As the spacecraft passed to the far side of the Moon, it lost communication with Earth for about forty minutes. There was silence. This silence actually meant something much beyond an ordinary technical interruption. Imagine you are at the furthest point a human can go from Earth, and no one can even hear your voice. These forty minutes were actually a time for contemplation, both for those in space and those on Earth. What are we? Where do we come from and where are we going? One day we too will lose communication with Earth, what will we do then? Mission expert Christina Koch, the first female astronaut on a lunar mission, described the far side of the Moon as follows: “It was absolutely fascinating…It was nothing like the Moon we see from Earth.”

In this mission, the astronauts not only orbited the Moon, but also had the opportunity to observe the lunar surface, including the Mare Orientale, lava plains, and many formations known as the Grand Canyon, so clearly and up close. These observations were not just an image, but also an experience that reshaped humanity’s view of the universe. For example, on April 5, 2026, for the first time in human history, the Orientale Basin of the Moon was fully visible to the human eye. Robots had looked at this region before, but what the human eye saw was completely different.  

A gigantic structure approximately 965 kilometers (600 miles) wide. A place scientists call the Grand Canyon of the Moon. Its age? 3.8 billion years. Science considers this canyon a young formation. Your life is 70 or 80 years; what science calls “young” is measured in billions of years.

This basin was formed by the impact of an asteroid approximately 64 kilometers (40 miles) in diameter. After the impact, the lunar surface collapsed and then rebounded, creating the remarkable concentric rings we see today. A destruction, yet there is order within it. A chaos, yet there is mathematics within it.

The astronauts were not merely looking at a landscape—they were looking at time. Because this basin lies along the terminator, the boundary between the Moon’s near and far sides, it is extremely difficult to observe from Earth. Observing it directly with the human eye allows for a better analysis of its color variations, surface texture, and the effects of light, deepening our understanding of lunar geology. Moreover, this basin is considered one of the best-preserved large impact structures on the Moon, providing valuable clues about the violent collisions that shaped the early Solar System.

Space race

Experts say that Artemis II is not just a space mission, but it also carries a geopolitical message. China’s rapidly developing space program, in particular, shows that this race is heating up again. NASA’s Artemis program is seen as an effort by the US to maintain its leadership in space. However, China is also accelerating its own lunar program and planning manned lunar missions by 2030. This shows that space will be an area of economic and strategic competition in the future.

The Artemis II mission has already ignited this competition by taking humans to the furthest point from Earth. Immediately after breaking the record for the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, a very emotional moment occurred inside the capsule.  

The crew proposed that a crater on the Moon be named after Carroll Taylor Wiseman, the wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020. The proposal was made by Jeremy Hansen, the first non-US citizen to go beyond low Earth orbit and the first Canadian astronaut to participate in a mission around the Moon.  

Speaking to Houston, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen’s voice trembled with emotion as he said:

“We started this journey years ago, and we’ve continued as a close-knit family of astronauts… and in the process, we lost someone we loved. There’s a formation in a very special place on the Moon. On the border of the Moon’s near and far faces… or even a little closer to that border. So, at certain times as the Moon orbits the Earth, we will be able to see this point from Earth.”

He paused… then continued:

“We lost someone we loved. Her name was Carroll. Reid’s wife… Katie and Ellie’s mother.

If you want to find this point, look at the Glushko crater. A little northwest of it, at the same latitude as Ohm, you’ll see a bright spot on the Moon. And we want to name that point Carroll.”  

Following these words, Mission Control fell silent for approximately 45 seconds. It was perhaps one of the most meaningful silences in humanity’s history. In the NASA broadcast, the crew was seen embracing Reid Wiseman. Afterward, the communications officer Jenny Gibbons responded:

“Integrity and Carroll Crater… clearly received. Thank you.”

You may travel to the Moon, but you take your pain with you. You gaze at the stars, yet your memories remain by your side.

Perhaps the greatest truth to understand is this:

We are not merely exploring space; we are exploring ourselves.

An astronaut leaves his wife’s name on a crater that is billions of years old. What will you leave behind in your own life on Earth?

That is why Artemis II is more than a space mission. It is a letter humanity writes to itself. Even as we look at the Moon, we are, in truth, looking at our own story.

