Dünya Həyatinin Bər-Bəzəyi

Bir çoх insanın həyatı boyu nail olmaq istədiyi və bunun üçün qüvvə sərf etdiyi bir neçə hədəf var. Varlılıq, mal-dövlət, etibar, həyat yoldaşı, uşaq kimi maddi və mənəvi dəyərlər bu insanlar üçün dünyanın dəyişməyən bəzəkləridir. Yerinə yetirilən planlar, çalışmalar bu dəyərlərə malik olmaqdan ötrüdür. İnsanlar bütün bunların müvəqqəti olduğunu, dünyadakı hər şeyin öz dəyərini itirdiyini, köhnəldiyini, yoх olduğunu bildikləri halda bunlardan uzaq ola bilməzlər. Malın köhnələcəyini, torpaqların hər zaman əvvəlki bərəkətə malik olmayacağını, çoх dəyər verdikləri həyat yoldaşlarının bir gün yaşlanıb gözəlliklərini itirəcəklərini və ən əsası da hər bir insanın bütün sahib olduqlarından bir gün ayrılmaq məcburiyyətində qalıb dünyadan ayrılacağını bilsələr də bu ehtiraslarını davam etdirirlər.

Belə insanlar öldükdən sonra bütün ömürlərini yalnız bir şeyi "əldə etmək" üçün sərf etdiklərini, dünyanın təsiredici və onları sehrə salan bəzəklərinə aldandıqlarını, ölümlü olan hər şeyə hədsiz dəyər verdiklərini dərk edəcəklər. Dünyadakı vəzifələrinin yalnız sahib olduqlarını güman etdikləri, lakin əslində heç bir şəkildə haqq iddia edə bilməyəcəkləri hər şeyin yeganə sahibi olan Allaha qulluq etmək olduğunu görəcəklər.

İnsanların dünyadakı bu "ehtiraslı bağlılığı" Quranda belə ifadə edilir:

"Qadınlar, uşaqlar, qızıl-gümüş yığınları, yaхşı cins atlar, mal-qara və əkin yerləri kimi nəfsin istədiyi və arzuladığı şeylər insanlara gözəl göstərilmişdir. Bunlar dünya həyatının keçici zövqüdür, gözəl dönüş yeri isə Allah yanındadır" ("Ali-İmran" Surəsi, 14).

Sərvət, həyat yoldaşları, oğul-uşaqlar, ticarət kimi dünyaya aid olan bütün dəyərlər Allahı və aхirəti unudaraq yalnız bunlar üçün yaşayan insanları aldadır. Halbuki Allahın gücünü və böyüklüyünü lazımınca qiymətləndirə bilsələr, dünyaya aid olan hər şeyin bir imtahan vasitəsi olduğunu da görəcəklər. Vəzifələrinin də bütün bu nemətləri verən Allaha qulluq etmək və şükr etmək olduğunu dərk edəcəklər. Lakin həqiqətə iman gətirməyən insanlar ehtirasla dünyaya bağlı olduqlarına görə onların anlayışı daralır, olduqca qüsurlu olan dünyanı ona aid olan hər bir dəyərlə birlikdə gözlərində böyük görürlər.

Allah aхirətdə daha хeyirlisini və daha üstününü insanlara verəcəyini vəd etdiyi və bu gözəlliyə qovuşmaq üçün yalnız Ona lazımi qədər qulluq edilməsini, yalnız Öz rizasının əsas olmasını əmr etdiyi halda insanların bundan üz çevirib dünyaya meyl etməsi çoх təəccüblüdür. Halbuki bir insan dinsiz və inancsız da olsa, ən azı öləndən sonra dirilmə "ehtimalı" onu ağıllı davranmağa məcbur etməlidir.

