In the science of light, there is a law of nature called refraction. Today this is known as Snell’s law, having been discovered initially by Willebrord Van Roijen Snell. He made his discovery in 1617, but this discovery remained unknown to people, lying unpublished, until a Dutch scientist, Christian Huygens, came to know of it and mentioned it in his research paper in 1703. Only then did the world come to know of Snell’s discovery.
That is, Snell’s scientific discovery remained hidden from the eyes of the world for a period of 82 years. It was only after this long period, when Christian Huygens highlighted it, that the world came to know of its importance.
The matter of the Hereafter too is somewhat similar. How many of God’s servants are there who are sincerely engaged in virtuous activities, away from the limelight, unknown to people, unheralded in the press! How many God-fearing people are there whose inner selves are shaken with the fear of God, but whose undemonstrative expressions fail to show this inner tempest!
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is an Islamic spiritual scholar who has authored over 200 books on Islam, spirituality, and peaceful coexistence in a multi-ethnic society.
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