The Remnants of Life
زندگی کے نقوش
لِكُلِّ مُقْبِلٍ إِدْبَارٌ، وَمَا يُرْجَعُ مِنَ الْفَائِتِ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ.
ہر آگے بڑھنے والی چیز کے لیے واپسی (زوال) ہے، اور جو گزر گیا وہ ایسا ہے جیسے کبھی تھا ہی نہیں۔
“For every approaching thing there is a turning back (decline), and whatever is gone of the past is as if it never existed.”
Reflections: Imam Ali ؑ highlights the Law of Decline. Everything in the physical world—youth, power, wealth, and life itself—moves toward an end the moment it begins. He suggests that the past quickly becomes a dream; once time has claimed a moment, it vanishes from reality. This wisdom is a call to focus on the Eternal. Since the temporary world disappears so completely, a wise person invests their energy in deeds that carry weight in the Hereafter, which is the only reality that stays.