The Qur’an makes a powerful appeal at this point:

“It is He who created the heavens in seven layers. You will not see any inconsistency in the creation of the Most Gracious. Turn your gaze and look; can you see any crack?” (al-Mulk, 3) The astronauts looked. They looked again. They found no crack. They only saw a perfect order, and they were amazed.

Now we come to the critical question. What will going to the Moon bring us? Faster internet?

More powerful technology?

A chance for life beyond Earth?

The possibility of discovering new planets?

Yes, these are some of the benefits. But they are not the main point. The main point is the perspective it gives us.

That is why the words of Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover, spoken live during the mission, are so striking: “I think these observations are important because we are so far from Earth and we are looking back at the beauty of creation. I think one of the most important personal perspectives I have here is being able to really see Earth as one whole. And you know, when I read the Bible and look at all the amazing things that have been made for us—we as created beings—I feel like you have an incredible place, like a spaceship. You are talking to us right now because we are in a spaceship very far from Earth. But actually, you are also in a spaceship called ‘Earth’; this ship was created to offer us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos.”

We always think that we live on Earth. But we live more in a spaceship than on a planet. This ship is such a ship that it knows no borders. It doesn’t require a passport. It doesn’t ask for identification. In contrast, what do we, the inhabitants of the spaceship, do? We start wars. We blow small issues out of proportion. We inflate our egos. We tear one another down.

Let’s be honest:

Is what’s consuming you right now really that significant? Or are you making it bigger than it is? From space, your title is invisible. Your wealth is invisible. Your ego is invisible. None of it can be seen.

What is visible is a magnificent, deep blue sphere.

The Qur’an says elsewhere: “We created everything with a measure.” (al-Qamar, 49)

The universe exists in balance. But what about humanity? The journey to the moon should help humanity rediscover that balance in four ways:

1. It should help you change your perspective. Learn to look at your life from above.

You really need to learn this. Ask yourself this question: “Will this problem still exist when viewed from space?” Most of the time you will see that the answer is a resounding “No.”

2. It should cause you to begin your inner journey. Humanity managed to go to the moon. But it still hasn’t managed to go on its own inner journey. This is a bigger problem. Because a person who conquers the outside world but loses their inner world has actually gained nothing.

3. It should help you stop fighting. There is a photograph of planet Earth taken by the Voyager 1 space probe on February 14, 1990, from a distance of approximately 6 billion kilometers before leaving the Solar System. In this photograph, our world is seen as a “Pale Blue Dot.” Such great conflicts over such a tiny speck are tragicomic. We are all in the same boat. We are drifting in the same void. Yet, we remain of one other. Why?

4. It should make you take the present moment seriously. Because that’s all you truly have. Only the now exists. The past? It’s gone. The future? It has not yet arrived. And yet, you are missing the present moment as well.

In this tiny blue dot suspended in the infinite universe, in this brief life, we are drowning in the crises of our own making. We fight one another, and we fight ourselves. The regrets of the past that haunt us, the endless anxiety about the future, the insatiable pursuit of wealth… You exhaust yourself chasing a title at work, losing sleep over what others think of you. You live under the illusion that everything is so important, as though you will live forever. Your ego has grown so large that it no longer fits even within that pale blue dot.

Yet the truth is unmistakable. One day, we will all disappear—silently. Our names will be forgotten. Our bank accounts will be closed. The titles we once prized will vanish. Not a single trace of our earthly existence will remain.

And that is precisely why the certainty that everything will one day pass away is not a tragedy but one of life’s greatest freedoms. Stop taking yourself, your endless worries, and your inflated ego so seriously. Nothing is as important as you think. All you truly have is the present moment, and even that is quietly slipping through your fingers.

Now look once more at the photographs of Earth taken during the Artemis II mission, and ask yourself: What, exactly, is worth worrying about as you spend your brief life on this tiny rock suspended in the vastness of space?

