There were once 4 brothers who were learned in the sciences. Their knowledge was unmatched in each of their fields and one day they proclaimed that they will challenge death itself.
The first brother who was versed in the apothecary sciences made medicine for every conceivable illness. One day a new illness the nature of which was yet unknown appeared. While searching for the cure, the first brother caught the illness and succumbed to death.
The second brother was learned in the arts of carpentry. He sought to make replacements for every part of the human body so that should a man fall ill or injure his body, all he has to do is replace it. One day the second brother got involved in a motor vehicle accident. His head and brain were crushed with no time to go into surgery, and so the second brother lost to death.
The 3rd brother, seeing the profitless outcome of his brothers' travails sought to specialise in the science of prevention. For every aspect of life, he made preventive measures against illness. He worked, slept, ate and even bathed in the most scientifically 'correct' way. He eschewed all risks and always took the safest path. And for himself he built a sterile fortress that would protect him from both illness and the dangers of the world. Unfortunately, for all his preventive science, this brother was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and died within six months of the diagnosis.
The 4th brother
was learned in the science of Truth. He sought not to challenge death by
attempting to outrun it, but by accepting it and preparing for it. He lived a fulfilling
life serving Allah, preparing for his time so that when death finally came to
him, he willingly returned his life to its true Owner. And so the 4th brother defeated death, not by trying to escape it, but by accepting it for what it truly is.
