The Parrot said, "O birds, does anyone of you volunteer to share a qeesha?" The birds ducked down, the Parrot said to the Falcon, "O my brother Falcon, are there any Qashash?" The Falcon glanced upward, as if thinking, then said, "No, not yet!" The Swan, who had not spoken so much, came forward, saying, "O my brothers and sisters, I want to share a qeesha about human." The Sparrow asked, "Is it a story of the superheroes?" The swan replied, "No, my qeesha is not a story of men who can fly, or who can fire a laser beam from their eyes, or who can destroy a large rock with their fists or their arrows. Neither a story of a man who wears a mask and wearing a suite like a bat or a man who can walk on the wall like a spider. And also, it is not a story of a woman holding a god sword, lasso of truth on her waist, powerful braceletes, and a pair of new boots. Nor is a story of an imaginary giant man with big-wide chin, along with his five booty magic gemstones. Nope, my qeesha is only about an ordinary human, who grinned when pinched, eat when hungry and slept when tired." The Sparrow said, "So, tell us about him!"
The Swan said, "On the edge of a lake, there was a young man sitting alone. Apparently, he was thinking of something." The Sparrow interupted," What was he thinking of? And by the way, which generation is he in?" The Swan said, "This young man is a grandson of Generation X, a son of Generation Y or Millenials, so he is a Generation Z or i-Gen." The Falcon said," O Sparrow, be quite please, listen to the story! Go on sister!" The Swan continued," This young man had just finished college at one of renowned universities in the Never-never Land. He thought, after this, where to go? Many alternative options he had, but which one was good for him? For a long time he thought, until he remembered what his father told him. When he sat down with his father, his father said, "O bunayya, someday, you will leave this world, so, live a life you will not regret." The young man asked, "O Abati, explain to me the meaning of your words, I still do not understand it."
His father said, "On the authority of ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, "Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path." And ibn Umar would say, "If you survive till the late afternoon, do not expect (to be alive in] the morning. If you survive till the morning, do not expect [to be alive in] the late afternoon. Take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death."
This is an authentic hadith. It was recorded by al-Bukhari, al-Baihaqi, ibn al-Mubaarak in al-Zuhd, al-Baghawi, al-Shihaab in his Musnad and ibn Hibbaan.
This is a very important hadith as it governs how we should be in this life and how we should look at it. This hadith is truly profound in meaning, with far-reaching implications. If one ponders over the meaning of this hadith and applies it correctly, it could lead him to a great deal of good, as this worldly life can be a great threat to a life of piety. This hadith is a vivid reminder of the real nature of this world. The believer who understands and implements this hadith will find himself high above this worldly life rather than a slave to it.
This world is referred to in Arabic as al-dunya. Linguistically, dunya comes from a root meaning both closeness and something despicable or lowly. This world is called dunya for two reasons: First, at the present time, it is closer (adnaa) to the humans than the Hereafter. Second, it is despicable or abased (daneeah) in comparison to the Hereafter. This hadith is a clear sign that a true believer does not put his aspirations and heart into this world. This world is not his real home. Instead, on his mind is that he is moving toward his real destination, real home and real resting place. He will not plant his heart and mind too firmly in this earth. His love, thoughts and motive are for a completely different world and existence. Among the implications here is that if the believer loses anything of this world or is not able to attain something of this world, it will not have a great effect on his heart and emotions. It is only those who are deceived by the glitter they see around them who become engrossed in this world and desire it till their deaths. When a person realizes the true nature of this world, as taught in the Quran and sunnah, it becomes very easy for him to become "detached" from this world and to deal with it in the proper way. That is why he should become like a stranger or a wayfarer with respect to this world.
This worldly life is only amusement and diversion, something that have no real purpose or benefit. They are simply things that occupy the soul and causes it to waste its time and not involve itself in more important matters. The ignorant people spend their whole lives in pursuit of such vain activities without any benefit for themselves in the Hereafter. This worldly life is something alluring, beautiful, attractive. Therefore, the eyes and physical self find it good and worthy of love. However, if the heart were aware of its reality, what dangers it can present for one's religion and relationship with Allah and what over indulgence in it leads to, the world would become displeasing to it and the heart would then concentrate on the Hereafter.
