- “Took hold of my shoulder”
- “Be in the World … “
2.1 The Nature of This Worldly Life as Demonstrated in the Quran and Sunnah - “Like a Stranger”
- “or”
- “a traveler along a path”
- ibn Umar would say, “If you survive till the late afternoon … “
- “Take from your health for your sickness … “
7.1 Wealth.
7.2 Free time
7.3 Health.
7.4 Youth
7.5 Life. - “For certainly, you do not know, O servant of Allah, what your name will be tomorrow.”
- Other Points Related to This Hadith
On the authority of ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took hold of my shoulder and said, “Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path.” And ibn Umar would say, “If you survive till the late afternoon, do not expect [to be alive in] the morning. If you survive till the morning, do not expect [to be alive in] the late afternoon. Take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death.” Recorded by al-Bukhari.
General Comments About the Hadith: This hadith is truly profound in meaning, with far-reaching implications. If one ponders over the meaning of this hadith and applies it correctly, it could lead him to a great deal of good, as this worldly life can be a great threat to a life of piety. This hadith is a vivid reminder of the real nature of this world. The believer who understands and implements this hadith will find himself high above this worldly life rather than a slave to it. Echoing some of those points, Sultan wrote about this hadith, How many legally responsible humans have had the world as an impediment in their path to adhering to the commands of the religion. How many such humans have had their hearts filled with the love for this world to the point that they become slaves to it and its people. And how many such humans have sold their religion, conscience and people due to it. Therefore, the Messenger of Islam (peace be upon him) clarified how the human should be in this world so that he may pass on from this world in safety to the abode of safety.
1. “Took hold of my shoulder”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of ibn Umar’s shoulder. It seems clear that the purpose of that act- and this demonstrates how important is every aspect of the Prophet’s teaching and example- was to get ibn Umar’s complete attention. lbn Umar would then understand that he is about to be told something very important. He will remember the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) grabbing his shoulder and will thus be able to recall what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him at that time. This demonstrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) not only conveyed the message, but he conveyed it in the best way possible. He conveyed it in such a way that the people would understand and remember it. Numerous teaching techniques can be derived from the acts of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
For example, in another hadith, one can find the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) striking Abdullah ibn Masood, another young Companion, in order to get his complete attention as he was about to tell him something of great importance. These examples of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are important lessons for anyone who wishes to carry on the Prophet’s role of conveying this religion to others. If one wishes to benefit others with advice, the matter is not simply the information presented but it is also the manner of presentation. The best manner is that which is in accordance with the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Al-Bugha and Mistu wrote, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was a teacher and murabbi1 for his Companions. Many of the methods of teaching that today’s experts are discussing were already implemented by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He would take advantage of specific occasions and opportunities. He would state parables for them, taking meanings from a theoretical level to the level of what they witnessed and experienced. He would give them admonitions and speeches according to the need. He would be aware of their understanding and would carefully observe their deeds, approving of what was correct and correcting what was wrong. All of that was done in the manner of an example par excellence, with patience, perseverance and watchfulness.
It is clear from ibn Umar’s own advice after relating this hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that be did understand and retain what the Prophet (peace be upon him) had taught him. That is, the teaching method of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was successful. At the time of the Prophet’s death, ibn Umar was, at the most, about twenty years of age. As was mentioned in the commentary to Hadith #19, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave the young ibn Abbaas some very important and profound words of instruction, one should take note of how the Prophet (peace be upon him) took special care in teaching the younger Companions. He brought them up with the clear teachings of Islam such that they would learn its message at an early age and develop and grow in the shade of that message.
Perhaps, also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew by inspiration that these young Companions would be the future propagators and teachers of the faith. The elder Companions, for the most part, would die while the majority of the population were still Companions. These younger Companions would live to see the days of new people embracing Islam, people who needed to be taught their religion. These younger Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did in fact play a great role in the preservation and propagation of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
2. “Be in the World … “
The Prophet (peace be upon him) explained to ibn Umar (and, thus to all believers) how he should be with respect to this world. This world is referred to in Arabic as al-dunya. As noted earlier, linguistically, dunya comes from a root meaning both closeness and something despicable or lowly. This world is called dunya for two reasons: First, at the present time, it is closer (adnaa) to the humans than the Hereafter. Second, it is despicable or abased (daneeah) in comparison to the Hereafter. This hadith is a clear sign that a true believer does not put his aspirations and heart into this world. This world is not his real home. Instead, on his mind is that he is moving toward his real destination, real home and real resting place. He will not plant his heart and mind too firmly in this earth. His love, thoughts and motive are for a completely different world and existence.
Among the implications here is that if the believer loses anything of this world or is not able to attain something of this world, it will not have a great effect on his heart and emotions. He is not like the disbelievers who in reality and practice- although they may claim to believe otherwise- have nothing to live for but this life. If they face some difficulty in this life, they are sometimes even willing to kill themselves due to their depression and lack of having anything else to look forward to. It is a well-known fact that after the famous stock market crash of 1929, many Americans·and others throughout the world committed suicide as their whole world- everything and all that they had lived for-came crumbling down around them.
2.1 The Nature of This Worldly Life as Demonstrated in the Quran and Sunnah
It is only those who are deceived by the glitter they see around them who become engrossed in this world and desire it till their deaths. When a person realizes the true nature of this world, as taught in the Quran and sunnah, it becomes very easy for him to become “detached” from this world and to deal with it in the proper way. In order to help the reader achieve that realization, verses of Quran and hadith that demonstrate the reality of this world shall be presented here. They shall be presented with a minimum of commentary. The hoped for result is that the reader will realize why, in fact, he should become like a stranger or a traveler with respect to this world, as mentioned in this hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Allah says in the Quran, “Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children. [In reality, it is] like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the disbelievers. ‘ When it dries and you see it tum yellow, and then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion” (al-Hadeed 20).
Other verses also state emphatically that this life is nothing but play, amusement and diversion from what is more important. Note the following verses: “And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion. But the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. So will you not then reason?” (alAnaam 32).
“And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And, indeed, the home of the Hereafter, that is the [true and eternal] life, if only they knew” (alAnkaboot 64).
“This worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your reward and not ask you for your wealth” (Muhammad 36).
Ibn al-Qayyim points out that play, amusement and diversion have no real purpose or benefit. They are simply things that occupy the soul and causes it to waste its time and not involve itself in more important matters. The ignorant people spend their whole lives in pursuit of such vain activities without any benefit for themselves in the Hereafter.
Allah has also described this world as zeenah (something alluring, beautiful, attractive). Therefore, the eyes and physical self find it good and worthy of love. However, if the heart were aware of its reality, what dangers it can present for one’s religion and relationship with Allah and what over indulgence in it leads to, the world would become displeasing to it and the heart would then concentrate on the Hereafter, Allah also says about this worldly life, “The example of this worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb– those from which men and livestock eat- until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have power over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest [cut down and gone], as if it had not flourished just beforehand. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought” (Yoonus 24).
In a similar verse, Allah says, “And present to them the example of the life of this world: [It is] like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever perfect in ability over all things. Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better with your Lord and better for [one’s] hope” (al-Kahf 45-46). Allah also says, “But you prefer the worldly life while the Hereafter is better and more lasting” (al- ‘Alaa 16-17).
This world can get the person so engrossed that he forgets the Hereafter. He gets deceived into believing that the goals of this life are worth living for even if it means that one neglects his duties toward Allah. These are some of the ways by which Satan seduces man and makes him forget about his real purpose. For such a person, Allah has stated clear words ofreminder: “O mankind, indeed, the promise of Allah is true, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the deceiver [Satan]” (Faatir 5).
Muslim records a hadith that states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by a dead goat which had either very small ears or mutilated ears. The Prophet (peace be upon him) took it and said to his Companions, “Which of you would like to have this for one dirham?” They said, “We do not desire it. What would we use it for?” The Prophet again said, “Would you like to have it for your own?” They said, “By Allah, even if it were alive, we would find it defective, since it has small ears; what do you think now that it is dead?” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then told them, “By Allah, the world is more insignificant to Allah than that [dead goat] is to you.”
In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “If this worldly life were equivalent in Allah’s sight to even a wing of a mosquito, He would not have given a disbeliever even a drink of water in it.” An unbeliever is an enemy to Allah and the enemy should not be given anything of real value. But the unbeliever is given plenty of this world,
implying that a world void of faith and good deeds is of no real value whatsoever.
In the Quran, Allah has made it clear that He will give this world to whoever He wills, believer or disbeliever; such worldly possessions are not of great importance. However, the Hereafter, which is the true bounty and the matter of great importance, He reserves only for His believers and those whom He is pleased with. Allah has said, for example, “Whoever should desire the immediate [worldly life], We hasten for him from it what We will to whom We intend. Then We have made for him Hell, which he will [enter to] burn, censured and banished. But whoever desires the Hereafter and exerts the effort due to it while he is a believer, it is those whose effort is ever appreciated [by Allah]” (al-Israa 18-19).
