THE CONCERN / WORRY OF THE AAKHIRAH PUTS AN END TO THE WORRIES OF THE DUNYA

Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala is Al-Qayyum - the one who subsists by himself. He is Al-Mubdiy - The Initiator, Al-Khaaliq - The Creator. He is As-Samad - the Eternal, Al-A'ziz, the Almighty. He is Ar-Razzaaq - The Giver / Dispenser of Goods and Al-Wahhaab - The Giver. He is independent of all things and He is above all things. He, the Eternal, Absolute, and Almighty Creator, needs nothing and depends on nothing.

On the other hand, Allah's creatures depend on their Creator and what He has created for their existence and well-being. Thus, man needs water to quench his thirst and to maintain his body, and rain for his plantations. He needs food every day and he needs air every moment of his life. Man has so many needs! Man is therefore a dependent creature. Therefore, when there is a lack of these things that are necessary for us, it causes us problems. This brings us to another observation: each of us must have a minor or major problem.

Among all the worries that torment us, those that can be noted very often are:

1. The deficit in trade,

2. The harvest affected by drought,

3. The son who has grown up and graduated but is unemployed,

4. The girl not receiving a marriage proposal,

5. Financial problems,

6. Health problems, etc.

But we notice that all these problems are temporary, they disappear as soon as solutions are found and applied. Indeed, the problem solved no longer exists!

For the one who firmly believes that there is life after death, i.e. life in the Hereafter - the Aakhirah, all problems, whatever they may be, are temporary because they are linked to this ephemeral world.

Consider the case of a person who is seriously ill and in great pain. Death comes to put an end to his sufferings as well as to his days on earth. It is a deliverance and an end point to all his problems of this Dunya.

The temporary nature and purpose of the problems of this world invite us to think: is the temporary problem really a... problem?

Isn't it true that, in a sense, the problem itself doesn't exist because it is the mind that conceives it? The problem exists only in our minds. Thus, when we stop thinking about it, 'it is no more'! (This is the main cause of alcoholism for many who unfortunately: 'drink to forget...' However, alcohol does a lot more harm than good. Intoxication provides only artificial and short-lived relief, but has disastrous consequences. If the mind can conceive a problem, it must also be able to conceive its solution. Therefore, there can be no apology for alcoholism, drugs and artificial paradises.)

Let's take the case of a young man who travels abroad for a specific period of time. During the farewell hug, his family burst into tears. Nevertheless, relatives and friends console them with these usual words: 'Don't cry, time flies. He will soon return.'

This separation is not permanent but temporary. The attitude of those relatives shows us the universal notion that everything that is temporary is limited to an end. Therefore, the suffering of this separation, being temporary, is not really a suffering. So all the problems here on earth are temporary. 

That's why Allah, Al-Hakim (The Wise) commands us to read, whenever an affliction befalls us: 

"Innaa lillaahi wa Innaa ilaihi raaji'un" (2:156)

(We belong to Allah and to  Him shall we return).

The analysis of this verse proves to us the universal notion mentioned above. This verse brings us consolation and makes us understand that we ourselves and all our worries, being temporary, will return to Allah. Thus, everything is resolved. That is why we read the same verse above when someone dies in order to console us and remind us that this separation is short-lived and that sooner or later we will return to Allah, our destination and meeting point. 

THE REAL PROBLEM

As we have just seen, any problem that has an end is not really a problem. The real problem is the one that continually consumes us and even death does not bring an end to it.

That problem is dying in Kufr and Shirk.

Kufr and Shirk are unforgivable sins despite the fact that Allah is Ar-Rahmaan (The Merciful) and Ar-Raheem (The Compassionate) and His love for His servants is more ardent than that of a mother for her children.

The Qur'an says in this regard:

"Verily Allah shall not forgive that Shirk be committed but will forgive all other sins for whom He wills. Whoever ascribes partners to Allah has strayed far away." (4:116)

"Indeed those people have committed kufr who say that Allah certainly is Maseeh the son of Maryam (Alaihas salaam). The Maseeh (Isa Alaihis salaam) had told them, "O Bani Israa'eel! Worship Allah Who is my Rabb and your Rabb! Allah has definitely forbidden Jannah for the one who attributes a partner to Allah and his abode shall be the Fire. The oppressors will have no helpers." (5:72)

Dying in Kufr and Shirk - that is the real problem.

Normally a major problem - a 'big worry' - dominates a small problem and makes it relatively insignificant, making it 'the least of our worries', to use a familiar phrase.

A small temporary migraine is nothing at all compared to a heart pain. A person sentenced to death does not complain about the problems of life: he forgets them all and would like to be able to live longer, despite the thousand and one difficulties of this world. 

