The Lion, the Snake, and the Honey - A Reminder

As-salamu alaykum. A man had a dream that shook him deeply. In it, a lion was chasing him. He ran until he reached a well and climbed down a rope to hide. Looking down, he saw a huge snake waiting at the bottom, mouth open. Looking up, he noticed two mice - one black, one white - quietly gnawing the rope he clung to. Feeling desperate, he saw a small honeycomb on the well wall. He tasted the honey and became so taken by its sweetness that he forgot about the lion, the snake, and the mice. How the dream can be understood: - The lion is death, always pursuing us and drawing nearer each day. - The snake is the grave, the place we will enter when the rope finally gives way. - The black and white mice are day and night, constantly wearing away our time. - The sweet honey is the dunya, whose pleasures distract us from what truly matters. The man dangling in the middle is each one of us. We sample a bit of sweetness - food, entertainment, relationships, comfort - and become so absorbed that we lose sight of death, the passing of time, and the grave. This story isn’t meant to frighten, but to awaken. The sweetness of this life is fleeting; the next life is lasting. Days and nights will keep nibbling away whether we pay attention or not. For the believer, the grave is a passage toward Allah’s mercy. Remembering death doesn’t make life bleaker - it makes priorities clearer. Use your time wisely. Enjoy the honey, but don’t be submerged by it. Flee from the lion by running to Allah, not away from Him. Prepare for the snake by preparing for the hereafter. Every day and every night trims the rope a little, but each moment is also an opportunity to climb closer to Jannah.