Carpe Diem. Preparing for the Hereafter

 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

 

 

وَأَنذِرۡهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡحَسۡرَةِ إِذۡ قُضِيَ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ وَهُمۡ فِي غَفۡلَةٖ وَهُمۡ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ

Wa anzirhum Yawmal hasrati iz qudiyal amr; wa hum fee ghaflatinw wa hum laa yu’minoon

Maryam (Mary) - 19:39

hence, warn them of [the coming of] the Day of Regrets, when everything will have been decided-for as yet they are heedless, and they do not believe [in it].

 

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ   

Man kaana yureedu harsal Aakhirati nazid lahoo fee harsihee wa man kaana yureedu harsad dunyaa nu’tihee minhaa wa maa lahoo fil Aakhirati min naseeb

Ash-Shura (The Consultation)  42:20 To him who desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to him who desires [but] a harvest in this world, We [may] give something thereof - but he will have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come.

Seize the day. Take advantage of the time that you have.

Lesson 1:

'Abdullah Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما was once on a journey out of Medīna with some of his companions.  They stopped to eat, as the weather was rather hot. When they had spread out their tablecloth, a shepherd passed by, so they invited him to eat with them. He politely declined, stating that “I am fasting.” Ibn ʿUmar   said, “You are fasting on a hot day like this, while you are between these valleys walking behind these sheep?”

The shepherd replied, “I am taking advantage of these free days of mine.”
For if you read the ayat :

كُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ هَنِيٓـَٔۢا بِمَآ أَسۡلَفۡتُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَيَّامِ ٱلۡخَالِيَةِ

Kuloo washraboo haneee’am bimaaa aslaftum fil ayyaamil khaliyah

 (Al-Haqqah (The Reality) - 69:24 )

"Eat and drink with good cheer in return for all [the good deeds] that you have sent ahead in days gone by!" 

only those will eat and drink in the Hereafter, who have used their time wisely, to send good deeds up ahead.
Ibn ʿUmar  was impressed by this reply and said, “Can you sell one of your sheep to us? We will share some of it with you, with which you can break your fast and we will pay you for it.” The shepherd said, “They do not belong to me; they belong to my master.” Ibn ʿUmar   (wanting to test him) said, “What will your master say to you if you tell him it was eaten by a wolf?” The shepherd said that his master would believe if he said so, but said in a loud voice, “What about Allāh?” Ibn ʿUmar  was so struck by this that he kept repeating this phrase of his till they reached home. When he arrived in Medīna, he went to the shepherd’s master, bought the sheep and secured the shepherd's freedom. He then gifted all the sheep to the shepherd, who was now a free man.

Lesson 2:

There is a powerful story attributed to Bahlool, the jester, and the Abbasid Caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd that brings out the meaning of this verse.

It is said that Hārūn once gave Bahlool a wooden staff and said to him, “This is for the most foolish person in the world. Keep it with you. And if one day you find someone more deserving of it than yourself, then hand it to him.”

From that day on, Bahlool carried the staff with great care. Whenever Hārūn and his courtiers saw him holding it so seriously, they laughed. It became a source of amusement for them. They thought it suited him well.

Years passed.

Then the day came when Hārūn al-Rashīd lay upon his deathbed. The strength of kingship was leaving him, and the world that had once answered his command was slipping from his hands. Bahlool came to visit him.

He sat near him and said, “I hear that you are about to travel.”

Hārūn replied, “Yes. I am going on a journey.”

Bahlool asked, “Where are you going?”

He said, “To the next world.”

Bahlool said, “And how far is this journey?”

Hārūn replied, “Very far.”

Bahlool asked, “And when will you return?”

Hārūn said, “I will never return.”

Bahlool looked at him and said, “Then surely you must have made great preparations for such a journey. Have you sent ahead what will receive you there? Have you arranged for what you will need when you arrive?”

Hārūn replied, “No. A person goes there alone.”

Bahlool said, “SubḥānAllah. For the shortest journey in this world, you would send men ahead. For a brief stay in one place, you would make arrangements, prepare provisions, and secure comfort. But now you are going to a place where you will remain forever, and you say you have made no preparations?”

Hārūn was silent.

Then Bahlool said, “Can this journey be delayed, so that you may prepare now?”

Hārūn replied, “No. When the summons comes, it cannot be postponed.”

Bahlool asked, “Did you know that this journey would one day come?”

Hārūn said, “Yes. I always knew.”

And then he began to weep.

Bahlool remained quiet for a while. Then he looked at the Caliph, and without another word he placed the wooden staff in his hand.

He said, “I think I have finally found the one more deserving of this staff.”

What sharper reminder could there be?

A person may be clever in the affairs of this world, careful in trade, wise in politics, and cautious in every matter that concerns comfort and status. But if he spends his life preparing for short journeys and neglects the one journey that cannot be avoided, then what kind of wisdom is that?

This is the great deception of the dunya.

We plan for exams, for careers, for homes, for holidays, for our children, for old age. We save, arrange, organize, and worry. Yet the longest journey of all, the meeting with Allah, is the one for which many leave the least preparation.

The Qur’an tells us that whoever seeks the harvest of the Hereafter will be given increase in that harvest. But whoever lives only for the harvest of this world may receive some part of it, while losing the greater share altogether.

Hārūn had a kingdom, power, wealth, and command. But on the edge of death, none of that could delay his departure by even a moment.

And Bahlool, whom people laughed at, was the one who saw clearly.

So who is truly foolish?

The one who has little of this world?
Or the one who gains much of it, yet sends nothing ahead?

Lesson 3:

A story is narrated of a country which would annually elect a ruler granting him or her absolute powers, with the caveat that at the end of the annual tenure, they would have to be exiled to a chosen deserted island.  Upon completion of their tenure, they would be dressed up in the finest raiment made of silk and brocade, made to tour the kingdom to bid farewell, however sorrowfully, and embark in a boat journey to be marooned at that island to fend for themselves, never to return.  Despite the obvious brevity of the tenure, the allure of absolute powers made sure that there was never any shortage of applicants.

Once it happened that the one nominated was a bright young fellow, who was curious and thoughtful by nature. Few days after coronation, he requested to be taken to the island for a visit. Although it was taboo for the people, they could not turn down the request of their absolute monarch.

No sooner that he had started exploring the island, he saw the place strewn with skeletons, possibly former rulers, some showing signs of having been savagely devoured by wild beasts.  He saw the former king on the brink of starvation, struggling with whatever the island had to offer. The former king told him of attacks by wild beasts and the inhospitable terrain of the island. The new king gave all his provisions to the erstwhile king and returned, remaining silent for most of the journey back, thoughtful, contemplating.

Upon his return he asked for hundreds of able bodied men, together with tools, provisions, saplings etc to accompany him for another visit to the island. He instructed them to clear the terrain, plant fruit bearing trees, make gardens and in other ways make it more hospitable. Also, he instructed them to create a beautiful palace. He would regularly visit this island whenever he would get a break from his busy schedule to monitor the progress. Since he led a simple life, whatever was bestowed upon him as a king, he would set aside and hence all his savings he invested in the island also, making a dock and some sailboats and trading boats, all in a span of a year.

At the end of the year, unlike other kings who were full of grief while touring the country, he embraced this farewell and was truly happy to be leaving, for he knew he was going to a comfortable place. And so he went joyfully, without any regrets, never to come back.

 

We know we are all traveling.
We know the call will come.
We know it cannot be delayed.

So what have we prepared for the place where we will stay forever?