I was so well absorbed into the dunya that the thought of a life after death was, well, not really a thought at all. I always thought that there was life after death,

but I thought that after death a new life would start and we would keep being reincarnated into something of an animal or a human being with a better life. As I am writing this, I find myself with a smile as the thought of reincarnation is rather amusing. The thought of a new life beginning on earth after your previous death is a very entertaining thought to say the least! However, I used to think like this, and sadly many people still do.

Life after death? Yes.

But the next life is either in The Gardens of Paradise or in the Hellfire. So which one is it for you? Only Allah knows. You don’t even know where you will go but all you can do is prepare for this Day.

Though I just entered into Islam not long ago I already feel the need to up my good deeds and make sure that the scale over-weighs the bad deeds scale. I will tell you this much, though I struggled with different things in my past life, I now have to struggle with new things in my new life. But of course life is nothing but a test and what I like to call a “pit stop”. To test us and to keep testing us to see how strong our Deen is and how strong our desire is to meet Our Creator on The Day.

Perhaps if you take everything away from the dunya and put it aside for one minute and just picture yourself on a journey in the desert. You have your camel, the map to your destination, and the pit stops to rest and recover. Along the way you will encounter things that are unnatural and displeasing. You will discover that the weather will not always be to your liking and you may struggle many times during your journey to find a place to sit under the shade to take to a break.

“Know that the life of this world (dunya) is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children… the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.”(Al-Hadid 57:20)

Your journey is exhausting but you keep reminding yourself that the end destination is an island full of pure, sheer beauty. An island where the water is so blue it is almost white from the sun’s reflection. An island where there are no worries, nothing unnatural or displeasing. An island where all the inhabitants are of the purest souls and most kind-hearted. An island where you will be taken care of. An island called Paradise.

Umm Abdur-Rahman,

Writer, AAT