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When Life Begins (Chapter 3: The Plane of Judgement Day )
Posted By:peer On 5/24/2012

By Abu Yahya (in Urdu).
Translated by Waseem Aslam & Bilal Khan


Chapter 3: The Plane of Judgement Day

Both of us were walking rapidly again. As soon as we left the boundary of the Throne, we encountered an extremely hot and humid atmosphere. It felt that instead of the usual 90 million miles, the distance between the Sun and the Earth had reduced to a mere mile! There was no wind. Everyone was drenched in sweat. There was no sign of water anywhere. I was under the influence of the drink from Kauthar otherwise, it would have been impossible to spend even a second in this atmosphere. But I could see that there were countless people in a very weary state, staggering around in the same suffocating atmosphere. Their faces displayed horror and their eyes were full of fear; their hair was covered in dust and their bodies were soaked in sweat. Dirt was all over them; their feet were blister-ridden with pus oozing out of the blisters. I had never seen such a scene of despair and fear in my life before! There was disorder and disarray wherever one looked. Every person seemed concerned only for his own self. I was searching for any familiar faces. The first recognisable face that I came across was that of my teacher, Farhan Ahmed. He saw me from a distance and immediately turned away, trying to avoid eye contact. I said to Saleh:

“Stop him Saleh! He is my teacher. I want to talk to him.”

But instead, he stopped me from moving towards him, then said in a remorseful voice:

“Listen, Abdullah! Do not add to the humiliation of your teacher. If someone appears to you in a humiliated state over here today, that implies that he has been treated with justice. That person has been found lacking in the scales of Divine justice that is why he is in such a state.”

I replied with anguish:

“But Saleh, I learnt all about belief in God, focusing on the Hereafter and ethical values from him.”

“You may have…” Saleh replied carelessly. He continued:

“However, his knowledge failed to become a part of his personality. Look! God does not pass a judgement about anyone on the basis of that person’s knowledge. The fundamental factors that determine the decision are his deeds, character and personality. The role of knowledge is in reality to help lay the foundations of one’s personality on a sound footing. If the personality is not set on the right foundations, all this knowledge in fact, becomes harmful for that person. As a Persian poet once said:

When knowledge is skin deep, it is nothing but a poisonous snake
When knowledge sinks deep into your heart, it becomes your best friend

The same thing happened to your teacher, Abdullah. He was a good writer. He talked well too. But his character and personality did not reflect what he preached. Therefore, in a way, he was also nurturing snakes in his sleeve. Today, these snakes of knowledge have bit him hard! When you see people over here today, their external form will not represent what they used to project with their attire and words in the previous life. Their appearance today will be a true reflection of what their inner personality was really like in the bygone life. Remember, God does not judge people on the basis of their words and external appearance! He only looks at their deeds and their personality. In particular, people with knowledge would face a tougher accountability today. Many excuses that would be acceptable from ordinary people on account of their lack of knowledge would not be considered as acceptable justifications coming from scholars.”

“But he sacrificed a lot”, I said, in his defence.

“True, but he got his compensation while he was still alive”, Saleh replied. He continued further:

“Errors in knowledge may be overlooked today however, failings in personality and deeds will lead people to the same state as your teacher is in today. Anyway, the day has only started yet, just watch what happens till the end.”

I kept standing for a long time in a state of shock. I was an orphan with no one to look after me. My teacher meant everything to me. He was my mentor; he helped me in my education, arranged my marriage, and gave me a purpose in life. He was dearer to me than a real father; so, I was shocked to find him in this state. I became quite oblivious to my surroundings while in this state.

Around me, endless number of people were walking, running and struggling along. Loud echoes of the roaring flames were mixed together with the shouts, cries, and wails of people. People were busy taunting each other, hurling abuses at each other, and blaming each other. Many were engaged in full-blown scuffles and fights.

Around me, some were holding their heads in their hands, while others poured dirt on their faces. I could see people hiding their faces in shame; others were bearing disgrace. Some were banging their heads on stones; others were beating their chests in anguish. Some were blaming themselves while others were having a go at their mothers, fathers, wives, children, friends, or leaders, holding them responsible for their ruin. All of them had the same problem; the Day of Judgement had arrived, and they had not prepared for it. Now! They could blame others or themselves, they could mourn or be patient, but it was not possible to change anything now. Now! There was only a wait, a wait for the arrival of the Master of the Universe, following which the accountability was to begin, and the destiny of every person was be determined with absolute justice.

However, I kept standing aloof from all that was going on around me for God knows how long. Suddenly, a person nearby cried out:

"Ah... I was better off dead! Even the pit of the grave was better than this."

His screaming voice made me aware of my surroundings again. In an instant, all my memories from the start until the end were refreshed in my mind again.



I turned back and looked at Saleh. He was staring at me with a blank expression on his face. He said:

“Abdullah! You chose to come here to the Plane of Judgement leaving your allocated station behind in order to observe the happenings over here. It is inevitable that you would come across more scenes like this, so you need to be mentally prepared. To save you from more shocks, I have to inform you that right now, one of your daughters, Leila and your son Jamshaid are also present on this Plain of Judgement; both are in trouble.”

Saleh’s words shook me to the core. I started to feel dizzy and sat down on the ground, holding my head in my hands. Saleh also sat down quietly next to me.

Tears were running down my face. However, no one around me took any notice. For today, no one cared about what was happening to others. Why was this person sitting on the ground? Why was someone stood up? Why was that person lying down? Why was somebody crying? Who was yelling and wailing? Nobody cared. Today, every person was concerned only about his or her own self. No one had the time or the inclination to stop by and enquire after me. People passed by us indifferently.

After a while, I asked Saleh, “What is going to happen now?”

“Obviously, the accountability will start. Only then would we know something for sure.” He replied bluntly. He explained further:

“Those people who made this day their foremost priority and led their lives preparing for it, have woken up today in the fortunate position of having been declared successful beforehand. These people include those who fulfilled the requirements of true faith and morality as well as those people who strived hard in the way of their Lord. They only reaped goodness in their lives. They fulfilled the rights of fellow human beings and the obligations of their Creator. So, for them, the death itself was a harbinger of relief from the trials of the previous world; they have received Divine protection since the start of this Day of Judgement.”

“But everyone committed mistakes in their lives, did not they?” I asked.

“True! They made mistakes too. However, their good deeds cancelled out their minor sins. The tears of repentance they shed immediately after committing any significant mistakes washed those significant mistakes away. Today, all those people are under the shadow of the Throne. They will only face a brief ceremonial accountability before their eternal success is declared.

In contrast, those people who committed major sins that practically invalidate one’s faith like rejection of the truth, assigning partners to God, hypocrisy, murder, fornication, rape, apostasy, dishonesty in wealth belonging to orphans, repeatedly ignoring the boundaries set by God, and all other sins of similar nature, will be sentenced to Hell.” Saleh explained the Law in detail.

“But there are always human beings who fall in between the two extremes; what will happen to them?” I asked.

Saleh replied, “You are right, there are people who have faith in their hearts as well as some good deeds to show for themselves. But, they committed many sins and did not repent. Such people will have to bear the harshness of the Day of Judgement as a payback for their misdeeds; only then, they may have a chance of forgiveness. All those people stuck on the Plane of Judgement today are those people who are either major criminals destined for Hell or those people who had faith but also committed many sins. So, the distress they undergo today is directly related to the number of sins they have committed as well as the gravity of their sins. The ones with fewer sins will be relieved right at the start of the accountability. However, as I mentioned before, the time that has elapsed so far is equal to hundreds of years of your previous life. Even if these people are pardoned at the very beginning of the questioning, the centuries spent on the Plane of Judgement are enough to eliminate any lingering after-effects of the misdeeds committed in those fifty years of life. Whereas, people with a lot of sins under their belts may have to bear the hardships, sufferings and toils of this extremely harsh environment for thousands or hundreds of thousands of years to come.”

I thought in my heart that sins used to seem so trivial in the previous world but today they have caused so much misery. Alas! If only, people had not considered their sins as trivial; if only, they had developed a regular habit of repentance! If only, they had realised the seriousness of evils like backbiting, spitefulness, wasting money, pomp and show, slander etc. If they had appreciated the significance of the rights of God and other people, if they had stayed away from disobedience to God and had instead followed the way of the Holy Prophets, they would have managed to avoid the present situation where the short-lived gratification of each sin has turned into a distress spanning centuries.

