HUMAN life is mortal. However, it can be made immortal by performing lasting good deeds.

According to the Quran, life on earth has three phases. Allah says that it is “He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength, gave you weakness and grey hair. …” (30:54).

The first phase is of weakness. It starts immediately after birth and is called infancy. The infant grows into childhood and then enters the early teenage years. These stages are characterised by naivety, innocence, playfulness and lack of understanding.

Further, during these periods, a person is usually free from all encumbrances. He or she does not share any major family responsibility, while no religious or national duties are obligatory.

Almost totally dependent upon the family for food, clothes and all other basic necessities, a child needs specific training and an enabling environment in the tender years to grow and learn the art of living to become a responsible citizen. This is a formative phase when a person needs attention from seniors to strengthen his body, develop his mind and spirit in order to shoulder responsibilities in the next phase.

Education starts from the moment a child is born, and continues throughout his life. It does not stop as a person moves from one phase to another.

The second phase starts when a person enters adolescence and subsequently becomes an adult. He also comes under obligation to perform various religious acts to win the favours of the Almighty.

It is an active part of life where the person takes charge of his affairs. This is one of the most delicate phases of life when peer pressure is strong. Most young people want to be like others of the same age group. If the peer circle is good, the person would be on the right path; conversely, a misguided peer circle can derail one from the right course.

In most cases, a person visualises his future, selects his profession, starts earning and then enters into marriage. This is the phase characterised by overwhelming energy, vigour and independence. It also makes a person aspire to goals and ambitions with planning and struggle. Man leads a busy life and becomes answerable for whatever he does.

Most people in this phase take their health for granted or are captivated by material considerations, forgetting the eternal. They need to be reminded that overindulgence in material things accelerates entropy. It causes restlessness and alienation from one’s actual life goals.

This phase may consist of 15 to 20 years; following this starts the gradual decline. As time goes by health shows signs of weakness, hair turns grey, eyesight becomes weak and the voice quavers. This is the final phase characterised by all kinds of weaknesses. Generally in old age, a person realises that life is a bubble that can burst anytime.

The human body in advanced age is beset with all kinds of frailties; loss of strength, worsening health and onset of disease become the order of the day and the person ultimately depends on others’ help.

Life is short and active life is even shorter. But indeed it is a great gift from the Almighty. Life provides many opportunities to leave a positive impression on society. One can enhance one’s value in society by performing good deeds with eternal blessings or conversely, devalue oneself by breaking others’ hearts.

A person is mainly answerable for whatever act he or she has done intentionally in waking condition, as the famous hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) says, “Deeds are the result of the intention”. All acts are to be judged in accordance with conscious intentions.

Islam places great emphasis on good deeds. Certain deeds and services continue to benefit humanity and these acts make a person immortal. According to the Quran “… (long-lasting) good deeds are better with your Lord. …” (19:76).

In every period of history, Muslims have contributed to their societies by establishing a number of welfare institutions to benefit society. We have examples of companions of the Holy Prophet visiting far-flung areas to serve people of their time, Sufis providing succour to the masses and scholars writing books on eternal values.

They have lit up their times like beacons in the night. They have given us the message that one can achieve immortality through living ethically, rationally and by rendering lasting service. Service in the welfare of others is the best way of achieving immortality.

Similarly, as per a saying of the Prophet, “When a person dies, his deeds come to end, except for three things — sadaqah jariyah (ceaseless charity), knowledge which is beneficial and virtuous descendants who pray for him [for the deceased]” (Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 8).

The essence of the above-mentioned hadith clearly indicates that a mortal can become immortal through his selfless lasting services. The field of service is vast and wide, but the best of all is to leave a legacy of beneficial and virtuous descendants in the world, who become a source of salvation for parents and also assets for society.

We are confronted with numerous challenges. These can be surmounted by following Islam’s perennial teachings. Those of us who are parents can turn their children into assets for society by cultivating good habits in them. This will make their mortal life immortal and society will own them forever.

The writer is an educationist.

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