Every day we see thousands of people being born and thousands passing away; everyone comes into this world and then leaves it. Therefore, there is no doubt or disagreement that death is an inevitable reality and everyone must leave this world, as Allah says: Every soul shall taste death. Since we have to die after coming into this world, then what is the reality of this world? Why have we come here, and what should we do in this world?
This world is a place for action, meaning Allah has sent us into this world so that we may worship Him and live our lives following the straight path He has given. No one except Allah has permanence; here, everyone’s life is fixed and limited. When the appointed day of their life comes, they depart from here. This means that this world is not a place to stay but a place to spend a few moments like a traveler. Our real abode is the Hereafter, which is eternal. Allah says: يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا مَتَاعٌ وَإِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ هِيَ دَارُ الْقَرَارِ(غافر:39)
Translation: O my people! This worldly life is a fleeting enjoyment; indeed, the home of permanence and eternity is the Hereafter.
In fact, compared to the Hereafter, the life of this world is but a momentary dwelling. Allah says: وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ كَأَن لَّمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِّنَ النَّهَارِ يَتَعَارَفُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ
Translation: And remind them of the Day when Allah will gather them together; it will be as if they had not remained but an hour of a day, recognizing one another. Indeed, those are in loss who denied the meeting with Allah and were not guided.
Do we not see that many worldly people have come, such as Pharaoh, Qarun, Haman, and Shaddad, but none were saved by their armies, power, or kingdoms? Ultimately, everyone had to leave this world. Therefore, even disbelievers do not deny death, but they do not take advice from it and deny being resurrected after death. Allah says: زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا ۚقُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ (التغابن:7)
Translation: The disbelievers think that they will not be resurrected. Say, “Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected; then you will surely be informed of what you did. And that, for Allah, is easy.”
Every Muslim believes in the Hereafter because belief in the Hereafter is one of the six pillars of faith. In fact, in light of this verse, it is incumbent upon us first to establish the firm belief that after death from this world, Allah will resurrect all humans on the Day of Judgment and everyone will be held accountable for their deeds. Then, we must believe in all the matters related to the Hereafter mentioned in the Quran and Hadith, such as the life of Barzakh (the intermediate state), the blessings of the grave, the punishment of the grave, the blowing of the trumpet by Angel Israfil, resurrection from graves, gathering on the Day of Judgment, Allah’s justice, accounting, the Pond of Kawthar, the Bridge of Sirat, and entry into Paradise and Hell.
The Hereafter is true, and the life of this world is actually for preparing for the Hereafter. Therefore, Allah has repeatedly commanded preparation for the Hereafter in the Quran. Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
Translation: O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow—and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
In a verse from Surah Al-Isra, Allah has given glad tidings to those who think about the Hereafter and prepare well for it, calling their efforts appreciated. Thus, the concern for the Hereafter, preparation, and result are all mentioned. Allah says: وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا
Translation: Whoever desires the Hereafter and exerts the effort due to it while being a believer—it is those whose effort is ever appreciated.
In another place, Allah says: وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا
Translation: And whatever good you send before [for yourselves]—you will find it with Allah better and greater in reward.
From this verse, the lesson is that one should not hesitate to spend for tomorrow or make any kind of sacrifice but should continue doing all kinds of good deeds hoping for a better reward in the Hereafter.
Here, I will mention a regrettable aspect and then come to the main point of the topic. The essence of our religion and its core is preparing for the Hereafter and achieving success in it through this preparation. The ultimate goal of all religious activities here is preparing for the Hereafter. But sadly, it must be said that today the majority of Muslims are extremely heedless of the concern for the Hereafter, to the extent that sometimes it seems as if Muslims have also become deniers of resurrection, meeting with the Lord, and accountability in the Hereafter. Allah has also pointed to the heedlessness of people. The Lord of the Worlds says: اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ
Translation: The time of account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away.
Considering all these points, we must strengthen our faith in the Hereafter and develop a deep concern for it within ourselves. After all, this is the difference between us and the disbelievers regarding the purpose of worldly life. They, being heedless of the Hereafter, consider this world their abode, whereas for us, the real abode is the Hereafter. Therefore, I want to mention a few important points below that will help develop concern for the Hereafter, InshaAllah.
(1) An important role in developing concern for the Hereafter is the feeling that we should always live with the consciousness that Allah is watching. He is aware of our deeds, and we cannot hide anything from Him. Allah says: أَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَرَى
Translation: Does he not know that Allah is seeing?
A Muslim who lives with this consciousness will protect his faith, strive towards righteous deeds, and fear the consequences of evil, trying to avoid it. In other words, he will always be engaged in concern for the Hereafter and its preparation.
(2) One who adopts piety (taqwa) remains concerned about the Hereafter. Therefore, Allah has commanded to take taqwa as provision for the journey to the Hereafter. The Divine command is: وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ(البقرۃ:197)
Translation: And take provision, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah.
The definition of taqwa is: “التقوى هي الخوف من الجليل والعمل بالتنزيل والرضا بالقليل والاستعداد ليوم الرحيل” meaning to fear Allah, obey His commands, be content with little, and prepare for the Hereafter.
Today, humans are devoid of action and addicted to sins because they have become fearless of Allah. Whoever has fear of Allah in his heart will be concerned about the Hereafter and its preparation.
(3) Frequently remembering death is a great means to develop concern for the Hereafter. Death is the end of worldly life, after which the journey to the Hereafter begins. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ commanded to remember death frequently. He said: أَكثروا ذِكرَ هاذمِ اللَّذَّات يعني الموتَ(صحيح الترمذي:2307)
Translation: Remember death frequently, the thing that breaks pleasures.
The purpose of this command is that we should distance ourselves from the temporary pleasures and desires of this world, connect with Allah, and prepare for the life after death by frequently remembering death. That is why many predecessors have said that death itself is sufficient as advice. Although Allah has given a terrible death to many great oppressors, among all, the death of Pharaoh has been made a special lesson.
(4) Visiting graves is also an important means to develop concern for the Hereafter. The death of someone immediately serves as advice, and occasionally visiting graveyards and the graves of the deceased is commanded so that a person develops fear of Allah, softness of heart, and concern for the Hereafter. The Prophet ﷺ said: كنتُ نهيتُكم عن زيارَةِ القبورِ ألا فزورُوها ، فإِنَّها تُرِقُّ القلْبَ ، و تُدْمِعُ العينَ ، وتُذَكِّرُ الآخرةَ ، ولا تقولوا هُجْرًا(صحيح الجامع:4584)
Translation: I forbade you from visiting graves, but now visit them, for they soften the heart, shed tears of fear from the eyes, remind you of the Hereafter, and do not speak vainly there.
Consider the state of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) in the background of this hadith. When he (RA) visited a grave, he would weep so much that his beard would become wet. When asked why he did not weep over Paradise and Hell but wept over graves, he replied with the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: إنَّ القبرَ أوَّلُ مَنازلِ الآخرةِ ، فإن نجا منهُ ، فما بعدَهُ أيسرُ منهُ ، وإن لم يَنجُ منهُ ، فما بعدَهُ أشدُّ منهُ قالَ : وقالَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ علَيهِ وسلَّمَ : ما رأيتُ مَنظرًا قطُّ إلَّا والقَبرُ أفظَعُ منهُ(صحيح ابن ماجه:3461)
Translation: The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter; if one is saved from the punishment of the grave, the subsequent stages will be easier, and if one is not saved from the punishment of the grave, the subsequent stages will be more severe. Uthman (RA) further said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: No other scene has been seen as frightening and severe as the grave.
Graves and graveyards are dreadful places where we find the graves of our friends, relatives, and loved ones with whom we spent memorable moments of life. Does their separation not cause grief? Does it not create concern for our own eventual place there?
(5) Reflect often on the terrifying stages and dreadful scenes after death. Repeat these lessons from books and scholars’ statements. This practice will keep the reminder of the Hereafter alive and help develop concern for it. Studying the severity of death, punishment of the grave, horrors of the Day of Judgment, the state of self-reproach, strict accounting, the reality of the Bridge of Sirat, the hunger and torment of the inhabitants of Hell, and the most severe punishments will surely make a Muslim tremble and worry about avoiding the hardships and difficulties of the Hereafter.