I asked Saleh:

“Does anyone know at this time if he or she will be pardoned and if so, in what manner?”

Saleh replied:

“This is the real predicament. No one over here knows what future holds for him or if there is any hope for salvation. Only God knows. This is the reason the last prophet of God as well as other prophets and messengers were praying for the commencement of accountability. If this happens, at least the ones with true faith in their hearts would get salvation after going through the process of accountability. You are well aware that no one is able to say even a single word to help someone else nor is that allowed today. The good news is that the prophet’s prayer has been accepted; his representative Abu Bakr, the Truthful conveyed that news to you in person.”

“But, I can see no sign of beginning of accountability”, I asked Saleh with surprise. He replied:

“The Almighty has accepted the request but as far as its application is concerned, he will do so in accordance with his own larger plan and wisdom. It is possible that all the people who emerged from their graves have not reached here yet.”

I replied, “What do you mean? Have they not managed to get here despite centuries having been elapsed?”

He replied, “How do you think they will get here? Do you think they will use aeroplanes, trains, buses and cars to commute? Today, everyone is rushing here on foot. The noise of Archangel Rafael’s trumpet had forced people to head in this direction. The Almighty has parted oceans and flattened mountains, to allow people to get here easily but even then, it will take them some time as they are on foot. The only exception is the righteous people who were accompanied by angels who brought them here straight away. Anyway, let’s see what is happening to the people gathered here until the accountability begins. If I remember correctly, this was the reason you came here, right?”

Saleh held my hand and started to walk ahead without waiting for my response. People’s faces were glowing red with the heat. Wind was blowing dirt and rubbish all around. People were roaming around wretchedly, alone and in groups. I was unsuccessfully trying to find a familiar face in that crowd. Suddenly, a girl appeared out of nowhere and before I could have a look at her face, she fell down in my feet and started to sob uncontrollably. I looked towards Saleh uncomfortably.

He said to the girl in a cold voice:

“Get up!”

I don’t what was it in Saleh’s voice; I could feel a chill in my spine. The girl also pulled herself up, looking quite scared. I now looked at her face. It looked murky due to the effects of fear, apprehension, and grief. The face and hairs were full of dirt. Her lips looked like parchment and her horror-stricken eyes had prominent shades of fear and terror in them.

Suddenly, an unbearable wave of anguish passed through my body. The first time I had seen that face, I had involuntarily praised its beauty. It had a glowing white colour like a star, an eye-catching profile, attractive features, rose-like lips, a blue tinge to the eyes, and jet-black hair. God had bestowed it with such natural beauty that it did not require any make-up or adornments. However, today this face looked completely different. The beauty of years gone by was now buried deep under layers of grief and sorrows of the Judgement Day. This person standing in front of me, as a living picture of utter lament, horror, pain, and remorse was in fact Huma, my daughter-in-law and the wife of my eldest son Jamshaid.

“Father, please save me! I am in a lot of pain. This place will kill me! I did not face any major problem in my life but now it seems to me that I will not get any ease, ever again. For God’s sake, take pity on me! You are very close to God; please save me…” Huma stopped mid-sentence and started weeping.

“Where is Jamshaid?” I felt my heart beating in my throat as I asked her.

“He is around. He has also been searching for you. But, this is such a big place and there are so many people that it is impossible to find anyone. He is also in a bad state. He was very angry with me. As soon as he met me, he slapped me on my face, and held me responsible for his fate. I am a bad person, father. I destroyed my self a well as my family. Please forgive me and save me. I am petrified of God’s retribution; I can not bear it.”

Huma was inconsolable with tears running down her cheeks. Fatherly emotions started to rise in my chest; after all, she was my daughter-in-law. But, before I could say anything, Saleh spoke again, with the same brutal voice:

“You should have thought of that in the previous world Madam! You have come to your senses today but do you remember how you were like in the world? May be you don’t remember it… let me remind you.”

Saleh made a gesture and suddenly, a scene appeared in front of us. It was Jamshaid and Huma’s bedroom. I felt as if I was standing in the middle of the room along with them, able to see and hear everything as if I was really there.



“Jamshaid I can not live in this country anymore. We should move to a western country,” said Huma as she sat at the dressing table, brushing her shortly cut hair.

