Life Is Shorter Than We Think
Sometimes I sit and think about how short life really is. We keep planning what we will do in the next moment, the next day, or the next year. But what if that next moment never comes?
If we suddenly leave this world, the things we were planning to do will simply remain undone. For a few days, the people we leave behind may cry, miss us, and feel the emptiness of our absence. But eventually, life goes on.
Our belongings remain where we left them. Our routines, our clothes, our rooms, our things—everything stays behind. Nothing goes with us. We often wonder how much people will suffer after we're gone. But the reality is that, after some time, everyone has to return to their lives.
And perhaps that is how life is meant to be. We should not remain in permanent grief over someone's death.
Recently, I went to a fair and saw some people from my neighborhood. They had lost their very young brother, yet they were there, enjoying themselves.
When I saw them, I thought, “Ya Allah… the person they lost is gone, but life is still moving on.” And yes, I know that continuing to live and smile is not wrong. But somewhere in my heart, I wondered—did they feel it too? Did they ever look around and think, “If our brother were still here, how much happier would this moment be?” Maybe they did.
Maybe they still miss him in ways no one can see. And that's when I realized how unpredictable life is. We spend so much time thinking about what we will do tomorrow, where we will go, who we will meet, and what our future will look like. But we don't even know if the next moment is promised to us. Right now, I am sitting here thinking about all the moments I will live tomorrow. But what if I suddenly leave this world? Those moments will never come.
Death is not in our hands. We don't know when our time will come. So perhaps, instead of preparing only for tomorrow's life, we should also prepare for our Akhirah. Because this life will continue without us one day. But what we take with us is not our belongings, our plans, or the life we built here. Only our deeds will remain.
