Proper Utilization of This Life

At every moment a person is advancing towards his death. This means that if one does not make the best of the time which is still left to him, he will finally face total destruction. In order to be successful, a person has to exert himself, while to be a failure, he has to do nothing, except rush headlong towards it. A venerable gentleman tells us that he understood the meaning of this chapter of the Quran from an ice vendor who was shouting in the market, ‘O, people! Have mercy on one whose assets are melting away!’ On hearing this cry, the gentleman said to himself that just as the ice melts away to nothing, similarly the lifespan given to a person is fast passing away. If the existing opportunities are lost in inaction or in evil action, this is one’s loss. (Imam al-Razi, Al-Tafsir alKabir, v. 32, p. 278) One who utilizes his time properly is one who adopts three courses in the present world. The first is that of faith, which means to become conscious of the reality of life, and show willingness to accept it. The second is that of virtuous deeds, which is engaging in activities required to be done as a matter of religious duty and abstaining from what is sinful. The third is sharing with people one’s discovery of the higher reality. This follows upon such a deep realization of the Truth that