Purpose of life in coma
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
how would islam explain this entry in the world record book and
what was the purpose of her life?
Longest Coma
Elaine Esposito (b. December 3, 1934) of
Elaine was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Esposito. During
her coma, she became known as "Sleeping Beauty", and experienced
states between deep sleep and open-eyed unconsciousness.
(There
may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum
does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from
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Answer:
Purpose
of life in coma
In the
name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness.
Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray,
none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your
Question: how would islam explain this entry in the world record book and what
was the purpose of her life?
Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2: He
(Allah) created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.
Allah
Subhanah has clearly declared the general intention for the creation of life
and death, and that is to test mankind to see who amongst them are the best in
doing deeds.
But
sometimes Allah Subhanah tests the people around the one whose life He has
Decreed be taken in its infancy, or one who is born insane or without
intelligence, or one who is born or goes into a state where it is not possible
for the person to do any deeds. Although
the child who died in his infancy, or the one born insane, or the ones who live
his life in the state of what we call ‘coma’ cannot do deeds and thus will have
absolutely no accountability in the Hereafter; Allah Subhanah creates such
beings as a test for those around them to see their reaction to the phenomena
created by Him. Do the near relatives
bear this trial with patience and stay steadfast on the Path of their Lord, or
do they get impatient and seek other deities to solve their trials? Do the other people who see and experience
this phenomena laugh and ridicule the insane and the deformed, or do they treat
them with kindness and ternderness? When
such phenomena of nature as an insane person or a person in coma are Decreed,
the test is laid upon those who interact with them rather than the victim
themselves, for they are absolved from giving the test of life!
Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said,
"The pen is raised for three (meaning: there is no obligation upon three):
one who is sleeping until he awakens, the child until he becomes an adult, and
one who is insane until he becomes sane."
Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah,
and al-Hakim.
Thus the
lady who went in her childhood in coma and stayed in that state for a long
period until her death is absolved from the test of life which Allah Subhanah
has Decreed for every human being in creation; and the purpose of her creation
was to test all those who interacted with her, and even those who had knowledge
of her state….to determine whether or not the people who had knowledge of her
were grateful to their Lord for the health and life He has bestowed upon them,
for had Allah Willed, He could have made one of us or our dear ones in that
state and we could have done nothing to change His Decree!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 155-157:
155 Be sure We shall test you with something of fear, and hunger, some
loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil); but give glad tidings to
those who patiently persevere.
156 Who say when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah we belong and
to Him is our return."
157 They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah and Mercy, and
they are the ones that receive guidance.
Whatever
written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance,
and whatever of error is of me. Allah
Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister