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When Life Begins (Chapter 8: At the Kauthar)
Posted By:peer On 6/11/2012

By Abu Yahya (in Urdu).
Translated by Kamran Saeed, Abu Anas, Waseem Aslam & Bilal Khan

 

Chapter 8: At the Kauthar

 

After seeing the incident of Prophet Jesus standing witness, both of us started to move towards the pond. I asked Saleh en route:

"Prophet Jesus made some pleading statements requesting God to forgive them, stating that only he is the one who is prevailing and wise. Did these words not have any effect?"

"Did you not listen to the reply of the Almighty that today, the truthful will benefit only from their truthfulness?"

"I heard that, but my impression is that his pleading has not been accepted."

"No, that is not the case. God has clarified his Law. The basic criteria for success or failure is to accept as true, the teachings of the messenger and then, to confirm it by one’s actions. The meaning of God's statement is that he will deal mercifully with all those who meet these basic criteria. This implies that on account of his blessings, God will not hold people accountable for the sins and shortcomings that they did not manage to redeem or repent.

All prophets are similarly pleading for their nations in quiet tones or will do so when it is their turn. But at present, only this much leniency is being granted as a consequence of their pleading. So far, only mistakes are being forgiven, not crimes. These are the mistakes that were deemed trivial at the time and thus forgiveness was not sought for them; they have become a source of humiliation, similar to what your daughter Leila had to endure. As for those people who maintained a constant attitude of faith, righteous deeds, repentance and self-improvement, they have been safe from the outset. Those people who maintained a constant attitude of disobedience and committed major sins, they are now enduring the toughest hardships."

We now reached  a place where angels were stopping people from going ahead. Saleh held my hand and walked towards them. On seeing him, the angels moved away from his path. As we walked a bit further, I began to see a lake. On seeing it, Saleh said:

"This is the pond of Kauthar."

I said:

“But, I can’t see the last Prophet over here."

"He is further ahead. We have entered from the other side. I wanted you to have a detailed view, that is why we came along this way."

When I deliberated upon what Saleh had stated, I realised that this was not a pond in the ordinary sense of the word. I said to Saleh with a degree of surprise:

"My friend! This is more like a lake and even possibly as big as a sea whose other shore I cannot even see."

"Yes, it is like that. Can’t you see so many people drinking water from it? If it had been an ordinary pond, then it would have run dry rapidly."

He was correct. In every direction, there were numerous people.

I had an inkling from the sayings of the last Prophet even in the previous world that it would not be an ordinary pond but more like a sea. In fact, based upon the sayings of the last prophet, I used to think that this would probably be somewhere around the Red Sea, which used to separate Arabia and Africa in the previous world. When I shared my inkling with Saleh, he replied:

"To a large extent, this inkling is correct. The Earth has become massive on account of its expansion. However, it is more or less the same place."

"Does this mean that the Plane of Judgement is in Arabia?"

"Yes, your inklings are correct."

In silence, I recalled the time when the Earth was still inhabited. People were busy in the pursuits of the world. Alas! If only they could have realized that true life is to begin after death. God sent his prophets to remind and make people understand in all sorts of ways, but people did not heed their advice. Then God sent some of these prophets as messengers. These messengers not only called people towards the right path, but went even a step ahead; they warned their people that if they did not accept their teachings, instead of waiting for the end of this world, God would punish them in the world, from which only those will escape who believed in them. As a consequence, the followers and nations of Noah, A’ad, Thamud, Lot, Shoaib, Pharaoh and the Quraish of Mecca themselves, all suffered that fate.

The messengers sent to these nations warned them about the wrath of God, but when they did not accept their message, they were punished in the world, before the Day of Judgement. The nation of Noah and the people of Pharaoh were drowned in water, A’ad were destroyed by a fierce storm, the nations of Thamud and Shoaib were annihilated by a jolt, the nation of Lot was flattened with a stone-carrying wind, and the rejecters of Mecca were wiped out by the swords of the believers; albeit, the believers were saved and given the rule of the Earth. In particular, the incident of the last Prophet and the disbelievers of Mecca happened in the era of known history and its record was also preserved in the Qur’an. Who was not aware of how the companions of the last Prophet were made the masters of the world in only a matter of few years? In this way, an example of eternal reward and punishment was created in the world so that no one could try to deny it. Despite all that, people still did not prepare for this day.