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said, “The food of humans strikes a parable of this worldly life: From what comes out of humans [as waste], even after they had seasoned it and added salt to it [and made it very tasty], look at what it ends up as.” In other words, even though humans work very hard to make the food taste excellent, the food finally results in something that is very disgusting and distasteful. The same is true for this world and all of its glitter. It will all end in destruction and waste. Muslim recorded that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “By Allah, [the bounties and length of] this world with respect to the Hereafter are not but as if one were to put this finger into the ocean and see with what it comes out [compared to what it leaves in the ocean].”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has shown very contrasting pictures of those people who give up this life for the Hereafter (and suffer with patience and control their desires) and those who devour this life and neglect the Hereafter. All of the harm and all of the supposed joy that the people faced in this world will be forgotten because of their new experience in the Hereafter.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, “The person of the [to be] inhabitants of the Hell-fire who received the most bounties of the people of this world will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and dipped once into Hell. It will be said to him, ‘O son of Adam, have you ever seen any good at all [in your life]? Did you ever enjoy any blessings at all?’ He will answer, ‘No, by Allah. ‘ And the person of the [to be] inhabitants of Paradise who faced the greatest hardships of the people of this world will be brought and dipped once into Paradise. It will be said to him, ‘O son of Adam, did you ever see any hardship at all [in your life]? Did you ever face any difficulties?’ He will say, ‘No, by Allah, O Lord, I never experienced any hardships at all and I never saw any difficulties at all.”‘ (Recorded by Muslim.)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you. But I fear that this world will be spread out for you [and given to you in abundance] as it was spread out for the peoples before you, and then you will compete in it as they competed in it and it will destroy you as it destroyed them.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Commenting on this hadith, the modem day scholar ibn Uthaimeen explains that poverty or being poor allows one to be closer to following the truth than being rich. Indeed, most of the people who followed the Prophet (peace be upon him), especially in the early years, were from among the poor. Throughout history, most of the people who rejected the messengers were the rich and arrogant.
He goes on to say, That is what is happening. Look at our situation. When the people were closer to being poor, they were more conscious and fearful of Allah. When the wealth increased and became abundant, more and more people starting turning away from the path of Allah and oppression started. Nowadays, people long for the glitter and attractions of this world, of cars, houses, furniture, clothing. And they boast to others about all those things. And they tum away from what is beneficial for them in the Hereafter. The newspapers and magazines only talk about luxurious living and what is related to this world. They tum people away from the Hereafter and ruin them, except for those whom Allah wills.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “Verily, the world is sweet and green [appealing]. And verily Allah has placed you as successors in it. And He sees how you act, so beware of the world and beware of women.” (Recorded by Muslim.) The Prophet (peace be upon him) also described how the believers and how the disbelievers feel about this world. In a hadith, he stated, “This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.” (Recorded by Muslim.)
This world can be very alluring, as all of the above make clear. For that reason, Allah even warned the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about being with those people who are seeking only this world. The Prophet (peace be upon him)- and therefore all believers- was told to seek the company of those people who are working for the Hereafter. He should be with them and face with patience the trials, sacrifices and difficulties of this world. The truth is from Allah and that truth states that the real life is the life of the Hereafter; those who only work for this life and follow their lusts and desires herein will be in great loss.
Allah says, “And keep yourself (O Muhammad) patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and afternoon, seeking His countenance, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair has been lost. And say: The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe. And whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (al-Kahf 28-29).
After all of the above has been said, the following points made by Ahinad Fareed must also be made: The censuring of this world is not with respect to the place of the world, which is the Earth, or what is placed in it of mountains, rivers and mines. All of that is part of the bounties of Allah upon His servants as they contain many beneficial things for them. They are aspects for reflection and indicators of the oneness of the Creator and of His power and greatness. The censuring and the blame is with respect to the acts that humans do in the world as most of those acts are not done in the proper fashion that leads to praiseworthy results …
With respect to the world, humans are divided into two categories. First are those who rej ect the idea that for the humans there is an abode after this world for reward and punishment. .. The only concern for those people is enjoying this world and taking advantage of its pleasure before they die, as Allah has said, “Those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as grazing livestock eat, and the Fire will be a residence for them” (Muhammad 12).
The second category of people are those who recognize that there is an abode after death for reward and punishment. These are those who follow the messengers. These people are also subdivided into three subcategories: the one who wrongs himself, the moderate one and the one who races forward to good deeds by the permission of Allah.
As for those who wrong themselves: these are the majority. Most of them look at the glitter and beauty of this world and take it in an improper fashion and use it in an improper way. This world becomes their greatest concern. It is by this world that they become pleased; it is due to it that they become angry; it is according to it that they make alliances with others
or oppose others. These are the people of play, diversion and attraction. Although they do believe in the Hereafter on a general level, they do not recognize what is the purpose of this world. They do not recognize that it is a place for them to get provisions for what is after it.
As for the moderate ones: Those are the ones who take from this world in a permissible fashion; they fulfill its obligations; they take for themselves the obligatory provisions and go beyond that to enjoy part of what this world has to offer. There is no punishment for them for what they have done. However, they have lessened their rewards [in the Hereafter] …
As for those who race forward to good deeds by the permission of Allah: They understand what is the purpose of this world and they work according to what that requires. They know full well that Allah has placed His servants in this abode in order to test them to see which of them are the best in deeds … Saeed ibn Jubair said, “The deceiving pleasures and
possessions are those that divert you from seeking the Hereafter. What does not divert you [from that goal] are not deceiving pleasures and possessions but pleasures and possessions that make you reach what is better than it.” Yahya ibn Muaadh said, “How can I not love this world? Decreed for me in it is the food by which I acquire life, by which I achieve acts of obedience and by which I attain Paradise.”
3. “Like a Stranger”
This hadith shows that a believer should have one of two attitudes toward this world. The first is that of a stranger in a strange land. He feels that he is in a place where he does not belong. This is not his home and he cannot feel entirely happy here. His heart can never be tied to this land. Instead, his heart and mind are preoccupied with getting back to his home. His time and his efforts are filled with that purpose. He is spending his time, money and capabilities to gather together what he needs to return to his home. His time is not spent or wasted on entrenching himself deeply in this environment to which he knows that he does not belong.
Therefore, the believer’s life, long-term aspirations, goal in life, time, efforts, work and wealth should never be spent for the purposes of this worldly life alone. Instead, they should all be guided by his urgent desire to reach his true home, where he knows he belongs. They must all be guided by his want to please Allah and to be entered among Allah’s pious servants in the everlasting home of Paradise.
This is how a stranger behaves when he is in a foreign land. He is not happy with his day unless he feels that during it he has done something that will eventually lead him back to his home or that has helped him reach his final goal. Furthermore, he does not try to compete with the inhabitants of that strange land because his interests and their interests are completely at odds. In addition, he is not trying to win their respect or praise, as in his heart he is merely seeking to return to his land. Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, “The believer is in the world like a stranger. He does not become unhappy from its humiliation, nor does he compete for its honor. He has one purpose and the people have another purpose.” Thus, the believer will not compete against others for this world. Many times, this will be considered something very strange to others. However, he will not care if they consider him different or strange. In fact, he will definitely be a stranger to them because his concerns are so very different from theirs.
lbn Rajah points out that Allah originally placed Adam and Eve in Paradise. Then they were expelled from it. But they and their pious descendants were promised to be returned to that original home. Hence, that is the believer’s real home. In this world, he is a stranger, away from his home. Therefore, the believer is always yearning to return to that original home from whence he came.
There are some other points that need to be explicitly stated concerning the stranger. A stranger desires to return to his land. However, he knows that he cannot return to his homeland if he starves to death where he is or if he makes extra efforts to survive where he is while sacrificing efforts to provide for his journey. It is true that the believer’s heart is not attached to this world, but at the same time, he must realize that he has to work in this world to be able to make it back to his homeland. That is, for the believer, this is the place of working- working with the goal of getting to where he belongs. This work involves true faith and performing the good deeds that are obligatory or recommended for him. These are, in fact, the provisions that will help him reach his homeland he so longs for.
However, some of that “work” involves this worldly life. Although he is a stranger, he is forced to have some involvement in this world. He is obliged to support himself and his family. He is obliged to order good and eradicate evil. He is obliged to be kind and good to others and so forth. Hence, he is a stranger but not in a negative sense; he contributes what is good to this world, yet he is not working for the sake of this world.
4. “or”
The word “or” here is not meant as a kind of indecision or doubt. Instead, it implies a choice or variation, as in the phrase, “be this or that.” However, according to al-Teebi, it is even better to be understood it as bal . According to this interpretation, the translation would be, “Be in this world like a stranger; in fact, you should actually be like one traveling along a path.” Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) first mentioned the stranger and then mentioned a higher or better level, the traveler. This is because a stranger can live and settle in the land where he is a stranger. However, the traveler has no intention but to move on. He does no deed except that which helps him reach his destination, living in fear that something may happen to him that will keep him from being able to reach his destination. Therefore, he is not actually residing in or becoming part of a place, as a stranger may do to some extent, but he is simply trying to move on.
It is important to note that these are the only two options that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave the believer with respect to this world: either be like a stranger or like one traveling along a path. If a believer’s attitude toward this world does not resemble one of those two categories, it means that he is not treating this world in the manner that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has instructed.
5. “a traveler along a path”
The second possibility that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned for the believer is to be like a traveler along a path. This implies that the person is actually not residing anywhere but is always moving toward his final destination or goal. The end of his travels, of course, will be his death. Therefore, his only preoccupation is to gather the provisions that he needs to continue his journey and make his journey a successful one. In another hadith, it is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was lying on a hard mat. Ibn Masood began to wipe the effects of the mat from the Prophet’s body and suggested that he have something better to sleep on. The Prophet’s reply was, “What do I have to do with this worldly life? I and this worldly life are but like a traveler who stopped for a little while under a tree to get some shade and then he moved on.” (Ahmad)
Al-Nawawi stated that a person in this world is like a slave who was sent by his master to another land to fulfill some objective. His goal will be to fulfill that objective as quickly as possible and then return to his land and owner. As long as he is there, he will not bother with anything else along the way or with gathering as much as he can from that other land. Ibn Hajr stated, “In the same way that a traveler is not in need of more than what will get him to his destination, a believer does not need any more of this world than what will help him reach his [desired] destination [of Paradise].”
Hence, the believer is not interested in gathering too much of this world because such things make it more difficult for him to continue on his travels and to travel easily. Because this world is so alluring and attractive, it is easy for a Muslim to forget this. When he becomes attracted and attached to the things of this world, he forgets that he is on a journey. Instead of being ready to move closer to his destination when necessary, his store of worldly possessions and strong attachment to them render him unable to move on to the next leg of his trip. He is now no longer gathering provisions for his journey and his final destination but he is now accumulating things to help him stay where he is and become a full-fledged resident of this world. In other words, he has lost sight of the fact that he is supposed to be working and traveling toward a destination. He has become preoccupied with this worldly life, which should have remained only an insignificant stop along his journey and not something that takes up most of his time and efforts.
There is another important aspect that any traveler must be aware of: not getting lost or sidetracked along the way. The travels of a believer may be very long before he meets his Lord. Along the way, there are many things that may distract him. There are even enemies along the path. Satan, for example, is ever ready to take the believer away from the path. Therefore, the believer who is on this journey must always be seeking Allah’s guidance and His help to keep him moving in the right direction. Any straying from that path could be disastrous; his end may come suddenly and he may never have the chance to return to the straight path. Allah has awakened the believers to that sobering reality and He has guided them to say in every rakah of every prayer, “Guide us to the Straight Path.” Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), by his example of constantly making the following supplication, taught the believers to say, “O the One who Tums the Hearts, confirm my heart upon your religion.” (al-Tirmidhi)
Many Muslims are not awake to the fact that they are actually on a journey, heading toward the meeting with their Lord. What is the solution for such Muslims? Al-Fudhail ibn lyaadh said to a man, “How old are you?” He said, “Sixty years old.” Al-Fudhail then said, “For sixty years you have been traveling toward your Lord. It seems that you will soon reach your destination.” The man said, “We belong to Allah and to Him we will return.” Al-Fudhail said, “Do you know what that means? You are saying: I am a slave of Allah and to Him is the return. The one who knows that he is a slave of Allah and that he shall return to Him knows that he is, in fact, to be detained.
The one who knows that he is to be detained knows that he is going to be asked. Therefore, he must prepare answers for that questioning.” The man said, “What is the solution?” Al-Fudhail said, “It is simple.” The man said, “What is it?” He replied, “Do good for the remainder of your life and you will be forgiven for what you did in the past. However, if you do evil in what remains of your life, you will be held responsible for what you did in the past and in the future.”
So, everyone is on a journey. It is a journey that ends with one’s meeting his Lord. When he meets Allah, he will be asked about his journey and how he behaved during it. If he realizes now that he is on such a journey, he should start preparing for the meeting toward which he is heading. And the only preparation is by increasing one ‘s faith, doing good deeds and working for that final destination rather than for any vain intermediate aim.
Count yourself among the inhabitants of the grave: The believer must always be conscious of the fact that he is living in the shade of death. At any moment, death may overtake him. When this realization is clear in the person’s mind, he will constantly be preparing for his death. And there is only one way to actually prepare for death: by performing good deeds and abstaining from evil deeds. For such a person, the pleasures of this world will not be foremost on his mind. In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, “Remember the destroyer of pleasures- death- often. Verily, no one remembers it during straitened times in his life except that it makes the matter easier upon him. And no one remembers it during times of ease except that it makes the matter tighter upon him.”
In other words, when one feels disappointed by the lack of comforts in this world and then remembers death, he will realize that there is no real comfort or joy in this world for one to be depressed about. Hence, his affair will be made easier by remembering death. And, during times of ease and material comfort, when one remembers death, the matter that brings an end to all of these fleeting comforts, one keeps oneself from getting overly attached to and fond of these worldly items. The person will realize that such things are not necessities but it is faith and good deeds that are needed. These are just some of the benefits of considering oneself among the inhabitants of the graves and of remembering death.
6. ibn Umar would say, “If you survive till the late afternoon … “
The statement of ibn Umar is directly related to the hadith. One of the ills that afflicts humans and makes them heedless of the Hereafter is thinkingif not consciously, then through actions- that this world and life is their real world and life. They begin to act like they are going to live here forever. Rather, they begin to act as though this were their permanent abode and there were no abode other than this one. Their deeds become the deeds of this world rather than for the Hereafter.
One of the best ways to overcome this disease is described here in the words of ibn Umar, “If you survive till the late afternoon, do not expect [to be alive in] the morning. If you survive till the morning, do not expect [to be alive in] the late afternoon.” One should realize that death- the end of this journey- is definitely approaching, perhaps very soon. Instead of working for elaborate and long-run hopes in this world, one should remember that at any moment this j oumey may come to an end. It will be of no avail to him to dream of future goals and hopes and to be always working for those goals if, when doing so, he is not also doing those deeds that will avail him in the Hereafter. It makes no sense to always work for hopes and dreams of this world which may never come to pass and to not work for the Hereafter which will definitely come to pass.
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) displayed in a graphic fashion the reality of this life and the dreams that people have. Anas narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) drew for them some lines and, pointing to them, said, “This is man, these are the dreams and this is the appointed time. When he is like that [that is, heading toward his dreams], the closer line comes.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) There is some difference of opinion as to the exact way in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) drew those lines. Below Figure displays two of the common understandings of this hadith:
In that simple display, the Prophet (peace be upon him) plainly displayed the stark reality of the dreams and aspirations of this worldly life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has shown that if one pins his hopes on those dreams, he will indeed be greatly disappointed.
When one lives in such a state of remembrance of death, he will not leave the good deeds that he can or should do in the morning until the evening nor will he leave the deeds he can do in the evening until the morning. Instead, he will do them as soon as he can for he realizes that if he does not do them soon, he may never get a chance to do them. He will take advantage of every moment. If he does not do so, there may come a time when he will be in despair for having failed to perform those good deeds although he had the opportunity to do them. Unfortunately, he did not take advantage of that opportunity because he felt that he would live long enough to meet his goals of this world as well as do those good deeds later.
This concept of curtailing long-term hopes in this world- and instead working for the certainty of the Hereafter- was well understood by the early pious generations of Muslims. Ibn Rajah quotes many narrations related to it. The following are some examples from his commentary to this hadith: Al-Marwoozi asked Ahmad ibn Hanbal, “What is zuhd (detachment) in this world?” He replied, “Curtailing one’s hopes and dreams, when someone in the morning says, ‘I shall not expect to live until the evening.”‘ Bakr al-Muzani said, “If you want your prayer to benefit you, say to yourself, ‘Perhaps I will never perform another prayer [after it].”‘ This, in fact, is based on a hadith in which a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “Teach me and make it very concise.” Part of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him was, “When you stand for your prayer, perform a farewell prayer [as if there is to be no prayer after it].”
Maroof al-Karkhi once asked another man to lead the prayer. The man said, “If I lead you in this prayer, I will not lead you in any other prayer afterwards.” Al-Karkhi said, “Do you consider that you will pray another prayer [in the future]? I seek refuge from [such] distant hopes for it keeps one from doing the best deeds.” lbn Daqeeq al-Eid points out that it is natural for man to have such hopes and dreams. Therefore, he must actually struggle against this tendency in himself. He must overcome his desires, hopes and weaknesses. He must do this if he truly wishes to be successful.
7. “Take from your health for your sickness … “
Here, ibn Umar is giving advice that one should perform good deeds while in a state of health before sickness and weakness overcomes him and he does not have the strength to do the good deeds. Similarly, one must perform good deeds during one’s lifetime before death overtakes him and he does not have the ability or opportunity to work. As noted earlier, in another narration, ibn Umar also said, “For certainly, you do not know, 0 servant of Allah, what your name will be tomorrow.” In other words, “You do not know whether you will be among the living or the dead tomorrow, so you must act now.”
This advice from ibn Umar can also be derived from different hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Al-Bukhari recorded that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “There are two bounties that many people lose [by not taking full advantage of them]: health and free time.” In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, “Take advantage of five before [another] five occur: Your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your preoccupation, your life before your death.
The point of these hadith and ibn Umar’s statement is very clear: Allah has given humanity ample means and opportunity to perform good deeds. These means include health, youthful energy, wealth, free time and, in fact, life in itself. However, with respect to the first four, Allah usually does not give them to an individual throughout his entire life span. This is the fact of which the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reminding the Muslims: Since these means may not be with a person throughout his entire life, he must take advantage of them and use them for his benefit in the Hereafter while he has them.
Each of those five resources can be a great trial for humans. Indeed, the trial of bounties can be much greater than the trial of hardships. Under hardship, one may have no recourse except to remain patient. However, when one is granted bounties, numerous doors open up to him: the doors to permissible things and the doors to forbidden things. Under these circumstances, the person must work hard to restrict himself to entering only those doors that lead to what is permissible and good. Because many people tend to overlook these great trials, each one of these five bounties shall be discussed separately.
7.1 Wealth.
Wealth is one of the greatest trials facing man. As Allah says in the Quran, “Know that your wealth and your children are not but a trial for you and that Allah has with Him a great reward” (al-Anfaal 28; al-Taghaabun 15 has a similar message). The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “Verily, for every nation there is a fitnah (trial and temptation). And the fitnah
of my nation is wealth.” Allah indicates how wealth may divert one’s attention from the matter of most importance: the remembrance and worship of Allah. Allah says, “O you who believe, let not your wealth and children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that, then they are the losers” (alMunaafiqoon 9).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “Verily, those who have the most [wealth] will be the ones with least on the Day of Resurrection except for the one who says, ‘This is for that, this is for that and this is for that [in other words, he gives the wealth away for good causes].”‘ (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
In general, gathering a lot of wealth in this world takes up a lot of time and effort. Those who gather such wealth are spending much of their time in such worldly matters and, hence, they do not have much time to spend for matters of the next world. Unless they use that wealth in good ways before Allah takes it from them, they will be among the people with the least on the Day of Judgment.
