Life Of This World

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

"Were this world to be sold on the market, I would not buy it for a loaf of bread, for all the troubles it contains." - Imam Shafi'i

"The world looks stagnant yet it is moving; it looks promising yet it is deceiving." - Imam al-Ghazali

Allah Almighty says,

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا ۖ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿٢٠

Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion. (20)

[Qur'an Al-Hadid 57:20]

وَمَا هَـٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٦٤﴾

And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew. (64)

[Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:64]

وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿١٨٥ ...

...The present life is but the joy of delusion. (185)

[Qur'an AleImran 3:185]

Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala repeatedly calls this world a diversion, delusion and deception. Despite being warned, we act as though it will last forever. We spend two or three decades on acquiring the “education” that will only serve us in this life. We then spend the rest of our decades trying to enjoy this life as much as we can. But for the everlasting life that will begin with the blink of an eye we do not bother to prepare much.

Abu Musa Ashari narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “He who loves his dunya hurts his Akhirah, and he who loves his akhirah hurts his dunya. Therefore you should give preference to the one that lasts over the one that is to perish.” [Hakim in Mustadrak]

The ones who work for the everlasting next life try to send whatever they have forward. That means that they compromise their lifestyles so they can spend their wealth/money in Allah’s path. They compromise on their leisure in order to put in more effort for their akhirah. They compromise on their desires so that Allah fulfills their every desire in the Hereafter. In short, they try to maximize the return on whatever Allah has given them in this world.

بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّـهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿١١٢

Of course, whosoever submits his face to Allah, and is good in deeds, will have his reward with his Lord, and there shall be no fear for such people, nor shall they grieve. (112)

[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:112]

Get rid of the love of this world from your heart; free it from everything other than the Lord of Truth. Don't buy this paltry world and pay with the Hereafter as a price. Don't sell your Hereafter to acquire this perishing world.

The Most Wise did not create us to gratify our base desires and passions, nor did He create us for fun, amusement, eating, drinking, sleeping, and lounging.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)

[Qur'an Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

Look forward to your meeting with Allah. It is very soon, sooner than you think. Make preparations for this meeting.

“The grave will be a comfort for the one for whom this world is a prison.” [Uthman ibn Affan]

Haani, the freed slave of 'Uthman, who said: "Whenever `Uthman stood before a grave he wept until his beard was wet. He was asked: ‘You have seen battle and death without a tear, and you cry for this?’ He said: ‘The grave is the first abode of the hereafter. Whoever is saved from it, what follows is easier; whoever is not saved from it, what follows is harder.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "I have not seen anything more frightful than the punishment in the grave."

`Uthman also related from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that whenever the Prophet finished burying someone, he would stand by the grave and say: "All of you, ask Allah to forgive your brother and make him steadfast, for he is now being questioned."

Ponder: An ice-seller is at loss if he doesn't sell his ice before it melts. We are at loss if we don't fill our lives with good deeds before we die.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّـهِ الْغَرُورُ ﴿٣٣

O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver (Shaytan) deceive you about Allah. (33)

[Qur'an Luqman 31:33]

May Allah grant us success in this life and the next and save us from the torment of the grave, the Day of Judgment and the Hellfire. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam