗا يَرَهُۥ8
Translation · Saheeh International
7So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it
8And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Every action, even the smallest, has consequences.
Arabic text
وَأَنفِقُواْ مِن مَّا رَزَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوۡلَآ أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ قَرِيبٖ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ10
Translation · Saheeh International
10And 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
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
An invitation to give and do good now, before the opportunity ends.
Arabic text
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ1 إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَفِي خُسۡرٍ2 إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ3
Translation · Saheeh International
1By time
2Indeed, mankind is in loss
3Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Time itself is the subject of an oath: humanity is in loss except those who believe, do good and support one another in truth and patience.
From the hadith
Hadith are reports of the Prophet Muhammad's words and actions. Each one below shows its collection, reference number and grading, with the authority that graded it.
Narrated Mujahid:
`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." The sub-narrator added: Ibn `Umar used to say, "If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death."
Why it matters here
Live as a traveller: purposeful, light and focused on the destination.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6416 (Book 81, Hadith 5)
- Numbering
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Sahih: Included in Sahih al-Bukhari, a collection accepted as authentic (sahih) by Sunni hadith scholarship
- Translation
- Muhammad Muhsin Khan (English translation as published on sunnah.com)
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
- Editorial note
- The second part is a saying of the Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, reported by the narrator, rather than words of the Prophet.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time."
Why it matters here
Health and free time are easily wasted.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6412 (Book 81, Hadith 1)
- Numbering
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Sahih: Included in Sahih al-Bukhari, a collection accepted as authentic (sahih) by Sunni hadith scholarship
- Translation
- Muhammad Muhsin Khan (English translation as published on sunnah.com)
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"Increase in remembrance of the severer of pleasures." Meaning death.
Why it matters here
Remembering death brings perspective.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Jami` at-Tirmidhi, no. 2307 (Book 36, Hadith 4)
- Numbering
- Ahmad Shakir / 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Hasan: Darussalam
- Translation
- Darussalam English edition, as published on sunnah.com
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
Context and key terms
Arabic terms in this lesson (3)
Akhirah
آخرة
The Hereafter
Life after death, including accountability before God. Belief in it gives moral weight to how a person lives now.
'Ibadah
عبادة
Worship; devoted service
Worship in a broad sense. It includes formal rituals such as prayer, and any good action done sincerely for God's sake, such as honest work or caring for others.
Sabr
صبر
Patience; steadfastness
Holding oneself steady: persevering in doing good, restraining oneself from wrong and enduring hardship without despair. It is active endurance, not passive resignation.
Hope as well as fear
Islamic teaching balances accountability with hope in God's mercy (see the lesson on mercy in the Qur'an). Reflecting on death is meant to motivate good action, not to cause despair. If thoughts about death cause you serious anxiety, please talk to someone you trust or a health professional.
Accountability is personal
The Qur'an teaches that each person is responsible for their own deeds, and that God alone judges. This lesson is about examining our own lives, not about judging anyone else's.
Everyday example
Illustrative story (fictional)
Mariam's two lists
After her grandfather's funeral, Mariam wrote two lists: things she spent most of her time on, and things she would want to have done if she had one year left.
The lists barely overlapped. She did not quit her job or her hobbies, but she started visiting her grandmother every Sunday, began volunteering one evening a month, and stopped scrolling in bed. 'It wasn't about being afraid,' she said. 'It was about being awake.'
Remembering that life is limited helps us spend it on what truly matters.
Activity
Scenario challenge
The free Saturday
You have an unexpectedly free Saturday. You have been meaning to visit an elderly relative for months, but you are tired and a new series has just been released.
What would you do?
Knowledge check
Answer each question to see an explanation. You can retry as many times as you like; nothing is graded.
Reflection
Try it in practice
Do the postponed good
- 1Write down one good action you have been postponing (a visit, an apology, a donation, a call).
- 2Schedule it within the next seven days.
- 3Notice how it feels to complete it.
This is also available as an optional daily practice: Set a morning intention.
Sources and further reading
Primary sources cited
- Qur'an 3:185 (Surah Ali 'Imran). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 99:7–8 (Surah Az-Zalzalah). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 63:10 (Surah Al-Munafiqun). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 103:1–3 (Surah Al-'Asr). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6416, graded Sahih (Sahih collection). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6412, graded Sahih (Sahih collection). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
- Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2307, graded Hasan (Darussalam). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
Further reading
- Surah Az-Zalzalah (99) (opens in a new tab) · Quran.com
A short surah about accountability.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6416 (opens in a new tab) · Sunnah.com
'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.'
This lesson is educational and is not a fatwa (religious ruling). For personal religious questions, please consult a qualified scholar you trust. How we source and review lessons.
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