Using wealth in a good way is one of the greatest ways by which one can earn Allah’s pleasure. The relevant issue is what the person does when he has wealth. Does he use it in ways that are beneficial to him for his meeting with his Lord? Or does he use it in ways that do not benefit him or may even harm him? If he does not use that wealth in a way that is beneficial to himself in the Hereafter, he has lost a tremendous opportunity. He may never get that opportunity again. When he uses up all of his wealth in frivolous pursuits, there may come a time when he needs all he has simply to support himself and his family. At that time, the question of him giving for the sake of Allah will no longer be a viable question. He will not have the ability to give and, worst of all, he demonstrated to Allah that if he had the ability to give, he would not give.
The Quran describes people who do not realize their mistake of not giving for the sake of Allah and using their wealth in the proper way until it is too late: “And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.’ But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is acquainted with what you do” (al-Munaafiqoon 10-11).
7.2 Free time
Free time is also among the important bounties that Allah gives to mankind. It is during a person’s free time that he can truly dedicate himself to studying, memorizing the Quran, helping the poor and all sorts of good deeds. The proper use of one’s free time is a very important means of gaining Allah’s pleasure in the Hereafter. lbn Hajr points out that the one who has free time actually has no excuse for not performing good deeds and improving himself. Such free time will be a proof against him unless he uses it properly.
Unfortunately, much of modem civilization is dedicated to entertainment, enjoyment, pleasure and sensual gratification, as can be seen by the dominance and place of movies, sports, music, art, alcohol and so forth. A Muslim must be careful not to allow this civilization, with all of its supposed fun and glitter, to affect him negatively and allow him to waste his precious time. It is very easy, for example, for one hour of benefit-less television watching to turn into two hours, then three hours and so forth. It is very easy to be taken by the things of this world and to spend all of one’s time enjoying and seeking the goods of this world.
One should keep in mind the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “The worst of my Nation are those who are born into bounties and nurtured in them. Their most important concern is the types of food and the types of clothing, while they are boastful in speech.” Again, a Muslim should spend his free time- before he becomes preoccupied with many things later in his life- in ways that are beneficial.
7.3 Health.
Ill-health is one of the greatest barriers to performing good deeds. Most good deeds require some exertion. If one is sick, temporarily or permanently, he will not find the means to perform many of those good deeds. By Allah’s mercy, if a person was doing good deeds and then becomes ill, preventing him from continuing those good deeds, Allah will continue to
reward him for those deeds that he would have done had his illness not kept him from performing them. (Such is explicitly mentioned in a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari.) But if a person was not performing good deeds before his illness, he will not be rewarded for any deeds that he is not now able to perform due to his illness. Hence, his illness will form no excuse for him as he had demonstrated, when he was healthy, that he was not from those people who performed the good deeds.
7.4 Youth
Youth is one of the most important times in a person’s life. It is a time of strength, energy and zeal. Not only that, it is a time that usually combines many of the other blessings mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is usually during one’s youth that one has the most free time and fewest responsibilities. It is usually during one’s youth that one is at the peak of good health.
It is not unusual in this modern age for people to consider youth a time for fun and enjoyment, up to the age of eighteen, twenty-one, or until they finish college and so forth. Even among Muslims, there is often not much emphasis on inculcating maturity and understanding in the youth. However, this is not the proper Islamic approach. As mentioned earlier, it was the young Companions whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave some of his most profound statements. According to Islamic law, by the time a person reaches the age of puberty- around thirteen years of age for many people- he is fully responsible for his deeds. Hence, the training, teaching and preparation for that heavy responsibility must take place even before he reaches that age.
A cursory look at the example of the youth brought up under the influence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) demonstrates how they put their youth to good use and took advantage of that blessing before Allah took it away from them. Note the following: Some of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), such as ibn Umar, wanted to participate in the battle of Badr and risk their lives for the sake of Allah, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to reject them as they had not yet reached the age of puberty.
At the Battle of Badr, it was two young Muslims who killed Abu Jahl. The two were so young that Abdul Rahman ibn Auf described them as “still seemingly inexperienced in the art of fighting.” Usaama ibn Zaid was appointed to lead one of the largest Muslim armies, which included both Abu Bakr and Umar, yet he was only eighteen years of age. Indeed, some people questioned the choice of Usaama on account of his young age. Obviously, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not have appointed him to that position unless he had developed the maturity, faith and understanding that it takes for such a position.
Much of the knowledge of the sunnah was passed on by those younger Companions who lived and grew up around the Prophet (peace be upon him). Such Companions included ibn Masood, ibn Abbaas, ibn Umar and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with all of them)
7.5 Life.
Every Muslim must realize what a trial life is in itself and why Allah has given life to him. Allah has described the purpose of life and death in the following verse, “Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is powerful over all things. [He] who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving” (al-Mulk 1 -2).
