The time in this world is brief. We buy a house – we may not have the chance to live in it. We buy a new car – we not be able to drive it. The powerful of today is weak tomorrow. Everyone has to depart, with an empty hand. We love the world but the world doesn’t love us back! We know we have to leave this world yet we amass wealth as if there is no tomorrow! As Mufti Menk said, “Our train is headed towards death and we are worried about life!”
The world has an objective – it is an opportunity for us to gather provisions. The more provisions we send for ourselves the heavier our scale of good deeds will be in the Hereafter. Yet we are deceived, by this dunya, over and over again. When asked to give in the way of Allah we give the amount equal to few cups of coffee – yet we have convinced ourselves that we give priority to the Hereafter over this Dunya – how does that work?
Fleeting, flying, speeding years of life. Things come and go. Opportunities come and go. Some take them, some don’t. Wealth comes and goes. Sum total = what did you send forth for the Hereafter?
The journey is long and the grave is only the beginning of the last leg of the journey – opportunity for gathering provisions ends with death. Yet we compete for this dunya. Over and over again.
The desires of the worldly life are like a play of the imagination. The ignorant person’s view is limited to what is apparent, while those blessed with intelligence see what is behind the screens. They glanced what they desired, but when they extended their hands toward it, the thread of the trap showed itself to their power of insight, so they flew away with wings of caution and set their sights toward leaving. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah.
WORLD IS MORE WORTHLESS THAN DEAD SHEEP TO ITS OWNER
It was narrated that sahl bin sa’d said: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Dhul-Hulaifah, when we saw a dead sheep lifting its leg (because of bloating). He said: ‘Don’t you think this is worthless to its owner? By the One in Whose hand is my soul, this world is more worthless to Allah than this (dead sheep) is to its owner. If this world was worth the wing of a mosquito to Allah, the disbeliever would not have a drop to drink from it.’”
حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ الْحِزَامِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو يَحْيَى، زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ مَنْظُورٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَازِمٍ، عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِشَاةٍ مَيِّتَةٍ شَائِلَةٍ بِرِجْلِهَا فَقَالَ “ أَتُرَوْنَ هَذِهِ هَيِّنَةً عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا وَلَوْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا تَزِنُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ مَا سَقَى كَافِرًا مِنْهَا قَطْرَةً أَبَدًا ” .
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah 4110
FULL RECOMPENSE ONLY ON YOUMUL QIYAMAH
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion. Sura Al I Imran 3:185
PLAY AND AMUSEMENT
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 اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception? Sura Hadid 57:20
وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
What is the life of this world but amusement and play? but verily the Home in the Hereafter, – that is life indeed, if they but knew. Sura Al Ankabut 29:64
LIKE RAIN FROM THE SKY
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالْأَنْعَامُ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَخَذَتِ الْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَازَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَا أَنَّهُمْ قَادِرُونَ عَلَيْهَا أَتَاهَا أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
The likeness of the life of the present is as the rain which We send down from the skies: by its mingling arises the produce of the earth- which provides food for men and animals: (It grows) till the earth is clad with its golden ornaments and is decked out (in beauty): the people to whom it belongs think they have all powers of disposal over it: There reaches it Our command by night or by day, and We make it like a harvest clean-mown, as if it had not flourished only the day before! thus do We explain the Signs in detail for those who reflect. Sura Yunus 10:24
DRY STUBBLE
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
Set forth to them the similitude of the life of this world: It is like the rain which we send down from the skies: the earth’s vegetation absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble, which the winds do scatter: it is (only) Allah who prevails over all things. Sura Kahf 18:45
LIVE LIKE A STRANGER
Narrated Mujahid:
`Abdullah bin `Umar said, “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” The sub-narrator added: Ibn `Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَبُو الْمُنْذِرِ الطُّفَاوِيُّ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الأَعْمَشِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُجَاهِدٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبِي فَقَالَ “ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ ”. وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 6416
DO YOU PREFER THIS WORLDLY OVER THE HEREAFTER?
