The life of this world is fleeting and is often focused on materialism – it is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all – but how does that affect our faith?
We all love this life to some extent or another – our homes, our cars, and most of all our family – but what we do not know is just how much of a corruption it can be to our souls when we place so much importance on material things in this life and loving the life of this world. Read on, what you will find may change your entire outlook on how you live your life and what is really important…
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Loving this life is the father of sins which corrupts the Muslim’s faith in different ways:
1. Loving this life entails glorifying it, whereas Allah Almighty has despised it. One of the greatest sins is glorifying what Allah Almighty has despised.
2. Allah Almighty has cursed it, detested it, and poured scorn on it, with the exception of the good things in it such as remembering Allah, seeking knowledge, and spreading it. Whoever loves what Allah Almighty has cursed and hated will expose himself/herself to Allah’s wrath and detestation.
3. When someone loves this life, it becomes his/her ultimate goal. Accordingly, the good deeds he/she performs will eventually be for the sake of this life; and not the Hereafter. That type of love reverses the natural process, invalidates the conventional wisdom, and moves the lover in the wrong direction. In an authentic hadith, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), mentioned that the Mujahid (fighter), the alms giver, and the scholar of Islam whose ultimate goal is this life, seeking an elevated social status and looking for people’s praise, will be the first to be burned in the Hellfire. Those people prefer this life to the Hereafter.
4. Loving this life prevents the servant from doing what will be of great benefit to him/her in the Hereafter because of obsession with mundane matters such as money, social status, wife, or children. That type of worldly love might keep a person away from maintaining eeman (faith), or doing the necessary things in life. The minimal adverse effect of loving this life is making the servant’s heart oblivious to loving Allah Almighty.
5. Loving this life makes the servant obsessed with it. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “He whose ultimate goal is the Hereafter will be endowed with richness in their hearts by Allah, will be granted a close-knit, protected familial environment, and will gain as much as they want from this life despite its unwillingness. On the contrary, Allah will make those who are obsessed with this life see poverty in front of their eyes and break up their family ties, and they will not gain from it except what they have been destined for.” [At-Tirmithi]
6. When someone loves something, he/she is tortured by that type of love. Additionally, those who love this life are tortured as they try to gain as much as they can from it, as they hanker after its pleasures, and as they fight other people for its sake. Then, they will be tortured in their graves, missing it and suffering the agony of not being able to go back to it. There will be no such better thing that will compensate for the life they have seemingly enjoyed. They will be tortured by this life since they have been its servants and captives which is depicted by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “Losers are the servants of the Dinar; losers are the servants of the Dirham,” referring to money. Some scholars of Islam from the past generations said: “They (lovers of this life) suffer the agony of collecting money and their love towards money continues till the moment of breathing their last. They are not even paying the amount of money that Allah has prescribed.”
7. Whoever loves this life and prefers it to the hereafter is considered one of the most ignorant and unwise people. He/she has preferred the unreal to the real, slumber to wakefulness, and a perishable house to an ever-lasting one. Yunus Ibn Abdul Aa’la, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “This life can be compared to a man who sleeps and dreams of what he likes and hates. Then, he wakes up.” ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, described this life saying: “In this life, the healthy grow old, the sick become penitent, the poor feel sad, and the nouveaux riche are happy. The appraisal is in its permissible practices, and the punishment is in its forbidden practices.”
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Countering evil with a better deed
Interacting with others in life is necessary, as a person is surrounded by neighbours, relatives and colleagues in institutions of study and workplaces. Due to this dealing with different types of people, it is natural to be made susceptible to harm from some of them. Suppose that every such act one is subjected to, is met by an evil one in its like, in return - regardless of whether this harm is slight or great, or intentional or not - the communities would turn into a jungle. People will abandon good traits and live without regulations or rules.
To prevent the Muslim community from this detestable scenario, Allah The Almighty commanded His believing slaves to resist evil with something good, when He Says (what means): {And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.} [Qur’an 41:34]
Undoubtedly, the ultimate act that is superior to countering evil with its like, is to pardon and be compassionate, or at the least, to turn away and avoid further embroiling oneself. Dear brother and sister! By adopting this noble moral, you are safeguarding your own self-respect and rationality. Therefore, you have to keep yourself away from the provocation of foul people in order to be one of the true servants of Allah The Almighty. He describes them Saying (what means):
{And they who turn away from laghw (anything from falsehood, and that includes association, other minor sins and all useless speech, actions and concerns; furthermore, busying oneself with that which does not concern him is included).} [Qur’an 23:3]
{And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say: “For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you; we seek not the ignorant.”} [Qur’an 28:55]
{And when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace.} [Qur’an 25:63]
When one treats an abuser in a wholesome manner, he or she would suppress his or her anger, thereby becoming one of those whom the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, referred to when he said: “He who stifles his rage while he is able to give vent to it, Allah will summon him in front of all people on the Day of Resurrection and let him choose from the Hoor (maidens of Paradise) as he pleases.”
Furthermore, one of the greatest benefits of repelling evil with a better deed is that the enemy who wants to inflict harm and evil, often converts into a defending supporter and a devoted friend. There is a wondrous magic in good manners that it can be more influential than physical force and vengeful will. Thus, antagonism changes into a different sentiment, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.} [Qur’an 41:34] That is why Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, advised: “Use your forbearance to ward off the ignorance of those who harm you with [that trait of theirs].”
We have observed the best of all creatures, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, not only tolerating the maltreatment of the violent, but also overlooking that and pardoning them. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, described him, saying: “He does not counter evil with evil, rather he absolves and forgives.” This was also the example of the righteous people, may Allah be pleased with them, who followed the methodology of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. One of them was insulted by someone once, so he said to him: “If you are mistaken, I ask Allah to pardon you; and if you are correct, I ask Him to forgive me.”
Although we are all required to adopt this trait, a person in a position of power is worthier of doing so more than others. That is why among the final instructions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, before his death, was: “Whoever is given authority over something in the Ummah of Muhammad and has the power to harm or bring benefit to anyone, then he should reward those who do good and pardon those who commit evil.” A man once came to the Prophet complaining about his servant, saying: “I have a servant who is a wrongdoer and an oppressor. Should I beat him?” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Forgive him as much as seventy times per day.”
Also, a person whose relatives treat him unjustly is particularly in need of this quality. He or she should not meet their ill behaviour with evil in return; rather, he or she has to pardon, forgive and increase in compassion. It was narrated that a man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have some relatives with whom I maintain ties of kinship and they sever them; I pardon them and they oppress me; I treat them kindly and they harm me. Should I then treat them in the same way?” The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, replied: “No, then you would all be sinners; rather, you should be better and maintain the ties of kinship and as long as you are in that state, you will have a protector and supporter appointed from Allah with you.’”
Repelling vice with a better deed is the remedy that restores damaged social relations. It reforms what has been corrupted and renews that which is effaced. With this treatment, the manifestations of goodness are revived, people race each other in virtuous acts, the gates of iniquity are blocked to Satan and evil does not find any means to spread. Instead, beneficence will prevail and the motives and consequences of vice will be eradicated.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