(6) The greatest obstacle in concern for the Hereafter and its preparation is love for the world or worldliness. It is also true that the more vast and expansive a person’s worldly life is, the less religious he is, and the smaller his worldly life, the more religion he has. In other words, whoever prefers the world over religion forgets the Hereafter. Allah mentions this reality in the Quran as follows: بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَاوَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
Translation: But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
It is astonishing that we prefer the fleeting pleasures of this transient world over eternal life and everlasting peace and comfort, while Allah does not even value this world equal to the wing of a mosquito. Suhail bin Sa’d (RA) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لو كانتِ الدُّنيا تعدلُ عندَ اللهِ جناحَ بعوضةٍ ما سقى كافرًا منها شربةَ ماءٍ(صحيح الترمذي:2320)
Translation: If the value of this world were even equal to the wing of a mosquito in the sight of Allah, He would not give a disbeliever even a sip of water from it.
(7) Another major obstacle in concern for the Hereafter and its preparation is the hardness of hearts and their contamination with disbelief and sin. If we purify our souls and cleanse our hearts from disbelief, sin, and vile morals, we will always be able to take lessons from things that serve as reminders. Otherwise, hardness of heart prevents taking lessons and leads to abandoning obligations and committing sins. Only those will succeed before Allah who purify their souls from vile morals and cleanse their hearts from the contamination of shirk and sin, as Allah says: Qad aflaha man zakkaha (Indeed, he succeeds who purifies it).
(8) Live the life of this world as a traveler. If we think of this place as a permanent residence and live a luxurious life here, then the remembrance of Allah and concern for the Hereafter will not develop in our hearts. The reality is that everyone who comes into this world is a traveler on the journey to the Hereafter. Whoever understands this reality considers himself a traveler in this world and prepares his provisions of religion, faith, deeds, and beliefs as a traveler does, not knowing when he will have to depart. In this context, the Prophet ﷺ said: كُن في الدُّنيا كأنَّكَ غَريبٌ أو عابرُ سبيلٍ وعدَّ نفسَكَ في أَهْلِ القبورِ(صحيح الترمذي:2333)
Translation: Live in this world as if you are a traveler or a wayfarer, and count yourself among the inhabitants of the graves.
Jahid says: Ibn Umar (RA) said to me: When you wake up in the morning, do not expect to see the evening, and when you reach the evening, do not expect to see the morning. Do something before sickness comes in health and before death comes in life, because you do not know what your status will be tomorrow.
This hadith expresses detachment from the world and reducing worldly desires. The meaning is that just as a traveler stays temporarily at a place during a journey, consider this world the same for yourself. Rather, count yourself among the inhabitants of the graves, as if you have already left this world. Therefore, it is further said: After gaining the morning, do not wait for the evening, and after gaining the evening, do not wait for the morning. Prepare for the life after death while you are healthy and strong because you do not know whether you will be among the living or the dead tomorrow.
(9) Reading the Quran with reflection and contemplation is a means to develop concern for the Hereafter within oneself. The Book of Allah is the source of guidance and guarantees success in this world and the Hereafter. Understanding the Quran increases faith and motivates righteous deeds, while also instilling fear of Allah, correcting intentions, and concern about Hell. These two feelings arise from the warnings and glad tidings in the Quran. When a believer reads about faith, deeds, and the glad tidings of Paradise and blessings, he develops a desire for Paradise. When he reads about Allah’s punishment, Hell, and the conditions of the disobedient, he fears and worries about escaping Hell. Therefore, always recite the Quran with understanding so that the desire for Paradise and fear of Hell remain alive.
(10) The last point is to always keep in mind that we are Muslims and maintain this awareness until death comes. A Muslim’s purpose in life should be worship of Allah with sincerity and according to the Sunnah until death arrives. Allah has commanded us both. Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
Translation: O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.
And the Lord of the Worlds says: وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ
Translation: And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death).
These were a few points that will help develop concern for the Hereafter. Many other points can also be included, such as all acts that soften hearts and instill fear will encourage concern for the Hereafter. Even every kind of comfort and luxury to be found in the Hereafter will inspire concern for it. May Allah develop concern for the Hereafter within us so that we may prepare for it as required and attain salvation in the Hereafter.
