Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Scientifically and biologically, humans are born into this world in the most fragile state compared to other creatures. We are born without clothes, without the ability to walk, without even a single thread to our name. Yet in that fragility, Allah SWT breathed the spirit into us and gave us extraordinary capital in the form of hearing, sight, and a heart to attain everything in this world.
Let us reflect on the following words of Allah SWT:
وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“And Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might be grateful.” (QS. An-Naḥl: 78)
But humans often forget. When the world is in our grasp, we feel we own everything forever. Yet the Messenger of Allah ﷺ already reminded us where all these “loans” end up:
يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ وَيَبْقَى مَعَهُ وَاحِدٌ: يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَيَبْقَى عَمَلُهُ
“Three things follow the deceased: his family, his wealth, and his deeds. Two return and one remains with him. His family and wealth return, while his deeds remain with him.” (HR. Bukhārī & Muslim)
2. Lessons and Message
Life is a cycle of “non-existence,” becoming “existent,” only to become “non-existent” in the world again. Humans arrive bringing nothing, come to acquire everything, yet in the end must leave everything, and depart carrying nothing except a burial shroud and deeds
.Imagine the funeral of a wealthy merchant who has passed away. His luxurious mansion with towering gates—he can no longer live there. His gleaming luxury car—now driven by someone else. When his stiff body is lowered into a narrow, dark grave, the children he loved and the wealth he amassed day and night slowly turn back, heading home. In that silent earth, he is left alone. All worldly luxury is cut off instantly, leaving one question: “What have I actually prepared for this moment?
”The “Luxury Hotel” Analogy: Human life in this world is exactly like a tourist on a staycation at a five-star hotel. There we get everything: a plush bed, flat-screen TV, a fridge full of snacks, even a cozy bathrobe.But remember, we’re just guests! It’s absurd if a guest gets so comfortable that he dares to tear down the hotel walls, or at check-out tries to stuff the hotel TV and sofa into his suitcase. Hotel staff would surely detain him! So it is with humans; we busy ourselves claiming the world’s facilities as ours, yet when “check-out” arrives, everything must be left behind. Forget the car—you can’t even take the hotel ashtray .
3. Conclusion and Closing
Friends, who is the human being? A human is a traveler making a stopover. We arrive empty-handed, are entrusted with wealth, status, and family, yet later we will leave empty-handed as well. Remember the final stage of our reality: Humans will later be held accountable for everything. The wealth we amass will be questioned: how was it earned and where was it spent? The life we were given will be questioned: what was it spent on? Let’s keep the world in our hands, not in our hearts. Use everything we “gain” today as a bridge to carry the “best provisions” to the Hereafter.
والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.
ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie
