MAY 31

After a Period of Eighty Two Years

In the science of light there is a law of nature called refraction. Today this is known as Snell’s law, having been discovered initially by Willebrord Van Roijen Snell. He made his discovery in 1617, but this discovery remained unknown to people, lying unpublished, until a Dutch scientist, Christian Huygens, came to know of it and mentioned it in his research paper in 1703. Only then did the world come to know of Snell’s discovery.

That is, Snell’s scientific discovery remained hidden from the eyes of the world for a period of 82 years. It was only after this long period, when Christian Huygens highlighted it, that the world came to know of its importance.

The matter of the Hereafter too is somewhat similar. How many of God’s servants are there who are sincerely engaged in virtuous activities, away from the limelight, unknown to people, unheralded in the press? How many God-fearing people are there whose inner selves are shaken with the fear of God, but whose undemonstrative expressions fail to show this inner tempest. There are God-fearing people who keep their mouths closed for fear of God, yet no other human being is aware of this virtuous act on the part of the true believer. How many pious souls are there who have had every opportunity to display their ego and torment others, but who have been halted in their tracks by the fear of God’s chastisement.

There are many true believers whose good actions have been lost in the wilderness, recognized neither by near ones nor by more distant people. But this state of affairs will not last forever. On Doomsday God will unravel all veils. Then all things hidden from view will appear as clear as daylight. This will be the Day of Judgement when no action done in the world will remain hidden. Even a  tiny good deed done in the world will appear as plain as daylight, and all virtuous men will be rewarded for their good deeds, whatsoever they may have been.