This world can get the person so engrossed that he forgets the Hereafter. He gets deceived into believing that the goals of this life are worth living for even if it means that one neglects his duties toward Allah. These are some of the ways by which Satan seduces man and makes him forget about his real purpose. Allah, Subhanahu wa-ta'Ala has made it clear that He will give this world to whoever He wills, believer or disbeliever; such worldly possessions are not of great importance. However, the Hereafter, which is the true bounty and the matter of great importance, He reserves only for His believers and those whom He is pleased with.
Look at our situation. When the people were closer to being poor,' they were more conscious and fearful of Allah. When the wealth increased and became abundant, more and more people starting turning away from the path of Allah and oppression started. Nowadays, people long for the glitter and attractions of this world, of cars, houses, furniture, clothing. And they boast to others about all those things. And they turn away from what is beneficial for them in the Hereafter. The newspapers and magazines only talk about luxurious living and what is related to this world. They turn people away from the Hereafter and ruin them, except for those whom Allah wills.
With respect to the world, humans are divided into two categories. First are those who reject the idea that for the humans there is an abode after this world for reward and punishment. They only concern for those people is enjoying this world and taking advantage of its pleasure before they die. The second category of people are those who recognize that there is an abode after death for reward and punishment. These are those who follow the messengers. These people are also subdivided into three subcategories: the one who wrongs himself, the avarage one and the one who races forward to good deeds by the permission of Allah.
As for those who wrong themselves: these are the majority. Most of them look at the glitter and beauty of this world and take it in an improper fashion and use it in an improper way. This world becomes their greatest concern. It is by this world that they become pleased; it is due to it that they become angry; it is according to it that they make alliances with others or oppose others. These are the people of play, diversion and attraction. Although they do believe in the Hereafter on a general level, they do not recognize what is the purpose of this world. They do not recognize that it is a place for them to get provisions for what is after it.
As for the avarage ones: Those are the ones who take from this world in a permissible fashion; they fulfill its obligations; they take for themselves the obligatory provisions and go beyond that to enjoy part of what this world has to offer. There is no punishment for them for what they have done. However, they have lessened their rewards in the Hereafter.
As for those who race forward to good deeds by the permission of Allah: They understand what is the purpose of this world and they work according to what that requires. They know full well that Allah has placed His servants in this abode in order to test them to see which of them are the best in deeds.
This hadith shows that a believer should have one of two attitudes toward this world. The first is that of a stranger in a strange land. He feels that he is in a place where he does not belong. This is not his home and he cannot feel entirely happy here. His heart can never be tied to this land. Instead, his heart and mind are preoccupied with getting back to his home. His time and his efforts are filled with that purpose. He is spending his time, money and capabilities to gather together what he needs to return to his home. His time is not spent or wasted on entrenching himself deeply in this environment to which he knows that he does not belong.
The second one, is to be like a traveler along a path. This implies that the person is actually not residing anywhere but is always moving toward his final destination or goal. The end of his travels, of course, will be his death. Therefore, his only preoccupation is to gather the provisions that he needs to continue his journey and make his journey a successful one.
Al-Nawawi stated that a person in this world is like a slave who was sent by his master to another land to fulfill some objective. His goal will be to fulfill that objective as quickly as possible and then return to his land and owner. As long as he is there, he will not bother with anything else along the way or with gathering as much as he can from that other land.
Ibn Hajr stated, "In the same way that a traveler is not in need of more than what will get him to his destination, a believer does not need any more of this worldthan what will help him reach his destination."
Therefore, the believer's life, long-term aspirations, goal in life, time, efforts, work and wealth should never be spent for the purposes of this worldly life alone. Instead, they should all be guided by his urgent desire to reach his true home, where he knows he belongs. They must all be guided by his want to please Allah and to be entered among Allah's pious servants in the everlasting home of Paradise. This is how a stranger behaves when he is in a foreign land. He is not happy with his day unless he feels that during it he has done something that will eventually lead him back to his home or that has helped him reach his final goal. Furthermore, he does not try to compete with the inhabitants of that strange land because his interests and their interests are completely at odds. In addition, he is not trying to win their respect or praise, as in his heart he is merely seeking to return to his land.
