Imprisonment Within the Confines of the Worldly Life

The Quran describes various types of people, including some who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. However, these descriptions are not confined to the early generations. Rather, they apply to anyone who possesses the characteristics mentioned in the Quran. Whenever these traits become firmly rooted in a person’s character, that individual falls into the same category of people described in the Quran. An example is those mentioned in the following verse: “Have you not seen those to whom it was said, ‘Restrain your hands, establish prayer, and give Zakah?’ But when fighting was prescribed for them, a group of them began to fear people as they should fear Allah — or with even greater fear — and they said, ‘Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us? If only You had delayed it for a little while.’ Say, ‘The enjoyment of this worldly life is but little, while the Hereafter is better for the one who fears Allah. And you will not be wronged even as much as the thread within a date stone’” (4:77). Among the most prominent of these qualities are fear of people and the desire to evade Allah’s command. What, then, is the relationship between these two traits? More precisely, what underlying cause connects them?

The divine command — fighting — was revealed as a trial for the soul and as a means of exposing the true nature of faith within it: Has the soul truly submitted to its Lord, or has it merely professed faith outwardly?

When the soul has settled into comfort and feels secure, it finds no difficulty in complying with Allah’s commands, so long as those commands do not conflict with its desires or disturb its sense of security. However, when a divine command contradicts what the soul perceives to be the source of its safety and stability, it becomes unsettled and shaken. Its hidden resentment emerges; it bares its fangs and strives earnestly to find an escape that would allow it to avoid complying with that command.

The divine command to fight, revealed in the above verse, belongs to the category of commands that conflict with human desires, aspirations, and the pursuit of security. It is perceived as exposing one to the loss of life — a life without which, in their view, there can be no enjoyment, hope, or happiness. To such people, the command to fight signifies the loss of comfort, safety, and everything they hold dear. Consequently, their souls recoil in fear, their resolve weakens, and their courage fades. Allah says in Surah Muḥammad: “But when a decisive Surah is revealed and fighting is mentioned therein, you see those in whose hearts is a disease looking at you with the gaze of one overcome by the agony of death. So woe to them” (47:20)

This perception is rooted in a false belief born of imprisonment within the confines of this worldly life. The world has become the place where such people seek security, the repository of all their ambitions, and the arena in which they hope to fulfill their dreams. Consequently, they fear losing it more than they fear Allah, and they fear people whom they imagine possess the power to benefit or harm them. The anxiety that their security may be shaken and their worldly interests disrupted becomes the prison that confines them. It also becomes the excuse by which they surrender to helplessness, laziness, cowardice, and miserliness — all of which are symptoms of hearts imprisoned by attachment to this world. Their statement in the verse, “If only You had delayed us for a little while,” is itself evidence of the fear that had taken hold of their hearts. Such a delay would not prevent death from eventually overtaking them, nor did they ask for it in order to prepare themselves for obedience. Rather, they sought an opportunity to escape, postpone, and evade the divine command.

What, then, brought them to such a state?

The answer lies in two fundamental causes: first, a corrupted worldview; and second, the absence of Taqwa (God-consciousness).

First: Corruption of One’s Worldview

A corrupted worldview results in the absence of true awareness. The root of this corruption lies in directing reflection and contemplation toward the wrong objects, thereby producing neither meaningful lessons, nor guidance toward what is good. Allah (swt) says: “There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding” (12:111). He also says: “So take heed, O people of insight” (59:2). And He says: “Indeed, in that are signs for people who reflect” (13:3). And “Indeed, in that are signs for people who use reason” (30:24).

Beneficial reflection is that which connects a servant to the reason for their existence and the purpose for which they were created. The absence of this kind of reflection leads to heedlessness regarding the gift of life, causing people to become oblivious to the need to seek the means of preserving, dignifying, and honoring this divine gift. Allah (swt) says: “No soul can believe, except by Allah’s permission, and He places defilement upon those who do not use reason. Say, ‘Consider all that is in the heavens and the earth!’ Yet, neither signs nor warners are of any benefit to people who refuse to believe” (10:100–101).

The problem is that people become deceived by the attractions of this worldly life and, as a result, turn away from knowing themselves. They give no attention to understanding the elements that constitute their being or the purpose for which each person was created. Consequently, they fail to recognize the rank of the heart, the role of the intellect, the inclinations of the soul, the reality of Satan, and the true nature of this worldly life. Satan is a clear enemy who calls his followers to become among the inhabitants of The Blaze. The worldly life is amusement and play, a fleeting enjoyment, and an abode of delusion. Regarding it, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If this worldly life were worth even the wing of a mosquito in the sight of Allah, He would not give a disbeliever even a single drink of water from it.”

