English book · Reflections on Life and Death

On the Brink of Death

English book, p. 96

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

seemed, heading towards his house. But actually he was heading towards death. This is no chance event. Incidents like this happen every day and everywhere. Everyone who is alive today is actually rushing towards his death. What we—every one of us—are closest to is death. Everyone is standing on the brink of death. At every moment our last moment can arrive, when we will suddenly be lifted from this world and taken to the next, from where one can go only either to Heaven or Hell. If a blind man walks on and reaches the edge of a well, everyone knows that the right thing to do is to warn him of the danger. At such a moment, people forget about everything else and scream out uncontrollably, “There’s a well there! A deep well! Beware!” But how very strange it is that the whole of humanity is standing at the edge of an even more dangerous ‘well’, but yet everyone is engrossed in many different things and no one feels the need to shout out, “There’s a well there! A deep well! Beware!” If someone who is overwhelmed by the plight of humankind shouts out like this, he would be rebuffed by others, who will say, “This man wants us to become cowards and put us to sleep! He wants to divert people from the real issues! He isn’t a messenger of life, but a missionary of death! He’s spreading despair and cowardice!” People are standing on the edge of a well, but they think that they are in a safe home. They are advancing towards death but they fondly imagine that they are moving ahead on life’s journey!

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