Jamshaid was lying on the bed, watching TV. He didn’t reply.

“Did you hear what I said Jamshaid?”

“Yes, I heard you. My whole family lives over here. How I can leave them behind?”

“Have you not left them behind and moved in with me?”

“This is different. At least I go and see them once a week now. Secondly, we go on foreign trips every year anyway. So, what’s the point in moving abroad?”

“No, children are growing up fast. I would like to bring them up abroad.”

“But I want my kids to enjoy the benefit of my parents company. I didn’t get any share of my parent’s goodness, at least I would want my children to be good”.

“I want the kids to stay away from your parents, Jamshaid! Even if one of the kids gets inspired by your family, his life will be ruined”.

The phone rang. Jamshaid picked it up. Some words were said at the other end. Jamshaid put the phone down after saying okay and said to Huma: “Your dad is calling us down”, then he replied:

”Why do you think so negatively about my parents? They accepted you as their daughter-in-law just for the sake of my happiness despite the fact that they didn’t approve of your ways. They did not even disapprove of your decision for us to live separately from them…”

“Hold on, that’s not the case!” said Huma snappily.

“They didn’t like my ways but you were madly in love with me, which forced them to give their blessings to our marriage. You have enjoyed a much better life with me over here since you left them. You are a business partner of my Dad. You deal in millions. Your decision to marry me has proven to be a win-win deal for you, Jamshaid! You have not suffered any ill-effect because of it.”

“I don’t know why but when I hear you talk like this, it reminds me of what my Dad used to say; he would say that the true verdict about profit and loss shall be passed on the Day of Judgement.”

“Come on Jamshaid, stop this useless religious talk. Such ideas irritate me! There is no such thing as Judgement Day. This world’s system has been running like this for millions of years.

If you are smart, powerful and wealthy, you are the winner. All others are losers and idiots. Moreover, you know this Judgment Day talk is nothing but rubbish.

By the way, for your kind information, my Dad has this assurance from his priest that he will have him spared on the Day of Judgement. My Dad donates a lot of money to him.”

“Yes obviously, the way we earn money by illegal profiteering, violation of the Law and other means prohibited in our religion, we have to make it untainted somehow. I know all about it. Your Dad and Chaudhary Mukhtar are business partners in various ventures; they make money by dishonest means.”

“Really.... If you are so concerned about Halal/Haram and dishonesty, why don’t you leave his business?”

“I can leave the business but I can’t leave you. I am well aware that if I am employed somewhere, I would not be able to afford your expenditures or maintain your current standard of living. Alas, my love for you has left me stranded in the middle of nowhere! In fact, I belong to a family in which all that matters is whether money is earned by religiously lawful means or not.”

“That’s why they are living such a miserable middle class life! You are lucky that you moved out with me; otherwise, just like your brothers, you would have owned just a motorbike or a mere 800cc car, and would have died after living a pathetic life in a flat somewhere.”

“We all have to die one day, whether we live a good life or a deprived one. Who knows what will happen to us in the hereafter?”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to us. We will enjoy a life of luxury over there too. Even your God will not be able to do anything against the wishes of my dad’s priest!”

“Don’t utter these words of blasphemy! My God? If only, God was still with me! If I haven’t remained loyal to God, then why would he remain on my side?”

As Jamshaid said these words, his voice became heavy and his eyes became wet. However, Huma did not see the tears running down his face, as all her attention was focused at the mirror. She got up after she finished her make-up and said to Jamshaid:

“Okay, stop this pointless discussion! Lets go downstairs, Dad is waiting for us.”



Saleh signalled again and the scene disappeared from around us; as it disappeared, any lingering hope that Huma may have had, disappeared with it. Saleh spoke again in the same brutal and deadly tone:

“Did you see that? Every single word that came out of your mouth was recorded. So go Madam, go and find you priest who had the power to have you spared, the one in front of whom, even God could not…”

Saleh left the sentence incomplete but the anger that emanated from his voice while he repeated Huma’s words, even shook me with its intensity. Huma turned white with fear. Before Saleh could say anything else, she ran away screaming.

