CALMING THE DUNYA – LIVING FOR THE HEREAFTER


Maria Zain


The clamor of festivities, the shackle of firecrackers going up in the air, tall buildings looming over tiny mosques, the rush for shopping sales, a pledge to fashion and materialism.

Educated people working hard for their degrees that are recorded on paper: for prestige, recognition, position and power.

Houses are getting bigger, more expensive; the poor are left in the lurch. Parties, music, dancing, free mingling of the sexes, well into the night, filling in the void for Tahajjud prayer.

We hear of this often. New lifestyles, new hobbies that require plenty of wealth and translate into a statement of status, competition in the fashion industry – they are part and parcel of this world. It’s nothing new.

THE PROPHET’S EXAMPLE


The excitements of the world have long existed even before the advent of Prophet Muhammad’s Prophethood. The economic gap of the time was at its highest in disparity, many of the poor were ostracized, and few understood the value of kindness. It did not matter back then, as there was practically no belief in the hereafter, rather many of the rich Quraysh lived under the pretense that their wealth could buy their way into Paradise.

Well, there are instances when we look around nowadays and we see the exact same thing happening, but only in the guise of modernity.

There are plenty of people who are still enslaved by this world; completely thrown off by the importance of taqwa (consciousness of God) and are short-changing themselves for fun and flurry, regardless of the form of entertainment.

It is not wrong to be well entertained, but there is a line that is crossed when it comes to things that are forbidden, when it comes to activities that weigh in excessiveness, and when the importance of religion becomes miniscule when weighing the excitement of such a distraction.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was one man who had had the chance to claim this world for his own – yet time and time again, he turned away from it, fully pledging his loyalty to worship God and God alone. Prophet Muhammad found time to balance out his responsibilities in the world, and not compromise them for the Hereafter. As any other human being, the Prophet enjoyed his food, when it was available and fasted when it was required. He remained in a state of solitude and prayer, until it was time to spend his time with his family and friends.

He worked hard in teaching people about Islam, fought in battle when it was required, but still found time to rest and sleep when he was tired. It was said that “He had the world at his feet, yet not a Dinar to his name.” And what a proper description of the Prophet, considering that on his deathbed, he cautioned his young wife – Aisha – to dispose off his last seven dirhams to charity, lest God question the possession of these last coins.

BEWARE OF DUNYA


“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.” (Abu Nu’aym in al-Hilyah, 2/135-136)

I don’t admit it to be easy to turn away from distractions, being the deficient Muslim I am. Who doesn’t want to have fun, to be recognized for a medical degree, to have a large home?

In everyone, there are souls that wish for ease, a life that borders luxury, a trip to an exotic country for a month without lifting a finger for work. But between all of that, it is so easy to be distracted from our dues towards God and be deceived by the simple promises that this world makes. It’s a sound reminder that anything that brings us away from the remembrance of God is in fact a distraction, a blimp in our creed, nearly even, an action of shirk (believing that God is beneath the fun and frolic in this temporary abode.

“The dunya is cursed. Cursed is all that is in it except for the remembrance of Allah, and that which resembles it, a scholar, and a student (of knowledge).”  (At-Tirmidhi)

WHAT REALLY COUNTS


This is the time for charity, for it reminds us of those who are less fortunate in this world, and how they are promised Paradise if they steadfast in their endeavors.

This is the time for knowledge-sharing, as it befits no one, if a higher level learning degree translates into condescending words upon those who are less knowledgeable.

This is the time for kindness and mercy towards children, because their prayers are the ones that carry sustenance into the Hereafter.

This is the time for perfecting the prayer, because that narrows the gap between a believer and God, like the gap is narrowed between the forehead and the prayer mat.

This is the time to rekindle bits and pieces of the Sunnah, bits and pieces that fit into a massive jigsaw puzzle that give us a sense of living – living constructively for this world, and meaningfully for the Hereafter.

This is the time to calm our desires, our wishes for greatness and recognition, for wealth that isn’t well dispersed, for parties that never cease to end, for possession that reel in and out of the fashion industry.

This is also time to think about the time we are spending on earth – what are we doing constructively to pay our dues while we live on God’s land.

Are we appropriate strangers and travelers?

Do we care enough about our surroundings or do we only wish to leave a mark of remembrance of ourselves, rather than remembrance of God?

Ali ibn abi Talib said: “Verily the dunya is coming to an end, and the Hereafter is coming to a beginning and they both have children. So be children of the Hereafter and don’t be children of the dunya.” (Ibn al-Qayyim)

At the end of the day, we need to remember that this world is temporary and the Hereafter is not. How many deeds do we want to put in for this world as compared to the Hereafter?

