In recent weeks, millions of teenagers and young adults have been
receiving exam results, from GCSEs to university degrees. It is that time of
year when the mystery and uncertainty of the harvest of their efforts will
abruptly come to an end, with the opening of an innocent envelope. Some will
tear into that envelope, like ripping off a bandage. Some will not bear to open
it. There will be tears, there will be delight, there will be disappointment,
there will be relief, there will anger, there will be gratitude and
ingratitude. No doubt, all of us have been through this or something similar,
and for those that reflect, as Believers sensitive to Signs around them ought
to, this is an important reminder, and a mercy from Allah. Why? It is because
this entire life is an exam. And there are no retakes.
Allah and His messenger (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) left no
doubt in our minds, that the primary purpose of this life is that of an
examination, from your first breath to your last.
“Exalted is He who holds all control in His hands; who has power
over all things; who created death and life to test you [people] and reveal
which of you does best––He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.”[1]
“We have adorned the earth with attractive things so that We may
test people to find out which of them do best, but We shall reduce all this to
barren dust.”[2]
The exams and tests that we experience during our lives, are
miniature versions of the real test we are going through right now, and the
emotions we feel when we open that envelope, are mild reminders of the intense
joy, delight, relief, regret and sorrow (may Allah protect us), that people
will feel on the Day of Judgement, where the Final Results will be given.
“Anyone who is given his Record in his right hand will say, ‘Here
is my Record, read it. I knew I would meet my Reckoning,’ and so he will have a
pleasant life in a lofty Garden, with clustered fruit within his reach. It will
be said, ‘Eat and drink to your heart’s content as a reward for what you have
done in days gone by.’
But anyone who is given his Record in his left hand will
say, ‘If only I had never been given any Record and knew nothing of my
Reckoning. How I wish death had been the end of me. My wealth has been no use
to me, and my power has vanished.’ ‘Take him, put a collar on him, lead him to
burn in the blazing Fire, and [bind him] in a chain seventy metres long.” [3]
These ayaat do not require much explanation. We probably all know
how it feels when you get a good result; how you want to share it, show your
loved ones. Likewise we probably all know how it feels to fail an exam or test
in this life; how we try to hide it, and even wish we never received it. But
can you imagine failing an exam so badly that you wish you were destroyed? This
is why these tests and exams are a blessing for those that reflect. Looking
backwards now from results day, the whole concept of examination and testing
itself can also be used to draw many important reflections from.
The transformation
I have been around students (and therefore exams) for most of my
life, and whenever we enter or even draw close to ‘exam season’, I am
absolutely amazed at the ability of the student to completely turn his or her
life upside-down. Not just students but many of us can relate, whether it be a
project deadline at work, or a particular important task to be done at home.
The entire daily routine changes, everything revolving around getting the work
done. We sleep less, if at all, and if we do we dream about our work. No socializing. No TV. No Facebook. No going out. We might even forget to eat
between cans of energy drink. What’s most amazing, perhaps, is that all of this
happens, for something we probably don’t even like!
The lesson that immediately comes to mind when we consider this,
is that if I can transform my entire daily routine for something like an exam,
which may determine what job I get or what university I go to, then I can—no, I
must—also transform my life for the real exam, which will determine where I
remain for eternity. And that’s a hell of a long time. Therefore a successful
person is one who is aware of (and continually reminding others of) the nature
of this life, and the need to work towards the Final Result. Making small
changes in one’s routine, such as waking up early to pray the night prayer, or
praying in a masjid, can have a monumental effect on one’s final grade.
The purpose of exams
Another fruit of reflection is harvested when we look to the
spirit of exams. The main objectives of an examination, arguably, can be
summarized as: (i) to drive you to do better as a student; (ii) to prove
yourself as worthy of being in that institution or receiving the honor of that
qualification; and (iii) to distinguish between better and worse students—to
sort the men from the boys, so to speak. And it is no surprise then, that Allah
says:
“Alif Lam Mim. Do people think they will be left alone after
saying ‘We believe’ without being put to the test? We tested those who went
before them: God will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are
lying.”[5]
Just like we do not expect any student worth his salt to assume
that he deserves to belong to a high-ranking university without earning it, we
similarly must not expect that the gates of Paradise will beckon our names,
just because we say, “we believe”, without going through some kind of effort to
walk the walk. Rather we must strive and struggle, to manifest our sincerity
and submission to Allah, and commitment to His lofty Cause. Of course, Allah
already knows what is in the hearts of His servants better than they do, but He
loves to see them worship Him and obey Him, and struggle to distinguish
themselves in servitude to Him. If we do not spend effort and focus on our
servitude to Allah, then we have no right of assuming that He will grant us
Paradise through His Mercy.
