this isn't our home

on the hardship and worship required to secure a seat in the true life; jannah

I’m reminded every time I step outside—every time I’m sneered at, or looked up and down. This isn’t my home, nor is it yours.

It’s difficult to process, given that this life is the only one we’ve tasted. The only thing we’ve felt and experienced. Those who have left us, we’ve never seen again. And we know nothing of death except what is told to us.

But so much has been told to us.

I wanted to write about this fleeting dunya and the everlasting akhira awaiting us. I’ve been personally struggling, and I wanted an uplifting piece I could return to. I hope it can play that role for you, too.

what’s the big idea?

I often asked this question when I was younger, laying in my twin sized bed and staring up at the popcorn ceiling. I asked Allah why He’d placed me here, and why I couldn’t just pass on and go to Jannah. When I became more intentional about seeking knowledge, the stones began to fall into place.

Allah explains in Surah Ad-Dhariyat, Ayah 56:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

I find that we trivialize this truth more than necessary. Allah created us and gave us a fixed time on this earth to worship Him. As simple as that sounds, it becomes heavier when we realize that the path of worship was never meant to be easy. Diamonds require immense pressure to sparkle. Roses are lined with thorns. Honey is encased within the walls of a swarming hive. Obtaining Paradise, an eternity promised to the sincere, will not come easily. This is the nature of anything valuable, even in this world.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hellfire is surrounded by temptations.” — Sahih Muslim 2822

Imam Nawawi commented on this hadith, saying,
“The scholars said this is among the Prophet’s most eloquent and concise sayings, and among the beautiful parables he was given. It means that one does not reach Paradise except by enduring hardships, and one does not reach Hellfire except by following desires. In this way, both are veiled. Whoever tears away the veil reaches what is behind it. The veil of Paradise is torn by plunging into hardships, and the veil of Hellfire is torn by indulging in desires.”

The second question that comes to mind is how can one do it? How can one ensure success? The answer is simple.

Abu Shurayh reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to them one day and said, “Verily, this Quran is a rope. One end is in the hand of Allah, and the other end is in your hands. Hold fast to it, for you will never be led astray or ruined ever again.” — Sahih Ibn Hibban 122

In writing this, I carry the awareness that in practice, it isn’t that simple. We are flawed. We make mistakes. There are so many things I regret, so many missteps I’ve taken, and I know you can relate. Yet there is still space for us, as imperfect as we are, anyway.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin, then seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would forgive them.” — Sahih Muslim 2749

Despite our predisposition to sin and our tendency to repeat our mistakes, Allah has honoured us in both creation and responsibility.

Surah Al-Isra, Ayah 70
“And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with good things, and preferred them over much of what We have created, with definite preference.”

Allah has completed this deen, gifting us the Quran and a role model to follow in the Prophet ﷺ. Until the day we die, it becomes about learning and applying. Making mistakes and correcting them. Again and again, striving until our final breath. Like a marathon, we do not give up until we cross the finish line. And when we do, there will not be an ounce of regret left in us.

jannah, and its beauty

I frequently ponder how the beauty of paradise can surpass the sky melting into itself at sunset, or the view from an airplane window on a sunny day, clouds carpeting the world beneath you. We cannot imagine what we have never seen. But Allah, in His mercy, has given us a wealth of descriptions to help us grasp it.

Ibn al-Qayyim writes in ‘Driving the Souls to the Abodes of Happiness’ (p. 193):
If you ask about its ground and soil, it is musk and saffron.
If you ask about its roof, it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.
If you ask about its rocks, they are pearls and jewels.
If you ask about its buildings, they are made of bricks of gold and silver.
If you ask about its trees, there is not a single tree whose trunk is not gold and silver.
If you ask about its fruits, they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.
If you ask about its leaves, they are softer than the softest cloth.
If you ask about its rivers, there are rivers of milk whose taste never changes, rivers of wine delightful to those who drink it, rivers of pure honey, and rivers of fresh water.
If you ask about their food, it is fruit of whatever they choose and meat of whatever birds they desire.
If you ask about its shade, a fast rider would travel beneath the shade of one tree for a hundred years without leaving it.
If you ask about its vastness, the lowest of its people would possess a kingdom whose distance would take a thousand years to traverse.
If you ask about its towers, they are rooms above rooms, with rivers flowing beneath them.
And if you ask how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining stars you can see, and those so distant the eye cannot even reach them.

investing in our akhira

The talented yumna 💌 wrote something so profound today. It hasn’t left my mind…

There is a specific hadith that speaks directly to this.

Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“No one will enter Paradise except that he will be shown the place he would have occupied in Hellfire had he done evil, so that he may be more thankful. And no one will enter Hellfire except that he will be shown the place he would have occupied in Paradise had he done good, so that it may be a source of sorrow for him.” — Sahih Bukhari 6569

We cannot leave our homes in paradise abandoned because we chased the wrong things here on earth. This life is too short, too flawed, too imperfect to sacrifice the next one. Imagine being offered two cars. One is battered and barely running. The other is your dream car. You are told you can have the dream car in two years, but that opportunity disappears if you choose the clunker today. What would you choose?

We work for years to save for things that matter to us. We tuck money away, hoping to secure a future. Yet this life will feel like the blink of an eye compared to our promised forever. What future is truly worth the effort?

This is a reminder to myself as much as it is to you. Let’s lock in. Let’s invest in our akhira.

“So be patient, as were those of determination among the messengers, and do not be impatient for them. On the Day they see what they were promised, it will be as though they had not remained in the world except an hour of a day. This is a notification. And none will be destroyed except the defiantly disobedient.” (46:35)

---

if you’d like to join others in supporting my publication, consider buying me a coffee or becoming a paid subscriber below ( 1-2 exclusive posts a month)