How much of hard work do we want invested in this world when it will end and never ending reward lies in Paradise?

The thing about this world is that it is limited, but what we do, feel, say and work for will be reflected later (if not now), after we die, and when that time comes, it will be too late to make amends, because the opportunities to do so have come to pass.

LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH – 4 HUGE REWARDS TO GAIN


Khawlah bint Yahya


“I love you”. What does that mean? I love you because you are my family, I love you because you are beautiful, or I love you because you help me out? How many people actually love simply for the sake of Allah?

Love for the sake of Allah brings rewards your mind can’t even grasp, but unfortunately it has become a a lost trait among many Muslims.

So let’s find out what it means to love someone for the sake of Allah and get motivated by a selection of amazing hadiths to start loving others in this blessed way insha’Allah!

WHAT DOES “LOVING FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH” REALLY MEAN?


Loving someone for the sake of Allah comes in two ways: in your heart and with your deeds. You love someone for the sake of Allah in your heart because of their position with Allah, and this starts with loving the prophets and messengers and everyone who follows them.  You should have this love in your heart for other Muslims.

Outwardly means that you support that person in the good deeds they do, and you respect and defend them according to their good deeds.

This means you don’t love them because you know them very well, or because they brought you a direct benefit or because they have a nice appearance: you love and support them because of their efforts to please Allah!

4 HUGE REWARDS TO GAIN


1. TASTE THE SWEETNESS OF FAITH


To start with an invaluable reward in this world, the Prophet said:

There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of iman: to love Allah and His Messenger more than anyone else; to love a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to abhor returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would abhor to be thrown into the fire (of Hell). (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

We have to realize that of everything you can have in this world, a taste of the sweetness of iman is the most precious.

2. ENJOY THE SHADE OF ALLAH


Moving to the Day of Judgment, the Prophet said that Allah will ask on this day:

Where are those who loved each other for the sake of My glory? Today, on a day when there is no shade but Mine, I shall shade them with My shade. (Muslim)

You will only understand your intense need of this shade, when you are there and by just loving someone for the sake of Allah you can work for it now!

3. THE PROPHETS AND MARTYRS WILL ENVY YOU


The Messenger of Allah said:

Allah, the Exalted, has said: For those who love one another for the sake of My Glory, there will be seats of light (on the Day of Resurrection), and they will be envied by the Prophets and martyrs. (At-Tirmidhi)

Imagine yourself sitting on seats of light and the best of the best envying you because you made it a priority to love others for the sake of Allah!

4. YOU WILL HAVE A HIGH RANK WITH HIM


The Prophet said:

A man set out to visit a brother (in faith) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the latter asked him: Where do you intend to go? He said: I intend to visit my brother in this town. The angel said: Have you done any favor to him? He said: No, I have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious. Thereupon the angel said: I am a messenger to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake). (Muslim)

Isn’t this breath taking? By loving someone for the sake of Allah, you gain the love of the Highest and which love is better than His?

HOW TO LOVE SOMEONE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH


1. BE PATIENT WITH OTHERS AND STRIVE FOR A CLEAN HEART


In your relationship with other believers don’t try to seek the negative side of each word or gesture, be fast in accepting apologies and don’t be selfish.

A common issue is the more ‘religious’ some people get, their hatred for others increases. Try to seek the good side in others and always try to find a good explanation or interpretation of certain behavior or the speech of the other.

2. BE A PERSON ON WHOM OTHERS CAN RELY IN TIMES OF NEED


The Prophet said:

The believers, in their mutual friendship, mercy and affection, are like one body: if any part of it complains, the rest of the body will also stay awake in pain. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

You might know this hadith, but try to truly reflect on it. Do you truly feel the pain of other believers, does it affect you? As this is a sign of your actual love for another!

There was an example of a man who loaned his friend money and walked back home crying. When his wife asked him why he was crying and if it was because he needed the money himself he said:

No I am crying at my brother in faith’s state of affairs. How could I not have known what he was going through? If I had, I would have offered my help before he was compelled to ask for it.

He was crying because he had seen his friend sighing, and even though he had seen  something was wrong, he had never bothered to ask. This brother was crying because he hadn’t been there to prevent his brother in Islam from going through the pain of having to ask for a loan.

3. TELL OTHERS YOU LOVE THEM FOR ALLAH’S SAKE


The Prophet said:

If any of you loves his brother then he should inform him. (At-Tirmidhi)

ACTION POINT:


Revive the sunnah by telling the ones you love for His sake by saying: Uhibbuka fil-llaahi ( or to a female: uhibukki fil-llaahi), which means: I love you for the sake of Allah.