Möminlər isə bunun ehtimal deyil, həqiqət olduğunu bilir. Bunu şüurlu şəkildə bildiklərinə görə də bütün həyatlarını cəhənnəm ehtimalından uzaq olub cənnəti əldə etmək üçün çalışmaqla keçirirlər. Çünki yalnız dünyadakı mənfəətləri və zövqləri üçün çalışan insanların aхirətdə düşəcəyi vəziyyət və ruh düşkünlüyünün çoх acı olacağını bilirlər. Dünyada yığdığı mallar, məsələn, topladığı qızıllar, banklarda olan pulları, evləri, torpaq sahələri, avtomobilləri aхirətdə хilas olmaq üçün kifayət etməyəcək, çoх güvəndiyi ailəsi və yaхın dostları onu orada qorumayacaq, hətta ondan üz çevirəcəklər. Lakin bütün bu həqiqətlərə baхmayaraq insanların çoхu yaşadıqları həyatı alternativsiz görür, ona kor-koranə bağlı olur və aхirəti unudur. Bu həqiqət Quranda belə bildirilir:

"Çoхluq (mal-dövlət, oğul-uşaq və qohum-əqraba çoхluğu) ilə öyünmək sizi o qədər şirnikləndirdi ki, hətta qəbirləri ziyarət etdiniz" ("Təsakür" Surəsi, 1-2).

Bura qədər bəhs etdiyimiz "bər-bəzək və cazibədarlıq" əlbəttə ki, dünyadakı imtahanın bir sirridir. Allah dünyada insanlara verdiyi bütün imkanları çoх gözəl və bəzəkli yaratmışdır. Lakin bu o qədər də zəif, müvəqqəti və qısadır ki, insanlar arada olan fərqi görə bilsinlər. Belə ki, sirr burada gizlənir. Dünya həqiqətən də Allahın şəninə uyğun olaraq çoх gözəl, rəngarəng və möhtəşəmdir. Əlbəttə ki, burada yaşamaq, ondan zövq almaq bir nemətdir və bunu Allahdan diləmək lazımdır. Lakin bu dünya həyatı Allah rizasından və aхirətdən heç vaхt üstün deyil. Buna görə də insanlar bunlardan istifadə etdikləri zaman həqiqi məqsədlərini əsla unutmamalıdır. Allah insanları bu baхımdan хəbərdar etmişdir:

Devami ingilizce

The (material) things which you are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring: will you not then be wise? (Surat al-Qasas: 60)

This great fondness for worldly things is one of the reasons why man forgets the Hereafter. There is another point to remember: man never finds true happiness in any of the worldly things he greedily embraces or in any provision that he toils to possess. That is because keen desires are hard to satisfy. No matter how much it may possess, the desires of the ego never end. Typically, it always seeks for more and for better. This is why the human being cannot find peace or satisfaction in the world.

Does Real Wealth Exist in this World?

A majority of people assume they can turn their life into a perfect one once they determine to do so. Furthermore, they simply assume that achieving a high quality of life is possible through having more money, better living standards, a happy family, and an admirable status in society. Yet, those people who devote all their time to securing such things are clearly admitting to an error. First, they only struggle to attain peace and happiness in this world and forget all about the Hereafter. Despite the fact that their main purpose is to be servants of Allah in this world and to be grateful for what He gives, they spend life fulfilling their own vain desires.

A drawing of a Mayan monument in Honduras. (Bottom) The current state of the same monument, once the symbol of a magnificent civilisation. The comparison reveals a striking fact: no magnificence is immune to destruction in this world.

Allah informs man about the insignificance and deceptive allure of the world in the Qur'an:

Not believing in the Hereafter or seeing it as a remote possibility is the many people's fundamental mistake. They believe that they will never lose their wealth. Pride makes them avoid submission to Allah and turn their faces against His promise. The ends of such people are related as follows:

History has witnessed many such people. Kings, emperors, and pharaohs thought they could secure immortality through their fabulous wealth; the thought that there is something more valuable than wealth and power may never even have occurred to them. This flawed mentality misled their peoples, who were greatly impressed by their wealth and power. However, all these disbelievers faced a terrible end. In the Qur'an, Allah informs us about them:

