|
---------
206
When Life Begins --------- ---------
207
When Life Begins ---------
We moved ahead. A fabulously plush red carpet was spread in our
path. We started walking on it. Angels lined both sides, waving silk
handkerchiefs with bouquets in their hands. They greeted us with words
of welcome as they showered flower petals and fragrances on us.
It was a long path. One reads or hears fairy tales of imaginary lands
far away in the fairyland, when one is young. This path seemed to lead
to such a fairyland. I was able to see the sky-high buildings of this
fairyland from a distance. It was a scene composed of magnificent
buildings and glorious palaces set on a background of lush-green
mountains, with a base of still waters on the front and a canopy of a
pearl-blue sky at the top, all of which looked like a scene straight out of
a fairy tale.
I said to Rizwan, “Countless people are entering Paradise at the
moment. That must be keeping you very busy. Do you have enough
time to spare and accompany me?”
He laughed and said, “The time has stopped here. Understand it in
this way; the time interval between two people entering the Paradise is
quite long. Those who have been awarded lesser levels of Paradise may
enter it centuries after the earlier inhabitants.”
Looking worriedly towards Saleh, I asked, “What about Naimah”?
Rizwan answered my query instead:
“Lord Abdullah, you have entered the Paradise very early. Your wife
and others will enter after some time. However, you have lots to do
here until they arrive. You need to familiarise yourself with your
Paradise, and also with the servants and staff that manage this world
ruled only by you.”
“Really? Who else is here?”
“Here are a few of your more prominent servants …”
I noticed that behind the rows of the angels, there was a row of
boys on either side. They seemed to be in their early teens. I realised
that they were the Ghilmán. They were the boy-servants referred to in
the Qur’an as ‘pearls’. Indeed, they were like pearls, perhaps, even
more sparkling, pure, and glistening. Having seen them, I realised why
the Almighty had promised in the Qur’an to fully explain the true nature
of all such heavenly phenomena only in the Hereafter. Human
languages of the previous world had a very limited vocabulary of
similes, metaphors, and terminologies. The facts that had become
apparent today were of a nature suited best to viewing and
experiencing, rather than describing in words. The case of the Ghilmán
was also similar.
Like the angels, the Ghilmán welcomed me enthusiastically.
However, as I approached them, they went on their knees and bowed
their heads one after the other, as if a string of pearls was slowly
unravelling at my feet.
When I saw that the column of Ghilmán was never ending, I said to
Saleh:
“If these prominent servants are so many, how many of them are
there in all? Secondly, what use will I have for so many servants?”
Rizwan, who was more knowledgeable about Paradise, replied
instead of Saleh:
“You are the ruler of a dominion that stretches from Earth to the
skies. The Almighty will assign numerous tasks to you to perform in this
dominion. You will delegate them to these servants. Their
responsibilities will range from your personal service to the bureaucracy
and administration of your glorious dominion.”
“It goes to prove that even Paradise is not a place to have complete
rest and leisure. One will have to work even here!” I commented with a
chuckle.
“Don’t worry! The work over here will not be a chore rather it will
be enjoyable. However, there will be no dearth of the sort of leisure and
rest that people strived for in the previous world.”
“But what will be the nature of work?”
“All I know is that you will rule without having to face the problems
that accompanied authority in the previous world. Only God knows the
real nature of the tasks expected of you. He will provide you details
during the Grand Gathering at the Court.”
As we walked further, Saleh said:
“Here come the Maidens of Paradise.”
www.inzaar.org
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
