4. THE HEREAFTER

4. THE HEREAFTER ~ 84 ~ unscrupulousness. This double life is the price they pay to bolster their own self-interest. In this respect, many are simply following the trends of the time. Every ‘great’ man has two sides to his life – one all brilliance and glitter, the other all dark and soulless. The power and glamour, which he achieves in his life, has something animal-like about it when he agrees to kill what is human in himself. Just as there are two sides to every life in this world, there are two aspects of every act in relation to this world and the Hereafter. One aspect of each act is our acceptance of it as what it is seen to be in this world. The other aspect is what results from this act in terms of the Hereafter. Imam Ahmad narrates that the Caliph ‘Umar once said: ‘No drink of milk or honey is better than swallowing one’s anger.’ In actuality, to swallow, or overcome one’s anger is an extremely bitter experience, but in the Hereafter the result of doing so is sweeter by far than milk and honey. Today we reap the worldly fruits of our actions, tomorrow, in the Hereafter; we shall have to face up to the results of our deeds and misdeeds. Today, we can see only one aspect of our actions – that of immediate pleasure or gain – but the Day of