ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH
Prepare Your Provision
THE renowned conqueror, Alexander ‘the Great’, said on the day he died: “I wanted to conquer the world, but death has conquered me! It is a pity that I could not derive from life the solace that is accessible even to a commoner!”
Towards the end of his life, Napoleon Bonaparte gave vent to his feelings of frustration and disappointment thus: “Frustration was a crime to me, but today, I’m the most frustrated of men on earth. I was hungry for two things: power and love. I acquired power, but it soon deserted me. I searched for love, but I never found it. If what I have got from life is all that there is to it, human life is meaningless, as its end is nothing but frustration and destruction.”
The Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rasheed ruled over an empire the size of which was so vast that it was said that the sun never set on it. But during his final days, he said: “I sought solace throughout my life, but in vain. I have lived a life full of anxiety and torment. Not for a single day have I been at ease. Now I have come to the verge of death, the grave is waiting to devour my body.”
On the verge of death, all the splendours of
the world appear meaningless and worthless.
This is the end of every human being. But everyone ignores his end. When the Caliph AlMansur Abbasi approached his end, he said: “Had I lived a little longer, I would have set such empires ablaze as caused me to deviate frequently from the path of truth. In truth, one good action is far better than a whole empire. But I realised this truth too late, and death has me in its clutches.”
Most of the ‘successful’ men of this world have breathed their last overwhelmed with the feeling that they have been the greatest of failures. Were man to experience such feelings in his prime, he would be utterly transformed.
On the verge of death, all the splendours of the world appear meaningless and worthless. Yet, while man lives, he is so engrossed in them that he finds no time to delve deeper into the realities of life. He leaves behind a world which he has lost, and beyond him is a world for which he has made no preparations.
What is the good of coming to one’s senses when death is at hand? The time to do so is prior to death’s approach, when one is in a position to act. If this could happen, there would be less injustice and oppression in the guise of justice. But before death approaches, man is unwilling to give a second thought to the propriety of his actions. He keeps on doing all he can to satisfy his ego. And when temporal power and physical strength fail him, he is lost for words.
Only when he finds that the unrelenting hands of the angels of death are inescapable, does he dwell on all his wrongdoings, although the time to think about this was while he was busy pursuing his selfish desires. But at that time, people, generally, are simply not willing to accept any advice that would deflect them from their false aims and set them on the right path.
On Consultation
The habit of consultation creates
a degree of trust between the different
members of society.
The Harsh Reality
Man sees only this world. Death is to him, then, a cruel blow,
removing him from the land of his dreams. But if he were to see the world beyond
death he would realise that it is that eternal world of infinite blessings that should be
worked for. What 'new lease of life' can there be when the spectre of death lies in
wait? Those who seek new life will find it only in the world that lies beyond death.