The meaning of " Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilahi Raaji'oon"

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon We say this statement when someone dies. Also some of us may say this sentence when we lose something, suffer a setback or harm. But………..do we know what it means? Everyone know that it obviously means 'To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.' But the actual meaning and understanding in a Muslim's life is as follows: It means:- whatever we have is not really ours. It belongs to Allah. Take a look around us ; everything we see, all that we have and all that there is….in us, on us, around us, belongs to Allah alone. It is Allah Who has given us all the property and goods we possess, and that He is the true Owner of them all. So the cars that we own, the houses that we live in, the businesses we possess all truly belong to Allah. The kids that He blessed us with, the health that He gave us, the time that He has allowed us are all Allah's property. Even the bodies we live in and the life that we have , belongs to Allah alone. "And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth…." (Surah Al-Imran:180) "The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things." ( Surat al-Maaida: 120) 'Say: 'To Allah belongs the East and the West…' (Surah al-Baqarah:142) Now, since everything belongs to Allah, then we have to include even our souls in that list. The very souls that we think of as our "self"; our "nafas"; our "being" , ( whatever we want to call it) that very thing that distinguishes us from the rest of the world, belongs to Allaah. It's not OURS. In fact, we are not OURS. We belong to Allah. And this is the essence of the concept of obedient to Allah in Islam. And since He is the true Possessor of everything, and everything is His property, He allots what He wills to whomever He wills, and then He takes it away. After all, it was Allah's to begin with. So He may give us some thing and then take it back after a while. He will bless us with a precious child that we love dearly and then He may take it away. He will grant us money, honour and status and then He may take it away. He will give us youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it away. In fact everything we have will only be with us for a very short while. And then the Owner will claim His Right. So when Allah does reclaim what was rightfully His, WE SHOULD NOT MOURN OUR LOSSES? Just like a friend who lends us his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back and we return it back to him.No regrets, no sorrow, and no questions asked. Similarly, if Allah takes back some of His blessings upon us for some reason….so be it. Say Alhamdulillaah. Don't grieve. Be patient. Submit to the will of Allah, being pleased with His decision for us. For surely He will only do what is best for us. Just think:- The Owner came and took it back. Remember:- that we are not the real owner, we were NEVER the real owner to begin with. We only had everything because it was Allah who gave it to us in the first place. If He didn't give it to us , we wouldn't have had it in any way, in fact, we couldn't have had it. Remember:- man enters into this world empty handed…and leaves it empty handed. Remember:- that everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, are gifts from Almighty Allah....gifts that we enjoy for a limited period until He takes them away whenever He deems fit. They are a trust from Allah…on loan to us …to see how we respond to these gifts and how we used them….in the obedience of the Almighty, thanking Him and worshipping him OR to the disobedience to the One , Who gave them to us in the first place. Take note of the words of the Prophet (s.a.w.) on the occasion of the death of his son, Ibrahim: 'Our eyes are filled with tears, our hearts with grief, but we say nothing with our lips except that which pleases Allah. Verily, to Allah we belong, and to Him we return.' (Hadith Bukhaari) And we all know the famous incidence about the companion Abu Talha and his wife when one of their sons passed away and Abu Talha was not at home. His wife washed and shrouded him and when Abu Talha came home and asked about their son, she said, 'The child is quiet and I hope he is in peace….' (Hadith Bukhari) Subhaanallaah….such patience! And such Iman in the statement "Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon"! She truly understood its meaning and the affect it should have on her life as a Muslimah, submitting to Him and being pleased with whatever He has decreed for her. She knew that whatever she has, is not truly hers. Rather, it is Allah's….and He took back whatever He owns at its appointed time. And it is because of this Iman so strong, this understanding, that the Prophet (S.A.W.) made do'a for them and Allah blessed them immensely. "'They (i.e. Abu Talha and his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Quran by heart." ( Hadith Bukhari) "Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives, but give glad tidings to those who are steadfast, who say when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allah and mercy and they are the once that receive guidance." (Al-Baqarah: 155). The Prophet (PBUH) said : 'Pass on knowledge from me even if it is only one verse' ******************