Something used to enhance or alter the appearance, to set in order, replacement, the way in which parts or ingredients of something are put together is meaning of makeup in context of my writing, the opinion which I am drafting. Cosmetics used to colour and beautify the physical structure of a human being is also known as makeup but I want to understand it in a different way. This world is created by Almighty Allah for all kinds of beings including us human beings. The creation is complete in all respects i-e, where there is birth at the same time there is death; where there is dawn, sunset comes with it; different seasons – spring, summer, autumn, winter; opposite directions – east, west, north, south; food chain; water cycle; happiness and sorrow; at the same time there is this world and world hereafter as well. Why this world? Is a question which we all know, understand and better understand but we ignore? Our own journey of life is a guide which teaches us the lesson why we are here. Almighty Allah in Quran says, “That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that we may test them – as to which of them are best in conduct.” (18:7). Further, the words of Almighty Allah are, “…He who created death and life, that he may try which of you is best in deed: and he is exalted in might, oft-forgiving.” (67:1,2). Meaning thereby this world is a place of test, this world is an examination centre, this world is a temporal place whhere we have to appear for showing some best results, achieve grades in world hereafter. Almighty Allah talks about this world in Quran, “Verily what is on earth we shall make but a dust…” (18:8). Further, Allah says, “All that is on earth will perish.” (55:26). This is the reality of this world and our lives. We are not for permanence here, we cannot survive a second without the wish of Almighty Allah, this world to which we are attached or to whom we all around the clock are making-up is destined to vanish. My concern is “makeup”, we are strongly involved, attached to makeup our lives best fitted in comparison with others living around us. We are utilising every second of life to heap up the wealth etc by illegal means so fast that we forget whether i may be able to use it or not because death is inevitable. The worldly engagements are fastening us day-in and day-out in such a way that we are bound to think not of a moment we live but for the future that is yet to come. We spoil the present for our future of which we have no guaranteeto be or not. We do not live a life for Almighty Allah or for our world hereafter but we live a life for luxurious homes, cars, plots of land, business structures, leaps and bounds of bank balances, apple orchards, degrees in modern education and for all these we sacrifice our real purpose of life. For all the above amusements we sacrifice our ultimate duty and destiny. Almighty Allah in Quran says, “Wealth and Son’s are allurements of life of this world: but the things that endure, good deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.” (18:46). Dear readers, other things are fleeting, but good deeds have a lasting value in the sight of Allah. They are the best in two ways: first they flow from us by the grace of Allah, and are themselves rewards for our faith; secondly, they become the foundation of our hopes for the highest spiritual rewards in the hereafter. The makeup which we do to this world or in our lives is of a temporal nature, things on which we struggle to gain and compete with our fellow men are in reality different idols to which we are enslaved. Allama Iqbal (RA) has rightly said, “Yeh maal-o-dawlat yeh rishta-o-paiwand, butaan-e- wehm-o-gumaa La illaha Illalah.” These desires are nothing but mislead us from the path which leads to ultimate destiny. Money, son’s, property etc is not in itself a bad component of this world or of our lives but to makeup our lives with the greater avarice of these things via illegal means or sacrificing the greater cause or basic objective of our being is a filth by which we try to amuse ourselves which we cannot find by the medium of them. Almighty Allah’s word is, “Know ye call, that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children.
Here is a similitude: how rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou will see it grow yellow: then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the hereafter is a penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong)…and what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?” (57:20). We show off, and boast, and pile up riches and manpower and influence, in rivalry with each other. Many of the attractive vanities of this world are but nets set by the evil to deceive us. The only thing real and lasting is the good life lived in the light of Allah. We are so much influenced by worldly greeds or have engaged ourselves to makeup this temporal life, that if we had a chance to flee from the inevitable death, we will make all efforts to do so – but is in itself an impossibility. We must at all times remember this verse of holy quran that, “the death from which ye flee will truly overtake you; then will you be sent back to the knower of things secret and open: and He will tell you the things that ye did!” (62:8) It is a fact of our lives that we never try to met our ultimate creator because we at times give credit to the fictious idols that they made our lives better and had a role. But Almighty Allah knows it very well and He say’s in Quran, “But never will they express their desire (for death), because of the (deeds) their hands have sent on before them! And Allah knows well those that do wrong!” (62:7) Death is the ultimate reality that will bring the whole truth before us and at that time we can not deny or escape from it. Quran says, “whenever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high…” (4:78). We are in the process of making up this world and worldly things for our all time achievements but it should have been opposite to it, our complete achievement is when our creator will get pleased or contented or satisfied by us – He is the one who calls us, to quote, “When whither go ye”? (81:26). It is the everlasting call till the doomsday that directs us to adopt the right path and leave the path of evil. Why then hesitate? Accept the divine grace, repent sin’s, and come to live the higher and ultimate life for which we are here. Fictitious makeup to our lives and to the worldly affairs, worldly power, worldly goods, glory, wealth, position and all that we scramble for – are but a fleeting show. The possession or want of them does not betoken a man’s real value or position in the spiritual world, the world which is to endure. Yet as I earlier mentioned they have their uses, they test our sterling quality. He who becomes their slave looses rank, he who uses them if he gets them, and does not fall into despair if he does not get them, shows his true mettle and quality. His conduct proclaims him.
(The author is former Principal of Sopore Law College. Views are exclusively his own)
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