Above all, in this very area where the accountability is taking place today and what used to be the Middle East, the children of Abraham were the subjects and example of this principle of reward and punishment for four thousand years. The dealings of God with the two arms of the children of Abraham, namely the Ishmaelites and the Israelites, were based on a law that dictated that God's blessings were showered upon them in the world if they were obedient and alternatively, if they were disobedient, then they were punished as a nation. Historically, the children of Israel, had to face major destructions twice as a consequence of their disobedience. Once, by the hands of the Babylonian king Nabukatnazar and the second time, on the hands of the Roman general Titus, destruction was imposed upon them. In the same manner, the Muslim nation had to suffer severe punishments twice for their crimes. Once on the hands of the Tartars and second time on the hands of European nations, they had to face destruction and the humiliation of slavery.

Along with these punishments whenever they sought forgiveness and turned towards God, then the doors of power and rewards would open upon them again. One of the examples of this was when, after complete destruction at the hands of the Tartars the  Muslims took to them the message of Islam, in a short period of time, they became a super power again. But sadly, even after seeing these clear happenings of reward and punishment in the world, people did not take seriously the certainty of reward and punishment to take place on the Day of Judgement. Involuntarily, a sigh came out of my mouth and I said:

"My Lord did not leave any stone unturned in making people understand the reality of life, but man was a very obstinate creature. This is why he has had to face this tough day."

Saleh looked at me for a moment and then spoke:

"No! All humans were not like that. Just look at the people around the pond of Kauthar, you can see so many people here."

I nodded my head in agreement but did not say anything more. The reason was obvious. Saleh was looking at the people present here and I was thinking about the people who were outside in the Plane of Judgement, and my son Jamshaid was among them. I had returned to the Plane of Judgement in searching of him, but after seeing Prophet Jesus being a witness, I had given up. So, for the time being, I decided to leave his fate in the hands of God.

 



We were moving forward but upon reaching one place, Saleh said to me:

"Come on, let us go to the VVIP lounge of Kauthar."

I did not comment on this, but I had an inclination about what he was implying. He further explained his previous statement:

"There are two ranks amongst the people who have succeeded today. Some practiced the religion in a way that they ensured compliance with all its obligations and stipulations. They fulfilled their commitments towards God and human beings and obeyed each and every command of God. They are the ones who will earn the success of entering the Paradise. Among these were also some people who adopted the religion at the level of sacrifice rather than just an obligation. In the most adverse circumstances and in the severest of hardships, they displayed patience and steadfastness. They excelled at all virtuous and righteous deeds. In all circumstances, they upheld the truth and happily faced the consequences of doing so. They dedicated themselves to supporting the religion of God, doing extra worship of him, and serving his humanity. They are the people who will be amongst the VIP's on the Day of Judgement. Their privileges, status, closeness to God, and respect will all be far beyond that of the usual inhabitants of Paradise.

This is akin to the previous world where, every society had a class of common people and an elite and high gentry class. The same is happening today. The successful people of the world have been placed around the picturesque region of the pond of Kauthar, away form the hardships of the Plane of Judgement; they will get a favourable abode in the Paradise as well. Obviously this is a huge accomplishment. But there is even a level beyond this for those who are close to God; this is for the elite among the dwellers of Paradise. Its true reality will only become apparent in the Paradise, but even at the Kauthar, separate lodgings have been arranged for people who belong to this elite. That is where we are going now."

He stopped for a moment and spoke whilst staring into my eyes:

"This is because you are not one of the common dwellers of Paradise Abdullah, but in fact, you are one of the leaders and worthy of a very high status."

I humbly bowed my head.




