Should a Muslim make the Hereafter his first priority, give priority to his worldly life, or strike a balance between the two? I see many Muslims who worry about their worldly life. They look for a good house, a nice car, a good job, and a high standard of education. However, they do not show much attention to their prayers. They try to pray five times a day and try to observe their fasts, but because of the pressure of worldly concerns, they sometimes miss their prayers and their fast as well.
Al-Salâm `Alaykum wa Rahmah Allah wa Barakâtuh.
A Muslim should never give this life priority over the next life. This life is transient and the next life is the permanent abode.
Allah says:
“Nay (behold), ye prefer the life of this world; but the Hereafter is better and more enduring” [Sûrah al-A`lâ: 16-17]
“The home of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high-handedness or mischief on earth: and the end is (best)for the righteous” [Sûrah al-Qasus: 83]
“And also adornments of gold. But all this was nothing but enjoyment of the present life: the Hereafter, in the sight of thy Lord, is for the righteous” [Sûrah al-Zukhruf: 35]
“And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present” [Sûrah al-Dhuhâ: 4]
“But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter” [Sûrah al-Taubah: 38]
“But verily the reward of the Hereafter is the best, for those who believe, and are constant in righteousness” [Sûrah Yûsuf: 57]
“See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in excellence” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 21]
“Whoever does good, there is good in this world, and the home of the Hereafter is even better. And excellent indeed is the abode of the righteous.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 30]
“But truly the reward of the Hereafter will be greater if they would only realize.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 41]
[Quran 6:32] The life of this world is no more than illusion and vanity, while the abode of the Hereafter is far better for the righteous. Do you not understand?!
Preoccupation With This Life Condemned
[Quran 57:20] Know that this worldly life is no more than play and games, and boasting among you, and hoarding of money and children. It is like abundant rain that produces plants and pleases the disbelievers. But then the plants turn into useless hay, and are blown away by the wind. In the Hereafter there is either severe retribution, or forgiveness from God and approval. This worldly life is no more than a temporary illusion.
The Most Gracious gave us this life as a unique opportunity and a final chance to redeem ourselves, and attain His forgiveness and approval. When we wake up everyday, we need to remember that this is a new chance for redemption, a new beginning to ask forgiveness, repent and reform, and an additional time on earth to fill up with righteous deeds. A day when we can try to do better in every aspect of worship to please Allah and grow our soul. An opportunity when we can perfect our contact prayers, count our blessings, be more appreciative, recite more of the scripture, implore the Most Merciful, honor our parents, regard our relatives and neighbors, help the poor, advocate the good, and forbid the evil.
[Quran 2:201] Others would say, "Our Lord, grant us righteousness in this world, and righteousness in the Hereafter, and spare us the retribution of Hell."
Evaluating our priorities on a daily basis is very crucial for our redemption, the only purpose of our existence. We must arrange our priorities properly and in a manner that would allow us to use our chance on earth efficiently and in the best interest of our real self, our soul. As we believe in the Hereafter, we have to give our top priority to our soul to prepare it for this eternal life. We must carefully examine what we have sent ahead for tomorrow.
[Quran 18:7] We have adorned everything on earth, in order to test them, and thus distinguish those among them who work righteousness.
The Ultimate Winners
[Quran 28:83] We reserve the abode of the Hereafter for those who do not seek exaltation on earth, nor corruption. The ultimate victory belongs to the righteous.
[Quran 5:16] With it, Allah guides those who seek His approval. He guides them to the paths of peace, leads them out of darkness into the light by His leave, and guides them in a straight path.
The Most Gracious has blessed us with the knowledge about the Hereafter and has warned us from the illusion of this temporary life. He sent down to us the scripture with a detailed road map and directions that are clear for the reader, understandable for the sincere, and a beacon for the believers.
[Quran 28:77] "Use the provisions bestowed upon you by Allah to seek the abode of the Hereafter, without neglecting your share in this world. Be charitable, as Allah has been charitable towards you. Do not keep on corrupting the earth. Allah does not love the corruptors."
[Quran 90:4] We created the human being to work hard (to redeem himself).
[Quran 90:5] Does he think that no one will ever call him to account?
[Quran 90:6] He boasts, "I spent so much money!"
[Quran 90:7] Does he think that no one sees him?
[Quran 90:8] Did we not give him two eyes?
[Quran 90:9] A tongue and two lips?
[Quran 90:10] Did we not show him the two paths?
[Quran 90:11] He should choose the difficult path.
[Quran 90:12] Which one is the difficult path?
[Quran 90:13] The freeing of slaves.
[Quran 90:14] Feeding, during the time of hardship.
[Quran 90:15] Orphans who are related.
[Quran 90:16] Or the poor who is in need.
[Quran 90:17] And being one of those who believe, and exhorting one another to be steadfast, and exhorting one another to be kind.
