The cultivation of the Hereafter is better and more enduring than the cultivation of this world.
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“Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We increase for him in his harvest; and whoever desires the harvest of this world, We give him thereof, but he has no share in the Hereafter.” (Ash-Shura 20).
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Noble Book: “And the Hereafter is better and more enduring.” (Al-A’la 17). A rational Muslim, especially one with genuine faith, knows with certainty that the harvest of the Hereafter is better and more enduring than the harvest and adornments of this worldly life. In today’s turbulent world, it is incumbent upon him to remember this faith-based truth and adhere to the following religious and ethical values:
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- Avoiding shirk (associating partners with Allah): The true Muslim dedicates Allah, the Exalted, exclusively in divinity, worship, and obedience. He does not worship stones or humans. The oneness of Allah, Glorified is He, is the primary guarantee enabling the Muslim to cultivate the Hereafter.
- Not harming Muslims: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a migrant (Muhajir) is one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.” A Muslim cannot cultivate a harvest suitable for the Hereafter while harming other Muslims with his tongue or hand. As long as he harms his neighbor, and as long as his neighbor does not feel safe from his mischief, he is not fulfilling this duty. In another prophetic tradition: “By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!” It was asked: “Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “He whose neighbor does not feel safe from his mischief.” They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what is his mischief?” He said: “His evil.”
- The harvest of the Hereafter is not watered with impure water: A person cultivates when he begins preparing land for farming, sows seeds, waters them, and later harvests the crop. The Hereafter cannot be cultivated through consuming unlawful wealth, violating others’ rights, disobeying parents, severing family ties, backbiting, wishing for the loss of another Muslim’s blessings, or striving to ruin someone’s life for purely narcissistic reasons.
- Righteous deeds are the rain that waters the harvest of the Hereafter: A Muslim waters the harvest of his Hereafter through righteous deeds, which encompass every word or action loved by Allah, the Exalted, that increases good deeds and reduces sins, and everything that spreads love, affection, mercy, and mutual compassion among Muslims. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.
$ Kuwaiti writer