Alas, this is an age of noise and people try to communicate with the language of this age. Yes, today the world all over is groaning with the worst of sounds. Buses, trains, bulldozers, milling machines, boats, airplanes, radio and TV sets … all of these wonders of our civilization are not only harming our atmosphere but also our peace and calm. Not only that, but these devices have also made us act like them, too. Many of us speak without feeling, and our voices are as loud as these machines. People are shouting at each other as if everyone has gone deaf. We seem to be trying to suppress others with our voices. There is no respect to what others think or feel. Those who play with words to be louder are considered successful and rewarded. Whether what they say is of any use or not does not matter; it is fine as long as they make some noise and move the masses.  

Once upon a time, silence and calm were once our natural state of being, the usual climate. Many were not aware of that peace, that music of silence, just as now they cannot perceive the high-pitched clamor all around. Back then in that quiet climate, only the most natural of voices were heard and people would lend an ear as if they were listening to a poem or a song. This state had permeated the souls of people, who bathed in those natural sounds several times each day, to such an extent that there would never be noise pollution in their climate, and no one ever took kindly to screaming and shouting. Everywhere would be full to the brim with peace, and everyone would breathe quietude. Such a reverential and genteel serenity prevailed in their atmosphere that those stopping by and sipping one or two drops of silence never again thought of leaving.

The people back then were not yet acquainted with these wonders of civilization; they didn’t know anything at all about the unique features of these garrulous things. It was all quiet, and people were in perfect alignment with it. Everywhere they went, they sipped a silence as white as milk and received signs of quiet from everyone they called upon. The fortunate ones of that age who pursued a heavenly life free from all sorts of impropriety displayed such an articulate state of silence that the harmony of this quiet poem could on no account be ruined by any external noise that might occur in their surroundings, even if rarely.

These people spoke, too, only when they had to use words and statements to unpack the meanings seeping from their spiritual states, to explain obscure feelings, and to clarify truths hidden to those without eyes. They would not open their mouths often; when they did, they would lay out and present the lace they wove during their states of silence and offer jewels of wisdom from the crystals of silence to those listening to them.

In this pristine atmosphere, there was neither an evil spark piercing that refulgent air, nor a rusty sound or an unseemly noise that could be heard. Even if occasionally a voice or sound completely foreign to that climate ruptured this air, those people and their enchanting atmosphere would immediately change, as though being magically renewed, returning to its previous form and continuing to emanate anew. With the silent speeches they expressed with the language of their hearts, they enraptured all the spirits they were able to reach like the angelic inspirations pouring forth from the firmaments. Those who had the honor of acquaintance with them would not say, “I have heard, listened, read, learned, and believed.” Instead, they would say, “I have seen, felt, been mesmerized, and I have become.” It was by virtue of this superiority, which was contingent upon their state and profundity of heart, that everyone easily understood what they meant, whether their language was known or not, and became entranced along with them. They were already closely connected with the community; but even when they are secluded in a corner for introspection, they still continue to pour embers into people’s hearts to enlighten them, and their voice is heard in their soul as resounding as the sur, the Trumpet of Resurrection. The silence of these purest of people in constant connection with God was like a command, as it were, for the motivation of people experiencing reticence of the heart and spirit. When they poured forth the hidden treasures in their hearts by means of their manner and conduct, in exchange for the quietening of a single tongue, many tongues would become untangled at that moment, hearts unprejudiced and receptive would harken and a stupendous rapture would begin to effervesce in every direction. Their silence was such a profound music enthusing spirits that it swept everyone tasting that atmosphere before it, led them in whatever direction it wanted, allowed them to hear melodies that could not be heard from anyone else, and enabled them to experience surprises yet unnamed. Those around them would take away a great many things from their silent address, journey through the boundless horizons of different meanings, concepts and implications not constrained by verbal expressions, and would feel a depth in proportion to their hearts.

Among those silent ones were individuals whose gaze radiated light, whose faces carried flowing meanings, and whose manner held an enchanted depth—such that anyone who perceived these would be immediately captivated and would never wish to leave them. Those nourished by this silent poetry perceived everything differently, through the lens of faithful thought and a believer’s reasoning, and reached a deeper joy in contemplation.

