Manucheher Maurisi has narrated a long story whose gist is that when he was teaching in the village of Ascer, on the outskirts of Laristan, a young resident of that place, named Ahmad, fell seriously ill till he was in the agony of death.

Aga Manucheher started reminding (Talqeen) about the principles of faith. After much persuasion, he recited the confession of faith: There is no god, except Allah. In the same way, he recited: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, with a great difficulty; but he did not utter the sentence of: Ali is the Wali of Allah.

When he was urged further, he shook his head and refused to recite it. Then he said: I will not say that. After that he fell in a swoon and those around him, moved away. He remained like this for some days, till people took him to Shiraz and admitted him in a hospital. After sometime, his condition improved. He was later discharged from the hospital.

Aga Manucheher went to see him and asked: That day, when I was asking you to recite: Ali is the Wali of Allah, why did you refuse? Ahmad became extremely terrified at this question and started chewing his lips and said:

When you reminded the Kalimah to me, I saw that it was in the form of a chain having three strong links. On the first link was inscribed: There is no god, except Allah, on the second, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and on the third Ali was the Wali of Allah. The first link was in my hand, the second was in between and the third was in the hand of a terrifying demon and in his other hand was a purse, which seemed to hold all my wealth and property.

I said: There is no god, except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, on your urging; but when I wanted to say, Ali is the Wali of Allah, that demon pulled hard at the chain and threaten that if I uttered this sentence, he would take away all my property.

I refrained from it fearing that he would make his threat good. It was, because I had become very much attached to my wealth, but in spite of that I held fast to the link of monotheism and was not leaving it. I was in this hardship when a handsome Sayyid arrived and placed his foot on the chain in such a way that the hand of the demon was crushed and he screamed and dropped it in pain and the whole chain came to me. After that I don 't remember what happened. When I awoke, I found myself wet in perspiration on my sick bed.

I have heard similar stories from reliable persons about other people also, who had become much attached to the world in their last moments and this love of theirs for the world had dominated religious and spiritual connections, although they died hating and denying them; but to narrate them here is unnecessary and cause of prolonging the discussion.

In the same way, some incidents are narrated in reliable books as well. from which I will only mention one incident from the book of Muntakhabut Tawarikh, part 14, story no. 6. The gist of the story is as follows:

In the final moments of a scholar, people around him started reciting Dua Adila. When they reached to the statement of: I witness that the righteous Imams...he said: I don't accept it. This was stressed on him thrice, but every time he said: This is something new. After a moment he began to perspire heavily, opened the eyes and gestured to a casket, which was placed in the corner of the room, and asked it to be opened. People removed a piece of paper from this box and gave it to him. He tore it up into pieces. When people questioned his act, he said: I had lent five Tomans to a person. When I was urged to recite: I witness that the righteous Imams..., a man with a white beard stood on the box holding this paper and threatened me that if I recited this sentence he would tear it up.

I had become so attached to that paper that I was not prepared to recite the confession of faith. Now, since the Almighty Allah has favored me, and granted me recovery, I tore it up with my own hands so that there remains no obstacle for the confession of faith.

One who reads or hears this story, should experience both fear and hope. Fear, because he should fear the love of the world and inclination to worldly issues, as Satans dominate him only through this. Since the Satan can control man only through things, with which he has true attachment. Therefore, the heart should be devoid of the love of the world. Or at least love of Allah, Prophet, Imam, scholars and the hereafter should dominate him to an extent that he should turn away from worldly connections, but he must never abandon spiritual connections and he should value his religion more than wealth, children and other worldly interests, in such a way that he should be prepared to sacrifice them on his religion and these relations should not hold as much importance to him as religion.

It is mentioned that His Eminence, the Messenger of Allah (S) at the end of his sermon about excellence of the holy month of Ramadhan, which Shaykh Saduq (r.a.) has narrated in Uyum ul-Akhbar cried much. Amir ul-Mu’minin (‘a) asked him why he was aggrieved. The Prophet said: My weeping is due to the hardships that you would have to suffer during this month. I can see that when you are Prayers, the most wretched one will slash your head, due to which your beard would be dyed in your blood.

Amir ul-Mu’minin ('a) said: O Messenger of Allah (S), would my religion be safe at that time? The Prophet replied: Yes, it would be safe. It means that if the religion of a man is safe and sound, whatever hardship befalls him or whatever is taken away from him. even if he loses his life, it is easy for him.

His Eminence, Abbas, on the Day of Ashura, after his right hand was severed, recited the following couplets:

When his left hand was severed, he said:

In other words, every kind of deprivation, pain and hardship should be nothing for man in comparison to religion, God, Messenger, Imam and scholar; his sincere connection with the hereafter should be more important to him than even his life. If it is not so, his faith is not perfect.

Imam Ja 'far as-Sadiq ('a) said: No one can have true belief in the Almighty Allah till God is not more precious to him than his father, mother, children, family, wealth and all human beings.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said: By the one in whose hand is my life. no servant can become faithful. till I am not more precious to him than his life, his parents, his wife and children and all human beings.

Both these traditions are in accordance to verse 65 of Surah Tawbah:

قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ

"Say: If your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and property, which you have acquired, and the slackness of trade, which you fear and dwellings, which you like, are dearer to you than Allah and His Apostle and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings about His command: and Allah does not guide the transgressing people." (Surah al-Tawbah 9:24).

In short, we should understand that a person who follows selfish desires and worldly matters more than Allah, Prophet, Imams and hereafter. is in a deadly peril. That is he would have to face difficult tests and on most occasions he would sell his religion in exchange of the world.

Even if he is able to pass his life safely, in the last moments there is danger of his being apprehended by Satan, as was mentioned in the above story, except that divine help should come to his rescue. Therefore, he should beseech to the Almighty Allah to protect his faith. Thus, Imam Ja 'far as-Sadiq ('a) said: When a servant supplicates and calls the Almighty Allah intensely, he dies on faith.

Now. my grief is increasing, because the time of death is near. O Allah help me at this time and keep the servant safe from carelessness and keep him safe from Shaitan and keep the light of his faith intact through Your grace. When I am in the agony of death, do not ignore me. Help and assist me at that time. If I am not having the sense that I would have to meet You, do not erase Your name from my mind and conscience.

But with regard to hope, we should know that one who has believed in his Lord with sincerity, Muhammad and Aale Muhammad ('a), saints of God, His proofs and means of propagation of His revelation, he loves them with all sincerity. Also he should have faith in the hereafter and consider it more important than the world. He should be eager for Paradise, neighborhood of Ahl ul-Bayt ('a) and meeting Almighty Allah, in such a way that this faith and love should be deep rooted in him, whose necessary result is humility in the court of Allah and readiness for His worship and obedience. If such a faith remains till his last moments, he would be secure of the domination and attacks of Satans as the Almighty Allah has promised in the Holy Qur’an. He would assist his believer servant:

وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

"...and Allah was not going to make your faith to be fruitless; most surely Allah is Affectionate, Merciful to the people." (Surah al-Baqara 2:143).

يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ

"Allah confirms those who believe with the sure word in this world's life and in the hereafter..." (Surah Ibrahim 14:27).

In Tafsir Ayyashi, it is narrated from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq ('a) that he said: Shaitan is present at the death of one our followers, and he steps towards him from the right and the left, so that he may seize his faith, but the Almighty Allah does not allow him to do that as is mentioned (then the Imam recited the above verse).

There are many traditional reports of this meaning and in both the stories also, you saw how the said person was attacked by the devil and how the Almighty Allah saved him. Such examples are available in large numbers.