By: Aubaid Ahmad Akhoon

Life moves like a gust of wind—unseen, unstoppable. We run alongside it, believing we are in control, yet we are merely passengers in time’s grand design. In our relentless pursuit of success, recognition, and a future that always seems just within reach, we often fail to notice the present slipping away.

Mornings turn into nights, weeks into years, and before we realize it, the hands of the clock have moved too far ahead. We plan for tomorrow, invest in dreams, and chase fleeting desires, assuming there will always be time for love, laughter, and peace. But does time ever wait?

The late Anwar Sadeed, a renowned Pakistani critic, researcher, and columnist, beautifully captured this truth in his couplet:

“Sail-e-zaman mein doob gaye mashhoor-e-zamana log,

Waqt ke munsif ne kab rakha qaa’im un ka naam.”

“The tide of time has drowned even the greatest of names.

When has time’s judgment ever kept their legacy intact?”

The tide of time spares no one—kings, poets, warriors. Once celebrated, now forgotten. Their names, once etched in history, now fade like whispers in the wind. What, then, truly remains? Not wealth, for gold loses its luster. Not power, for thrones crumble into dust. What endures are the moments of kindness we shared, the love we selflessly gave, and the righteous deeds we performed—those that continue to benefit others, becoming our eternal legacy, our sadaqah jariyah.

Yet, in our relentless pursuit of success, we mistake motion for progress, forgetting........

© Kashmir Images