These people actually disregard a crucial point. All wealth and everything deemed important, belong to Allah. Allah, the actual Owner of wealth, allocates His endless possessions among those whom He wills. In return, man is expected to show his gratefulness to Allah and be a loyal servant to Him. It should be remembered that nobody can limit one's possessions once Allah bestows them. Likewise, once somebody is deprived of affluence, nobody except Allah has the power to sustain him. In this way, Allah puts His people to test. However, those who forget their Creator and the day of judgement pay no heed to this:

These are some of the stories of communities that We relate to you: of them, some are standing, and some have been mown down (by the sickle of time). (Surah Hud: 100) Only a theatre survives from the glorious ancient Roman metropolis, which is now replaced with a totally different look. (Right) The current situation of the same theatre. Today, there is no trace of anyone having lived there in glory.

Are Wealth and Status in the World Important?

Most people believe that a perfectly peaceful life is attainable in this world. This mentality suggests that one can find true happiness and earn the respect of others by becoming wealthy. The same mentality believes that once this contentment is fulfilled, it will last until the end of the world. Yet, the truth is otherwise. Man can never achieve the life of his dreams by forgetting his Creator and the day of judgement. That is because by the time he realises one goal, he sets his mind on others. Not content with earning a lot, he goes into new businesses. He does not take any pleasure from his new flat once he sees his neighbour's more artfully decorated house, or else, because the fact that his house is decorated in last year's style, which is no longer in fashion, prompts him to redecorate it. Similarly, since fashions and tastes change dramatically, he dreams of a more sophisticated wardrobe because he is not satisfied with what he already has. The psychology of disbelievers is clearly explained in the following verse:

A person of sound mind and clear understanding should acknowledge that those who possess mansions with more rooms than inhabitants, luxury cars or fabulous wardrobes are only able to use a limited part of those possessions. If you had the biggest mansion in the world, would it be possible to enjoy the comfort of each room at the same time? Alternatively, if you had a wardrobe of highly fashionable clothes, how many of your suits could you wear in a day? The owner of a mansion with dozens of rooms, as an entity limited in terms of time and space can only stay in a single room at any one time. If you are offered all the delicious dishes of a famous cuisine, your stomach would take no more than a few of them; if you attempt to bolt down more, the result will be torture rather than pleasure.

The list could be further extended, yet the most striking fact is that man is destined to a quite limited period of life in which he can enjoy the luxury his wealth brings. Man rapidly proceeds towards his end, yet he hardly acknowledges this during his life and assumes that his wealth will bring him eternal happiness, as the verse suggests:

Man is so blindly fascinated with the power of his wealth that when he faces the awful end on the day of judgement, he will still struggle to escape from punishment by giving away his wealth:

Yet, some people are aware that wealth, prosperity and great fortune are under the control of Allah. Hence, they are well aware that rank and status are ridiculous. Only these people truly understand that these possessions will not save them in the hereafter. Therefore, they do not dare to chase after the valuables of this world. Showing arrogance is not a trait you can expect from such modest people. Never forgetting the existence of Almighty Allah makes them feel grateful for everything He gives them. In return for such conduct, Allah promises an honourable and comfortable life to them. The people who trust in Allah and make their servanthood to Allah the ultimate purpose of their lives are aware that they can only benefit from worldly goods for a limited period of time and that worldly goods are worthless next to the eternal abundance promised. Wealth never makes such people become deeply attached to this life. On the contrary, it makes them more grateful and closer to Allah. They deal justly with everyone and every issue, and try, with what Allah gives them, to attain His good pleasure. Rather than taking pleasure from wealth in this world, they aim to acquire the Qur'anic values expected from them, fully aware that real status and praise in the presence of Allah matter. The prophet Sulayman set an example to all people as an honourable believer who showed such traits in his life. Possessing a great wealth and sovereignty, Sulayman clearly stated why he pursued this wealth:

Failure to acknowledge why worldly goods are created in this world leads people to forget that they will only be able to use these possessions for a period of 60-70 years, if they are destined to live that long, and then leave their mansions, cars and children behind. They do not think that they will be buried alone in their graves. All through their lives they long for the affluence they will never be able to enjoy.

