Hadith 40 :The Muslim's Attitude
Towards The Worldly Matters
By
Imam An-Nawawi
In
the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All
the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-`ālameen. I testify that
there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad,
Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.
On the authority
of `Abdullah Ibn `Umar, (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) narrated, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, (Sallallahu
`alayhi wasallam) took me by the shoulder and said: “Be in this world as though
you were a stranger or a traveler (wayfarer.)”
And
Ibn `Umar (radiyallahu`anhu) used to say: "When evening comes, do not
expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live
till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness and from
your life for your death."
[Recorded by
Al-Bukhari]
Background
There are so many
verses in the Qur'an that make comparisons between the worldly life and the
Hereafter. The priority and emphasis is made on the Hereafter where it is
described as the real life and the worldly life as a life of nothing but
entertainment and amusement.
Allah says: “And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion
but the home of Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. Will you not then
reason?” [Surah Al-An'am, 6:32]
And in ayat “And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement.
And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only
they knew.” [Surah Al-'Ankabut, 29:64],
The same meaning
is also expressed in other ayahs such as:
“[This]
worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear
Allah, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your properties”
[Surah Muhammad, 47: 36],
“For
them who have done good is the best [reward] and extra. No darkness will cover
their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide
therein eternally” [Surah Yunus, 10: 26],
“And
present to them the example of the life of this world, [its being] 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, over all things, Perfect in Ability. Wealth and children are [but]
adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your
Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope.” [Surah
Al-Kahf, 18: 45-46],
“O
mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life
deludes you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.”
[Surah Fatir, 35:5],
“But
you prefer the worldly life. While the Hereafter is much better and more enduring.”
[Surah Al-A'la, 87: 16-17], and
“Whoever
should desire the immediate - 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].” [Surah Al-Isra', 17: 18-19]
In all of the
above mentioned ayahs, Allah draws the attention of the believers toward the
Hereafter to remind them that it is the final destination and the real life and
enjoyment of the believers. Allah also comments on this life as nothing but
amusement and diversion. It is a life of a test and trial. It is a life used as
a means of getting us forward to the Hereafter.
In Islam there is
no nullification of life as some people may misunderstand. There is a balance
and adjustment between this life and the Hereafter. There should be no
polarization or what Islam is - rahbanah or extremism. There should be no conflict
between this life and the next life. There is a kind of moderate conception
about this life and the Hereafter. Islam also makes it an obligation that the
believers cultivate the earth and make it as an amanah for them to establish
the Islamic civilization which is based on Tawhid, good morals and values. This
civilization is guided by revelation. This is considered an obligation.
Furthermore, The Concept of 'Ubudiyyah (Worshipping Allah) is a
comprehensive concept where everything we do in this life, if it is guided by
revelation and is done with a good intention, becomes a form of worship even
though it is a worldly matter. If the thing is done in accordance with the
teachings of shari'ah and the main guidelines of revelation, then there will be
the adjustment and the harmony between this life and the Hereafter. The
Muslim's life in this world and the Hereafter should be in total submission and
devotion to the will of Allah. The Muslim should establish a good life, improve
his way of life and aim for the Hereafter at the same time. By doing so, he is
obeying Allah, being guided by His guidance and instructions. He will still
enjoy this life but at the same time whatever he does will be recorded by Allah
as his good deeds. Consequently, he will get the pleasure of Allah.
Lessons
The hadith starts
with `Abdullah ibn `Umar, (radiyallahu ‘anhuma), saying: "The Messenger of Allah, (Sallallahu `alayhi
wasallam) took me by the shoulder and said." Here we can learn many
lessons as teachers and educators. We have to show care and attention to our
audience if we want to be good educators or teachers. This can be achieved in
many different ways. The Prophet, (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) used to follow
different approaches when dealing with his audience. Sometimes he called upon
the name of a certain person and in other times, like in this hadith, he gets
closer to the person he is speaking to by putting his hand on his shoulder.