I started to crumble inside after seeing Jamshaid in that scene. Obviously, like Huma, he was also wandering in this plain suffering all these hardships. I wondered what would I do if Jamshaid came in front of me in this state. I was still thinking about this when Saleh touched me on the back and said:

“Come on, let’s go.”

I do not know what was in his touch but as soon as he touched me, the anxiety that had overtaken me became very subdued. I started to walk along with him a bit more relaxed and fresh. Around us, it was the same commotion of worried and horrified people. We had gone further only a little bit when I saw Mr Chaudhary Mukhtar. He had probably seen me and was heading in my direction. Mr Mukhtar was the business partner of Jamshaid’s father-in-law. He was my acquaintance only in this capacity. As he came closer, he tried to embrace me but Saleh stopped him with the movement of his hand and said:

“Talk from a distance.”

His tone was so harsh that he seemed like a stranger to me. Despite this insult, Mr Mukhtar’s enthusiasm did not fade. He said:

“I was certain Mr Abdullah that you would come looking for me. Do you remember that I had a mosque constructed and you used to pray in that mosque? In addition, I also used to help the poor.”

“I remember Mr Mukhtar.” I replied in a low voice.

“Then, please put in a word for me. I have been roaming around in misery for a long time. Whoever you see over here is only concerned for his own self. No one talks properly nor gives any advice.”

As he said this, he involuntarily looked at Saleh. I also turned my head to look at him. He looked at me for an instance, and then started to talk while staring at Mr Mukhtar’s face:

“You certainly had a mosque built but it was not for the sake of God, rather you wanted a good name for yourself. When one donates money for the sake of God, one’s head is turned down, hands are fastened, tone is low, and the heart is full of humility and fear of God. However, you were not like that. You wanted to be known by others as a pious person. So, you had your wish granted during your life. Now, you will have to answer how you earned all that money.

And yes, it was not often that you spent money on a good cause. Why don’t you tell us how you spent millions in order to get close to a famous movie star? You are guilty of fornication. You indulged in it not once, but repeatedly. You fornicated with many different women. You had illicit relations with famous actresses and fashion models. Even if we leave aside how you spent your money, the way you earned the money included various prohibited and Haram means. You were involved in adulteration. You hoarded supplies illegally. You sold goods at extortionist rates. The fundamental principles of your business were to steal electricity, commit fraud and deprive employees of their rights. At the peak of your career, you formed a media group. On one of the TV channels belonging to your group, you used to show religious programmes to keep the public happy, whereas on another one, you used to promote immoral attitudes and vulgarity in the society, all in the name of art and entertainment.”

Saleh was speaking non-stop and words were flowing out of his mouth like arrows heading straight for their target. It was not possible for Mr Mukhtar to respond to these but he had nowhere to run. He kept listening, with his head bowed in shame. The harshness in Saleh’s voice caused a dark expression to appear on Mr Mukhtar’s face. However, Saleh did not stop and continued further:

“Look behind you Mr Mukhtar! Your mistress is standing behind you.”

Mr Mukhtar turned round in haste. I also looked up to see who was behind him. In front of us was standing an old woman who had a face like a witch and there was an extremely strong stench emanating from her body. Saleh touched me again which caused the smell to disappear but I could see that Mr Mukhtar could still smell it. The ugly woman moved forward towards Mr Mukhtar calling him by his first name. Mr Mukhtar slowly started to retreat away from the woman and then without any warning, started running. That woman or witch, whatever she was, also started to run after him.

“Who was that woman?” I asked Saleh after they had disappeared from sight.

“She used to be Mr Mukhtar’s mistress; she was famous in your days as an actress, dancer and model; her name is Champa”, as Saleh introduced her, I felt a shock. I said:

“Champa? But she used to be very pretty and people used to remember her for her beauty.”

“Yes, not only did they talk about her, she was their ideal personality as well. Just see how that ideal personality of people now looks like! That woman used to spread vulgarity in the society with her explosive and revealing dances. God has decided that she will be imposed as a punishment in Hell on those very people on whose hearts she used to rule on”, said Saleh laughingly.

