The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

By Mohamed Miah | The Narratives

The Headset We Never Take Off

You ever wonder why, with all our technology, our attempts at virtual reality still feel clumsy, limited—nothing close to real life?

We strap plastic headsets to our faces and think we’ve achieved something special. But the truth is, Allah gave us the original VR headset the moment we opened our eyes.

From the first blink, we’re plugged in. The code is running. Light streams through our lenses, hits the retina, and gets spun into colour, shape, meaning by the brain. It’s all perception—a world rendered in 4K by divine command, not silicon chips.

But what are we really seeing?

A simulation. A test. The exam hall dressed up as paradise, pain, and every distraction in between.

This Dunya Not the Game, Just the Exam

Let’s get real—this isn’t reality. It’s just the test.

Every moment, every struggle, every sunset you wish would last forever—all of it is temporary. Our bodies, senses, and even the time ticking away are just tools handed out for the exam.

You don’t get to keep the pen after the paper is over. You don’t get to pause, restart, or glitch your way through.

The day your soul is unplugged—when the electricity goes out, the eyes close, and the headset comes off—is the day you finally wake up. That’s when you’ll see what was really waiting beyond this world.

“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Judgment will you be paid your full recompense…”

Qur’an 3:185

It hits you—this life is the exam. The real world begins after we submit the test.

Why the Unseen Is the Only Reality

Most of us are so busy inside the simulation, we forget there’s something greater outside.

We chase pleasure, comfort, status—think we’re “levelling up.”

But it’s just pixels, dust, shadows. Allah calls this world mata’ul ghuroor—the “deceptive enjoyment.” The real reality is hidden behind the veil of the unseen: the Akhirah, the realm of angels, the reality of the soul.

“They have eyes with which they do not see…”

(Qur’an 7:179)

Our senses, as amazing as they are, are only showing us the surface.

The true world? That’s waiting when the test is done.

Take off the headset—see what was always there, just beyond your reach.

Time and Illness The Mercy We Overlook

Why do we age?

Why do we fall ill, watch loved ones pass, or see our own bodies break down?

It’s not cruelty—it’s mercy.

If there was no end, no limit, no weakness, we’d think we were immortal. We’d get arrogant, lost, and try to build heaven here—forgetting it was never meant to be paradise.

Without time and illness, we’d never look up and ask, what’s next?

We’d forget that every day is another chance to return, repent, and reconnect.

Look at history—when people lived for centuries after Adam and Nuh (AS), most became heedless, arrogant, thinking death would never touch them.

So Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, shortened our lifespans. Gave us reminders. Brought the finish line closer so we’d run harder towards Him.

The Mercy Behind the Limits

We think pain and short lives are punishment—but really, it’s Allah looking for every excuse to help us succeed.

He wants to forgive, wants to guide, wants us back with Him in the real home.

“My mercy encompasses all things…”

(Qur’an 7:156)

Shorter lives mean less chance to become stubborn and lost.

Every weakness is a nudge, every pain a signpost:

“Come back to Me. This world is not your final stop. I want you to pass the test.”

When the Headset Comes Off

One day, your eyes will close and the electricity will go out.

Your soul will step out of the headset and see the real place—the world that never ends, never breaks, never lies.

And then you’ll know,

This was just the test, the exam, the simulation.

Remember, everything ends. The real world is waiting.

And Allah’s mercy is the password to get home.