Two Words
Al-Risala (English), November-December 1994, p. 11
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
Two Words
1994 11-12 November-December 11-12 Two Words (346) Sir Arthur Eddington, the well-known scientist, writes in his book, The Nature of the Physical World: “I have drawn up my chairs to my two tables. There are duplicates of every object. One of these tables is comparatively permanent. It is substantial. Table no 2 is my scientific table. My scientific table is mostly emptiness. Sparsely scattered in that emptiness are numerous electric charges rushing about with great speed.”
This description could be applied equally to the entire universe. It is especially true of our world, which has two aspects to it: appearance and reality.
What we see around us, we call the world. But there is l also the other invisible world of the Hereafter. When death comes, it means leaving the visible, or apparent world to enter into the invisible, or concealed, but nevertheless real world of the Hereafter.
While the present world in which we live is visible to everyone, the next world lies behind a veil and is unobservable. That is why man makes the mistake of regarding only the present world as real and the other world as imaginary. Even those who profess to believe in the Hereafter think of it as an abstract concept with no actual relevance to their present life. That is why, in spite of believing in it as an article of faith, they do not allow it to influence their material existence in any way.
This is man’s greatest omission. Engrossed with this ephemeral world, he fails to realize that on the day he leaves this world for the next, eternal world, it will be as if a veil has been removed. And on that day, he will regret his negligence. But regret will serve no useful purpose. He will have lost tomorrow for today.
Just as it is the true scientist who can see ‘two tables’ it is the true servant of God who can discover the ‘two worlds.’ And it is he and he alone who, by the grace of God, will enter victoriously into the divine Paradise of the Almighty.
