What is the provisions for the next world in islam? Preparing provisions for the next world in islam…
We are all travellers who are journeying towards divine judgement at every moment. But no journey can be embarked upon without due preparation and provisions.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) once asked Abu Dharr (may Allah be well pleased with him):
“If you wish to set off on a journey, do you not make the necessary preparations?”
Abu Dharr responded:
“Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) continued:
“How, then, will the journey to the Day of Reckoning be? Shall I tell you what will avail you most on that Day?”
Abu Dharr (may Allah be well pleased with him) replied with great enthusiasm:
“Yes, O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be your ransom!”
The Prophet then said:
“The Day of Rising is a day of great heat. Fast now that you may be relieved from the heat of that Day.
Offer two units of prayer in the darkness of night, in order to lessen the darkness and loneliness in the grave.
Perform the Hajj (pilgrimage) in preparation for the overwhelming events of the Last Day, and spend in charity.
Either speak the truth or remain silent.” (Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Kitab al-Tahajjud; Ghazali, Ihya, I, 354)
Allah, glory be to Him, declares in a Qur’anic verse:
“You who believe! have taqwa (fearful awareness) of Allah and let each self look to what it has sent forward for Tomorrow. Have taqwa of Allah. Allah is aware of what you do.” (Al-Hashr, 59:18)
Allah Almighty refers to the Next Life as “tomorrow” in this verse. Our Lord, who is above and beyond time and space, refers to the time until the Last Day and the Next Life – which to the unbelievers seems as though it will never come and to the heedless a long way off – as short as the time until tomorrow.
And just how relative a concept is time; Allah indicates in the Qur’anic verse:
“A day with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count.” (Al-Hajj, 22:47)
Therefore, in order to be able to reap the fruits of bliss in the eternal life, which we are as close to as ‘tomorrow’, we must hasten to good actions without delay and sow the seeds of goodness in the field of this world today. We should use our time so wisely that even if it were to be said that we will die tomorrow, we would not feel the need to make any changes to our life schedule.
How wise are the following words of Sa’di Shirazi:
“Procure your own provisions for the Next Life during this life, for your friends will neglect you when dead, for their own selfish ends.
Gold and affluence give while you have them in hand; for after you die, they’re not yours to command. If you wish affliction in the Next Life not to find, never let the afflicted escape from your mind. You should scatter your treasure in bounty today; for tomorrow, the key will have passed from your sway. In almsgiving, bear off your stores during life, for no sympathy comes from a son and a wife.
Prosperity’s ball, from the world he will bear, who carries away to the future a share.
In compassion, excepting my own nail’s, alack! Not a soul in this world thinks of scratching my back.
On the palm of your hand, all your wealth do not set! Lest, tomorrow, you gnaw at the hand of Regret.”
Allah Almighty makes known to us our most precious provisions in the journey to eternity:
“Whatever good you do, Allah knows it. Take a provision; but the best provision is taqwa (fearful awareness) of Allah. So have taqwa of Me people of intelligence!” (Al-Baqara, 2:197)
Allah Almighty wants to be a Friend to His servants. The ways of attaining such friendship are described in the Divine injunctions.
Friendship springs from sharing a common purpose. Being a friend to Allah requires loving those who He loves and turning away from all those who He does not love. Righteousness is the best provision for the nest world. It is to take on the praiseworthy and noble characteristics that are pleasing to Allah and taking pains to avoid those characteristics that are disliked by Him. Necessary for the attainment of such friendship is a sound heart adorned with pure goodness and righteousness.
Mawlana Jalaladin Rumi says of such friendship in his famous work the Mathnawi:
“To arrive empty-handed at the door of friends is like going to the mill without wheat.
At the Gathering, Allah will say to the people,
‘Where is your gift for the Day of Resurrection?
Have you come to Us without provision, alone, in the same manner as We created you? And what have you brought as an offering—a gift for the Day you rise from the dead? Or had you no hope of return? Did the promise of meeting Me seem to you vain?’
O you who have been created in the perfect pattern of creation! How do you step foot in the Court of that Friend with such empty hands whilst you disbelieve not in that Day? Abandon sleep and food a while in this fleeting realm and bring a gift for your meeting with Him.”
The most excellent gift to be taken to Allah the Mighty and Majestic is an enlightened, purified heart in which His attributes of beauty are reflected.
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş , Journey To Eternity, Erkam Publications