Just as the person sentenced to death is no longer affected by everyday problems, the one who lives his life in such a way as to avoid the real problem, i.e., the Kufr and the Shirk, is not concerned with the minor problems of the Dunya. Consider the following Hadith: 

Hadhrat Anas bin Maalik (Radiyallahu anhu) reports that the Prophet of Allah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said: 

"Whoever worries about Aakhirah, Allah will put wealth in his heart (i.e., his heart will not be attached to the goods of this world) and will organize his work and the world will come to him willingly. However, whoever worries about this world (i.e., works hard to store up worldly goods), Allah will carry poverty between his eyes, He will disorganize his work, and the world will not come near him except for the amount that is destined for him." (Tirmizi)

This Hadith clearly shows us that the world (Dunya) is the shadow of the Hereafter (Aakhirah). He who wishes to have the shadow in his possession must necessarily seize the object. The Aakhirah is the essential object while the Dunya is only the ephemeral shadow. It is by grabbing the object that we have control of its shadow at the same time. Therefore, if we have Al-Aakhirah in our possession, we automatically get ad-Dunya. On the other hand, all those who tried to catch the world failed because the world destroyed them. In another Hadith the Prophet (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) narrates that Allah said: "O son of Adam! Get rid of your worries and indulge in My worship, I will fill your heart with riches and I will eliminate your poverty (i.e., Allah will provide for you). If you don't, then your hands will be caught up in occupations and on top of that I will not assist you in your needs."

THE FAVOURS OF ALLAH

"Allah shall create an escape for the one who fears Allah and He shall provide for him from sources from which he never expected. Allah is sufficient for the one who trusts in Him. Allah certainly brings His affairs to completion and Allah has set a measure for everything." (65:2-3)

In order to fully benefit from Allah's favours, it is logical that one should obey Him and submit to Him, for He is the sole Possessor of all things. Allah guarantees us that whoever fears Him He will guide him in his affairs and supply him with ease. Commenting on the above verse, Hadhrat Abu Zarr (Radiyallahu anhu) said:

"I know a verse that, if you hold to it, will be enough for you."

Let us contemplate the munificence of Allah and His bounty. If we live according to His desire, not only does he make it easier for us to go to Aakhirah, but He also saves us from the misery and problems of Dunya!

Shirk is definitely the greatest sin (Gunaah) and dying like a mushrik is a serious problem. It is therefore necessary to know what precautions to take to avoid being soiled with this evil.

When a wise parent wants to protect his child from accidents, he will make sure that the child does not play in the yard. This parent has a great vision. Playing in the yard can be a way to get on the road. This fear leads the parent to forbid the child from playing in the yard because he or she knows the consequences and seriousness of an accident.

In the same way, sins, whether small or great, are the means of Kufr and Shirk. They blacken and contaminate the heart to such an extent that the aversion one has for Kufr and Shirk is removed. As a result, one voluntarily agrees to take the paths that lead directly or indirectly to Kufr and Shirk - but one is not aware of this.

It is for this reason that today we see Muslims who, through lack of Islamic education and practices, affiliate themselves to a new religion that is supposedly a synthesis of all religions. But this 'synthesis' is based only on human thought and logic. And since human beings are weak, their thinking is automatically defective. The acceptance of such a man-made religious synthesis is therefore a step that shows that the heart is polluted by the misdeeds of anti-Islamic actions and negligence in practice. Then, the light of the Imaan is extinguished.

Just as it is important to distance oneself from Shirk, being convinced of the seriousness of this evil, one must also avoid at all costs approaching all the things that lead to it. But first of all, one has to realize that Kufr and Shirk are dangers so that one can protect oneself.

Unfortunately, when we see the situation that prevails, we see that Muslims are sick - but we refuse to acknowledge this, preferring to practice the ostrich policy: 'There is no such thing as a danger that cannot be seen'. We don't accept that we are sick and then we don't see the need to treat ourselves...

Let each of us meditate on the verse of the Qur'an which says that 'every soul will taste death'. Death is not the end in itself. On the contrary, it is the first step towards eternity, the beginning of another life in the Hereafter. And then we will be judged by Allah, the Lord of the Universe. The principles that will be valid and acceptable to Allah on that day will be those established by the Qur'an and the teachings of our beloved Prophet, Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam).

The Qur'an warns us in these words:

"Whoever seeks a Deen besides Islam, it shall never be accepted from him and he will be among the losers in the Aakhirah." (3:85)

[English version of "Le souci de l'aakhirah met fin aux soucis du dounyaa" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 5]