Death: A Reminder

Life is a period of action and death is the time to appear in the court of God. We should take the life of this world as a preparation period and make ourselves deserving of Paradise.

Death is not only the cessation of life for the person who dies, it is also a reminder for the survivor. When a person dies it seems that one who used to speak has fallen silent, but his silence is an announcement in itself. It declares: The time has come for me, and now this time will come for you too. Get ready, therefore, for this eventuality.

It is normal that when a man has completed one year of his age, the next year of his age begins and his birthday is celebrated at that time. But the more correct way would be for that day to be considered as the day for remembering death.

The fact is that where age is concerned, for all men and women there is a constant counting down. All that each birthday tells you is that one year of your life has been reduced. People celebrate their birthdays as happy occasions, but when we look at the fact of the matter, it is quite the contrary. Every birthday serves as a reminder that the time of death is even closer, that one more year that one had for the preparation for Hereafter has been reduced.

One aspect of death is that a man has passed away from the present world. Another aspect of death is that a man has died without his desires having been fulfilled. It is a sign that the present world was not a world for fulfilling one’s desires. The only world in which to fulfil one’s desires is the next one. Wise is he who understands this sign and, taking the life of the present world as a preparation period, makes himself deserving of the next world.

Life is a period of action and death is the time to appear in the court of God. This is a very serious matter for every human being, and it shows wisdom to grasp this fact and make it one’s supreme concern.