We now entered a place of such immense beauty that words were not sufficient to describe it. The snowy white, clear water of the lake was spread over its bed like the moonlight. My eyes were getting a strange satisfaction just looking the surface of the lake, which was still and flat. The banks were made of glittering hollow pearls. My soles experienced an indescribable relief as I walked onto some very thick and soft carpets that were laid out by the beach. Comfortable princely chairs were set on the carpets. Glasses made of gold and silver were shining like stars on top of tables that were more transparent than glass. A pleasant fragrance was emanating from the lake, which left all the pores in my body thoroughly scented.

I asked Saleh as I took a seat:

“Where is this pleasant smell coming from?”

“The lake bed is composed of a soil more fragrant than any scent in the previous world. You are noticing its effects.”

Saleh filled a glass from the lake and putting it in front of me, said:

“Enjoy!”

I took a sip. I had heard similes of it in the previous world relating it to milk, honey, etc. But this was a far superior drink than any of them. I had drunk its water once before but the delight of drinking it in this environment was a totally different experience. There was an extremely sharp and piercing sunlight outside in the Plane of Judgement but we were experiencing the evening twilight over here. The breeze was pleasantly cool, chilled and steady. It seemed as if the sun was about to set. A dusky hue was spread over the clear sky. Shades of deep red, orange and yellow were conspicuous in different parts. The reflections of these colours of the sky onto the surface of the white waters of the lake created a façade of a fair skinned maiden with a colourful head covering. No doubt, it was an extremely lovely and beautiful scene.   

I looked around; the scene was like a picnic spot. People were sitting or standing by the lake, by themselves, in groups or along with their families. They were happily chatting and laughing. All looked very happy and pleased. The contentment and satisfaction visible on their faces was enough to demonstrate that they had succeeded. They had left behind all possibilities of death, sorrow, illness, grief, and sufferings for good to reach the shores of an everlasting ocean of eternal and true happiness.

Today they had achieved a success that would never cease, a happiness that would never diminish, pleasures that would never lessen, a life that would never end, and comforts that would never be taken back. These people had achieved such a big reward with such little effort! As they celebrated their success, their laughter could be heard far and wide. The smiles on their faces brightened up the atmosphere.

This reminded me of my family.

Saleh looked at my face and read my thoughts straight away:

“While we are here, let me take you to your family; they have also been moved over here.”

Leila saw me coming first. She was sitting by the pond along with the rest of the family, but perhaps her searching eyes were looking for me. She saw me from a distance. She got up from the chair and came running to embrace me. She just kept crying, unable to say anything. I kept on patting her shoulder for long time. Then, I separated her from me to look at her face.

When I saw her last time in the Plane of Judgement, she was in a bad shape. But now, my daughter was looking as beautiful as a fairy. Seeing her in this state, I involuntarily thanked the Almighty for his blessings on account of which she was back with me again. I said to her:

“Leila, the sufferings and hardships are now over for good; you will only experience happiness and comfort from now on.”

By now, the rest of the family had also reached us. My two other daughters, Arifa and Aaliya were looking as beautiful as ever. My younger son, Anwar was holding his mother’s hand. I hugged all of them. Then I said:

“My children, I am proud of you! You preferred to wait for your Lord’s promise instead of getting dazzled by the worldly life. You did not infatuate yourselves with the benefits of a temporary world; rather you chose this eternal life. This is the day of your eternal success. Let’s begin this success by celebrating it with a drink from the Kauthar!”

We sat down on nearby chairs. I said to Leila:

“Leila, I want to hear your story, but before that Anwar, Aaliya and Arifa tell me, did you had any difficulty in joining your mother?”

All three of them had the same response that they were quite safe right from the beginning. Various angels had escorted them to the area in the shadow of the Throne.

Then Leila narrated her story:

“Father, I have been through very tough times. When I emerged from the grave after hearing the sound of the trumpet, it was chaos and horror everywhere. Everybody was running in the same direction. Nobody was wearing any clothes at that time but everyone was in such a state of fear, terror and worry that no one was looking at anyone else nor did anyone care about their own bareness. I tried to find all of you but could not find anyone. Finally, I also started to run in the same direction as everyone else.

I don’t know for how long I kept running. Everyone seemed obsessed about reaching the destination. People were terrified and worried but felt compelled to continue to run.”

