We all have different types of exams in life and each one has to try very hard.

As you know in a setup where there is a school or a university at the end of every semester or term, you would have some exams in order to qualify you to get to the next level.

And as you progress in life, the examinations become more and more difficult; and you would know that without working, we don’t achieve the common saying, “whoever works very hard, would definitely see the fruit of that particular work.”

Exams of Life

So, just like we have people who fail because they did not work hard or they did not understand that the exams would become more and more difficult as time passes, we also have an issue with the deen where as we progress in life we will have more and more tests and they become more and more difficult until we meet Allah.

And this is why the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was told:

Worship your Lord until death overtakes you.

Worship your Lord until the end, right up to the end, keep on worshiping, continue, do not stop, do not pause, do not lose hope. In fact progress and become stronger and stronger.

If you take a look at some of the other verses of the Quran, Allah makes mention of Prophet Muhammad delivering the message. It was not easy and it was difficult. He faced so many challenges, he continued and he persevered twenty three whole years of Prophethood.

The achievement that Allah granted him, He will grant each person achievement according to his will obviously, but also connected to the effort that particular person makes.

If we were to give up suddenly, we would never be able to achieve even Paradise. Imagine a person who reads Salah for seventy years and suddenly the last year just before they die they give up their Salah they throw in the blanket and say that’s it!

Such a person has been mentioned in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad where could be worshiping Allah for so many years and right at the end they turned so they are cast into hell fire.

And a person could be disobedient for so many years and right at the end they worship Allah, turned back to Him, so they will be from amongst those who go to paradise.

Never Give up

So, it’s important for us to never give up. You don’t know how close you are to the end. Imagine a person digging a tunnel and right when they are near the end, they suddenly give up thinking that, “I don’t know how long this is going to carry on for.” Had they carried on for a minute longer, they would have broken through.

So, we need to continue. Fulfill your Salah, progress, develop… Don’t think for a moment that life is going to become any easier. The only thing that will happen is with the development of the link with Allah, we become more content, we understand the nature of the world, we understand the nature of the tests of Allah… So we enjoy going through them in the sense that we are content; we are happy with the decree of Allah.

So, not only do I say work hard to achieve here in the dunya, but even in the akhirah.

It’s not an easy task, but with the hope in the mercy of Allah things will be made easy; and at the same time with the constant preparation without giving up hope, never ever give up… By the will of Allah we will achieve great heights.