A stranger desires to return to his land. However, he knows that he cannot return to his homeland if he starves to death where he is or if he makes extra efforts to survive where he is while sacrificing efforts to provide for his journey. It is true that the believer's heart is not attached to this world, but at the same time, he must realize that he has to work in this world to be able to make it back to his homeland. That is, for the believer, this is the place of working — working with the goal of getting to where he belongs. This work involves true faith and performing the good deeds that are obligatory or recommended for him. These are, in fact, the provisions that will help him reach his homeland he so longs for. However, some of that "work" involves this worldly life. Although he is a stranger, he is forced to have some involvement in this world. He is obliged to support himself and his family. He is obliged to order good and eradicate evil. He is obliged to be kind and good to others and so forth. Hence, he is a stranger but not in a negative sense; he contributes what is good to this world, yet he is not working for the sake of this world."
His father then said, "O bunayya, everyone is on a journey, heading toward the meeting with one's Lord. When he meets Allah, he will be asked about his journey and how he behaved during it. If he realizes now that he is on such a journey, he should start preparing for the meeting toward which he is heading. And the only preparation is by increasing one's faith, doing good deeds and working for that final destination rather than for any vain intermediate aim. The believer must always be conscious of the fact that he is living in the shade of death. At any moment, death may overtake him. When this realization is clear in the person's mind, he will constantly be preparing for his death. And there is only one way to actually prepare for death: by performing good deeds and abstaining from evil deeds.
O bunayya, take this from Ibn Al-Qayyim, a naseehah, "A friend will not literally share your struggles, the loved one cannot physically take away your pain, and a close one will not stay up the night on your behalf, so look after yourself, protect it, nurture it, and don't give life's events more than what they are really worth.
Be certain that when you break, no one will heal you except you, and when you are defeated, no one will give you victory except your determination. Your ability to stand up again and carry on, is your responsibility.
Do not look for yourself earth in the eyes of people, look for your worth from within your conscious. If your conscious is at peace, then you will ascend high. And if you truly know yourself then what it said about you, won't harm you. Do not carry the worries of this life because this is for Allah. Do not carry the worries of sustenance because it is from Allah. And do not carry the anxiety of the future because it's in the hands of Allah. Carry one thing : “how to please Allah!” Because if you please him he pleases you, fulfills you and enriches you. Do not be from a life that made your heart weep. Just say, “O Allah, compensate me with good in this life and in the Hereafter.”
Sadness departs with a sajda, happiness comes with the sincere dua. Allah does not forget the good you do, nor does He forget the good you did to others and the pain you relieve them from, nor will He forget the eyes which was about to cry but you made it laughs.
Live your life with this principle. Be good even if you don't receive good, not because for others sake, but because of Allah, and indeed, He loves the doers of good."
The Swan continued, "Every story has a beginning and an ending. In our life, we had many stories to tell, and an ending of our every story, was just a beginning of another story. The young man then stood up, wearing a headband that reads on it "لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله" ,then he said to himself, "I am a wayfarer... yes, I am a wayfarer!" He closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled, then uttered, "Bismillah!" before stepping forward to begin a new story." Every book has a story behind it. Every journey has a reason behind it. And so, the jorney of an I-Gen, or rather, an Islamic Generation, had begun. Then, the Canary sang a song,
"I'm not looking for somebody
with some superhuman gifts
some superhero
some fairytale bliss
Just something I can turn to
somebody I can kiss
I want something just like this" *)
"Have you not seen that Allah created the heavens and the earth in truth? If He wills, He can do away with you and produce a new creation. And that is not difficult for Allah." [QS. 14:19-20]
Reference :
- Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, Commentary On The Forty Hadith Of Al Nawawi Volume 2, Al-Basheer Publications
*) Credited to The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, "I Want Something Just Like This"