Personally, there have been some of those great silent ones who left a mark on my life, but it is difficult for me to claim that I have truly come to really “know” them, thus I could not duly benefit from them. I must confess, nonetheless, that despite all my incapacity as a receiver, whilst in their atmosphere I witnessed and felt such mysterious things, n a manner sometimes hazy, sometimes indistinct, but always enchanting, and pouring into my spirit like drops of dew, that I still shudder at each recollection of them even after all the years that have passed. They spoke but without letters or words, without sound or speech, and I was so enraptured that as I remember those radiant faces even today, my eyes well with tears, and melodies from those silent ones begin to resound in my spirit. And I start pushing the boundaries of my natural capacity to go beyond what I am and delve into the dreams of what I can be.

From one perspective, some think, the entire world is in chaos—it is not possible to speak of any beauty or goodness, nor is there room for faith, divine knowledge, emotions, love, or enthusiasm. In this world, feelings are confused, thoughts are bizarre, and life overall is like hell. Voices are obscured by static and are on a hopeless bandwidth; words are allergen, heartstrings snapped, the plectrum broken. Souls that used to foam with tranquility and satisfaction, friendly conversations that used to buzz like a beehive and taste like honey, are nowhere to be found. These voices, breaths, homes like a warm, bubbly bird nest, and leadership that worked like a clock are gone only to be replaced by a scary silence, a maddening loneliness, homesickness, grief, longing, and disappointment that fill people’s hearts drop by drop. This is how pitiful the world is from one perspective.

The world of faith, however, is one with hope and has its doors open to eternity. All the beauties of existence come in torrents that appear in the exhibition of this world and inspire us with feelings for an eternal life. In this magical realm, thoughts about this life and the next are intertwined so closely that those who can preserve their roots of meaning and perceive this world with its various dimensions would never wish to leave it.

In a world of faith, what appears to be a state of stillness hides vitality and dynamism, and under what appears to be a muddy snowy surface lies a liveliness that strives for spring. As we close our eyes to observe this world with our hearts, we witness the best bouquet of songs, sounds, and sights of sweet babbling waters, a soft breeze, colors, and scents flowing in from everywhere.

In this world, life revolves on the axis of purpose—a life that reaches an unforgettable state of being in terms of faith, love, devotion, and spiritual pleasures, filling our subconscious with the seeds of otherworldly joy. This is especially so during the blessed hours and minutes, days, weeks, and months when faith embraces our core with light and softens our physicality in favor of spirituality—that is when we feel everything around us to be otherworldly, and our feet are off the ground soaring in the skies. In such an expansive mood of the spirit, our curtains are unfurled to eternity in times unbound by time; as the colors of the other world and the voices of those who have passed on come fill our souls, we feel freed from spatial boundaries and soak under a rain of blessings—blessings that we cannot even imagine.

When comparing our world of faith to other systems of belief, thought, and worldview, I cannot think of one that is more magical, colorful, fulfilling, rational, and that does not allow gaps for any vice. Lights from beyond this physical realm stream in a variety of wavelengths and embrace our spirit, turn our vision in the heart to the beauties of the beyond, connect our feelings to eternity, and have us drink its magical elixir. Our concerns are calmed in our world of faith; our fears are gone; traumas resulting from assumptions of non-existence and oblivion are removed; and our hearts are soothed.

At times, one can see this world to be overshadowed by ash-like colors—people disconnected and heartbroken. But these are never permanent, and they never originate from the human spirit. These times of constriction and darkness are immediately followed by faith in the form of a heavenly tree, filling up our failing points and reviving our willpower.

Everyone can sense this pleasure and joy in their own depths of spirit as if they are coming directly from the Beloved. For them, in everything they touch, in every yearning they keep, and in every word they utter, there is a color of eternity and a sip from the spring water of life. This is such a state of being that even the spirits of the invisible world feel the need to clear their sacred path for you.

In this world of faith, hymns of peace and contentment and the music of enthusiasm never go fully mute. This world’s silence is but to tune up, and its musical compositions flow as a heavenly river sent to help us make sense of this life.

The real music, poetry, and beauty of this world have their roots in the hearts of its inhabitants who embrace everything and every person with love. This beauty sprouts from the light source of their hearts, from the consciousness and awareness that overflow this source, and from their efforts to search for it and the fact that they become the ones searched for in the heavens and the earth. Who knows what sacred secrets and songs from the beyond are whispered to these spirits and which naked truths are shown to them?