I thought in my heart that lewdness and immorality had spread to its highest ever level during my time. Television allowed these actresses to reach the drawing rooms of all homes. The societies of that time had elevated women who spread vulgarity and nudity, to the highest levels of respect and interest. For the owners of TV channels and film studios, these women were the cheapest and easiest way of making huge profits. They filled their coffers with money by promoting their filthy dances, enticing moves and revealing garments. Young men were madly in love with them and wanted to marry women who looked and acted like them. Women used to style their clothes and makeup after them. It was because of them, that girls of good moral character but ordinary appearance lost their true value in the society. So many of these virtuous women grew old, all alone while waiting for spring to arrive in their gardens; many left this world in silence, hiding the scars of society’s lack of appreciation within their bosoms, deep under the cover of their indignant self-respect.

My face started to show signs of anguish. Saleh recognised these signs straight away. He held my hand and started to walk in one direction. He stopped after some time and said to me:

“God has made some arrangements to alleviate your suffering. However, before I show you that, it may be better if you see this scene from the world gone by.”

As he said these words, a scene started to run in front of my eyes like a movie. It felt as if I was a part of this scene and was able to understand all the relevant facts, without the need for any description.

 


 

The morning sunlight was now flowing into the room in spite of the curtains on the windows. It was time to go to college, but Shaistah did not feel well enough to leave her warm bed and get ready on this cold winter day. It was her habit to study a little after the morning prayers before she would get ready for college but today she had gone back to bed. She had not been feeling well since last night.

“No! I have to go to the college, otherwise my students will lag behind in their studies…, and I need to make breakfast for father and mother as well”, she thought to herself. She then gathered all her strength and got up from the bed. She slowly walked over to her parent’s room next to hers. She opened the door slowly and looked inside; they were in a deep slumber. She smiled with satisfaction.

Shaistah had devoted her whole life to her family. She was only a child when her father got disabled. She was the eldest amongst three sisters. Somehow, her mother managed to get them all educated, earning a paltry income by sewing clothes. After completing her education, she started to teach school children and later joined the faculty at a private college. This was a time for weaving dreams and making big plans. She was not too pretty, but youth is beauty in itself. For Shaistah, however, youth was a harbinger of new responsibilities, without any room for dreams and desires. She was now responsible for the household expenditures, cost of father’s medical treatment, house rent, and education of her two younger siblings. Both of them were good-looking so, as they grew up, most marriage proposals went in their favour. Shaistah did not erect any hurdles in the way of their happiness; she readily arranged their weddings and got them settled in their new homes. Her youth began to fade away in the process and now she found herself alone with the sole responsibility of looking after her aging parents.

Shaistah kept her faith only in God during these difficult times. She loved God immensely. This love was so intense that none of the hardships in her life managed to breed any resentment in her. Shaistah was regular in prayer and fast since childhood but she became familiar with the true sweetness of God’s love only after reading books of her spiritual teacher, Mr Abdullah. It was now the aim of her life to transfer the true essence of God’s love and submission into the young hearts of her pupils. She was an excellent teacher and her students respected her immensely. It was for this reason that they always listened to her attentively; she always taught them with utmost enthusiasm.

For some reason, Shaistah felt sad today. It may have been because of the illness but she felt depressed. She stood in front of the mirror after breakfast to get ready for college. She looked hard at her face. She could now see signs that her youth was fading away. A bitter smile appeared on her face as she mumbled to herself:

“Shaistah! You lost; what did you achieve, apart from loneliness?”

She closed her eyes. Perhaps, she had accepted defeat. However, at that very moment, she started to hear echoes of the words of her teacher Abdullah in her ears:

”The one who makes a deal with God never suffers a loss.”

She opened her eyes with a smile and said to herself in a sustained voice:

“Let’s see... we will see what happens… it’s not long to go anyway.”



The scene disappeared; I looked at Saleh and said:

“I don’t know this girl.”

“You will get to know her now. By the way, whatever you wrote, it had a lasting effect.”

Saleh replied and then, started to walk in one direction. After some time we reached a place where some stern-looking angles were standing; they looked similar to the ones we had seen under the Throne whose job was to stop ordinary people from heading in their direction. On seeing Saleh, they allowed us to pass through. After a short distance, we came across a door. Saleh opened the door and still holding my hand, entered inside with me following behind. I realised straight away that the door was a gateway back to the other world as on this side, there was a completely different environment compared to the exhausting atmosphere in the Plane of Judgement. I said spontaneously:

“Saleh! Are we back around the tents of the prophets?”

