Holding onto the Real Peace

It’s undeniable, you know. The only thing that truly eases the soul, brings calm, and reduces the heart’s tension is worship. Other ways we try to cope? They just don’t cut it in the long run. But shaitan keeps whispering, pushing us to chase this dunya, to seek satisfaction in things that never really fill that emptiness-work, fun, friends, pets, family, you name it. We get it all wrong, looking for purpose in temporary stuff. كَلَّا بَلۡ تُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡعَاجِلَةَ – but no, we love this fleeting world (Al-Qiyamah 20). Loving anything besides Allah only leads to heartache, ’cause holding onto what won’t last always ends in loss-loss of Allah’s presence in your heart, loss of what you love, or loss of yourself and your true reason for being, which is just to worship Him. We often think “love of this world” is only about haram things or stuff we’re warned against, like greed, arrogance, music, and the usual suspects. But actually, it’s everything in this life that isn’t tied to worshipping Allah, whether you’re doing something or not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “This world is cursed and what is in it is cursed, except the remembrance of Allah and what helps with that, or a person with knowledge or seeking it” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4112). So fear Allah, and don’t put anything above His right over you-the right that you worship Him by fulfilling what’s obligatory. Worship Him through remembrance, encouraging good and stopping evil, following the Sunnah, and helping others do the same. Worship is in action and inaction-when you don’t do something for His sake, that’s worship too. Anything done for Him, seeking reward, out of love or fear of Him, is worship. Set your intentions in every little thing: eating, drinking, getting angry, feeling sad, being happy. Remember Him even in idle moments or the worst tragedies. Fix your affairs with Allah before the time runs out. Abdullah bin Umar narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) held his shoulder and said, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” And Ibn Umar used to say, “If you reach the evening, don’t wait for the morning, and if you reach the morning, don’t wait for the evening. Take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6416). We’re standing before Allah, being judged right now. Angels are writing down our deeds, and the books are filling up. The Day of Judgment isn’t just when we’re brought forward-it’s when the veil lifts, we see our account, and there’s no more turning back, no extra worship, no chance to give sadaqa. كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ – every soul will taste death. We test you with good and bad as a trial, and to Us you’ll return (Al-Anbiya 35). To Allah we belong, and to Him we return. Brother Edward passed away with only one Muslim relative to pray for him. For Allah’s sake, please make dua: may Allah forgive him, raise his ranks in the akhirah, shield him from the grave’s punishment, protect him from the Fire, and grant him Jannat al-Firdaws with the company of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).