The Final Journey

Door, Not Grave labour vanishes without trace as if there was no connection between him and all that he had strived for on earth. Visions of greatness had occupied his mind, but he is forced to enter the grave, and from there proceed to God’s court of justice. This world is quite different from the one he had sought to construct for himself on earth. Here he is destitute, without money to fulfiIl his needs or clothes to hide his body. All his worldly earnings come to nothing. His friends desert him. He is left powerless, with nothing that he had depended on in the world to help him. Just as life’s journey is nearing completion, it is struck by disaster. What a tragic outcome to such a long, arduous journey! Door, Not Grave I was given this news: “Hafizji’s son died. The funeral prayer is about to be held. I have come to call you.” Hearing this, I closed my book, and, after making my ablutions, I set off with him. When I reached the graveyard, I found a few other people standing there. I counted them—they were 17 people, young and old, including people from the family of the deceased. I remembered an incident from a month ago, when a relative of Sheikh Fazl Ali had died and his body had been brought to this same graveyard and had been buried in a special part of it.