I interrupted her:

“This was the effect of the trumpet blown by Archangel Rafael that forced everyone to run towards the Plane of Judgement. No matter where people were in the world, they were all forced to head in its direction.”

“You are right father, everyone was running in the same direction. I got blisters on my feet. They started to bleed. My body felt like breaking with exhaustion but there was something deep inside me, which did not let me stop. I was dying of thirst but water was nowhere to find. It was extremely hot but there was no tree or shade anywhere. Father, all along the way, there was nothing but a big flat plain. There were no mountains, rivers, seas, trees or even ditches; in short, there were no heights or depressions anywhere. I cannot tell you in words how terrible was this journey! If this had happened in the previous world, I would have literally fallen down and died of tiredness. But over here, no one was lucky enough to have the relief of falling down or dying! So, I was forced to continue to run endlessly!”

“What happened next?” asked Anwar in a woeful tone.

“I don’t know how long it took me but I finally reached the Plane of Judgement. But, another affliction was waiting for us there. There were horrifying angels walking about everywhere. Just looking at them was enough to take one’s breath away! They did not say anything to me but they were mercilessly beating many others. However, seeing this scene was enough to scare me to death.”

“Where did you find Aasmah?” I inquired.

“I met her somewhere in the Plane of Judgement in a very bad state. Father, she was brought up in a very privileged atmosphere. After seeing her, I almost forgot about my own miseries. We stayed together after that to keep our spirits high, but after she met you, her will and hopes for deliverance faded away all together.”

Aaliya asked, “Where did you last see her?”

“When everybody was ordered to bow down, I prostrated straight away. She was standing next to me at that time but she was unable to bow down. In the previous world, she always used to say that God does not need our worship or prayers. She used to say that even if there were a requirement for this, he would forgive us on account of his mercy. She did not even fast as she used to say that it ruins her beautiful skin.”

“Where was she when you got up after the prostration?” Arifa asked.

“She was still there next to me but when God ordered the angels to take away every 999 people out every 1000, the angels dragged her away. Then, I was presented in the court of the Almighty for accountability.”

“What happened in there?” Asked Naimah.

“I feared that God was going to hand over my result card in my left hand and order the angels to drag me away. But, my Lord is most compassionate and merciful; he was very kind with me. I was asked questions about faith and worship. I responded that I had faith in all the required beliefs in the previous world and I used to fulfil all the necessary worship rituals. Then I was asked about major moral obligations, rights of relatives and rights of other people around me. I managed to give acceptable answers to all those questions as well. I was afraid that I was then going to be asked specific questions about the bad deeds and sins I committed in my daily life. However, he did not ask me any further questions.”

I commented:

“Leila! If the Almighty had asked you the next question, you would have been doomed. He does not ask such questions to the person he has decided to forgive, whose answers are bound to be in the negative. He only asks such questions to those people whom he wants to punish. You were asked only those questions whose correct replies were already present in your book of deeds. Although there were also bad deeds and sins recorded in that book, but the Almighty ignored them.”

“Oh I remember, at the end, the Almighty said something to me. He said that you are the daughter of Abdullah; you should be with him. Then the Almighty ordered the angels to hand over the book of deeds into my right hand and to take me to my family. I am unable to express the joy that I experienced at that moment.”

Saleh, who was sitting next to me, said:

“Your forgiveness was not because of your father, however, your status was elevated due to him. At the moment, you are sitting in the VVIP lounge by the Kauthar. Are you aware that you, your mother and other siblings have been given this honour only because of your father? This is a special blessing from God that from amongst the successful family members, whoever has the highest stature, the rest of the family members will also be elevated to his or her level.”

At this, Aaliya said:

“Oh, that’s why none of our own family members were allowed to come here. The angels only allowed us brothers, sisters and our mother to come here. Some of our other family members are also around but they have not been allowed to come to this area.”

Signs of distress appeared on Naimah’s face as she listened to this; forced by her maternal instincts, she added, “Yes, all are here except for Jamshaid.”

Everybody became silent. Then, Anwar broke the silence by saying:

“Father, I was saved by that article of your teacher Mr Farhan which you often used to quote. I made its message the cornerstone of my life.”