Yes, this world of faith provides, on the one hand, nourishment for all the desires and dreams of our spirits, awakes us to all the secrets worth waiting for, and opens doors for new aspirations and perceptions; while on the other hand, it delineates the boundaries of human horizons, reminding us that we cannot be independent from what is eternal—or rather, from the source of eternity. Anyone who can lend an ear to their conscience can hear and comprehend in the form of a humming sound the whispers and signs from these secret and mysterious realms—maybe without words and letters but still clear, deep in their soul.

The human soul is always awake; yet, their conscience is like a computer programmed to decipher certain secrets, waiting for specialized hands to tap on its keyboard. This is true for every human being. The world spins, centuries come one after another, time transforms, events change color, yet the richness and harmony of the human’s inner world never changes. How does this richness penetrate eyes and hearts? What kind of an impact does it have on the soul? How does it change our perspectives? And how do we perceive this heavenliness?

In order to answer these questions, we need to run a self-reflective analysis and reach a synthesis in the laboratories of our heart and soul. If we can manage to do this, we will be able to observe how much we are impacted by things and events. Then, we will realize how our spirit is a witness to and an interpreter of existence and the worlds beyond. This joyful recurrence of awakening and acceptance over many years will leave such indelible traces that for those sincere servants of God, life will be experienced in the sweetness of a song and in the uniqueness of being human. Many crooked standards of measurement of our age, however, put us in a position that contradicts the self, causing us to experience a chaos which, in fact, does not exist in our soul.

Our world of faith manifests in the depths of a dreamy land, in the compassion and comfort of a private heavenly mansion, and in the incomprehensible magic of contentment.

All the stars and the skies they glide in, all the heavenly realms and the colorful eternity that lie beyond, are present as beautiful decorations in our world of faith.

In our world of faith, heavens interweave with the earth; the afterlife is an eternal abode of rest from this world—but only after a long journey herein. Death is a means for reunion; and the time of death is like a “wedding night” (shab-e arus).

Humankind has as many aspirations as there are grains of sands on earth and stars in outer space. With its enchanting beauties, signposts, and guides that point to the beyond, this world of faith offers to humankind a land of magic filled with light, color, meaning, spirit, and pleasures. This world opens its gates every day with thousands of blessings, settles in our spirit with a different taste, delights us by putting on an exhibition of the most precious meanings, and sets up bridges between knowledge and thought as if presenting to us a book for our review. This world constantly nourishes our mind and never leaves us alone, even for a moment.

Voices and words in this world are heard like the most touching songs. Roses and all other flowers spread the best of their fragrances without holding back any of it. Living things are friends; non-living things are loyal companions. Everything is born, grows, and moves on with a paradisical consistency.

* The Qur’an 21:69: “‘O fire’ We ordered ‘Be cool and peaceful for Abraham.’”

Above all, it should be said that this saying is weak in regard to the hadith criteria. However, there is a verse in the Quran that expresses the same idea: “In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for the people of discernment” (Al Imran 3:190). In one hadith the Messenger of God emphasizes the importance of contemplation: “Whoever reads this verse and does not contemplate on it, shame on him.” In addition, it was reported by Umm Salama and-according to another narration-Aisha, that the Prophet cried when this verse was revealed or when he was reading it.

Contemplation has a very important place in the life of a believer. However, for this to be the case we must understand what contemplation means. First of all, contemplation is based on prior knowledge. Blind and ignorant contemplation is dry imagination and in time it will lead to frustration. Later, a person will begin to see such a practice as meaningless. For this reason, a person must first be familiar with the subject they are going to contemplate or, in other words, they must have some prior information.

Understanding the orbit of the moon and stars, their relation to humanity, the revolution of atoms which make up human beings, and their movement is a step towards contemplation, but looking at the movement of the moon and sun and becoming overwhelmed with poetic inspiration about the mind-boggling beauty of the universe is not contemplation. There are a number of lonely, strange, handicapped naturalist poets who think like this and plunge into their imagination. They are not contemplators; rather they are fanciful people who have lost their hearts to Mephistopheles.

