The World is Cursed

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

This world (dunya) which Allah created is a servant for the one who serves Allah. It is created to be a means for us to arrive at the pleasure of Allah. It was not created to be an aim which we seek in our lives. Its attribute is lowliness and so it cannot be looked at with an eye of exaltation.

Allah has made this dunya lowly and made it His enemy. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said: "Verily this dunya is cursed and all that is in it is cursed except for the remembrance of Allah and all that goes with it and a scholar or a student (of knowledge)." [Tirmidhi]

All the aims that people indulge in in the world, if they are cutoff from remembrance of Allah, knowledge or teaching knowledge, or what supports those things, such as attaining a living, for the sake of Allah or trying to approach Allah, then that enters the sphere of Allah’s curse.

The problem that faced us in our dealing with the dunya is what the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, warned us of this world: "the love of the dunya is the head of every sin." Every sin which occurs by the whispering of the shaytan or the urging of the lower self or the encouragement of the devil from among humans or from any other means, has some connection to love of the dunya.

For this reason if Allah favors a person, Allah will turn him away from the love of the world. Allah will make him firm and sincere in this. If this is the case, Allah has favored him by cutting the head of the sin. If the head is cut off the sin dies.

The reason for the dunya being the head of every sin is that turning to it with love is in opposition to the very foundation that Allah ordered us to focus upon while we are in this world. The days that we spend in this world are short if we compare them to what is after them, no matter how much we are in delusion that they are long. While this world is short it is very important and great because what comes after this world is based on what occurs in this world.

Whether you live for 50, 60, 90 or 120 years, it is nothing compared to the millions and millions to infinite number of years you are going to live in the Hereafter. The next life that will never come to an end are based upon the foundation of this short lived years that we live in this world. So the salvation of the one who is saved or felicitous and the damnation of the one who is wretched is connected or build upon the foundation of the days we are here in this world.

No one enters paradise and enjoy therein because he was remembering Allah while they were in the womb of his mother nor because he was remembering Allah when he was in loin of his father. This is because the lifespan that we lived prior to this dunya was not a phase of legal responsibility. Also, our salvation or damnation is not based upon the time we will spend in our graves because the time of the grave is not a time of accountability. The time of accountability which is the basis upon which the people of paradise enter paradise and the people of hellfire enter hellfire, the time in which Allah will be pleased with the one He is pleased, and the time in which Allah is displeased with the one He is displeased, is in these short days that we live in this dunya.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, radi’Allahu anhum, said: “Verily, the Dunya is coming to an end and the Akhirah (Hereafter) is coming to a beginning and they both have children. So be children of the Akhirah and don’t be children of the Dunya. For verily today there is action with no account and tomorrow there is account with no action” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim]

Hassan Al Basri, radi’Allahu anhum, said: “So beware of this land (the dunya) that is falling down and is misleading and deceiving, being decorated by its deceit and having eluded (others) by its delusion, and having killed its people with its hopes. It looks forward with anticipation towards the one who proposes to it for marriage. Hence it becomes like the unveiled bride – all the eyes are looking towards it, and the souls are in love with it, and the hearts are captivated by it.” [Related by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (2/135-136)]

Since Allah created the dunya, He has not given His gaze (a look with some amount of consideration or a look of esteem.) Allah has created the world to be an abode of turbidity or difficult. So no matter how much it is clear for a person, it must become turbid or difficult for him on another day.

So the idiot is the one who establishes the affair of his salvation and the one who spends his aspiration, energy, time, intellect and lifespan for an enjoyment of this dunya.

وَمَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ لَهِىَ ٱلْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ 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)

[Al-Ankabut 29:64]

We ask Allah to grant us tawfiq by creating in us the ability to perform goodness and aid us in it. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam