IOK Ramadan: Dunya vs Akhirah | Heart To Heart Ep. 3

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Heart To Heart. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

[Episode 1 . 2]

Transcription:

Reflections #3 – Dunya vs. Ākhirah

We live in an era of mass distraction; there are so many different things that are constantly competing for our attention and time. Our hearts and minds are easily distracted; it is easy to be pulled away from our real true purpose in life. One of the most powerful forces that is constantly pulling on our hearts is this dunya; the love of material things. One of the most consuming and powerful diseases of the heart is love of the world. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī ([ramhu] said, “Love of the world is the origin of every sin.” If a person were to get to the root cause of every single sin they will find that it is the love of this world. It is the reason for that one glance, the reason for cheating on that one exam, the reason behind backbiting, or the reason for missing fajr yesterday.

Allah ﷻ speaks to this reality in Sūrah Āl ʿImrān. “The love of ˹worldly˺ desires has been made appealing to people —women, children, treasures of gold and silver, fine horses, cattle, and fertile land. These are the pleasures of this worldly life, but with Allah is the finest destination.” In this one single verse, Allah ﷻ has grouped together some of the most powerful and enjoyable pleasures of this life; women, children, endless wealth, fine horses, and property. 

Allah ﷻ is telling us that the love of these worldly desires has been made appealing to us as human beings; meaning, they are innate. These desires are part of human nature. Allah ﷻ then mentions some examples; women, children, treasures of gold and silver, fine horses, cattle, and fertile land. 

Allah ﷻ has created us with these innate and natural desires. Islam doesn’t require us to completely suppress them; rather, it provides guidance on how to control them and fulfill them within the bounds of the Shariʿah.  We are taught how to regulate, moderate, and control these desires. We are supposed to control our desires, not be controlled by them. The Prophet ﷺ taught us, “The clever person is the one who subjugates his soul, and works for what is after death. And the incapable is the one who follows his desires and merely hopes in Allah ﷻ.” That is why it is so important to strive and struggle against our souls, avoid temptations, and subjugate our desires. The Prophet ﷺ describes those who struggle against their souls as mujāhids. “The real mujāhid is the one who struggles against their soul in the obedience of Allah .”

In this passage, Allah ﷻ teaches us one method or one way of regulating, controlling, and subjugating our desires; by reminding us that all of these comforts, pleasures, and luxuries are temporary and fleeting. And that the comforts, pleasures, and luxuries of the life to come are eternal and everlasting. We are being reminded that chasing after these things, spending our time, energy, and effort in the pursuit of these enjoyments at the expense of the hereafter is not worth it. Allah ﷻ wants us to change our outlook and perspective on life; to recognize and internalize that chasing after the life of this world is not worth it. That is why after mentioning all of these desires and comforts Allah ﷻ reminds us, “These are the pleasures of this worldly life, but with Allah is the finest destination.”

Allah ﷻ then tells the Prophet ﷺ to tell his Companions, his community, and his followers of what is far better than any of these fleeting things. “Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Shall I inform you of what is better than ˹all of˺ this? Those mindful ˹of Allah˺ will have Gardens with their Lord under which rivers flow, to stay there forever, and pure spouses, along with Allah’s pleasure.” And Allah is All-Seeing of ˹His˺ servants,” Allah ﷻ is telling us that the people of taqwa – those who are mindful, conscious, and aware of Allah ﷻ both in public and in private – who control their desires in the life of this world will be rewarded with eternal salvation. They “will have Gardens with their Lord under which rivers flow, to stay there forever, and pure spouses, along with Allah’s pleasure.” And Allah is All-Seeing of ˹His˺ servants.”

Allah ﷻ then gives us a detailed description of who these individuals are; what are their qualities, characteristics, and values. “Those who pray, “Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive our sins and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” This highlights their connection with their Lord and Creator. It shows that they are people of taqwa. They first state that they are believers and then appeal to Allah ﷻ on the strength of that faith to forgive their sins and protect them from the fire. Allah ﷻ describes them with five distinct qualities and characteristics. And each of these qualities is an essential value that forms part of the Muslim personality.

The first is patience; they are people of sabr. As we’ve covered before, sabr is usually translated as patience, but this translation is under inclusive. Sabr includes patience, but it is also strength, steadfastness, perseverance, endurance, forbearance, self-restraint, self-control, and being content with the decree of Allah ﷻ. Being a person of sabr means being able to endure and persevere through hardships and difficulties without complaints. To be firm and steadfast, readily fulfilling our responsibilities towards Allah and others, submitting ourselves to Allah ﷻ and accepting whatever happens to us as part of Allah’s plan.

The second is that they are people of sidq, or truthfulness. They are truthful both in speech and behavior. al-Sidq means that the external condition of a person conforms to their internal condition. Their speech, behavior, actions, and deeds conform to the faith and belief in their heart. Their internal condition doesn’t contradict their actions and their actions don’t contradict their internal condition. In colloquial terms, it can be described as being real. Our outer actions correspond with our inner states. For example, if we stand in prayer with apparent humility, our minds should not be wandering around. 

The third quality is obedience or devotion. Their loyalty and devotion are to Allah and Allah alone. It means submitting to Allah ﷻ in devotion, worship, obedience, and servitude. To worship Allah ﷻ with sincerity, excellence, and humility.

The fourth quality is generosity and the fifth quality is seeking forgiveness. These are the five qualities of the God-Conscious, the people of taqwa, who prefer the life of the hereafter over the life of this world. These are the qualities that we need to nurture and develop within ourselves. These are the qualities that will help us remain focused on our real purpose. These qualities will help us control our desires and stay away from distractions. And the foundation of these qualities is taqwa.

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Welcome To The Best Ramadan Ever!