Sometimes the
Prophet, (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) will start his advice or teaching with a
statement that attracts the attention of the audience. For example, we can see
this in a previous hadith No: 19) that has been said on the authority of Ibn
'Abbas (radiyallahu`anhu), when the Prophet, (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) said
"O young man, I will teach you some words (of
wisdom)." Sometimes the Prophet, (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam),
used the questioning style as we saw in a number of previous hadiths. The
questioning style plays a significant role in conveying the message and
attracting the attention of the audience. The Prophet, (Sallallahu `alayhi
wasallam) asks the question where the answer to that question is only known to
him. The audience and the addressee will be more keen and motivated to know the
answer.
In general, the
Prophet, (Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) used all of these approaches or means to
show care to the addressee, to attract their attention, and also to stress or
emphasize the meaning he wanted to convey. This is also sometimes achieved by
repeating what he says. Sometimes he would draw diagrams (e.g. a circle or a
square) on the ground. Other times he would use analogy to clarify or simplify
a certain concept. All of the above mentioned ways can be adopted as techniques
for educating.
The Prophet,
(Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) tells the believers how to deal with this life,
and as usual he offers his audience with more than one choice. In this hadith,
the Prophet, (Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) is giving two choices or levels with
regards to living in this world:
1. To Be As a Stranger
This is usually
the easier choice. The Prophet, (Sallallahu`alayhi wasallam) used the analogy 'to be as a stranger' because, as Ibn Rajab
(rahimahullāh) points out, the stranger
is usually prepared to eventually go back to his original place or home town.
His heart will always long for his home. His main concern will be to be in
preparation to do whatever possible and beneficial for returning. A stranger
does not look like the other people in his current environment - he is
different. Similarly, the believer should be different from those who only care
about this life and worldly matters. He should rid himself of the yearning for
this materialistic world, a world where some people do not care about the
spiritual aspects and the Hereafter. As believers, we should be different from
the 'people of this world'.
Ibn Al-Qayyim
(rahimahullāh), a famous Muslim scholar, says: A
Muslim is a stranger amongst the disbelievers and the Mu’min is a stranger
amongst the Muslims, and the Muhsin is a stranger amongst the Mu’mins. This
means that there are different levels of being a stranger: the lowest level is
Islam, the second level is Iman and the third level is Ihsan. (Refer to
Hadith No: 2)
2. To Be a Traveler or
Wayfarer, Traveling Along a Path
This is a higher
level than the stranger. The traveler is always traveling day and night without
stopping; He is heading towards his final destination. Even if he stops for a
while, this is to provide himself with the needed power to continue his journey
and to go farther until he achieves his main objective. A stranger might obtain
and keep more things than he actually needs but the traveler takes as little as
possible in terms of luggage or other things. Similarly, the believer who is in
such a situation has a main objective or concern - and that is not to take more
than what he needs (i.e. he should not be weighed down with materialistic things
or wealth).
Another thing is
the traveler needs to know that he is traveling on the right path, the straight
path. For this, he needs to obtain the right knowledge (‘ilm). He also needs
good, helpful companions to help him on his way.
Some scholars ask
how a person would be contented with this life where the day distorts the month
and the month distorts the year and the year will distort the age. That is how
this person will be satisfied with this life if his age will lead him to his
final destination and his life will lead him to death. One scholar said when a
person looks back at his life since his awareness of this life until this
moment; it will seem like a blink of an eye. What remains for the rest of his
life is also like that 'blink of an eye'. If that is the case, the person
should be careful and wise up.
Ibn 'Umar
(radiyallahu ‘anhu) says: "When evening comes,
do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to
live till) evening." This saying is like an explanation to the
hadith. Al-Bukhari mentions it because the Prophet, (Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam) is talking to Ibn 'Umar.
If one still did
not understand the message, Ibn `Umar (radiyallahu `anhuma) continues by
saying: "Take from your health (a preparation)
for your illness, and from your life for your death." This means
that today you may be healthy, but you never know about the future. It is then
wise and better to perform good deeds and to be closer to Allah now before
being unhealthy or before dying. This meaning has been stressed by the Prophet,
(Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) in other hadiths where he asks us to utilize our
time and to do beneficial things whether in this life or in the Hereafter. We
can relate to Imam Nawawi's other hadiths that have been previously mentioned
in which certain charitable acts have been emphasised.
