A Letter to a Dear One — Page 103
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 103 I had the experience of observing my own mother depart from this world in a most content and happy disposition. She instructed us to be patient and then she departed. She took out from her heart the thought of separation from us so as she did not have any feeling of separation from us at all. Certainly this was the same mother that I did not like to part from for a moment. Just before her death, when she was not well, my heart anticipated the ‘parting’ and was also aggrieved at the realization that my mother’s heart was not with us anymore. However, this gave me the satisfaction that the state my mother was in was indeed the state a true believer should be in. She was not perturbed or anxious at the thought of death and was rather content and happy to present herself to her Master. I pray that when my time comes, Allah has mercy on me and gives me the same state of mind and that He gives me death in a state when He is happy with me, and the doors to His mercy are open for me. Ā m ī n. I have previously mentioned the connection between the body and the soul. This connection is suitable for the life on this earth and the soul develops accordingly with the help of the body. However, a time comes when the soul cannot develop any further in its present state and it is essential for its further development that it enters another realm that is totally different from this world. In order to enter that realm, it is essential that the connection between the soul and the body is terminated. If this did not happen, the human soul could not advance any further. As it is through death that the human soul rids of the condition that hinders its further development and enters into a realm that has new vistas for its advancement, death is indeed a mercy for the departing soul. Life After Death No one can state the life after death based on observation or experiment. The door to death only opens one way, and once a person goes through it, there can be no return. Therefore, this can only be stated based on the teachings of Islam. As we have firm belief and trust that this teaching is from Allah the Almighty, Who is the Knower of the unseen, therefore, we can accept and believe this part of the teaching just as we accept and believe other parts. The reality of life after death is that our thoughts and deeds in this world affect our soul and as a result of these thoughts and deeds our