The Final Journey

that his ‘tomorrow’ will be–not in this world–but in the next, eternal world. Where he had believed implicitly that he was nearing the end of some agreeable terrestrial journey and approaching some highly coveted goal, he was, in fact, upon the brink of eternity–at the beginning of things, not the end. The End of Life’s Journey O ne fateful day in April, 1981, when a Delhi-bound train from Allahabad stopped at Ghaziabad, it was discovered to the consternation of the passengers that one of their number had suffered a massive heart attack and had died right there in the train before medical aid could reach him. No ordinary passenger, it transpired that he was Mustafa Rasheed Sherwani, the noted industrialist and Member of Parliament, also formerly a famous freedom fighter. He was only 59 and in his prime. But this had not mattered. The time had come for God to take him away and take him away He did. Such events are commonplace. Everyday large masses of humanity enter the gates of death. Every day, tens of thousands of ordinary human beings set off for their worldly destinations but are seized by God’s angels on the way. It makes no difference whether they are in their prime, at the peak of their careers or are doing yeoman service to humanity; their earthly journey is cut short, and they are ushered into their final abode. We all dream of scaling unprecedented heights of honour and glory and build ourselves palatial houses as worldly symbols of