Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Birthday,

What is a birthday all about? Everyone knows that it is the day that we were born. As we advance further in age, birthday tells us how old we are getting or how many years we have been living. Birthdays are normally celebrated with  blowing of candles on a piece of cake, followed by dinners, parties and a lot of gifts from close relatives and friends. To celebrate a birthday is actually to celebrate another year of living or survival in this world.In reality, celebrating a birthday is also celebrating the year that we are closer to death. We all must leave this world one day. Whether we like it or not, we must accept the fact that no one lives forever in this world and that includes you and me as well.Some of us believe that  there is no life after death. But there are also many who believe that there is life after death and I am one of them, who believes that there is life after death, a life that is going to be permanent and ever-lasting.Life in this world is only temporary, a transition for the final destination.. One can die at anytime, maybe during childbirth. One can die of drowning when one is a kid. One can die of an accident when one is a teenager and one can die of a heart attack or cancer when one is 40 years old and so on. Not everyone can live to a ripe old age to die. It is already "written" when we were in our mother's womb the day that we are going to leave this world.Living in this world is but a series of tests of our patience, endurance and tolerance. Where we end up in the next world will be determed by how we fair with all these "tests". If we pass these tests remarkably well, we will end up with the highest and most beneficial place in the next world (Heavens). If we fail them miserably, we will end up at the lowest and most miserable place (Hell).Whether you are born to be rich or poor, both are "tests" for you. A test for the poor is how he reacts and copes with his poor life, whether he is patient enough to endure all the hardship or he may prefer to cheat, steal and rob instead. A test for the rich is how he spends his money, whether he helps the poor or other less fortunate people, or whether he prefers to keep the money for himself, enriching himself further and further without consideration for the needy.It is said in Chapter 103 (Al- Asr) of the Al+Quran "By the declining day. Verily, man is in loss. . Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience." which means that time passes by without waiting for anyone or anything. Suddenly we realise we are at our present age. There is no way of returning to the former time The only way is to go forward. The Quran says 'Verily, man is in loss." which means men are not gaining anything that will guarantee them a place in Heavens. The Quran further says "Except those who believe and do righteous deeds.", which means those who believe that there is no other Gods except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. Examples of righteous deeds are such as donation to charity, helps wherever he can, teaches the truth as found in the Quran and practises those that are required to be done and avoid those acts that are forbidden such as illegitimate sex, cheating, murder, robbery and unfair treatment of fellow human beings and other living things.The Quran further says "and recommend one another to the truth.", which means to state the truth about Allah, that He is One and Only, the Most Powerful, the Greatest, Most Loving, Most Merciful, Most Forgiving and He is without partners. The truth is also that one day, when the sun rises in the West instead of the East and sets in the East instead of the West, the world will come to an end and everyone will wake up from the dead to live again. That is the time when everyone will be judged according to his own deeds, which he had committed in the previous world. Those who have done more righteous deeds stand a better chance to live in Heavens whereas those who have done more wrongdoings than righteous ones, may not be able to avoid being sent to Hell as punishment for all his wrongdoings.Lastly, the Quran says "and recommend one another to patience.", which means that whatever bad things happen to us, such as the loss of our loved ones, loss of our properties or facing calamities such as tsunami and earthquakes, we must always face them with patience for they are but tests from Allah, the AlMighty.So the next time when someone wishes you "Happy Birthday", always remember you are closer to the time of death, which is the time when you have to return to Allah to receive judgement on your life in the future. If you have done many righteous deeds, you can look forward to a beautiful life in the hereafter. But if your righteous deeds are negligible, you better start to spend on charities all those big properties that you have as you can't exchange them for righteous deeds in the next world. However, a place in Heavens for those with abundant righteous deeds only applies to the believers, not to the unbelievers. Wallahualam...

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