Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Sunday Guardian | January 5, 2014

Former batsman Sachin Tendulkar is a living legend in the world of sports. After 24 years of successful career in cricket, he has decided to take retirement. On 15 November, 2013 he played his last Test match. This was Tendulkar's 200th Test match. Newspapers had reported this event in these words: "Tendulkar promises grand exit in farewell Test".

This piece of news reminds me of a very serious fact that there is always this case of grand exit and non-grand exit. According to the Quran, death is everyone's destiny (29:57). Death is like a compulsory eviction from this world. No person can save himself from this fate. Then, at the time of death everyone is destined to face one of the two different results: a grand exit or a non-grand exit.

For a person who was a man of good deeds, angels will meet him and convey the greetings of Paradise from the Creator. For him, death is like a grand exit from the present world. While those persons who ended their lives with bad deeds, their case will be one of non-grand exit.

Angels will meet such persons and tell them: "There is no good news for you in the world of Hereafter. Your leaving the present world and entering into the world Hereafter is nothing but a non-grand end."

The Creator has given total freedom to every man and woman. One who misuses his freedom is a case of bad deeds and one who uses his freedom properly is a case of good deeds.

We have very limited time to live on this earth. After this we have to face a compulsory eviction. Life gives us only one chance.

There is no second chance in life. It is a person's own choice to opt either for a grand end or a non-grand end.