Spirit of Islam, July-Aug 2023

Death is the end of the pre-death period of life for the deceased, while for those who are still alive in this world, it is a reminder of their own impending death. DEATH: THE INEVITABLE EVENT Prepare When There is Time E VERYONE seems to be talking non-stop, doing this and that, being busy with all sorts of things, chasing all sorts of dreams. They are all driven with the purpose of trying to fulfil unlimited desires. They want to acquire all sorts of comforts for themselves and their children. This is the mad race of materialism. But what is the result of it all? Everyone feels that their hopes have not been met, that their desires remain unfulfilled. And so, people are living in terrible despair, bitterness, tension, and frustration. They feel they have been deprived of, or denied, what they wanted. Nobody at all seems content. Their days and nights pass in this sorry predicament. Then one day, the little world of their dreams comes crashing down when death sweeps them away. People are busy with things that belong to this temporary world, instead of preparing themselves for the eternal life after death. The life of this world is a test, and hence it is God’s responsibility to provide every one of us with the things that we need to go through this test. But as far as life after death is concerned, God has not taken responsibility for it. Our life after death depends entirely on our actions in this world. There, you will reap as you have sown here, on earth. Yet, despite this, strangely, people are preoccupied doing everything possible for their life in this world and have completely forgotten the life that will come after death. In this world, if you face a shortage of something today, you can make efforts and acquire what you need tomorrow. But in the life after death, you will not have the chance of engaging in any action to make up for any shortage of your deeds on earth. In this world, we have many things that enable us to survive and flourish. We have our physical bodies, for instance. We have friends and relatives. We have opportunities for work. We have money. There is an amazing life-support system all around us that is finely tuned to sustain life. All these things are available to us in this world. Consciously or otherwise, we think that we own such things, or that they belong to us.