Scientists from all over the world are repeatedly emphasizing that global warming is the greatest danger of present times. Both print and electronic media inform people daily of this perilous situation with reports such as “Doomsday Not Far” (Hindustan Times, December 8, 2007) and ‘Five Years to Doomsday’ telecast on December 20, 2007 on an Indian TV programme warned that climate change is now turning into climate disaster. As a result, the day is fast approaching when human beings, regardless of where they are living, will no longer be able to inhabit this planet earth.
The huge ice caps at both the north and south poles are vast reservoirs of fresh water. But they are now melting at an alarming rate. Also there are huge, mountain-top glaciers — gigantic storehouses of drinking water — which, as a consequence of global warming, are likewise rapidly melting and their stored water is draining off into the oceans through the rivers.
This is going to result in two unbearable situations. Firstly, very soon the level of water in the seas will rise, inundating coastal cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Calcutta, Bombay, Chennai, etc. Secondly, the non-coastal areas will suffer from an intolerable water shortage due to the drying up of the rivers. Normally, rivers are always full of water as the mountain ice keeps gradually melting the whole year round and feeds the rivers. But when all the mountain ice has melted, naturally the rivers will run dry. And all their fresh water will be mixed with the salty water of the ocean, which will be too salty to drink or use for irrigation. The situation will become like that portrayed by Samuel Coleridge in his poem ‘The Ancient Mariner’:
“Water, water, everywhere; nor any drop to drink”.
Some scholars predict that the shortage of water will become so acute that even a Third World War might take place over this issue.
God’s prophets have told us that the present world will not be eternal, that it is perpetually on its countdown, and a time will come when its term will expire. All the scientific evidence informs us that this countdown is approaching its final number.
The 20th century scientists discovered the law of entropy and concluded that the world’s energy is decreasing, and this process is irreversible. Therefore, after a fixed period of time the present world will certainly come to its end. The 21st century scientists are telling us that, according to their researches, that time has come very close. It could even be a mere 10 to 20 years.
All these revelations, being covered in the media under the heading of ‘global warming’, are in fact ‘divine warning’. This is a declaration by the Creator that, according to His plan, this period of the world has come to its end. According to God’s creation plan, the first phase has expired. Now the time is not far away when the present world will be replaced by its second phase. The first phase, meant purely as a test for mankind, was temporary. The second phase will be for the result of that test, and it will be eternal.
In the present world, man has been given freedom of action. This is not because he deserves freedom on account of his general prowess: it was allotted to him temporarily for the purpose of testing him. It was meant to see who makes proper use of freedom and who misuses it. According to the system of nature, the record of every man and woman is being prepared. This record will be presented before the Creator in the next stage of life. Those whose records show that they made proper use of their freedom:
“They shall forever dwell in the Gardens of Paradise, desiring no change. (Quran 18: 108).
They will be accorded by their Creator a place where they will lead an eternal life of comfort and happiness. On the contrary, those whose record shows that they misused their freedom will be consigned by their Creator to Hell where, in the words of Jesus Christ:
“There will be wailing and weeping for all eternity.” (Matthew 13:42).
Now the time has finally come for all men and women to arise from their slumber, introspect and reform themselves and make success in the next phase of life their sole concern. They must realize that the chance they have been given in the present world is the first and the last. No other chance awaits them. Global warming tells us that the point of no return has already been reached. Let us avail of this opportunity before the time is up. After this, no one will be given any further opportunity to come back to the present world. Nor will there be any opportunity in the next world to atone for one’s misconduct or be rewarded for the belated performance of worthy deeds.