The inability of the individual consciousness to recognize the grave-like nature of a life, that’s confined to the conditionings of the physical plane, will inevitably result in the imprisonment of both the body and the soul. If the Afterlife is the consequence of our life now, then the failure to escape the prison of our bodies, during our life here, will yield a continued state of imprisonment in the Realm of the Grave (qabir) after death, trapping us both within the confinements of our ego, and the physical grave.
Then, our first and main priority must be ‘to consciously grasp the truth of our existence!’
Who are we really? What are we? How are we?
Evidently, our existence is not indistinguishable from our physical body; we cannot perform the simplest of tasks without the use of our bodily functions. If we don’t nourish our body, then our brain, which is sustained by the activities and the input of the body, cannot execute the myriad of functions for which it is designed.
Furthermore, the astral body called the ‘spirit’, with which we continue our life after death, receives all its input and consciousness from the brain. Thus, it is crucial that we provide the brain with exactly what it needs. Being both the creator and the mediator of the spirit, the brain uploads its own properties to the body it operates, enriching the body with its own qualities. As such, it is imperative that we provide the brain with its due right, without blocking our conscious and without becoming entrapped by the desires of the body. Failure to implement this will impede our self-development and thus render us prone to unfathomable damage.
Only when we lose our physical body, and see what it feels like to exist purely as consciousness, will we conceive to which point we have impoverished ourselves. But alas, it will be too late, for we would have relinquished the chance to compensate for our losses.
Therefore, it is of paramount importance to understand the body, its true function, the spirit and its purpose. Who exactly is the ‘I’, contained in our ‘soul’, carrying within it the ‘Essence’ of our existence? What precisely is consciousness? What are its qualities?
A genuine apprehension of these realities will enable us to adopt them into our lifestyle. It will upgrade our quality of life here, and also warrant us the ensuing consequence. Whereas, subsisting in negligence would lead only to deprivation.
As stated in the Quran:
“Whoever does an iota’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an iota’s weight of evil will see it.” (Quran 99:7-8)
“And never will you find in the sunnatullah (the mechanics of Allah’s system) any change.” (Quran 48:23)
Everyone, in accordance to the regulations and the criteria of this System, is either going to perform or fail to perform the necessary deeds for their emancipation. Excuses are futile.
Rasulullah [The manifestation of Allah’s knowledge] advised us of the deeds that will yield benefits for us, and warned us of the actions for which we will face repercussions.
These teachings have been offered to us, not by enforcement, but by advice, caution, and invitation.