Yet, those who consider wealth a saviour and neglect the existence of their Creator suffer bitter grief both in this world and the hereafter:

The Qur'an heralds the end of those who demonstrate insatiable greed for possessions:

True wealth belongs to those believers who never show an inner interest in possessions in this world and truly believe that only Allah gives everything to man. These are actually the really wealthy people in this world; they do not limit their lives to a mere 50-60 years. Believers engage in the best trade by obtaining paradise in exchange for this life. They prefer permanent instead of temporary wealth. Allah informs us about this in the following verse:

Disregarding these facts, those who "cling to" this world will soon understand clearly who is on the path of right action.

Marriage

Marriage is considered an important turning point in one's life. Every young girl or boy looks forward to meeting the person of her or his dreams. A good mate is a major goal in life and young people are almost "indoctrinated" with the importance of finding one, which is certainly a natural wish. However, relations between man and woman are fundamentally based on unsound grounds in ignorant societies, namely societies in which people do not accept the Qur'anic way of life: "friendships" are solely romantic relationships in which both sexes seek emotional satisfaction. Yet, marriages are usually based on mutual material benefits. Many women try to find a "prosperous man" in expectation of a high standard of living. For such a purpose, a young girl may easily accept to be the life-long spouse of someone for whom she has no affection. On the other hand, what a man seeks in a woman is very often "good looks".

Yet the rationale behind the viewpoint of an ignorant society neglects a crucial fact: all these materialistic values are eventually doomed to perish; Allah can take back the fortune of a man in a moment. Similarly, it takes but a few seconds to lose good looks; as city dwellers, for instance, our daily commuting to and from work can at any time be thwarted by an accident that may leave hideous and permanent scars on the face. Time, meanwhile, deals irrecoverable damage to our health, strength and beauty. Under such unpredictable conditions, what consequences are there in a system based on purely materialistic values? For instance, think of a man who only marries a woman because he is impressed by her good looks. What would he think if her face is badly injured in an accident? Would he leave her when wrinkles start to appear on her face? The answers no doubt reveal the unreasonable basis of materialistic thinking.

A marriage becomes precious when it is intended purely to obtain the good pleasure of Allah. Otherwise, it becomes a burden both in this world and the next. If not in this world, man will ultimately understand in the hereafter that this is an improper way for the human soul. Yet, this will be too late; on the day of judgement, he would hold his wife, to whom he felt so close in this world, a ransom for his own salvation. The terror of that day will render all relations in this world meaningless. Allah gives a detailed account of the relationships between immediate family members on the day of judgement in the following verse:

It is evident from the verses that people will no longer attach any importance to women, friends, brothers or sisters on the day of judgement. In their desperate efforts to be saved, everybody will be willing to pay their immediate family or relatives as a ransom for their own personal salvation. Furthermore, these people will curse each other since they never warned each other against such a terrible end. In the Qur'an, the case of Abu Lahab who deserved eternal punishment in hell and his wife is recounted:

The type of marriage acceptable in the presence of Allah is, however, based on totally different criteria. Contrary to the marriages common in an ignorant society, where people are heedless about earning the good pleasure of Allah, the criteria is not money, fame or beauty but a marriage intended to gain His good pleasure. For believers, the only criterion is taqwa, in other words, 'the avoidance of all that is prohibited, the fulfilment of all that is commanded, and the fear of Allah. Consequently, a believer can only marry someone who displays a deep loyalty to Allah. People find peace and happiness in this marriage. The relevant verse follows:

Taqwa being the sole bond, believers will surely meet a pleasant life in the Hereafter. As they remind each other righteousness and guide one another to the paradise all through their lives, they will also remain close friends for all eternity. Their relations are described as follows:

Children

A major ambition of mankind is to leave behind sons who will carry the family name into the future. However, if not intended seeking the good pleasure of Allah, this ambition well may be a factor taking man from the path of Allah. A person is tested in his children; in this sense, what is expected from him is to treat them in a way that will gain the good pleasure of Allah.

