He looked to his right, and as far as his eyes could see, to the end of the horizon, was land belonging to him, covered with his developments, factories and businesses. He looked to his left and saw a vast army of people, all under his employment, dedicated to serving him and seeing to his comfort. He looked in front of him, and saw his estate – his palatial home outfitted with every luxury and amenity imaginable and available in the modern age.
And then “BEEEEP!” – with the rude awakening sounded by his merciless alarm clock, he opened his eyes to the reality that it was all nothing but a dream…
It is often said that ‘seeing is believing’. However, the realistic visions seen in a dream are ample proof of the fact that everything that is seen CANNOT be believed. Rather, as Muslims, our belief is based on the divine word of Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and it is for this reason that we bring imaan in the UNseen.
The life after death, and Jannah and Jahannam, are all part of the unseen, and since we have been informed of their existence by Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), we bring absolute imaan in them.
As Muslims, we believe, without an iota of doubt, that on passing away, every person will face the reality of the Hereafter, and Jannah and Jahannam. It is only on leaving this world that a person’s eyes will truly open and he will be able to see the elements of the unseen which were previously veiled and concealed from his vision.
At that crucial moment, when one is confronted by the reality of the Hereafter, this entire world, and all the years that one had spent in it, will seem to be like a distant dream or a vague memory. Such will be the ecstasy of Jannah, or the torment of Jahannam, that in comparison, this entire world with all its pleasure and suffering will seem utterly trivial and insignificant.
In this regard, Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) once said, “On the Day of Qiyaamah, a person, from the inhabitants of Jahannam (i.e. from those destined for Jahannam), who had enjoyed the most comfort in this world, will be brought and will be immersed into the fire for just a brief moment. He will then be asked, ‘O son of Aadam! Did you ever see any goodness (in your life in the world)? Did you ever experience any comfort?’ He will reply, ‘No, by Allah! (I never experienced any comfort or pleasure in my life) O my Rabb!’
“A person, from the inhabitants of Jannah (i.e. from those destined for Jannah), who had undergone the most difficulty in this world, will be brought and will be immersed into Jannah for just a brief moment. He will then be asked, ‘O son of Aadam! Did you ever see any difficulty (in your life in the world)? Did you ever experience any hardship?’ He will reply, ‘No, by Allah! O Rabb! I never experienced any difficulty, and I never saw any hardship!’” (Saheeh Muslim #7088)
From the above hadeeth, we see that let alone the life of this world seeming like a distant dream in comparison to the Hereafter – it will seem like it never even existed. Such will be the pleasure, ecstasy and bliss of Jannah that on experiencing it for just a millisecond, one will instantly forget all the grief, sorrow and heartache that he suffered in this world.
On the contrary, the torment, pain and anguish in Jahannam will be so severe and unbearable that on experiencing it for just a millisecond, one will forget every luxury, comfort and happiness that he ever enjoyed in this world.
The crux of the matter is that the real life is the life of the Hereafter, and this world, with all its adornments and distractions is utterly insignificant and trivial in comparison. Let us never become engrossed in pursuing worldly pleasures while losing focus of the Hereafter, as this will lead us to immense regret and remorse in the Hereafter.
May Allah Ta‘ala bless us with Jannatul Firdaus, aameen.
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