They also can sometimes think and talk about the beauty of the universe. Worldly beauty can be made to be legendary with words, inspiring people to feel and hear the beauties of Heaven. Sometimes poets can write such epics about the splashing of water, the tapping of raindrops, the rustling of trees and the chirping of birds that a person feels as if they are in the middle of the heavens. However, this is not contemplation; moreover, it promises nothing for the life of the heart and spirit. In this way no advances are made and one has not passed behind the veils. There is no benefit from such contemplation. Regardless of how deep the dreams are, such contemplation gains nothing for a person.

As mentioned above, before contemplation it is necessary that there first be some information. In respect to the knowledge humanity has now attained, people will make new syntheses and analyses with the previous knowledge, probing deeper and arriving at different conclusions. Using these conclusions as an introductory basis for future conclusions, new results will be produced. These new results will be contemplated more deeply; one-dimensional thinking will become multi-dimensional and multiple-contemplation will be achieved. All of this is dependent on there being information. It is impossible for people to contemplate without information.

For this reason, it is necessary to do a lot of reading. Later, it is necessary to study the path and method of contemplation and finally the rules that are operative in nature and the signs of creation therein should be studied so that we can create the possibility of steady and sound thinking.

If a person contemplates soundly for one hour, the fundamental principles of faith will develop in that person. Later, that person will love God and a profound love for the divine will appear in their heart. Meanwhile, they will attain spiritual pleasure and take flight towards the beyond. Sometimes with this kind of contemplation a person can reach a horizon that another person has not reached with a thousand years of worship. If one with such an understanding and consciousness does not turn towards their Lord, then even after thinking superficially for a thousand years, the distance they will cover will not equal the distance covered by one hour of contemplation. However, this should not be understood to mean that this one thousand years of worship was in vain. For in God’s presence neither a bow or prostration or standing or a short rest between movements can be lost. In accordance with the verses, “whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it” (Zilzal 99:7–9), everyone will gain something in accordance with their actions. A person who performs worship will have fulfilled their devotion to God. However, they will not have gained the depth that is derived from contemplation. In this sense, contemplation is worth a thousand years of worship.

Everyone can broaden their ability to contemplate with portions of the scripture and remembrance, and they can strengthen their relationship with God. Who knows, maybe because of the enthusiasm that this contemplation will give us we can succeed in renewing ourselves. May God reform us inside and out!

Finally, it is also asked: “Do verses that direct one to contemplation and silent prayer count as contemplation?” If the meaning of these is not understood, then, although one will receive merit for them, they are not contemplation. For contemplation stems from reflection and means bringing together events from yesterday and today, making a synthesis, and establishing a connection between the causes and effects. Strengthening our relationship with God is the most important fruit of this. Any remembrance or verse or, in fact, even listening to the scripture from the mouth of Gabriel himself would be merit, but it is not contemplation. To be considered as contemplation there must be a concentration, focus, a serious investigation and a deepening and strengthening of our relationship with our Lord.

What is most lacking today is contemplation. In this respect, it is not an exaggeration to say that in general believers are deficient in contemplation.

The phrase “delusion of immortality” means people think they are eternal and immortal. Such people are obsessed with the world, as if they will never die; they live just for the sake of living, without meaning, they are concerned of the present time only. They are consoled by worldly pleasures, and they do not give importance to the past or future.

Sometimes, this delusion develops so gravely that it completely takes individuals under its influence, to the extent that they become more concerned with things that are not within their control. They put aside their own lives-for they think as if they are immortal-and become fixated, for instance on the fear of a Doomsday that will destroy the universe even if it is to take place two or three thousand years later; they feel anxiety exclusively for that. All of this stems from the delusion of immortality. For such people do not think of their own death, but are busy with the death of the universe over which they have no power.

I cannot say this for everyone, but if we look around we see that many people think they are immortal, even if they spent their youth in worship and seclusion. There are times when they have said, “I can move mountains or crush what I hold in my hands,” or it is likely that they can say such things in certain times in their lives. During these times people live the delusion of immortality. This delusion is more likely to take place particularly when a person is healthy and young; certainly there are exceptions, but many young people never think that they will grow older and die. They never think that they will leave everything behind and go to some other world. They never calculate that their wealth and assets will fleet away.