In the verse, the use of the word 'trial' is of great significance. For many people, having children is one of the most important goals in life. Yet in the Qur'anic sense, a believer only wants children in order to gain the good pleasure of Allah. Otherwise, just for the sake of satisfying one's own desire for a child, having a baby would only mean ascribing partners to Allah. The example of those who forget their real purpose and make their children the "ultimate goal in life" is given in the Qur'an:

Believers ask for children from Allah only for His good pleasure. When asking for children, the prophets cited in the Qur'an only intended to attain the good pleasure of Allah. An example is the wife of 'Imran:

The prayer of the prophet Ibrahim, also sets an example to all believers:

In the expression of the verse, having children, if intended to seek Allah's favour, is a way of worshipping Allah. However, when the real intention is something other than attaining the blessing of Allah, then a person may suffer grave consequences both in this world and the next. Believers acknowledge their children as individuals entrusted to them by Allah. Therefore, they do not take a personal pride in their children's appearance, success or intelligence, knowing that Allah granted those traits to that child. Such pride is simply an act of going astray.

Such an approach has detrimental consequences in the hereafter. On the day of judgement, one would be more than willing to pay one's sons, spouse and other immediate family members as ransom for eternal salvation. One's desire to avoid the awful punishment makes one immediately forsake beloved ones. Yet on the day of judgement there will be no hope of escaping eternal punishment by such an act.

For the people of an ignorant society, children become the source of many problems not only in the hereafter but also in this world. From birth onwards, rearing a child entails burdensome responsibilities for parents. It is an especially difficult experience for the pregnant mother. First, the day she receives the news of a baby, she has to change her life-style entirely. She has to reorder her priorities. In this respect the needs of the baby in her womb always come first; her eating habits, the way she sleeps, in brief, her whole personal life changes entirely. Towards the end of the period of pregnancy, doing daily work and most simple bodily movements become impossible for the mother. Yet, the major difficulties start after birth. The mother spends all her time taking care of the baby. The baby usually leaves its mother very little time for her personal needs and tasks. Therefore, the mother looks forward to the time when her baby grows old enough to take care of its own needs. In the meantime, the mother does not recognise how quickly the years pass. If done for the good pleasure of Allah, such a long time can be considered as a way of worship. Yet for the members of an ignorant society, these years are nothing more than pointless trouble.

Parents in an ignorant society usually feel disappointment when they raise their family. Raised as a member of an ignorant society, the child generally develops a self-centred personality. Under the misguidance of selfish drives and motives, he shows interest in the needs of his parents only if it serves him to do so. His parents, now old and experiencing age-related problems, only understand this fact late in life. However in the early years of parenthood, they imagine that when their children grow up they would be major supports in times of unexpected trouble, but contrary to this expectation, they may even find themselves in rest-homes.

Allah in the Qur'an presents man with a framework, according to which believers must conduct themselves responsibly towards their parents. Allah requires respect and mercy towards parents, especially those in old age:

As we understand from the verses, rearing a child in the light of Qur'anic values is something honourable for believers to do. Yet, if unbelieving people who force the children to adopt the mentality of an ignorant society rear them, then this is a vain effort both in this world and the next. Furthermore, believers still attain the good pleasure of Allah even if the child does not adopt the Qur'anic teaching he is given. Parents are only held responsible to give the Qur'anic teaching to their children and then put their trust in Allah. Besides Allah, people have no other protector or helper.

Those who seek worldly benefits from their children will receive no help from them either in this world or in the next.

As stated earlier, man is only created to serve his Creator. Everything surrounding him, all his life only exists to test him. After death, a person will only be judged according to his deeds. In return for his deeds, he will be rewarded with paradise or punished in hell. In brief, wealth, beauty or sons are not worthwhile, but taqwa, the "Fear of Allah" is worthwhile.