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also illustrated the insignificance of this world before Allah through the parable of the dead, deformed goat. It is narrated by Muslim that he, peace and blessings be upon him, passed through the marketplace, entering from one of the upper quarters of Madinah while the people were on both sides of him. He came upon a dead goat with deformed ears. Taking hold of one of its ears, he said, “Which of you would like to have this for a dirham?” They replied, “We would not want it for anything. What use would it be to us?” He said, “Would you like it to belong to you?” They replied, “By Allah, even if it were alive, it would be defective because its ears are deformed. How much more so when it is dead?” Thereupon, he said, “By Allah, this worldly life is more insignificant to Allah than this goat is to you.”

Ignorance of the components of the human self causes people to become heedless of the needs of their hearts and souls. Instead, they deal with their entire being only through the lower self (Nafs), which persistently demands the fulfillment of its desires by stirring the instincts. Those who are ignorant of themselves communicate with their own souls only through the bridge of instinct. As a result, their primary concern becomes satisfying those instincts without guidance or illuminating knowledge. This is nothing but transgression and preference for the worldly life. Allah says: “As for the one who transgressed and preferred the worldly life, then indeed Hellfire will be their abode” (79:37–39).

Among the instincts are those that stir desires, and among them are those that evoke fear and cowardice. Thus, the worldly life becomes the reservoir of desires through which people seek pleasure and the refuge from which they seek the security that dispels fear.

This, then, is the essence of their worldview concerning life and the universe. Upon it their thoughts and actions are built, and it is this worldview that shapes their inner consciousness and governs their emotions.

Second: The Absence of the Foundations That Give Rise to Taqwa

The first foundation is giving precedence to the Hereafter over this worldly life. This is attained through knowledge, reflection, contentment, and sound judgment. Contentment is the fruit of certainty that the Hereafter is better and everlasting, and tranquility is the fruit of contentment.

When the heart — which is the very source of Taqwa — ceases to fulfill its function, the soul becomes captive to its desires. It grows heedless of the reality of the Hereafter, distracted by long hopes, and no longer perceives that this worldly life is like vegetation that flourishes for a time, then withers and becomes dry debris. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Know that the life of this world is but play, amusement, adornment, mutual boasting among you, and competition in wealth and children. It is like rain whose resulting vegetation delights the farmers; then it dries, and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes debris” (57:20).

To perceive this reality, people must possess living hearts and receptive ears, as Allah says: “Indeed, in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or listens attentively while being fully present” (50:37).

The first step in establishing Taqwa is to view this worldly life through the reality that Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, have made known. This requires striving and perseverance until one comes to perceive that reality with certainty. Once the insignificance of this world becomes firmly rooted in the heart and the greatness of the Hereafter fills one’s vision, the Hereafter becomes one’s foremost concern and ultimate objective. They realize that it alone is the true life, as Allah says: “Indeed, the Home of the Hereafter — that is the true life, if only they knew” (29:64).

The practical path begins with reflective contemplation that magnifies Allah’s greatness and recognizes His countless favors. This naturally gives rise to gratitude.

The second step is to cultivate the quality of Inabah — constantly turning back to Allah in repentance and devotion. Among the greatest examples of this is Sulayman, peace be upon him. When he was tested with the magnificent steeds and realized that they had distracted him from the remembrance of his Lord, he immediately turned back to Allah in sincere repentance. Allah says: “When the fine, swift horses were presented before him in the late afternoon, he said, ‘Indeed, I have loved the love of these good things over the remembrance of my Lord until they disappeared behind the veil. Bring them back to me and set about striking [their] legs and necks” (38:31–33). The same with Ayyub, peace be upon him. Regarding both of them, Allah said: “What an excellent servant! Indeed, he was ever turning back to Allah” (38:30,44).

No matter how severe the trial may be, or if people slip into error or stumble, cultivating the quality of Inabah is the path to continually correcting and realigning their course. Those who constantly turn back to Allah do not persist in their mistakes. Rather, they return to their Lord whenever they slip or become heedless. Allah says: “Indeed, those who fear Allah – when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight” (7:201).

Once people’s vision is purified and their understanding of life and the universe is set aright, they realize that the greatest pursuit in life is that which is with Allah. For this reason, Allah presents the enduring example of Pharaoh’s wife for the believers, showing how she faced Pharaoh’s tyranny yet chose the Hereafter over this worldly life. She said: “My Lord, build for me, with You, a house in Paradise, save me from Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the wrongdoing people” (66:11).