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter. Sura At-Tawbah 9:38
THREE THINGS WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE GRAVE, ONLY ONE WILL REMAIN
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Three things follow a deceased person. Two of them return and one remains. His family, his wealth, and his deeds follow him. His family and wealth return, but his deeds remain.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6149, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2960
عن أنس بن مالك قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلَاثَةٌ فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ وَيَبْقَى وَاحِدٌ يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَيَبْقَى عَمَلُهُ
STORY OF JESUS (PBUH)
TWO RAKAH AT DAWN BETTER THAN THIS WORLD
‘A’isha reported allah’s messenger as saying: The two rak’ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الْغُبَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَوْفَى، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ رَكْعَتَا الْفَجْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا ” .
Reference: Sahih Muslim 725a
TRIAL OF MY UMMAH IS WEALTH
Ka’b ibn ‘Iyad reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, every nation has a trial, and the trial of my nation is wealth.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2336
عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً وَفِتْنَةُ أُمَّتِي الْمَالُ
DUNYA IS CURSED
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Is not the world cursed and everything in it? Except for the remembrance of Allah and what facilitates it, the scholar or the student.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2322
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَا إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا مَلْعُونَةٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَا فِيهَا إِلَّا ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ وَمَا وَالَاهُ وَعَالِمٌ أَوْ مُتَعَلِّمٌ
WHAT IS THERE BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE WORLD?
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) lay down on a reed mat, and it left marks on his skin. I said: ‘May my father and mother be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah! If you had told us we would have provided you with something that would save you this trouble.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘What is there between myself and the world? This world and I are just like a rider who stops to rest beneath the shade of a tree then goes and leaves it.’”
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَكِيمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمَسْعُودِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ اضْطَجَعَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَلَى حَصِيرٍ فَأَثَّرَ فِي جِلْدِهِ فَقُلْتُ بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ كُنْتَ آذَنْتَنَا فَفَرَشْنَا لَكَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا يَقِيكَ مِنْهُ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ مَا أَنَا وَالدُّنْيَا إِنَّمَا أَنَا وَالدُّنْيَا كَرَاكِبٍ اسْتَظَلَّ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا ” .
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah 4109
SURA TAWBA 9:124
YOU WILL ACQUIRE WHAT YOU NEED EVEN IF YOU DO NOT RUN AFTER IT
“Son of Adam; you seek the world as if your very life depended on it and you seek the Hereafter as if you have no need of it! You will acquire what you need from this world even if you do not run after it, but you will only attain the Hereafter if you run after it. So be aware of your true condition!”
Yahya ibn Mu`adh
HOW TO SAVE?
Follow Qur’an and Sunnah and hold on to it
Du’a
From Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) who said it was very rare that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would stand up from a gathering until he had made Dua with these statements for his Companions:
اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا تَحُولُ بِهِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ، وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ جَنَّتَكَ، وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيَا، اللَّهُمَّ مَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا، وَأَبْصَارِنَا، وَقُوَّاتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا، وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا، وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنَا عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا، وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا، وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتَنَا فِي دِينِنَا، وَلَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا، وَلَا تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُنَا
(O Allah, apportion to us such fear as should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience; and such obedience as will take us to Your Jannah; and such as will make easy for us to bear in the calamities of this world. O Allah! let us enjoy our hearing, our sight and our power as long as You keep us alive and make it continuous until the end of our lives, and make our revenge restricted to those who oppress us, and support us against those who are hostile to us and let no misfortune afflict our Deen; and let not worldly affairs be our principal concern, or the ultimate limit of our knowledge, and let not those rule over us who do not show mercy to us)
[At-Tirmidhi in Kitab ad-Dawaat 3502, an-Nasaai in al-Kubra 6/106, Ibn Sunni in Amal al-Yawm wa Layla no. 445, al-Hakim 1/258, he authenticated it and Dhahabi agreed with him. It was classed as Hasan by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi 3/168 No. 2783, and Sahih al-Jaami 1/400]Read the lives of the prophets and pious people and how they spent their lives
And Allah knows best.
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