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EATH AND THE LIFE OF THE HEREAFTER
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of examination, Allah decides the time when this period will end. In other
words, only Allah knows at which age you will die.
How should we consider death?
Death, that is, the end of the period of examination in this world, is
a source of happiness and joy for believers. One would hardly feel sorry
for someone who has successfully passed an examination, would one?
Feeling grief over someone who dies is likewise ridiculous. It may well
be that you have lost a close relative or someone you love. But a person
of faith acknowledges that death is certainly not a permanent separation,
and that someone who dies merely finishes his period of examination in
this world. He knows that in the hereafter, Allah will gather Muslims who
live by His commands together and reward them with the Garden. In this
case, rather than being sorry, people will feel great happiness.
Allah can take our souls at any moment. Therefore, we ought to
strive to earn Allah's good pleasure.
To conclude, death is not an end but a gate leading us to the
hereafter. The life of the hereafter is the real life that will last for all
eternity, and we need to prepare for it. Do you think that a person who
takes an examination wants it to last forever? Of course not. He only
wants to answer the questions correctly and leave the classroom.
In this world, too, a man must strive to pass his examination, earn
