Live IN the Dunya, not FOR the Dunya

a simple, inspiring message of which we should all take heed.
taken from this amazing blog (masha'Allah): http://tmr123.wordpress.com/

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يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ


O human being, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous?
(al-Infitaar: 6)

What is it that deceives us?

It’s the life of this world.

How do we know whether we’ve been deceived or not?

Through self-reflection, by pondering on the major decisions we make in life. If we’re motivated purely by worldly desires and ignore what Allah ta’ala wants and commands, then we’ve been deceived.

If we have been deceived, how do we break free and correct the situation?

By reflecting on the shortness of this worldly life. When we look back on it in the akhirah, it will be like a single day, or a part of a day, or just a single hour. So why bother putting so much effort into it if it’s all just going to vanish?

What should the end result of this exercise be?

That we live in the dunya, not for the dunya. The akhirah becomes our main concern and the thing we strive for, not this temporary ephemeral world; and that we actually mean the claim we make when we say in salah, “Indeed, my prayer and my sacrifice, my life and my death, are for the Lord of all the worlds.“

And Allah ta’ala knows best.

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