The plural is: Uhibbukum fil-llaahi ( to a group of men or a mix of men and women) or Uhibbukunna fil-llaahi (to a group women).

When someone tells you they love you for the sake of Allah, you can respond by: Ahabbak-alladhee ahbabtanee lah (for a male) or Ahabakk-illadhee ahhabtinee lah (for a female), which means: may the One for whom you have loved me, love you, in return. (Above phrases are narrated in Abu Dawud)

CONCLUSION


So let’s ask Allah to help you love others for His sake and get into action now: call or send a message and say the above to someone you love for the sake of Allah.

And I start with you all, for your eagerness to read about Islam and learn to understand the Quran: Uhibbukum fil-llaah – I love you for the sake of Allah!

THE BEAUTY OF ISLAM CHANGED MY LIFE


Theresa Corbin


Like many who have come before me and many who will come after me, I have felt a dramatic shift in my life when I came to Islam.

Many describe this as a lifting of fog. Some have said that it feels like a weight being removed from their shoulders.

 


For me, it was as if I had been seeing life through smudged glasses. Everything was blurry. I often walked right into traps and walked away from goodness for the simple fact that I could not see clearly.

So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts. (22:46)

 

To this day, chapter Al-Hajj, verse 46 of the Quran impacts me in a very profound way because I have known what blindness of the heart feels like.

It is like wearing smudged glasses, not being able to see the beauty in the world or danger when it comes your way. But it is also sense that something is very wrong, but not knowing that you are living a life obscured from reality.

I spent a few years as a young adult wandering in this blindness until God granted my fumbling, grasping, and desperate soul, guidance. But Islam has given me so much more than clear vision, it has shown me the path, given me purpose, perspective, and offered protection.

Islam opened my eyes to the fact that I am a traveler in this life.

THE PATH


The fact is that we all live life on one path or another. Whether we know it or not, whether it is winding, aimless, dark and treacherous, or guided, well-lit, and straight; we are all choosing a path. And whichever path we choose determines our destination.

It is no mistake that Islam is called the deen, or the straight path because there is no shorter distance between two points than a straight line.

Islam is the shortest distance between us and our purpose as human beings: the ultimate destination. And to that destination God has given us a well-lit, well-traveled path, the path of God’s messengers.

It was not until I accepted Islam that I felt I had a safe and simple way to travel through life.

PURPOSE


What propels one forward on any path is a purpose or destination. Not often do we get on the road to drive, bike, or walk to nowhere.

Even if the road we are traveling leads not to a physical destination but an emotional one (who among us hasn’t gone for a drive to calm down?), we still have a purpose for being on it.

There is no difference with the straight path of Islam. It leads somewhere.

As Dr. Jeffery Lang, an author, professor, and convert to Islam, says about the purpose of life as stated in the Quran:

“It’s very clear when you read the Quran that what [mankind] will achieve in this life- to so much greater degree in the next- is that they will experience a relationship of love with God. They will turn to God in love and God will turn to them in love.”

LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH – 4 HUGE REWARDS TO GAIN


Islam offers the ultimate purpose for moving forward on the path – to find peace in knowing, trusting, and loving God. It offers this as the highest goal for the spiritual being: drawing nearer to God in the hopes that we will be forever near Him, our home and source in the hereafter.

It was not until I accepted Islam that I felt I wasn’t just moving aimlessly from task to task, but I had a clear, well-defined purpose.

PERSPECTIVE


Islam allows for pitstops or other, lesser goals in life. It even encourages us to have good career goals, academic goals, relationship goals that all lead to our larger purpose.

But Islam also gives us perspective, showing us that these goals should not distract us from the greater goal of drawing nearer to God.

Similarly, we will find things that can easily distract us from the direction we are meant to travel. Stormy weather, a flat tire, running out of provisions are all situations that can distract us from our direction on the road.

Just like in life, distractions or hardships can also throw us for a loop on the spiritual path and cause us to lose our bearings.

But Islam is the compass that stays true, putting other goals and hardships of life in perspective, ever directing us toward our spiritual goal.

It was not until I accepted Islam that I had some directionality, a focus that has kept me moving in the direction of my ultimate goal even when life tries to knock me down.

PROTECTION


Islam also offers the traveler protection from the avoidable hardships of traveling. Islam, as a code of conduct, is like the signs on the path telling us what hazard is up ahead that we can avoid. It informs us of when to speed up or slow down, when to change lanes, and when to turn on our headlights so we don’t harm ourselves. So we make it through this life in one piece.

We are all travelers in this life. I never knew that until I knew Islam. In Islam, I found the straightest path, purpose, direction, protection, and more.

Now that I have clarity and the tools every traveler needs, it is up to me to make my journey a success.