Death Makes Us Realize How Powerless We Are Before The Divine
By
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
11July 2022
Based On
Our Lived Realities, We Will Be Judged In The Afterlife, Held Accountable And
Rewarded In Paradise Or Punished In Hell
Main
Points:
1. Death is one
of the greatest realities of life but most of us are not prepared for it.
2. Accountability
in Life after Death is an important fundamental pillar of Islam.
3. There should
be preparation towards death, as it marks transition towards a new life, not an
end of it.
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Reflections
on Life and Death
Author:
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Publisher:
Goodword Books, Noida, India
Pages:
120 Price: Not mentioned
ISBN:
9789351791904
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Death is
one of the greatest realities of life. Every person who is born has to die.
Death is such a stark reality that people can deny God but not death. Death has
always fascinated, surprised and shocked people. Since time immemorial
philosophers, prophets and people have engaged with the question of death. So
everyone has been trying to arrive at some meaning while defining death. So we
have numerous narratives about death, for some it is absurd and for others it
is a plunge into an unknown.
Most of the religions uphold death to be a transition from this material world to Hereafter, where a person will either be rewarded or punished based on the deeds that were accumulated in this world. For Muslims belief in Hereafter forms a fundamental matter of faith. The aspect of being held accountable and facing Judgment Day before God, has been emphasized by the Prophets, Muslim sages and scholars.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, was a prolific scholar of Islam, who emphasized vigorously about the accountability of humans in the Afterlife. In this book, as the title suggests he reflects in variegated manner on the question of life and death that intrigues most humans. So starting from the fact that humans born on this earth are facing a test and this factual reality can make them lead disciplined lives, is the basic argument that the book makes. So death is certainly not an end, but initiation of a new life. Hence worldly life should be utilized to prepare for a new life in Hereafter. Keeping this in mind, the new life will certainly have different priorities.
Frantically just earning money will not be a driving force, and not having a great purpose in life simply will not be possible. So we need to open our eyes before it is too late, as preparation for Hereafter needs to be kept in mind. This preparation will render us eligible for Paradise. “Paradise is a land of the true, of people who have lived in and by the truth. In this world, these people are being selected for entry into Paradise after they die. Those who prove themselves to be true alone will be considered eligible for being settled in that eternal world.” (P-35)
So based on
our lived realities, we will be judged in the Afterlife, held accountable and
rewarded in Paradise or punished in Hell. Although most of us are busy about
documenting the stories of success but ultimately we all arrive at the
doorsteps of death. Death makes us realize how powerless we are before the
Divine. Death changes all the equations and yardsticks of success and failure
as success and failures are gauged differently in the Hereafter. Death is
always waiting for us but usually we are not aware when it is going to take
over us. Maulana reflects on death by deriving meanings and quoting from the
day to day experiences and stories of common people.
So
celebrating birthdays becomes a futile exercise because each birthday manifests
the fact that we are growing close to death. Maulana has an interesting
analysis about celebrating Birthdays. “Many people celebrate birthdays with
much gusto. ‘Happy Birthday To You!’ they excitedly sing. But if you reflect on
the matter realistically, the reality is just the opposite. Every birth
anniversary of ours tells us that our death, the day when we will have to
account for our lives on earth, has drawn one year closer, and that for
preparing for the eternal Hereafter we now have one year less.” (P-23)
The
consciousness about death makes life easy, because the conscious soul will stop
making life difficult, creating obstacles and designing nefarious plans to
destroy others. These vices will be curtailed through death consciousness.
Everyone alive will be aware of the fact that they are rushing towards death
with each passing moment. Unfortunately people are so engrossed with the
happenings around them that they forget and seem unconcerned about death, that
is the greatest reality of life.
Maulana
writes about the qualities of people of paradise and hell, while contrasting
them as, “Whether a fruit is good or bad can be decided when it is cut open and
its inside is seen. The same is true with people. This reality of people can be
discovered when they are ‘cut open’- that is, when they are faced with
difficult or unfavourable situations, which is when their real of inner reality
is expressed. They way people react at such times indicates what their mindset
is-whether or not it is according to the noble society of Paradise. When people
start fighting over money and property, when people who think differently start
quarrelling about their respective views, when people start squabbling over a
job that they each want to grab-these are the sorts of occasion when their reality
can be discovered. On such occasions, if people express hatred, selfishness,
injustice and egotism, they prove by their actions that their mindset is
counter to that of those who inhabit the society of Paradise. On the other
hand, people who respond in such situations with love, unselfishness, justice,
and humility prove that their mindset is heavenly and that they are close to
God and the angels.” (P-86-87)
Old age is
a reminder of death. Post death too makes one confront a different reality and
Muslims should be ready for it. Plus the awareness about death certainly makes
a person very serious about life. This small book is full of reflections and
lessons that can be derived from death. It is an essential read for anyone
particularly Muslims who should be quite conscious and concerned about the life
after death, because death is just a transition towards a new life. The
salvation of the soul is interlinked to this new immortal life. The goal
towards salvation will certainly be achieved only when the preparations are
made in this world.
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A New
Age Islam columnist, M.H.A. Sikander is
Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/death-divine-life-hell-heaven/d/127454
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