He said smilingly:

“Yes... the panacea for your grief can only be found here.”

We walked onwards and reached a magnificent tent. There was a very respectable looking man standing at the door with an enlightened face. He was a complete stranger to me. When we reached closer, Saleh introduced me to him:

“This is Abdullah. He is a follower of Muhammad, Prophet of God, from the last times. And this is Nehwar, a very close companion of Prophet Jeremiah. Nehwar, you wanted to meet him, didn’t you?

This was not only an introduction of a companion of a great prophet but it also explained to me why I was there.

I forwarded my hand for a handshake but Nehwar hugged me enthusiastically instead. I said to him straight away:

“I have not had the honour of meeting Prophet Jeremiah yet but to meet you is no less of an honour. The life of Prophet Jeremiah and the circumstances surrounding him were always a great source of guidance for me. I am very keen to meet him.”

As I said these words, the life story of this great prophet of Israelites was running in my mind. In the sixth century B.C., the Israelites were in a state of severe moral decline. Due to their moral decline, they were suffering the divine punishment of political domination by Nabukatnazar, the King of Babylon, which was a superpower of their time. Their leaders however, did not address their moral weaknesses and focused instead on regaining political supremacy. Prophet Jeremiah highlighted the defects in their morals and faith and encouraged them to work on correction of their flaws instead of confronting a superpower. But his people did not listen to him; instead, they hung him upside down in a well and then started an uprising against the rule of Nabukatnazar. The result of this was that Nabukatnazar descended on them like divine punishment, and devastated Jerusalem. He killed six hundred thousand Jews and took an equal number along with him as slaves.

As I was thinking about this, Nehwar replied to me:

“You will also meet him soon God-wiling, but at the moment I want to introduce you to someone else.” As he said this, he turned towards the tent and said to someone:

”Come out for a second. Look who has come to meet you?”

Straightaway, a girl came out from inside the tent and stood besides Nehwar. Her attire resembled that of a princess and from her appearance and looks, she looked like a fairy. She bowed her head down and greeted me with respect; she then said to me:

“You do not know me but you are like a teacher to me and by this relation, I am your spiritual daughter. I am Shaistah. I was once surrounded by dark shadows trying to lead me astray but I found the light of God’s true religion through your writings. You are the one who first introduced me to God. I discovered the true nature of a human being’s relationship with God because of your work. And look at me now! God has bestowed me with a great honour; I am to be married to a companion of a great prophet.”

Saleh had shown me the images of this girl only a few moments ago, but the radical change in her condition astonished me. The pleasure I felt due to my encounter with her is difficult to describe in words. I said to Shaistah:

“I heartedly congratulate both of you and I hope you will invite me to your wedding.”

“Yes, definitely! That’s why, I called you; so I could show Nehwar that his in-laws are not ordinary people.” She replied smilingly.

“In that case, you selected the wrong person.” I replied quickly. I then turned towards Nehwar and said to him:

“However, Shaistah’s statement is absolutely correct. Your in-laws are not ordinary, and how could they be? Shaistah belongs to the nation of Prophet Muhammad. This relationship to the last prophet makes her family very important.”

Saleh interjected at this moment and said:

“This discussion about status and position can be completed at a later stage. At the moment, I have to take Abdullah back. Please excuse us.”

We left after saying goodbye to Nehwar and Shaistah. Saleh said to me on the way back:

“Did this take care of your sorrow?

I had just witnessed the immense blessings of God on his servants, which had left me speechless. I therefore, kept quite. Saleh continued:

“This girl managed to attain such a high position because of her patience. God tested Shaistah by surrounding her with tough circumstances and an ordinary appearance. In spite of all the hardships, she remained steadfast and grateful to God, and remained devoted to him. You have seen today that those people who were not recompensed in the previous world, have become worthy of a very high reward on account of their steadfastness.”

I stopped walking. I looked up at the sky, saw the Master of the sky in a new light, and then bowed my head down in gratitude and appreciation.

<< Chapter 2: In the Shadow of the Throne Chapter 4: Naimah >>

 

 Source: http://www.understanding-islam.org.uk/archives/when-life-begins-preface/885-when-life-begins-chapter-3.html




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