The antidote to be applied to this feeling that will remove the heedlessness in a person is “mental activity.” In other words, it is necessary to engage in an effort to raise the veil with objective and subjective contemplation through meditation into the external world, as well as into one’s inner world, in order to try and glimpse the truth. As a matter of fact, it is very important to raise the veil and to see the truth before the day comes when God raises the veil Himself, perhaps in a rather bitter way. In the Qur’an, God says, “We have removed from you your veil, so your sight is today sharp” (50:22). In other words, We will open pull the veil from your eyes and on that day you will see your destination, the place where you will account for your life and witness the judgment of God, the Universal Guardian and All-Watchful.

Yes, that day will inevitably come. Before that day comes, it is very important to rend that veil with carefulness and contemplation, and to reach the horizon of seeing and feeling Heaven and Hell now and in this world. But because human being is forgetful, when people become a little remote from contemplation they immediately suffer the delusion that they are going to live forever.

Let us clarify the topic a little more with an example: Assume that one of us enters a palace. Everything has been prepared there according to the desires and appetites of our ego. When I say “everything,” I mean everything from banquets to things that will satisfy human carnal desires. However, we understand with certain signs that all of these are forbidden. Consequently, this means that we are not allowed to touch the banquet tables, we cannot come close to the forbidden zone of those who are not permissible to us, and we cannot eat the “forbidden fruit.” For, as stated before, there is a “forbidden” sign on all of them. Sometimes, when faced with such a situation, some people can be defeated by their carnal self. The food can whet their appetites, those attractive things can lure them to turn their eyes on them, and their feelings of lust can push them to do evil things. At that moment they can be tempted to extend their hands to touch those fruits.

If just as they are fully in the total grip of their desires, a curtain suddenly opened and Hell with all its terror and Paradise with all its magnificence appeared before them, then they would neither extend their hands to the forbidden food nor take a step towards sin.

In this respect we can say that what lead people to evil are heedlessness, diving into the world as if they will never die (tul al-amal), and the inability to see the truth. I think that it is this matter that enabled the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to avoid sin. If by means of a mental activity we could imagine the existence of Heaven and Hell with the certainty that two times two equals four, then we could put a brake on our ego, not enter into evil deeds, always see the next life and live in a measured way. When we are without such an activity, we will be buried under the veil of forgetfulness. Even if we believe in God, we will often be defeated by our feelings and we will do evil under the delusion of immortality. We will commit ourselves to nothing else but enjoying this world to the fullest.

Another way of overcoming the delusion of immortality is meditation on death (rabita al-mawt). For thinking about death is an important method that takes us to the view that this world is transient, destroying the delusion of eternalness. However, at this moment, when we look around, we see that fire only burns what it touches. Only those in whose homes someone dies remember death, and this important topic does not interest anyone else. Whereas, our Prophet reminds us that remembering death and visiting graveyards for this purpose is helpful.

Although visiting graveyards was initially forbidden in Islam, later the Prophet persistently emphasized this. For graves and headstones remind some less vigilant hearts of the next life by association. But it seems to me that our hearts are as if dead due to heedlessness.

Today, I think that only those who have had a close one die even partially remembers death and are able to lessen the delusion of immortality and wake up a little. I recommend to friends that they visit hospitals to keep death in mind. Let them go and visit various clinics and see the situation of those who have lost their health and are waiting for death. It is probable that such a view will remind them that they are each a traveler, and it will trigger their desire to make preparations.

As a result, the delusion of immortality sometimes derives from heedlessness, which in turn stems from a lack of contemplation. Meditation on death is an important method for puncturing this; the other is to observe hospitals and the condition of sick people. Yes, whenever a person is tested by illness or accident or on the subjects of property, life or children, then this delusion is deflated.

In short, we have to destroy this delusion by whatever means it takes. Otherwise, it will strangle us and we will not be able to rise to the level of true humanity. We will not be able to find a suitable atmosphere that will facilitate our ties with our Lord’s mercy. We have to keep two activities always alive: contemplation and meditation on death.