(The life after death)

The Prophet of Islam likened death to sleep and life to the state of wakefulness after sleep. When he awakened in the morning, he would say: "All praise and thanks are due to Allah who gave us life after death.” For the rest of humankind, waking and sleeping are likewise symbolic of life and death. Going to sleep is like dying and waking up in the morning is like rising from the grave. Our inevitable awakening after sleeping foreshadows with certainty how we shall arise after death to give an account of our deeds on the Day of Judgement.

We have to pass his life in this world in such a way that every happening becomes a reminder of the Day of Judgement. Our sleeping and rising should also serve as reminders of life after death. The most delicate aspect of our life is that our existence does not come to an end after death. We have to be reborn in another world. The present world is the world of action, while the world to come will be one in which we reap our reward. That will be the beginning of a new and eternal life—either eternal heaven or eternal hell.

We are reminded daily of this most important reality when we go to sleep and when we rise from sleep. In this way, actions of this world come to remind us of the hereafter. The Prophet of Islam used to lead a very simple life and laid great stress on believers doing likewise. Once he said, "O people, don’t you hear me, O people, don’t you hear me, O people, don’t you hear me, ‘Simplicity is undoubtedly a part of faith.’ ‘Simplicity is undoubtedly a part of faith.’

When we discover the greatness of Allah, our own-existence in comparison appears quite insignificant. This feeling makes us into a truly modest person. Our whole being is coloured in the hue of servitude. Our manner ceases to be aggressive and our voice becomes gentle. Even our way of walking expresses our modesty. our whole attitude comes to reflect a new seriousness.

All this inevitably results in preferring simplicity in everything, in food, drink, living arrangements, and so on. We avoid luxuries, pomp and show. Our soul finds pleasure and contentment in leading a life of simplicity instead of indulgence. True faith leads us away from artificial things to nature, where simplicity is the rule. We develop a liking for a simple way of life which is more natural. This naturalness behoves the believer. Naturalness is in accordance with his modesty and humility, themselves great virtues in the eyes of Allah.