Living The Quran
From Issue: 632 [Read full issue]
Share of This World
Al-Qasas (The Story) - Chapter 28: Verse 77
"Seek, by means of what Allah has granted you, the life to come, and forget not your share of the present world; and do good as Allah has done good to you; and seek not to spread corruption on earth. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."
God has created the pleasures and luxuries of this life so that people may enjoy their share of these, and work towards obtaining them. The only proviso is that in such enjoyment of pleasures they should seek the reward of the hereafter. Thus, the wealthy neither deviate from the road leading to heaven, nor neglect their duties as a result of their riches. When they seek the hereafter, their enjoyment of pleasure becomes a form of gratitude to earn more reward. The divine way of life enables man to progress spiritually without suffering deprivation or wasting natural resources. It makes the wealthy look forward to the life to come hoping to be among the successful on the day of Judgement, without depriving him of his share of enjoyment in the present life. In fact, the divine system urges him to do so as a duty, so that he does not discard life's pleasures and look down upon the life of this world.
The money we have is a gift God has granted us out of his kindness. Hence, it should be received with gratitude and used for good purposes, and doing kindness to other people. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said: "Your religion is your future and your money is your livelihood; there is no good in a man with no money in his name."
We should therefore live this life fully. We should be interested in it. Thus, all good things in life must be pursued, but not the love of this world. There is no true enjoyment of the good of this world if we do not adequately prepare our home in the Next world. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz used to repeat the following verse unceasingly: "There is not good in the life of a man for whom Allah has appointed no share in the everlasting abode."
Compiled From:
"In the Shade of the Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 13, pp. 270, 271
"In the Early Hours" - Khurram Murad, pp. 105, 106