Beyond life

Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? What’s the point in life if we’ll eventually die in the end? and all kinds of questions that are considered taboo, might be exactly the same questions that many people are asking as we struggle to find meaning in life. Although I feel confident and comfortable with the answers that I have, there was once a time when I was amazingly distressed by not being able to get satisfactory answers for them.

Not knowing what we’re living for is truly a tragedy. And in the end, for many people, life is merely about following where their desires take them to, without any real sense of deep purpose. And when one follows his desires, there will never be satisfaction. Among the objects in which people try to fulfill their desires with are wealth, power, and social status.

Many people spend their entire lifetime in distraction, trying to gather the all the riches that they can gather. Many people work all their lives to receive recognition from other people, whether they work in a corporate setting, whether they are scientists reaching for the top in the scientific community, politics, or whatever profession they may be engaged in. But all the wealth and achievements gained, what do they really mean in the end?

In the Islamic tradition, we are told to look beyond the illusion of life. That everything that we receive and experience is a test for us. The achievements and the failures in life are only means for us to learn about how to be grateful or patient towards what God has given us. To use what we have or don’t have to serve the One who gave it to us in the first place. Do we give out our money to the poor? Do we use our power to benefit people? Do we learn things to be able to help others? If what we do only corresponds towards fulfilling our desires rather that for doing good deeds for God’s sake, we really need to reconsider what we are doing.

Everything that exists will perish, without exception, including all the efforts IF we only did them for the sake of our desires. We will only know for sure about the true value of our efforts once we visit our graves, when it will be too late to have regret.

Rivalry in achieving false success

In our so called modern civilization, almost in all societies, success and happiness is measured with how secure someone is financially. Even school and education are directed towards being “financially secure”, where the end product is to be able to gain a good job with a high paid salary. This of course ruins the true purpose of why one should receive education in the first place. When someone has a large paycheck and trillions of currency in their bank, people will unanimously say that he/she is successful.

The quest to achieve this kind of success has become a rivalry among people. People compete with each other to be most “successful” disregarding all the consequences. People compete with each other to get the highest pleasure/joy this world has to offer by buying all the luxurious things that they can buy. Beautiful clothes, big houses, exotic cars, antique glassware, Rolex watches, the highest/most expensive education, and everything else that can make them look the most “successful”.

The traps seducing us to drag ourselves to adopt the same attitude (to reach for this kind of success) is empowered by almost everything around us. Everywhere we look, there are always temptations. We’re seduced by the soap operas on the TV, the ads and articles about these “successful people” in magazines, the billboards using these “successful people” as if they are heroes, etc. For Muslims, this is something we need to beware of, as it’s one of satan’s trick to misguide the majority of humanity.

Devine words from Allah in the Quran has stated the danger of getting carried away in the rivalry to gain this kind of false success, including the piling up of riches, in Suraah (chapter) At Takaathur.

This has approximate meaning (according to Yusuf Ali’s translation) as the following:

1. The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things/obedience to Allah),

2. Until you visit the graves.

3. But nay, you soon shall know (the reality).

4. Again, you soon shall know!

5. Nay, were you to know with certainty of mind, (you would beware!)

6. You shall certainly see Hell-Fire!

7. Again, you shall see it with certainty of sight!

8. Then, shall you be questioned that Day about the joy (you indulged in!).

For Muslims, the surah is a serious warning about being indulged in the competition and rivalry to enjoy the joys of this world. In this surah, Allah repeatedly reminds us (emphasizing) on the danger of striving to achieve the “false successes” that this world has to offer. This warning is not on things that are forbidden (haram), but rather on the halal things, which have the potency to make us forget about our real purpose (which is to worship Allah and do righteous deeds). If the basis of all that we work for is only to achieve this kind of false success, we will indeed be the losers in the end. Everyone, even the ones who have doubt will be certain about this matter at the time their dead bodies are taken to the graves, the moment where their short lives end.

True success cannot be achieved through collecting riches. It can never be achieved, as it is in human's nature to never be satisfied and always want better things than what he owns. True success can only be achieved when a human being bases his actions on what he/she is supposed to do, which is to do righteous deeds and prevent evil. This world is full of traps and tricks that attempt to corrupt our true nature (as noble beings), and that is why we all need to equip ourselves to protect our nobility.

May Allah protect us all from all the evil that this world has to offer.

Keywords: At takaathur, human nature, Satan, life, rich, poor, islam, happiness, success