Najashi's Death - A DREAM Death for The Believer

I was watching a lecture by Sheikh Navaid Aziz, hafidhahullah, entitled 'What You Need To Succeed' - a good lecture and reminder about how we can use and improve the different areas of our lives, such as family, deen and education, to attain ultimate success, both in this life and the next. This links to a beautiful du'a that Allah SWT teaches us in the Qur'an (and which Brother Navaid finished with) which is 'Rabbanaa aatinaa fid dunyaa hasanah, wa fil aakhirati hasanah, wa ghinaa adhaaban naar' (2:201)*. 
The Sheikh's central message was that we are all living for one moment in our lives, and that is the moment before our deaths. Moreover, that the deed we die upon will be the deed that we are raised upon on the Day of Judgment. As Rasullullah SAW stated: 'whoever dies upon something, he will be resurrected upon it' (Al Hakim).
The Sheikh continued that Allah SWT has given us the OPPORTUNITY to die a good death, to accrue good deeds; the best of which being those that continue (sadaqah jaariyah), those that impact humanity, as the reward is manifold and will continue beyond one's death (examples that come to mind are teaching, writing beneficial articles, building mosques etc).

Then he mentioned the gem of the lecture, a beautiful reflection, and a man whose place with Allah, His Messenger, SAW, and Jibreel is incredible. I've heard the story of An Najashi*; I've read about An Najashi in the seerah of Rasullullah SAW; I've heard that Allah's Messenger SAW lead his janazah. But subhan'Allah, I've never pondered upon his death...and this is what Brother Navaid did: he informed the audience and viewers that the type of death we want is like that of Najashi's. How so, one might ask? Let's analyse how the announcement of his life's end came, RA. Brother Navaid reminded us that it wasn't the companions who told the Messenger of Allah SAW that An Najashi had died, that's not what happened. Rather, it was actually Allah's Messenger SAW who stated: 'Today, a righteous man has died. So pray for your brother...' And it was Jibreel AS who informed our beloved Messenger SAW about this. And the One who initiated this message was Allah, Most High. Allah told Jibreel AS.

Wallaahi, this brought tears to my eyes. Imagine that. Allah says about you: a righteous man/woman has died today. Allah, Al Haqq, bears testimony to your righteousness. The Most Praiseworthy praises you. SubhanAllah! Then, who does Allah inform of your death as a righteous human being? A noble angel. The angel that descended with verses from the book of Allah from the lofty heavens to this earth. The book we love, the book we strive to memorise. The angel that reviewed the Qur'an with the best of Creation, the Messenger of Allah SAW. The angel that came to the Prophet SAW in the form of a man, and taught us Islam, iman and ihsan. Allah informs this noble angel. This blessed creation of Allah then says about you: a righteous man [or woman] has died today. Next, who does Jibreel tell? None other than the last and final Messenger, SAW. The best man to walk this earth. The one whom Allah describes as a mercy to mankind. The best of all Prophets, the best of all people. And what does Allah's Messenger SAW describe you as? A righteous man...rajulun saalih. Finally, who does Rasullullah SAW convey the news to? Who is seeking Allah's forgiveness for you at your janaaza? The Sahaba. The best generation of Islam.

Subhan'Allah, I found reflecting upon this is to be overwhelming....He was granted honour upon honour, RA. From the way he was described, to the nobility and merits of the beings who praised him, right to the rank of the people who sought his forgiveness...may Allah have mercy on this truly righteous man. And may Allah, Al Mu'izz, also honour us, bless us with a good ending and write us among the righteous, ameen.

As I reflected upon Najashi's death, RA, and thought about the lecture's exhortations towards striving to achieve good in this life and the next, I thought about our final moments. And a quote that came to mind, is the one that I'll end with:

'What really counts are good endings, not flawed beginnings' - Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah)

*The du'a transliterated in the first paragraph, which Allah teaches us in the Qur'an, translates to: 'Our Lord, grant us in this world that which is good, and in the hereafter, that which is good, and save us from the punishment of the fire' (2:21) .
*An-Najashi: The King of Abyssinia when the early Muslims emigrated from Makkah and sought refuge in Abyssinia. An-Najashi granted the Muslims refuge. He was at first a Christian, but accepted, and died in a state of Islam alhamdullilah.

Here is a link to the lecture on which this article is based: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&client=mv-google&v=euh8bcUSdug&nomobile=1
May Allah reward speaker abundantly, ameen.