In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. We seek Allah’s Protection from the fitnah of the Duniya (World) and our undying love for the accumulation of wealth and properties. We ask Allah to protect our hearts from worldly desires and to guide them toward goodness. We seek Allah’s forgiveness for our miserliness, our Hasad (Jealousy), and our Riya (Showoff). For truly, everything that we own belongs to Allah, and to Him is our final return.
If anything, the devastating earthquakes of Turkey, Syria, and other neighboring countries have left us with heavy hearts and a valuable lesson. Wisdom is so important, that time and time again we need to be reminded of it. Something that would compel our hearts to become humble, cleanse our souls, and lead us toward the worship of Allah alone. A lesson on the transient life of Human beings on earth.
The hustle and bustle of our daily life make us forget, that this Duniya is temporary and we are its inhabitants for a very short period of time. We fall into the rat race of trying to achieve everything in the Duniya, from the prettiest house to the most branded dress in the mall. We slowly start to lose sight of our akhirah and start living with the adornments of this Worldly life.
The words of our Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) are very true if one ponders upon its meaning.
Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path.”
Ibn Umar would say, “If you make it to the evening, do not wait for the morning. If you make it to the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death.” (Sahih Al Bukhari)
Our Prophet undoubtedly warned us about keeping our hearts too attached to the Duniya. Yet, we need this reminder every now and then because the desires of the world have not only increased but have also taken all of us captive. We are so involved in gaining its wealth and competing for its possession that we have lost sight of our true purpose on this earth.
Allah says in the Quran Al-An’am 6:32
And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion; but the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah, so will you not reason?
Allah also says in Surah Muhammad 47:36
[This] worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear Allāh, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your properties.No matter, the number of times Allah and Our Prophet have reminded us, we still get caught up in the tidal waves of accomplishment in the Duniya and its fleeting rewards.
These earthquakes are a reminder to us once again, that irrespective of how wealthy we are or how much we possess, the final ownership is with Allah alone. In a matter of seconds, everything we own can be destroyed. In the blink of an eye, we will be shown how powerless and helpless we are without the Mercy of Allah.
These earthquakes, are a powerful blow to mankind, to humble ourselves and fall into prostration while seeking the Mercy and forgiveness of our Lord, the Owner of Everything.
These earthquakes are an admonition to give in charity Abundantly, to not just store away our wealth in banks and in the form of properties, but to spend in the way of Allah and to be thankful for his blessings.
For some of us, these earthquakes are a simple reminder to let slip of the grudges we hold in our hearts, to tighten our ties of kinship, and to be kind to one another. Because travelers don’t have enemies and strangers don’t expect too much.
Let’s ponder upon the calamities around us and think about our momentary life on this earth and how much of our lives have we wasted away, trying to chase the pleasures of the Duniya.
We seek the forgiveness of Allah for all those times we chose to follow the desires of our nafs. We seek Allah’s Protection against every evil thought that passes our mind, and we seek refuge with Allah from the temptations of the world and the whispers of Satan.
We ask Allah to enlighten us with the knowledge of the Deen, to guide us and our generations towards the path of righteousness, and to make our hearts pure and humble, to be forgiving and loving.
We ask Allah to grant sabr to the families who have faced the trials and tribulations from Allah and to grant them forgiveness along with the highest ranks in Jannah.
Ameen Ya Rub Al Alameen!
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