The worldly life of ours, which is a
very short duration of existence between birth and death, is only a trial,
nothing more and nothing less than that. Whatever different phases man
experiences here, whether in the form of success or failure, are all different
manifestations of this trial. The culmination of this life, however, would
herald the beginning of another existence which will not taste death anymore.
The Holy Qur’ān invites man to lead a
life which would destine him to the life of eternal pleasures. It warns him that
a failure to earn a place in the everlasting happiness would lead him inevitably
to an abode of unending ignominy and pain. All human beings, it informs us, are
travelling on either of the two ways -- the one that leads to Heaven or the one
that has Hell waiting impatiently at the end.
The only way a man can ensure entry into
the heaven is to adopt the life of the Hereafter as an uncompromisable ideal in
he present life. All worldly decisions should conform to this ideal. His life
should be an adequate testimony to the fact that he keeps his ‘future’ much
dearer than his ‘present’. Whether he is carrying out business, discharging his
family obligations, dealing with fellow human beings, or responding to the call
for prayers, his overwhelming preference for the next life should be clearly
evident.
On the contrary, if an individual is so
deeply engrossed in worldly affairs that religious considerations -- nay
considerations of the next life -- are relegated to be secondary, all planning
is confined to the uncertain present, success and failure are gauged by the
worldly barometer, he is travelling on the highway to Hell.
The verdict of the Holy Qur’ān is:
Whosoever desires the transitory
things of this world, We readily grant them -- such things as We please, to such
persons as We will; in the end, [however], We have provided Hell for them, they
will burn therein, disgraced and rejected. Those who desire the Hereafter and
strive for it with necessary effort, and have faith -- they are the ones whose
efforts would find favour [with their Lord]. (17:18-19)
Let us consciously adopt the way to
Heaven and avoid being consigned to the unbearable pains of Hell.
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