Arifa asked, “Which writing was that? Let us hear it too.”

Anwar closed his eyes and said:

“He wrote, ‘the reformers of our era want to eliminate this natural desire of advancement. However, God does not endorse this. He only wants to divert the course of this desire towards the Hereafter away from the present world. Instead of hoping to be a part of the elite and privileged sections of the society, he wants people to strive to be amongst the people close to God and the elite of the Paradise. If you read the whole message of the Qur’an, you will find out that it does not desire any other mind set in people apart from this. The personalities of the companions of the last Prophet, who were the first addressees of the Qur’an, had the same traits. The charity of Abu Bakar and Umar, the generosity of Abdul Rehman and Usman, and the simple life of Ali and Abu Zar, may peace be upon all of them, are various manifestations of the same firm belief in the Hereafter. To understand the transformation that belief in Hereafter brings in one’s life, study the following verse of the Qur’an:

Whatever things you have been given are merely for the necessities and adornments of this worldly life. And whatever you will get from God is much better and will last forever. Don’t you think? Is the person to whom we have promised a good promise, which he will obtain, equal to the one to whom we have given the good things of this life only but who is going to face the punishment on the day of Judgement? (Al-Qasas 60-61)


Just imagine about the life of the person who just believes firmly in this one verse. When such a person earns his livelihood, he will never take the risk of disobeying God, the result of which is hellfire. After he fulfils his needs, the best purpose of wealth for him would be to spend it on adornment and beautification of his eternal and much better life in the Hereafter. He will never jeopardise his Hereafter for the sake of any blessing in this world. Before he even thinks about building a home, he will first think about the home in the hereafter; similarly, before planning to buy a car in this world, he will plan about his transport to the Hereafter. He will never risk losing those heavenly maidens whose moon-like face, attractive beauty and eternal youth will never wither for the sake of short-lived gratification of his eyes from the exposed and semi-exposed women of this world.

The needs and wishes of his family can never take him on a path that ends up at the footstep of the hell. Rather, his love for his family will compel him to also take them along on the roads to heaven. He will want to educate them, and to give them his time. To tell them that to live is in fact, to live for the hereafter. The real success is to end up in the Paradise. This world is nothing but an illusion, a place where countless others were tested before us and we are also being tested. It’s just a matter of few years, neither will we be here nor would these testing times. If at all, it will be the blessings of God that will be left behind. It will be his paradise, and his never-ending rewards. It will be the pinnacles of esteem and appreciation that will last. The voice tones will have prestige in them. The faces will have a glow on them. One’s company will be that of righteous people. Friends will be all around. There will be palaces made of pearls and jewels, and vineyards of musk and ambrosia. They will be embellished with silk and silk brocade and adorned with rubies and corals. They will have streams of milk and honey; and waves of purified water. There will be trees made of silver and gold, and seas of water and wine. Angels will be paying their salutations, and appetising meals will be available to eat at any time.

Hence, this will be an eternal world of luxury and delight, of water and wine, and of castles and luxurious tents. It will be an eternal world of prestige and style, and pleasure and rewards. A world of eternal peace and relaxation, and enjoyment and blessings, will be such a world that will not have any sorrows; there will be no worries and no disappointments. A world devoid of regrets, deprivations and limitations will be this world. An unfortunate person is not someone who did not succeed in the finite world; indeed, that person is unfortunate who failed to be a winner in this eternal world!”

As Anwar recalled the last few words, his voice became heavy with emotions and eyes wet with tears. He was probably thinking of his brother Jamshaid. However, he did not realise that by narrating an abstract from my teacher Mr Farhan’s book, he had doubled my heartache by reminding me of Mr Farhan’s fate.

I thought to my self, “It seems that one still has to experience some sorrows even in the Plane of Judgement. It will only be in the Paradise where one will be able to get rid of every sorrow and worry forever.”


 << Chapter 7: The Testimony of Prophet Jesus  << Chapter 9: The Nation of Noah and The Ones who distorted their Faith 

 

Source: http://www.understanding-islam.org.uk/archives/when-life-begins-preface/chapter-4-naimah/918-when-life-begins-chapter-8.html




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