1. Reality of this World

We, the human race living on this earth, are under the perception that we belong here and that this is our residence. We don’t want to know the fact that we are on a train. And the train is going through stations to another final destination. And that this world is only one of these stops on one of these stations. But we do not belong here.

We have a ticket that has three slips:

  1. we live in the womb for nine months and then when we’re born a slip is torn off.
  2. And then we live in dunya for awhile and when we die, the second slip from the ticket is torn out.
  3. Then we have one slip left. And that will be torn off in either hell or heaven. And that is the final destination.

We don’t belong here. We are travelling. That is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said “Be in this world as if you are a traveller.” And he said that the example or the analogy of me in this dunya is as if somebody is travelling in the desert and he saw a tree and he took some shade under this tree and then took some rest. And then he continued travelling.

That is World: we spend a few moments under this tree, and then we keep on travelling. Can you stop time? The movement of time is an erosion of our existence in this dunya. It is taking part of us with every second passing. We need to believe in the fact that we don’t belong here. We need to prepare for death. And that is what this series is about: The Journey towards the Hereafter.

Why do we talk about al-Aakhirah? We have to have an objective for everything that we do.

1. It is a pillar of faith. It is part of Imaan.

2. Why do we have all of these problems around us? Why do we have a Muslim who drinks or deals with riba or lies or commits zina? What are we missing? ‘Aa`isha radiyallahu anhu gives us a program in one short sentence for individual and social change:

“If the first thing revealed in Qur’an was ‘do not drink’, the people would have said ‘we are never going to stop drinking.’ And if the first thing that was revealed in the Qur’an was telling the people to not commit fornication and adultery the people would have said ‘we’re never going to stop committing fornication and adultery!’ The first things that were revealed in the Qur’an were the Surah Al-Mufassal that talked about and mentioned hell fire and paradise. Until the hearts were attached to Allah (swt), THEN the orders for halaal and haraam came down.”

During the time in Makkah, there wasn’t much law given. Most of the laws were revealed in Madinah. In Makkah, it was a preparation to receive the law and to fill the tank with imaan. That is why mentioning the Unseen and Jannah and Akhirah attaches the heart and lifts the veils of darkness.

We’re not suffering from ignorance only (although that is a problem). Everyone knows khamr is haraam. Why do some people drink? Everyone knows riba is haraam. People know salah is fardh, but why do some people don’t fulfil it? A major problem is: insufficient imaan. The heart is rough, like a rock. The hearts are not soft – what will soften these harsh hearts? Talking about akhirah and the unseen.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ says: “If you know what I know, you would cry a lot and laugh a little.” – Tirmidhi 36/10

‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “It wouldn’t make a difference if I see jannah, I wouldn’t love it more. And even if I see naar, I wouldn’t fear it more.” He is saying that he has absorbed the meaning of paradise and hellfire so much that it wouldn’t make a difference if he actually saw them. He is living as if he is seeing paradise and hellfire in front of them.

In 1930, the US decided that they should ban alcohol. SubhanAllah, it is in the fitra to know alcohol is bad for you. They passed the law and they tried to enforce it. During the process, about half a million people were thrown in jail. Millions and millions of dollars were spent to enforce the law; thousands of people were killed. The consumption of alcohol didn’t change – bootlegging was going on in people’s own houses. The process of making it is so unhygienic and dirty. Diseases were spreading. After four years, the ban was lifted. This is the mighty US. They couldn’t enforce a law banning alcohol. Look at 1400 years earlier:

Jibra’eel came to Muhammad saws saying that Alcohol (and other things) is forbidden and they are acts of shaytaan, STAY AWAY FROM IT. The ayah came down banning alcohol. The prophet saws conveyed the ayah to the sahabah with him. The sahabah went out carrying this news, saying that alcohol is now illegal. Anas ibn Maalik said that he was serving alcohol. They heard the announcement in the street and Anas threw the jug from his hand. Some of the sahabah had cups in their hands, they threw it. Some had it in their mouths, they spat it out. Some went as far as vomiting what was in their stomach. It was described as the streets of madinah having it flowing. There was IMMEDIATE obedience. There was no enforcement by throwing people in jail. How did it work in Madinah and not in US?

The sahabah were prepared for it.

Muslim (23/4889) Anas b. Malik reported: I was serving drink to Abu ‘Ubaida b. jarrah, Abu Talha and Ubayy b. Ka’b prepared from unripe dates and fresh dates when a visitor came and he said: Verily liquor has been prohibited. Thereupon, Abu Talha said: Anas, stand up and break this pitcher. I stood up and (took hold) of a pointed stone and struck the pitcher with its lower part until it broke into pieces.

We need to prepare ourselves by talking about Hereafter (al-akhirah).