Reality of Life - Scholar's Viewpoint

Life is the most beautiful word that we ever hear. The first cry of a newly born not only brings life to another being on the earth, but it also injects joy and a new spirit on the faces of parents and near and dear ones. even the new crop when it first surfaces from below the earth, is an indicative of life and it continues to grow till it is harvested. each day of its growth beings smiles on the faces of the farmers for their hard work is finally been repaid by the Nature.

We look around people making merry, laughing, chatting, enjoying at the beeches or parks, restaurants and even at homes surrounded by one's families. For many this is the Life, laughing and smiling. 

But this not the reality of life! We see only one side of the life which is fun. But we seldom ponder over the other side: People carrying the dead to the grave , leaving behind wailing and lamenting women and children. Suddenly, all fun is gone, or stops temporarily as someone near and dear one departs. And then a few days after, life returns to normal for no one wants to talk of death or even think of it.

We try to become ostriches to hide ourselves form the death talking, the actual reality of life, with whom escapes none.   All living beings whether humans, animals, birds and insects, have to cease to exist - that is The Reality of Life.

كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ

Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned. (Surah An Kabut [The Spider] verse 57)

Thus, the first reality of life is Death which will be tasted by every living organism. No one has ever escaped death since the beginning of life, that since the descent of Adam and Eve and continues till the Doomsday, Yaum al Qiyama. So far the only exception has been Prophet Eesa (Jesus, may peace be upon him), who was raised alive. However, he will come back in some point in time in future, live a wholesome life and then meet his natural death eventually.

Despite knowing the reality, none seems to remember death nor wants to be apprised of it. That is the reason, we see men and women enjoying their lives to their fullest, loud music, dancing, eating more than needed, with complete disregard to the sufferings of people who cannot afford even a drop of clean water or a morsel of food. This is because they not only remember death, but also shun the reality of returning to their Creator for final balance sheet checking - this is the second reality of life.

But before death, there is another test that man has to under take as mentioned in QUr'an:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةًۭ ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ 

Every soul will taste death. And We test you ˹O humanity˺ with good and evil as a trial, then to Us you will ˹all˺ be returned.(21. Surah Al-Anbya [The Prophets] ver4se 35)

That is while a man is living, the life is not easy going for every human being is tested by the Nature by putting him on trials of good and evil, money or no money, honour and dishonors, easy living and hardships, and so on a long list of tests and trials when has to undergo. It is these tests and trials, which will decide the future life of everyone when one dies and returns to one's Creator, as mentioned earlier.

And yet, the third reality is the Day of the Judgement, when every man who was ever born will be paraded in front of Allah, our Creator and the Master of the Day of Judgment. It will be fateful day when one's visa either of Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell) will be issued. And from then on, the ultimate reality will unfold, much to the surprise of many, specially the atheists, who think life ends as one dies and the body withers away forever.

We are sharing a very informative lecture by Dr Israr Ahmad, which only our readers who understand Urdu will be able to understand. However, the crux of the lecture has already been shared above:

Dr Israr Ahmad: Israr Ahmad (Urdu: اسرار احمد; 26 April 1932 – 14 April 2010), was a Pakistani Islamic scholar, orator and theologian. He developed a following in South Asia but also among some South Asian Muslims in the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America. He has written around 60 books on Islam and Pakistan, of which twenty nine have been translated into several other languages, including in English, as of 2017. [Read more about Dr Israr Ahmad from Wikipedia]

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is our duty to convey only to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video above are those of the scholar concerned. We have shared this view as added information in better understanding of Islam. The reader may or may not agree with the view owing to their own perception. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo | For more Scholarly views and videos, please read our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on Important Issues Related to Islam. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

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Posted in: Dr Israr Ahmad,Reality of Life,Scholars' Viewpoint