In his commentary to these verses, Maudoodi highlights some essential and relevant points: That is, the object of giving life to men in the world and causing their death is to test them to see which of them is best in deeds. Allusion has been made in this brief sentence to a number of truths:
(1) That life and death are given by Allah; no one else can grant life nor cause death;
(2) that neither the life nor the death of a creation like man, which has been give the power to do both good and evil, is purposeless; the Creator has created him in the world for the test: life is for him the period of the test and death means that the time allotted for the test has come to an end;
(3) that for the sake of this very test the Creator has given every man an opportunity for action, so that he may do good or evil in the world and practically show what kind of a man he is;
(4) that the Creator alone will decide who has done good or evil; it is not for us to purpose a criterion for the good and evil deeds but [such is] for Almighty Allah; therefore, whoever desires to get through the test, will have to find out what is the criterion of a good deed in His sight; the fifth point is contained in the meaning of the test itself, that is, every person will be recompensed according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would be meanmg less.
Every Muslim must realize that this life is coming to an end and understand the points Maudoodi makes in the above quote. When a person dies, his chasing after the desires of this life come to an end. Also, when life comes to an end, his opportunity for working also comes to an end. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Three things follow the deceased [to his grave], two of them return and one remains with him: His family, wealth and deeds follow him while his family and wealth return and only his deeds remain with him.” (Recorded by alBukhari and Muslim.)
However, in the grave, he is in need of provisions, otherwise the grave will be a torturous place for him. Unfortunately for the deceased, the provisions for the grave and the Hereafter must be obtained while one is in this life, before death comes to him. Allah has reminded humans of this reality by telling them, “O you who believe, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow. And (again] fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do” (al-Hashr 18).
If the person did not send ahead those provisions while he was alive, he will yearn to return to this life in order to get those badly needed provisions. But there will be no return. He will be lost and sorrowful over his failure to get and store his provisions for that journey when he had the ability to do so. He will be in despair, finding no possible escape from what he now must face. In different verses of the Quran, Allah has made this point very clear:
“[Such is the state of the disbelievers] until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind. ‘ No! It is only a word he is saying [without any truth to it]; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected” (al-Muminoon 99- 100).
“And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive it. Lest a soul should say, ‘Oh [how great is] my regret over what I neglected with regard to Allah and that I was among the mockers.’ Or [lest] it should say, ‘If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous.’ Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, ‘ If only I had another turn [at worldly life] so I could be among the doers of good'” (al-Zumar 55-58).
8. “For certainly, you do not know, O servant of Allah, what your name will be tomorrow.”
Obviously, this is not in reference to one’s personal name. Instead, ibn Hajr explains, it means either that it is not known if the person will be happy or miserable in the Hereafter, or that it is not known whether he will be named among the dead or the living in the near future.
Again, the message of this passage is much the same as the earlier passages. Since one does not know when he is going to die, and even if he will live until today’s evening, it must mean that he must work at the present time. There is no room for procrastination; indeed, procrastination is a tool of Satan. By it, he keeps the person from repenting and doing good deeds. However, the believer can defeat this ploy of Satan by reminding himself that he never does not know when he will die or among whom he will be counted on the following day.
9. Other Points Related to This Hadith
(1) In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has instructed Muslims to give this world and this life its proper due, all toward the overall goal of achieving the good of the Hereafter. In other words, even the stranger and the traveler have to meet their needs in this world. They make sure that they meet these needs in such a way that it does not harm their overall goal. Hence, this hadith is not implying that one must abandon everything of this world. Instead, it is implying that one’s heart should not be attached to this world (as in the case of a stranger), and that one is only taking from this world what he needs to carry on his journey to his destination (as in the case of a traveler). As Saeed ibn Jubair said, “This worldly life is a deceiving form of enjoyment if it diverts the person from seeking the Hereafter. However, if it calls a person to seeking Allah’s pleasure and seeking the Hereafter, then it is an excellent means.”
(2) The attitude of the believer should be the following: When he does work that he knows will help him achieve his goal of reaching Paradise, he should be happy and pleased. When he does work that harms that goal, he should be unhappy and dismayed. This is his case regardless of how much he is given of this world. In other words, his standard for happiness is not what be receives or does not receive of this world. His standard for happiness is whether the work he has done will help him achieve his overall goal of pleasing Allah and attaining Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.
(3) Paradise for the believer is like- indeed greater than- the joy a traveler feels when he finally reaches his destination and the joy that a person feels when he is finally in the company of those with whom he belongs, in the place where he belongs.
Summary of the Hadith:
• A believer has one of two attitudes toward this worldly life: that of a stranger or that of a traveler along a path. His heart and his sights must be set on his real home and final resting place.
• The believer takes from this world the provisions that he needs to reach his final destination. He must always prepare for death and not expect to be living in this world forever.
• The believer takes advantage of those resources or opportunities that Allah has given him before it is too late. He takes advantage of his health before sickness comes to him and his life before death comes to him.
Books of Muslims 