KHUTAB III - 9. LIFE IN THIS WORLD

9. LIFE IN THIS WORLD

Brothers in Islam,

Allah mentions several times about man’s life in this world, sometimes

a. as deceiving enjoyment, or the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving enjoyment), متاع الغرور such as the following verses:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ

وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ (آل عمران : ١٨٥)

Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection

 shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away

 from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.

 The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception

 (a deceiving enjoyment). (Q. 3:185)

b. as play and pastime (amusement),لَعِبٌ وَ لَهْوٌ as in the following verse:

   إِنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ

 أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ   (محمد   :٣٦)

The life of this world is but play and pastime: but if you

 Believe  and fear Allah, and avoid evil, Allah will grant

 your wages, and will not  ask you your wealth. (Q. 47:36)

Allah gives more details on man’s life on this earth as follows:

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ

 مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ  (الحديد :٢٠)

Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement,

 pomp [splendid display] and mutual boasting among you, and

 rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) as the likeness of

 vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tillers; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it

 becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment

 (for the disbelievers, evil doers), and (there is) forgiveness

 from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the  believers,

good doers). And the life of this world is only

 a deceiving enjoyment. (Q.57:20)

          This is life. Allah mentions six things we do in this life: (1) play (2) amusement, (3) showing off, (4) mutual boasting, (5) rivalry in respect of wealth and (6) rivalry in respect of children. These things could be done in stages. If the approximate age of man in this world is 60, then we play until the age of ten, we might still play but also amuse ourselves till the age of 20, then we tend to show off and display ourselves splendidly till the age of 30, then we become boastful among ourselves till the age of 40, then we become engaged in rivalry in respect of collecting wealth till the age of 50, and finally in having children till the age of 60. It is common among Indonesian people to ask you how many children you have, although they never ask you how much money you have in the bank. It is rude. You can display your children, but you cannot tell people how much money you have in the bank.

The above verse could also mean that the six things mentioned above could be done simultaneously. Life as a pastime, a play, boasting and rivalry among us are still going on. We still can boast with our wealth and tell people indirectly how much money we have by having an expensive car and house, wearing expensive clothes and diamonds, and so on, especially among women, so that they will admire us. Rivalry is a very strong motive especially among children for doing good things, and we should use it in a wise way. This is what we call “competition".

The more we become older the more we tend to play and enjoy ourselves rather than thinking of and preparing ourselves for the next life. People play golf, tennis, cards, and many kinds of entertainment to kill   or waste time.

Allah told us that life is like a plant that grows, pleasing the farmers, then the plant becomes dry and turns yellow, then becomes straw. The wordكُفَّار  (kuffār) in the above verse is in its original meaning, the persons who cover something, namely, the seeds, and the persons who do things are the tillers and the farmers. They are happy to see the seeds grow. Sometimes they are proud of their plants, and think that they are expert in farming, and forget the Creator who makes the pants grows. So, Allah said to them:

   أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَحْرُثُونَ. أَأَنْتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ. لَوْ نَشَاءُ

 لَجَعَلْنَاهُ حُطَامًا فَظَلْتُمْ تَفَكَّهُونَ  (الواقعة : ٦٣-٦٥)

Then tell Me about the seed that you sow in the ground.

 Is it you that  make it grow, or are We the Grower? Were it

Our will, We could crumble it into dry to pieces, and you

 would be regretful. (Q. 56:63-65).

So, do not be too proud of the sweet apples you grow. Remember Allah Who lets your apples grow and become sweet.

But finally the seeds that become plants will turn into straw. That is life. We are planted into womb of our mother. We grow. We are born and our parents are happy. Yet, one day we shall become old and die like straw.  This is the circle of life. But after this, comes the Judgment Day. In the Hereafter, we shall be judged on what we have done in this world, and whether we shall go to Hell or Paradise, or both, to Hell first then to Paradise. In the Hereafter we shall get either severe punishment or forgiveness and His pleasure, and hopefully not His punishment. The conclusion: وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إلَّا مََتاَعُ الْغُرُوْْر “And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."

Speaking about the circle of life, Allah mentions that when we grow old our condition will reverse, that we shall turn again like a child, even like a baby. Allah says:

وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ (يس : ٦٨)

And he whom We grant long life—We reverse him in

 creation [weakness  after strength]. Will they not

 then understand? (Q.36:68).

This is a Makkan sūrah, to tell people, observe the condition of your life.

People when they grow old, they start to be weak and finally behave like a baby. They cannot control their bowels any longer; their five senses become weak, and finally they have to be tended like babies in nursing homes until they die.

Speaking about dying, I remember a neighbour in Malaysia, when we talked about travelling, said that to me “It is not important where you die, but how you die”. How should we die? Allah said to us the believer,

(آل عمران : ١٠٢)  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ

   O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be

feared [i.e. by obeying Him] and die not except in a state

 of Islam [namely, as Muslims]. (Q. 3: 102).

This was also the was.iyyah of Prophet Ibrāhīm and Ya‘qūb to their children. Allah said:

 وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى

لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (البقرة : ١٣٢)

“And this (submission to Allah, Islam) was enjoined by

Ibrāhīm (Abraham) upon his sons, and Ya‘qūb (Jacob) (saying)

‘O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then

 die not except in the faith of Islam (Muslims).”  (Q. 2:132).