‘Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure. So race for your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers: that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases. God’s bounty is infinite.’ (57:22) Leading a good life is an all-embracing aspiration for every human person in this world. And yet, what it means to lead a good life? In life’s varied settings, values professed by a person would guide the decision on what is ‘good’ for him/her under the conditions of individual and social life. Perhaps in shaping one’s frame of reference in such critical junctures, an ethical and spiritual outlook intuitively appeals to the human mind. Certainly, the teachings of religion -rooted as it is in the wisdom of the ages- offer fascinating ideas to reflect on, especially for those who are at the crossroads of life journeys.
Those
who struggle with life’s contingent circumstances could find
profound insights, generative of amazing hope of Divine mercy in the
rich legacy of Islamic teachings. The
Islamic Way, or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (sa), offers
us glimpses of a good life for anyone hoping to embark on a journey
in the highway to God. Muslim saints of the past have preserved in
their books some of these
appealing pieces of advice on leading a good life left behind by that great prophet of human kind. For the benefit of
our readers, we reproduce below the gist of certain vital advices in
the words of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) describing
what it takes to lead a good life:
I.
Ibn Abbas (ra) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings
be upon him, said, “Take
advantage of five before five: your youth
before
your old age; your health
before
your illness; your riches
before your poverty; your free
time
before your work; and your life
before your death.” (Attributed
to Shu’ab
al-Imān).
II.
Abu Dharr reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, instruct me.”
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I
advise you to be
mindful of Allah Almighty, for it will beautify all of your affairs.”
I said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “You
must recite the Quran and remember Allah Almighty, for you will be
mentioned in heaven and you will have light upon earth.”
I said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “You must observe long periods of silence, for it will drive away Satan and help you in the matter of your religion.” I said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “Beware of too much laughter, for it will deaden the heart and take away the light on your face.”
I said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “You must observe long periods of silence, for it will drive away Satan and help you in the matter of your religion.” I said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “Beware of too much laughter, for it will deaden the heart and take away the light on your face.”
I
said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “Speak
the truth, even
if it is bitter.” I
said, “Tell me more.” The Prophet said, “Do
not fear the blame of any critic in the matter of Allah.”
----[Attributed
to
Shu’ab
al-Imān]
III.
It has been narrated from Abu Dharr (ra) that he said, “The
Messenger of Allah (S) said to a person whom he was advising:
'Reduce
the base desires (of your soul) and poverty shall become easy upon
you (to bear); lessen
the sins so that death shall become easy for you to endure; send
things from your own wealth ahead for yourself, so that by seeing
this (on the Day of Judgment), you shall become happy; be
content with that which is given to you so that your accountability
and reckoning is reduced’.
Do
not busy yourself with the sustenance which is guaranteed to reach
you (and do not develop greed to this segment of the provision which
is guaranteed to reach you) so that you do
not disregard the obligatory acts
which are upon you (to perform), since surely that which has been set
aside
for you will not leave your hand (it shall surely reach you), and
that which has left your hand (that sustenance which you have lost)
will never come back again.
Do
not struggle to attain those things that are not pure and will be
destroyed; do
not put forth a struggle for those things that are temporal. Rather,
struggle for those things which are perpetual
and which will last forever (in the next life).'
[Attributed to Bihar
al-Anwar,
vol. 74, pg. 187].
IV.
Abdullah
ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, “The
merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be
merciful to those on the earth and
the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.” [Sunan
al-Tirmidhī].
V.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, “None
of you will have faith until he
loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
In another narration, the Prophet said, “Until
he loves for his neighbor what he loves for himself.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim].
VI.
Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, said:
‘Verily,
the lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between the two of
them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus,
he who avoids
doubtful matters
clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, and he who
falls into doubtful matters will fall into the unlawful as the
shepherd who pastures near a sanctuary, all but grazing therein.
Verily, every king has a sanctum and the sanctum of Allah is his
prohibitions.
Verily,
in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is
sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the
heart’.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī].
Al-Hasan
ibn Ali reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, said: ‘Leave
what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt. Verily, truth
brings peace of mind and falsehood sows doubt’. [Sunan
al-Tirmidhī]
VII.
Ibn
Abbas reported: I was riding with the Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, and he said:
‘Young
man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and he will
protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find him before you. If
you ask, ask from Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah.
Know
that if the nations gathered together to benefit you, they will not
benefit you unless Allah has decreed it for you. And if the nations
gathered together to harm you, they will not harm you unless Allah
has decreed it for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have
dried’. [Sunan
al-Tirmidhī].
In
another narration, the Prophet said: ‘Know
that there is much good in being patient with what you detest;
victory will come with patience; affliction will come with relief,
and ‘where there is hardship, there is also ease.’
(94:4-5) [Musnad
Aḥmad].