Worldly Life: Don't Be Deceived

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Worldly life can be captivating. But it shouldn't deceive you. And the ultimate deception, shaytan, shouldn't get the best of you.

People have different kinds of craze in this world. Some people are workaholics, sportaholics, fame crazy, status crazy, video games crazy, fashion crazy, beauty crazy, food crazy, money crazy, house crazy, etc, and that become their life-- their life amounts to these things. And there are people who just want to live life, have fun, and not worry about anything else. They don't have goals--no purpose in life. They are not heading towards anything greater.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّ‌نَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا يَغُرَّ‌نَّكُم بِاللَّـهِ الْغَرُ‌ورُ‌ ﴿٥

O mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.

[Qur'an, Fatir 35:6]

Once Shaytan gets the best of us, shaytan modifies his tricks. His deception to the mushrikun (polytheists) of Makkah were different. His deceptions to the non-Muslims are different, his deceptions to the Muslims are different, his deceptions to you are different. To the Muslims, shaytan makes you proud of your good deeds and convinces you that somehow your good deeds would be good enough and somehow they would compensate your bad behavior. Another common trick of shaytan is to highlight that Allah is so Merciful; it is way too big as compared to your bad deeds and why would He punish you? He throws things at you so you have the wrong idea about Allah. He beautifies bad behaviors. He spins evil deeds using good names.

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ‌ ﴿٦

Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.

[Qur'an, Fatir 35:6]

How not to be deceived by the world, the shaytan and his companions? Always remember your humble beginnings and your ending soon to come, sooner than you think.

وَاللَّـهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَ‌ابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ۚ وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَىٰ وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِ ۚ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ‌ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ‌ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِ‌هِ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّـهِ يَسِيرٌ‌ ﴿١١

And Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop; then He made you mates. And no female conceives nor does she give birth except with His knowledge. And no aged person is granted [additional] life nor is his lifespan lessened but that it is in a register. Indeed, that for Allah is easy. (11)

[Qur'an, Fatir 35:11]

مَن كَانَ يُرِ‌يدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّـهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْ‌فَعُهُ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ يَمْكُرُ‌ونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۖ وَمَكْرُ‌ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ‌ ﴿١٠

Whoever desires honor [through power] - then to Allah belongs all honor. To Him ascends good speech, and righteous work raises it. But they who plot evil deeds will have a severe punishment, and the plotting of those - it will perish. (10)

[Qur'an, Fatir 35:10]

May Allah save us from the deception of this worldly life, save us from the evil of jinnkind and humankind, and grant us steadfastness and righteous deed. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam