The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter (4/4)

The nature of this world

In this way, children will realize that the purpose of this life is only as a preparation for the next. They will use it to prepare themselves for the hereafter and the foremost test that awaits them. They will strive to increase the weighing of their scales in order to have the best outcome. This will become their primary goal and that which they continually endeavour to achieve. Other goals in their worldly life become secondary to this central aspiration.

Children should also understand that Allah sometimes tests us in various ways to determine if we are deserving of His rewards in the hereafter.

“[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed — and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-Mulk, 67:2)

“Do the people think that they will be left to say: We believe. — And they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Ankabut, 29: 2-3)

The stories of the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his Companions may be useful in this regard. They suffered severe physical and mental hardship in order to prove their sincerity to Allah and their commitment to Islam.

When children understand the temporal nature of this world and the fact that it will eventually come to an end, this diminishes their interest in the material things and decreases love of this life.

When they realize that this world is temporary and not our permanent abode, it will become less significant to them. This is one of the characteristics of a true believer. In this way, they will not covet, work for, or compete over matters of this worldly life, as do those who create their own ‘paradise’ in the life of this world and focus on that as an end in itself. They will not waste their time in idle and trivial pursuits, but rather will use their time wisely, for the sake of Allah. They will set their goal for what is awaiting them in the hereafter

They will be able to delay gratification in this world for that which will come in the next, realizing that the recompense in the hereafter is eternal.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) took hold of my shoulder and said: “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller.” The sub-narrator added: Ibn ‘Umar used to say: “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”” [1]Obviously someone who travels tends to travel lightly; they only take for the journey what is absolutely necessary. As the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) advised, we should exist in this world in the same manner, avoiding the ‘piling up’ of goods and material things. This is a useful analogy to use with children and it contains important lessons.

Another simile that can be presented to children is mentioned in the following hadith: The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “The world is a prison for a believer and paradise for a disbeliever.” [2]A prison conjures up images of discomfort, gloominess, and restriction of freedom. It is a place from which a person would wish to escape. As such is the residence on this earth. A believer will desire to leave this place as he/she knows about the treasures that are waiting in the hereafter as promised by Allah. The earth is a paradise for disbelievers, since they attempt to take what they can of pleasure without regard to the limits imposed by Allah. They also sense the punishment that will be their eternal condition.

Children should appreciate that having the hereafter as a concern brings contentment and peace of mind.

The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever has the hereafter as his main concern, Allah will fill his heart with a feeling of richness and independence; he will be focused and content, and this world will come to him in spite of itself. Whoever has this world as his main concern, Allah will cause him to feel constant fear of poverty; he will be distracted and unfocused, and he will have nothing of this world except what was already predestined for him.” [3]

Death, in fact, may come at any moment and we need to be prepared at all times. We need to ready our children, for they may depart before us. Preparation is carried out by gaining knowledge, correcting beliefs, performing good deeds, and recalling the rewards that Allah has promised. The greatest reward will be Allah’s pleasure and the opportunity to see Him and to be close to Him in the hereafter. What better reward for nurturing Iman?