Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- The World Adornments, Our Tests

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Some of the most desired things of people are mentioned in the Qur'an and have been made to look attractive to us. So, people go after them, enticed by their glamor, and show no concern for the life to come.

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱلْقَنَـٰطِيرِ ٱلْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ وَٱلْفِضَّةِ وَٱلْخَيْلِ ٱلْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَٱلْحَرْثِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱللَّـهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلْمَـَٔابِ ﴿١٤

Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, an cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (14)

[Qur'an, AleImran 3:14]

These things mentioned in the Qur'an are the center of attraction and women come first and then the children. Then come other forms of wealth and possessions: gold, silver, fine branded horses, cattle and tilled land, which are secondary attraction.

Why do people have so much love for these things in their hearts? It is done so in Allah's ultimate wisdom. With love of these things, we are put to test. Are we going to become engrossed in the enjoyment of this present life and forget the life to come, or are we going to show concern for these things only in proportion of our needs, and then put all our efforts into deeds that would make our next life felicitous?

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ﴿٧

Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. (7)

[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:7]

This is one of Allah's many acts of wisdom to see whether we get swayed by the glamor of the fleeting enjoyment of things, or whether we remember the Creator of these things, or whether we forget the very Creator who created our being.

Allah is watching everything we do with these things and we have to account before Him for whatever we did in this life with these things. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him is the return)

So are we going to choose to be lost in the ardent love of these things and forget all about the Creator of these things, or are we going to start using these things to know and love Him?

قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُم بِخَيْرٍ مِّن ذَٰلِكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَٰجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ ﴿

١٥

Say, "Shall I inform you of [something] better than that? For those who fear Allah will be gardens in the presence of their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and purified spouses and approval from Allah. And Allah is Seeing of [His] servants - (15)

[Qur'an, AleImran 14:15]

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, that the love of dunya (worldly life or worldly enjoyments) is the main source of all errors.

If you look around you, how many marriages you see that things were just fine when they were broke or had very little--they didn't miss family dinner together and they had time to visit relatives regularly or invite them over, but when they have made a lot of money, own a home and a good car, all of sudden everything went crazy. In the beginning, family members hardly see each other, they don't eat together anymore except on some special occasions and they don't know where their children are at a particular time. Then greed, infidelity, addiction start to creep in before the actual breakup of the family.

So, don't envy those who seem to have the best of this world for if we look a little deeper, it may be that these things are punishment for them right here in this temporal world.

If these things became the causes that led them to squander their chance of having a good life in the Hereafter, then these things also become the very cause of their punishment in the Hellfire. For these people, Allah says,

فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَٰلُهُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّـهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ ﴿٥٥

So let not their wealth or their children impress you. Allah only intends to punish them through them in worldly life and that their souls should depart [at death] while they are disbelievers. (55)

[Qur'an, At-Tawba 9:55]

For those who enjoy the blessings of this life and use them as a means for success in the life to come, then the blessings did not become a road-block; rather, they are milestones which lead them safely into a prosperous and blissful eternal life to come.

May Allah grant us patience, and make us among His truthful and the grateful servants. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam