DISCOVERING GOD EVERYWHERE JOURNEY TOWARDS GOD-REALIZATION

and every response to life’s tests becomes part of our eternal record. This gives extraordinary importance to the present moment. After death, man will no longer possess the freedom of action that he enjoys today. The examination will be over. There will be no opportunity to return and rewrite one’s answers. The post-death world is not a place for preparation; it is a place for receiving the consequences of the preparation made here. The Prophet Muhammad expressed this reality in practical terms: “When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three — continuing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child who prays for him” (Sahih Muslim) Death therefore carries a message for the living: do today whatever must be done for tomorrow. Every funeral silently delivers this message. The person being carried to the grave once possessed plans, appointments, possessions and ambitions just as we do. Then, suddenly, his opportunity for action ended. What remains with him is not what he owned, but what he became and what he sent ahead through his deeds. The wise person therefore remembers death not in order to become pessimistic, but to become more conscious of life. Awareness of death teaches him to distinguish between the temporary and the eternal. It reminds him not to waste his limited time in hatred, jealousy, revenge and meaningless pursuits. Death is not a message of despair. It is a call to preparation. Tomorrow belongs to God; today has been given to us. Whatever goodness you wish to carry into eternity, begin creating it now. Whatever correction you need to make in yourself, make it today. For death does not announce the end of man’s journey. It announces the end of his preparation. 