As for the third objective of exams, the amount and quality of the
servitude we each strive for, leads to what Allah has so eloquently stated:
“When that which is coming arrives, no one will be able to deny it
has come, bringing low and raising high. When the earth is shaken violently and
the mountains are ground to powder and turn to scattered dust, then you will be
sorted into three classes. Those on the
Right––what people they are! Those on the Left––what people they are! And those
in front––ahead indeed! For these will be the ones brought nearest to God in
Gardens of Bliss: many from the past and a few from later generations. On
couches of well-woven cloth they will sit facing each other; everlasting youths
will go round among them with glasses, flagons, and cups of a pure drink that
causes no headache or intoxication; [there will be] any fruit they choose; the
meat of any bird they like; and beautiful companions like hidden pearls: a
reward for what they used to do. They will hear no idle or sinful talk there,
only clean and wholesome speech.”
“Those on the Right, what people they are! They will dwell amid
thornless lote trees and clustered acacia with spreading shade, constantly
flowing water, abundant fruits, unfailing, unforbidden, with incomparable
companions. We have specially created––virgin, loving, of matching age–– for
those on the Right, many from the past and many from later generations.”
“But those on the Left, what people they are! They will dwell amid
scorching wind and scalding water in the shadow of black smoke, neither cool
nor refreshing. Before, they overindulged in luxury and persisted in great sin,
always saying, ‘What? When we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we
then be raised up? And our earliest forefathers too?’ Say [Prophet], ‘The
earliest and latest generations will all be gathered on a predetermined Day and
you who have gone astray and denied the truth will eat from the bitter tree of
Zaqqum, filling your bellies with it, and drink scalding water, lapping it like
thirsty camels.’ This will be their welcome on the Day of Judgement.”[6]
The Merciful Examiner
Allah, out of His unimaginable Mercy, has made a few key
differences between the exams we subject each other to, and the test of this
life. Firstly, exams in schools and universities are often criticized for not
providing a faithful enough representation of the quality of a student. Many
may have studied long and hard, only for a small percentage of their revised
subjects to make an appearance on the exam (and often in my case, the one topic
I would tactfully—and unsuccessfully—try and avoid revising). The sincere
servant can rest assured, that every iota of effort he or she spends towards
the test of this life, will be securely recorded, and even multiplied!
“On that Day, people will come forward in separate groups to be
shown their deeds: whoever has done an atom’s-weight of good will see it, but
whoever has done an atom’s-weight of evil will see that.”[9]
Another significant difference related to this is that there is no
uncertainty when it comes to what is expected of us. Unlike a school or
university exam, we already know the questions. And we already know the
answers. All we have to do is bother to put the effort in. We know that we will
be asked in our graves, ‘Who is your Lord? What is your Religion? Who is your
Prophet?’ And we know that the way to answer these questions correctly, is to
live a life of being pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our way, and
with Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) as our Messenger and primary role
model.
The intelligent and the heedless
When asked to pay lip service, each and every one of us will
probably agree that this life is a test, and the most important test we will
ever face. However, actions speak louder than words. The intelligent person has
no choice but to try his or her best to strive and struggle to get the highest
mark possible, and to encourage others to do the same. They will not be
satisfied with doing the bare minimum, but rather they will try continually to
do better and better as they travel through this life. After all, if the pass
mark for an exam is 50%, you don’t answer only half of the questions; you try
your absolute best, to answer each and every question to the best of your
ability, because you know that you will invariably make mistakes along the way,
and you want to aim higher than just the threshold. Likewise the servant is not
satisfied by doing the bare minimal obligations in his or her relationship with
Allah and His creation, but at least wishes to excel past the pass/fail
boundary.
That is the intelligent person, though. As for the heedless person
(may Allah protect us), he is preoccupied with the relatively trivial smaller
tests and trials, whilst ignoring the main test of life. As he reduces the
quality of his servitude to Allah when he is revising for exams, instead of
increasing it, and he lets his relationship with Allah suffer, I can’t help but
imagine the analogy of a final year undergraduate student, throughout the
revision season before the biggest exams of his career, occupied by playing
Angry Birds.
Link:
http://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/reflecting-on-exams/
