BOOK REVIEW

Name of the Book: THE FINAL JOURNEY
Author: MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN
Published by: GOODWORD BOOKS
Year: 2021
Pages: 74
ISBN: 978-93-89766-32-5
Reviewed by: BHAKTAWAR RAKHSHANI

“Death is the greatest teacher, but man lives out his life as if there was no such thing awaiting him at the end of life’s journey.”

One of the shattering lines from the book. I have heard a lot about Maulana Wahiduddin Khan from my teacher that how his words have a magnetic power to catch the readers’ attention towards his perception about Islam. Finally, I got a chance to explore one of his books.

The Final Journey is written by the Indian Islamic scholar and peace activist, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. He has penned a commentary on the Holy Quran along with a translation into contemporary English. He is considered among the most influential Muslims in the world.

Throughout the book, the writer leads readers towards various stories of different personalities. While some are at the peak of success, others are obviously engrossed in building their world of desires pretending to be oblivious that the final climax is only death which opens up the door to the next world.

The main purpose of the writer is to show the readers the absolute reality of this temporary world, which can inevitably come to annihilation anytime. Then comes the eternal world: a world of salvation from all troubles, a world of unprecedented bounties, and a world where the oppressed will be superior to the oppressor. A world that never comes to an end.

However, in order to get the ticket for the world of eternity, one must not be careless. If one is, then there is only formidable retribution for him.

“Life is moving from light to darkness, from everything to nothing" One of my favourite lines from this masterpiece. Unfortunately, today’s man is extremely busy in this worldly life that he has forgotten that something bigger, greater, and superior is awaiting for him. While reading the book, some questions relentlessly occupied my mind ”Do I have some preparation for the next world? Will I have empty hands once I reach towards my final journey?

How will I justify my misdeeds before my Creator who is closer to me than anything else?” Questions for the readers that can come over while going through this book. What I learnt from this inspiring book is that the most certain thing about life is that it is extremely uncertain that one cannot assume what has been stored for him in the next moment. It is a book for those who are totally engrossed in this worldly life and have no preparation for the final journey. A journey that can take one to eternal peace or complete destruction.