Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Preface
Imagine a giant library filled with millions of instruction books, yet its entire contents are condensed into a single, invisible cell. Scientifically, every cell in our body carries genetic code (DNA) that, if stretched out, would be two meters long. From a single cell formed by the meeting of two people, 1,000 trillion cells are born to shape a beating heart, eyes that see, and a brain that thinks. Our chemical composition is not much different from a handful of earth—calcium, phosphorus, iron—yet when the “Ruh” (soul) is breathed in, that earth becomes a noble human being. This is proof that we are not the result of chance, but the result of a masterful design by the Supreme Architect
.2. Explanation
Qur’anic Evidence and HadithAllah SWT challenges human logic in His words:
أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تُمْنُونَ ءأَنتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُۥٓ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُونَ
“Have you considered what you emit [i.e., sperm]? Is it you who create it, or are We the Creator?” (QS. Al-Waqi’ah: 58-59)
The Messenger of Allah SAW also said about how Allah preserves our lineage:“When the sperm settles in the womb, Allah SWT will bring forth every lineage between him and Adam.” (HR. Ibn Jarir & Ibn Abi Hatim)
3. Lessons and Message
If merely reading the genetic code takes humans decades and billions of dollars, how arrogant we are if we feel in control of this life. Awareness of our origin from a “despicable fluid” should kill the seed of arrogance in our hearts. We are all equal before Allah; what distinguishes us is only who moves fastest to become _Al-Saabiquun_—the forerunners of goodness.Let us reflect for a moment on the seconds of death’s agony. When the breath has reached the throat (al-hulqum), all the world’s wealth, the most advanced medical technology, and the embrace of beloved family cannot hold the soul back from departing. In that moment, a person realizes how small he is. The family can only watch with tears, while Allah is closer to the dying one than they are, yet humans do not see Him. That is the moment of absolute truth—when the fleeting world is left behind and the eternal Hereafter greets us.Our creation is like a green tree that stores the sun’s energy. When the tree dries, it becomes firewood that gives warmth and flame. So it is with humans; our life is a process of collecting the “energy” of righteous deeds. Death is not the end, but the moment when the “energy” we gathered throughout life will be transformed into light that illuminates the grave, or into fire that burns—depending on the quality of the “fuel” we prepared.Some people feel great because they hold positions or strings of titles, walking with chests puffed out as if to split the earth. Yet they forget that they were once “participants in a race” of millions of sperm competing for one egg. We are “winners” from the womb, but often after birth we lose to the temptation of shopping discounts or the laziness to wake for Fajr. How ironic—the world champion in the womb, but a loser before the prayer mat!
4. Conclusion
Surah Al-Waqi’ah teaches us that life is a journey toward three groups: Al-Saabiquun, Ashabul Yamin, or Ashabul Syimal. Let us use the time remaining before the soul reaches the throat. Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great, for only by knowing Him will we understand how to value this brief life
والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