The Impact of This Hadith on the Life of
Muslims
1. To increase the sense of
responsibility in terms of our duties towards Allah, the Prophet, (Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam) relatives, and the community members.
2. To motivate the Muslims to enjoin
what is good and to forbid what is evil.
3. To be closer to Allah at all times.
4. To minimise weaknesses, shortcomings
and sinful acts.
5. To maximize self-accountability and
self-reckoning.
6. To
emphasize taqwa and fearing Allah the Almighty.
7. To be safeguarded from being misled
or enslaved by self-interests, desires and worldly temptations.
Challenges That Threaten the Above
Mentioned Concept of Dealing with This Life in A Good Way
1. The promotion of the materialistic
aspects of life, especially by the media.
2. The complexity of contemporary life
where there are more problems, and the engagement in life activities without
proper balance.
3. Rapid life changes due to technology
advancement and progress which in turn creates other problems, such as:
a.
Adjustment between the old lifestyle
and the new lifestyle.
b. The
emergence of new values which lead to conflicts between sets of values.
c.
Technology misuse.
d. The
increase of social ills.
4. The weak religious awareness and
education or spiritual training in the Islamic world (i.e. tazkiyyah).
5. The challenges of modernity.
6. The
challenges of globalisation and promotion of imposed corrupted western values.
Conclusion
These challenges
add to the size of the responsibilities that face the Muslims who want to
implement this hadith in their lives. Most of these challenges are addressed in
previous hadiths. This hadith contains a helpful piece of advice for every
single Muslim which helps us to deal with this life in a proper way by offering
us two choices or levels. We need to understand all the above mentioned issues.
This will help us to apply the hadith in a more positive way.
Some Muslims
throughout history misunderstood this hadith. Consequently, they misunderstood
the Islamic teachings regarding dealing with life. They understood it in a
negative way. We also find other Muslims who are affected by the challenges of
modernity and the excessive tension that is given to this life. We find minimum
levels of good deeds. They are overwhelmed by the advancement of technology and
end up with little iman or spirituality. The Islamic standpoint that should be
understood is that there is no conflict or opposition between this life and the
Hereafter. On the contrary, Islam establishes harmony where a Muslim lives in
this life but his heart is devoted to Allah and the Hereafter. Whatever he does
is with the objective of pleasing Allah and is to be done in accordance with
the teachings of Islam and the guidance of revelation.
Abdullah bin
Mas‘ud (radiyallāhu‘anhu) reported: The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam)
used to supplicate: “Allāhumma inni as ‘alukal-Huda, Wat-Tuqa, Wal-‘Afafa,
Wal-Gheena (O Allāh! I beseech You for Guidance, Piety, Chastity and
Contentment).” [Muslim].
Commentary: This
du’a contains four words, the meanings and implications of which constitute its
essence. These words are guidance, piety (fear of Allah), chastity and
sufficiency. Guidance here means guidance at every turn of life and
steadfastness on the path of truth. Fear of Allah is the greatest means of
piety and strongest defense against sins. Chastity is the state of being free
from what is unlawful. Self-sufficiency is the antonym of poverty and here it
means the self-contentment. What it implies is that one should not care for
what people possess. This Du’a is very comprehensive and valuable.
Anas Ibn Mālik
(radiyallāhu’anhu) who said: “The supplication most often recited by Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam): Allahumma-ātina-fid-dunya hasanah, Wa
fil-ākhirati-hasanah, Wa-qina-‘ādzabānnār (O Allah! Bestow upon us
in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and
save us from the punishment of the Fire).’” (Al-Baqārah 2:201) [This is
recorded by Al-Bukhāri, Muslim, and Tarmidzi].
Commentary: Imam
Tarmidzi (rahimullāh) said: “Hasanah is very
comprehensive and includes in all kinds of good and benefits of this world and
of the Hereafter. Good health, wealth and satisfaction of the world and good
status in Jannah, forgiveness from sins and Allāh’s bounties and favours in
both worlds are included in this du`ā” [ At-Tarmidzi]
And Allāh
Almighty Knows best.
]
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