Nafsiya Reflections: Eternal Home

Welcome to Nafsiyah Reflections - Eternal Home

“We need it in by Monday”

“It’s already in”

“kids saying good night”

“Pheww”

“sound of someone on falling onto the couch”

“Alhamdulilah”

That moment, after a long productive day; getting back from work, finally laying back on the couch, kids asleep, sounds of cars are to a minimum... serenity. Proud of what we accomplished, “Now that was a great day, Alhamdulilah!” we say to ourselves. And then we go back and do it all over again. Sometimes our days don’t turn out that way.

“The project is way overdue” The kids fighting or kids crying. Kids calling out, "Mom! Mom! Mom!” Sometimes no matter how hard we work, how hard we push ourselves to do what needs to be done... it doesn’t work out. It feels like no matter how hard we run we seem to be standing in place, if not being pulled back. No matter how productive we want to be, we just seem to fail. The Dunya!

See, this is Dunya. It has its ups and downs. One day we are on top of our game. The next? It seems like we forgot all the rules of the game. Chaos... Those days can break us. We could fail a test that we have been studying for, for so long. We could lose a job or a loved one. We could be let down by those closest to us. We could be oppressed, imprisoned, for something we didn’t do. It can break us.

If we never looked at the Hereafter (Akhirah) our next life; this Dunya would tear us apart. Alhamdulilah, being Muslims in which we are blessed with Islam, blessed with worshipping, believing, finding guidance in Allah (swt), in following the messenger Muhammad (saw), Dunya can never break us. It may sting us, but never break us. We go through bad days but we are still building our Akhirah; we are not going through them in vain.

We as Muslims, as Dawah Carriers, know that this world is temporary. We know it is merely a hallway in which leads us to our Akhirah. We know that no matter how bad our days go, how tough it seems, it is only temporary. It is a resting place, our path to the next life. We know that what we sow in this life, we will reap in the Akhirah, the Last Hour. Knowing we must work to gain utmost success in perfecting our Akhirah as much as possible.

The question is.... How do we gain the utmost success while going through this hallway? Our beloved leader Muhammad (saw) said,

‏ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ ‏" وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ"‏

'Abdullah bin 'Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." The sub-narrator added: Ibn 'Umar used to say, "If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death."

We must have true strength in our Iman. We must nurture and nourish it, to gain stability when we need it most. “And how do we do that?” you may ask. Firstly, we must be aware that it’s not always easy. For the messenger of Allah saw said,

" حُفَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ وَحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ"

"Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and the Fire is surrounded by desires."

Allah swt said,

(إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا)

Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. [Surah Kahf: Aya 7]

Secondly, we must see the reality of our final judgment, vividly, clearly, acutely. We must remind ourselves of the presence of Allah at this very moment, at this very instance, as you are listening or reading this, Allah is over you and me, and sees everything we do and don’t do. We must engage in the book of Allah, knowing that no words have ever been truer. The continuous mentioning of the last day in the Quran, shows us the importance of this day. It shows us that Allah is warning us that this day will come. The Day of Resurrection will be near in order to brace ourselves and prepare for it. What is between us and that day... but death.

(يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ ‎﴿١﴾‏ يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ ‎﴿٢﴾‏

O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing. (1) On the Day you see it every nursing mother will be distracted from that [child] she was nursing, and every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy, and you will see the people [appearing] intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe. (2) [Surah Al Hajj: 1-2]

Thirdly, we must work for the pleasure of Allah not following our desires, but doing what’s right. We have to work for His pleasure above all else; above our comfort and above our fears. We must have patience, helping one another, raising righteous children and working to establish Allah’s Deen on Earth. This is true Imaan. The Imaan of the Sahabah, radiyah Allahu anhom. The Imaan that will get us through these days, and gain the success of the last hour. No matter if you’re going through a good or bad day, remember this life is temporary, and what you are building in this home, you’ll have to live with your entire life, be it good... or bad.

May Allah help us focus our eyes on what needs to be done in this Dunya to gain the success of the Akhirah.

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