Our mission for redemption on earth must be taken seriously by using all our resources to strengthen our soul in order to be able to stand the immense presence of the Master of the Day of Judgment. Confusing our priorities is a high risk we cannot take if we aim at God’s approval with happiness ever after.
We should acknowledge our real self and differentiate between the body and the person. Being invisible or unseen might render the soul easy to be ignored by the majority of us as compared to the body that we can see, appreciate, and attend to. Not only is our soul invisible or unseen, but it is also untouchable or intangible, leaving room for the ego to enforce the materials of this life.
With the human’s short-sighted perspective, we tend to count the Hereafter among the long term goals that are far to reach and not urgent to work for, seeking the immediate rewards of this world or settling for their apparent earthly success ; falling for the illusion.
Choose Your Priorities Carefully This Life
[Quran 17:18] Anyone who chooses this fleeting life as his priority, we will rush to him what we decide to give him, then we commit him to Gehenna, where he suffers forever, despised and defeated.
The Hereafter
[Quran 17:19] As for those who choose the Hereafter as their priority, and work righteousness, while believing, their efforts will be appreciated.
Different Priorities
[Quran 3:14] Adorned for the people are the worldly pleasures, such as the women, having children, piles upon piles of gold and silver, trained horses, livestock, and crops. These are the materials of this world. A far better abode is reserved at Allah SWT.
We must recognize the urgency of working for our eternal life and try to use every chance to take care of our real person. We have to stay alert and be aware of who we are, beyond our body, because the invisible person within us is in desperate need for recognition, care, and attention. We have to look far beyond this perishing body and beyond this materialistic world because we can not afford taking risks or being short-sighted. God gave us the knowledge, the wisdom, and the brain to be able to see beyond and behind.
Being aware of our soul and being aware of the purpose of our creation is vital in preparing for the eternal life. We should bring that to our attention every day and every moment in order to succeed in properly rearranging our priorities.
As reverent believers, when we evaluate our actions we must ask ourselves, “What did I do for my own soul today?” or “What am I going to do for my real self today “. When we look in the mirror, we should look deep and beyond our image to be able to see both our earthly body and our real person, the awesome, invisible soul. As we take care of our looks and try to present our body in a nice and respectful manner, we also should highly care how much our soul will weigh on the Day of Judgment and whether it will be able to withstand the magnificent energy of The Almighty. Upon waking up every morning, we must plan our day with the goal of redemption in mind.
Once we make the right choice to be guided and trust in Allah SWT, the Most Gracious and the Redeemer who gave us this chance from the beginning will support us and protect us from falling for the illusion of this temporary life.
[Quran 19:76] Allah SWT augments the guidance of those who choose to be guided. For the good deeds are eternally rewarded by your Lord, and bring far better returns.
Our ego is always an obstacle to build our soul, as it always looks after the immediate short-term gains of this temporary life and it gets inflated by the materials of this world. It gets boosted by hoarding, counting and showing off the vanities of this life while ignoring the invisible soul and forgetting the real long-term gains of the Hereafter. Therefore, killing our ego must be one of the first steps in bringing up our real self, our soul.
[Quran 20:15] "The Hour (end of the world) is surely coming; I will keep it almost hidden, for each soul must be paid for its works.
[Quran 20:16] "Do not be diverted therefrom by those who do not believe in it - those who pursue their own opinions - lest you fall.
[Quran 79:37] As for the one who transgressed.
[Quran 79:38] Who was preoccupied with this life.
[Quran 79:39] Hell will be the abode.
[Quran 79:40] As for the one who reverenced the majesty of his Lord, and enjoined the self from sinful lusts.
[Quran 79:41] Paradise will be the abode.
We must always trust in Allah SWT, and ask Him for His guidance, light, and steadfastness to protect us from wasting our life, losing our chance, or taking the wrong direction. We must ask Him to show us the way and to keep us in the light in order to be able to stay focused on the eternal life not get distracted by the vanities of this short one.
Time of Death Predetermined
[Quran 3:145] No one dies except by God's leave, at a predetermined time. Whoever seeks the vanities of this world, we give him therefrom, and whoever seeks the rewards of the Hereafter, we bless him therein. We reward those who are appreciative.
Let us always make it a priority to grow and redeem our souls by upholding God's scripture, following His commandments, and utilizing every moment of our life to seek His pleasure and approval. Isn't this the only reason we were granted this second life? Wouldn't this be the only path for the abode of peace and the eternal bliss? Shouldn't this be our top priority?
[Quran 91:7] The soul and Him who created it.
[Quran 91:8] Then showed it what is evil and what is good.
[Quran 91:9] Successful is one who redeems it.
[Quran 91:10] Failing is one who neglects it.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Whenever you want to pursue the truth and verify anything you hear about Islam, we urge you to please use the only valid and divine source of Islam, Quran.
