Before Death, After Death

The present world is a testing ground. Death puts an end to this period of trial. After death, a man enters a new world where he will deal with the consequences of his own actions.

In the whole of human history, man’s most serious instance of forgetfulness is the inevitability of death. There are very few people to be found in this world who are not culpable of this grossest form of negligence.

The present world is a testing ground. It means that in the present world, whatever man possesses has been given to him as a means of testing him. Death puts an end to this period of trial. That is why when one dies, all these things meant for testing man are suddenly taken away.

After death, a man suddenly enters a new world. It will be a world of dealing with the consequences of his own actions. Earlier, where man lived with things meant to test him, after death, he will have to live with the result of his deeds in the world he left behind him. Life before death is a temporary matter, hardly lasting 100 years, but life after death is eternal.

There are a lot many possessions in the life of the person before death. All these things are automatically to be acquired as soon as he is born. That is why man takes these things for granted. He cannot imagine that all these bounties will suddenly be taken away from him. After death, man will suddenly find himself in a situation where he is absolutely alone and destitute.

Thinking seriously about this dire reality is the greatest issue for human beings. But people go on living in an uncaring condition. Eventually they die and suddenly leave this world. The following tradition applies to such people: The Prophet Muhammad said, “He wondered that those who should be running away from hell are sleeping and those who should be striving to attain such a precious thing as Paradise are sleeping.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2601)