al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt

Al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt (The End: On the Remembrance of Death, also referenced as al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt wa-l-Akhira) is an eschatological and hortatory treatise by the Andalusian Maliki jurist and traditionist Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili (known as Ibn al-Kharrat, 510–581 AH / 1116–1185 CE) al-Taj al-Mukallal min Ja…+2. The work focuses on renunciation (zuhd), heart-softening admonitions (raqa'iq), the reality of death, the trials of the grave, and the events of the Day of Judgment and the afterlife al-Tadhkira bi-Ahwal al-M…+1.

Subject and Structure

Al-Ishbili opens the work by highlighting the inevitability of death, noting that it humbles monarchs and tyrants, breaks worldly attachments, and transitions the soul from this fleeting abode to the eternal realm Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib al…+1. The text is structured into thematic chapters (abwab), combining Quranic verses, Prophetic hadiths, statements of the early generations (salaf), anecdotes, and poetic verses al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt+1.

Key topics covered across its chapters include:

• The Remembrance and Reality of Death: The author explains that death is not absolute annihilation but rather the soul’s departure from the physical body and transition to the next life Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib al…. He emphasizes that meditating on death softens hardened hearts, discourages wrongdoing, and tempers worldly delight Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib al….
• Good and Bad Endings (Husn wa-Su' al-Khatima): In chapters such as the sixth, al-Ishbili warns against an evil end to life, identifying its chief causes as complete immersion in worldly life, audacity in committing sins, and neglect of the hereafter al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt+1. He illustrates these perils with historical and contemporary accounts—including narrations transmitted through his teachers, such as Abu al-Hakam ibn Barrajan and Abu Tahir al-Silafi—of individuals on their deathbeds distracted by debts, government posts, or worldly loyalties instead of the testimony of faith al-Daa wal-Dawaa = al-Jaw…+1.
• The Grave and the Intermediate Realm (Barzakh): In chapters such as the eighth, the book treats the isolation, darkness, and constriction of the tomb, the questioning by angels, and the nature of punishment and reward in the grave al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt+1.
• The Two Resurrections and the Day of Judgment: The author distinguishes between the "lesser resurrection" (al-qiyama al-sughra), which takes place for each individual at the moment of death, and the "major resurrection" (al-qiyama al-kubra), which encompasses all creation on the Last Day Sifat Rabb al-Alamin - Ra…. Later chapters, such as the thirteenth, detail the terrifying events of the Day of Judgment, the gathering (hashr), the divine reckoning (hisab), and the ultimate destinations of Paradise and the Fire al-Aqiba fi Dhikr al-Mawt+1.

Influence and Reception

Al-Aqiba became a foundational reference in Islamic eschatological and ascetic literature:

• Al-Qurtubi made extensive use of al-Aqiba when composing al-Tadhkira bi-Ahwal al-Mawta wa-Umur al-Akhira, adopting similar chapter headings and themes and quoting more than forty-six passages directly or under the formula "our scholars said" (qala ulama'una) al-Tadhkira bi-Ahwal al-M…+1.
• Ibn al-Qayyim cited and relied upon al-Ishbili's material from al-Aqiba in Kitab al-Ruh, particularly regarding the souls of the deceased recognizing visitors and meeting one another, as well as in al-Da' wa-l-Dawa' regarding the psychological and spiritual causes of poor deathbed outcomes al-Ruh - Ibn al-Qayyim+1.
• Subsequent compilations on the afterlife, such as al-Saffarini's al-Buhur al-Zakhira, also regularly cite excerpts and reflections from the work al-Buhur al-Zakhira fi Ul….

The book has been published in modern printed form, notably in an edition edited by Khidr Muhammad Khidr (Dar al-Aqsa, Kuwait, 1406 AH / 1986 CE) al-Tawdih lil-Masail al-A…+1.