The ‘right here, right now’ culture has gained popularity today. This means that people want to live in their present and are not willing to think about the other side of life.

According to a survey, roughly 150,000 people die every day. Among the dead, there are people belonging to all groups—children, youth, and the old. Long life has always been man’s beautiful dream. All the kings and rich people wanted to have a long duration of life and were ready to give all the wealth they possessed for it. But history tells us that all of them failed in achieving this goal. By nature, man desires an eternal life but he only gets a very short span of life.

The concept of ‘right here, right now’ is not workable. This thinking is against human nature. The sensible decision can only be one in which a person makes eternity his goal. According to human nature, anything less than eternity cannot truly be man’s goal. If a person adopts a method that is not in accordance with his nature, then he will forever live in stress.

The right attitude towards life is that which takes into account the post-death period. The concept of life that is based on the pre-death period alone will be certainly unnatural, and an unnatural attitude is certainly harmful.

Source: Spirit of Islam July 2016

The ‘Right here, right now’ formula of life attracts people, and they adopt it in principle. Although in the beginning they are very happy, in the latter period of their lives they feel that they have been unsuccessful in achieving their goals. Finally, they fall prey to frustration and die of some fatal disease, and in a state where they have lost all hope and enthusiasm.

Happiness in the present is not the criterion of success. The right criterion is whether a person is able to maintain his happiness and sense of satisfaction right to the end of his life. The value of a tree is gauged by the fruit that it offers when it has reached the stage of full growth. Similarly, the right formula of life is that which can give a person satisfaction till the end of life, and not just for a temporary period.

A tree is known by its fruit, which is the final phase of the tree’s life. Similarly, the pattern of human life will be judged by what it turns out to be in its final days. Never make the mistake of planning for life by taking only immediate gain into consideration. You should always plan by keeping the future in mind.

An individual should, first of all, discover his own self and then plan accordingly for his life. People generally set their goals out of zeal, but this is certainly not a mature way of making decisions. The better way to decide one’s goal is to understand the realities of life, and then act in accordance with them.

Failure to do so is the main reason for people dying in frustration after having set out full of enthusiasm. When they set themselves goals, it was under the influence of emotions, without due consideration. Such a plan does not work for long. It is like a sandcastle that is destined in the long run to fall apart.

Source: Spirit of Islam July 2016

People in the present day are being caught up in the culture of ‘right here, right now’ and are unable to think about death. If a person is able to do so, a new thinking would emerge in him and he would strive to prepare himself for the eternal world of life Hereafter. Death would become a reminder to him of the life to come. He would be cautious about his words, thoughts, and dealings with people. His concern would be the development of a sublime character so that in the Hereafter he can be selected as an inhabitant of the noble abode of Paradise. He would rise above the superficialities of the present world and become acquainted with the higher truths of life.

Death is not the end of life but a door, on either side of which there exists a world. One side has an incomplete and temporary world, while the other side has a complete and permanent world. On one side, there is a world filled with problems and on the other side, there is a problem-free world. Unfortunately, people take death only in the negative sense, which brings despair and hopelessness. The positive concept of death has a very high meaning—one that gives you a ray of hope and courage.

Source: God’s Creation Plan