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Imam Ghazali woke up one
early morning and as usual offered his prayers and then enquired what day it
was, his younger brother, Ahmad Ghazali replied,"Monday." He asked him
to bring his white shroud, kissed it, stretched himself full length and saying
"Lord, I obey willingly," breathed his last. And
underneath his head rest they found the following verses; composed by him,
probably, during the night.
"Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead
Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow
Do
not believe that this corpse you see is myself In the
name of God, I tell you, it is not I, I am a spirit, and
this is naught but flesh It was my abode and my garment
for a time. I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine, I
am a pearl, which has left it's shell deserted, I am a
bird, and this body was my cage Whence I have now floron
forth and it is left as a token Praise to God, who hath
now set me free And prepared for me my place in the
highest of the heaven, Until today I was dead, though
alive in your midst. Now I live in truth, with the grave
- clothes discarded. Today I hold converse with the
saints above, With no veil between, I see God face to
face. I look upon "Loh-i-Mahfuz" and there in
I read Whatever was and is and all that is to be.
Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground, Cast
away the talisman, it is a token, no more Lay aside my
cloak, it was but my outer garment. Place them all in
the grave, let them be forgotten, I have passed on my
way and you are left behind Your place of abode was no
deweling place for me. Think not that death is death,
nay, it is life, A life that surpasses all we could
dream of here, While in this world, here we are granted
sleep, Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged
Be not frightened when death draweth night, It
is but the departure for this blessed home Think of the
mercy and love of your Lord, Give thanks for His Grace
and come without fear. What I am now, even so shall you
be For I know that you are even as I am The
souls of all men come forth from God The bodies of all
are compounded alike Good and evil, alike it was ours
I give you now a message of good cheer May
God's peace and joy for evermore be yours