Agra | The Imam of Masjid Neharwali, Muhammad Iqbal, addressed the congregation during today’s Friday Sermon and said that death is not the end of life. He explained that it is, in fact, the beginning of eternal life. However, we often forget this reality. Then, suddenly, someone passes away, and it jolts us. For a short while, or perhaps a few days, we remember death, but soon we get absorbed in worldly matters again. This is why, from time to time, Allah reminds us of death. However, these reminders often impact only a few people or a small area. When Allah sees that the majority of people are lost in worldly pleasures and moving toward disobedience, He causes a major incident to occur. This could be an earthquake, a tsunami, heavy rain, a storm, or a large fire. These incidents result in many deaths at once, affecting entire regions or nations. During such times of grief, people are reminded of death. In this way, Allah gives us reminders. For those who think that such disasters are Allah’s punishment, let me explain: Allah has a principle for sending punishment to the world. He first sends a prophet to guide the people. When the majority rejects the prophet, then Allah decides to send punishment. However, this is no longer possible because, after the Prophet Muhammad, no prophet will come. Therefore, these are not punishments; rather, these major incidents are sent by Allah to remind us of death, so we may take lessons from them, turn toward righteous deeds, and strive for good actions. This is so we can attain eternal life in the form of Paradise (Jannat-ul-Firdaus) from Allah. May Allah grant us the ability to perform as many good deeds as possible. Aameen.
The truth of the universe ― Death, Yet we remain heedless of it : Muhammad Iqbal
