The Difference Between The Dunya & The Ahkirah

The Difference Between The Dunya & The Akhirah

My dear brothers and sisters, I would like to speak today about something that is so essential and so important for each and every one of us, because it holds the key for success in this life and next — which is understanding the reality of this life and the reality of the next life, and what is the relationship between the dunya and the akhirah, this life and the hereafter. What's the reality between the world of materialism and the world of spirituality? What's the relationship between religion and livelihood? What is culture and what is a religious act? What is the relationship between religiosity and living your life and enjoying life? What is also the relationship between the world of the unseen and the world which is visible to us?

All of these are connected, and sometimes the answer — to identify this relationship — can be simple and straightforward, not complicated, easy to be said by many of us. But the reality is, there is more nuance and there is more sophistication in this topic when we come to the details, when it comes to practice.

You find a very big gap between what we say theoretically and what we really do and how we really act. Between what we ideologically understand and believe in certain things, but when we implement this into actions, we see there is a huge gap. And we see that people, when it comes to the relationship between the dunya and the akhirah, the materialistic world and the spiritual world — theoretically, yes, I know that's important, I know this comes first, but when you come to practice, you don't see it this way.

The Gap Between Theory and Practice

You will see people that will delay the salah, that will not even attend prayers because they are busy at work, and they will simply tell you, "Ya akhi, al-'amal 'ibadah" — work is also an act of worship — and that will justify for them not fulfilling their duty towards Allah. Others will allow themselves to deal with haram, to have a haram income, to earn from unlawful ways and means, and they will prefer this over taqwa — fearing Allah.

If you ask, do we give and hold back really for the sake of Allah? Is our interest, focus, and what motivates us to give and to hold back — is it the akhirah or the dunya? What motivates us to spend and to save — is it the akhirah or the dunya? When I know that there is a great deal on a car, a vacation, or a discounted ticket, you will have no hesitation. You will be so motivated. But when you are reminded of the akhirah and the reward and your obligations towards your family members and fellow Muslim brothers and sisters around the world, you will see that the excitement — the way we deal with it — is not the same.

Is Salat al-Fajr more important than sleeping? Is Salat al-Fajr more important, or your flight that you need to wake up for maybe at 4 a.m., two or three hours before Fajr, to make sure that you are on time and don't miss boarding? Which one is more important — your exams that you work so hard for, or your akhirah exam? If you look at how much we spend and prepare for dunya versus the akhirah...

When you choose your spouse, is the dunya more important than the akhirah? Is the look, the money, the prestige, the education, the background, the culture, the skin color, the physical appearance — are all these things more important than the deen of the person? And children — how much do we care about their akhirah versus their dunya? "MashaAllah, my kids are very successful — they all graduated, have great jobs," and so on. But these kids don't even know how to read Quran. Their kids were never taught Islam. And if there is pain about that, I understand — we all make mistakes — feeling that pain is a sign of iman. But I am talking about somebody who doesn't even care. For them, success is just worldly matters. Purely worldly matter. And that is a problem.

So many questions that need answers. That's why I said it is easy to say theoretically, but when we look at our own practice, our own life, we find there is a huge gap.

When Materialism Corrupts Even Religious Practice

Sometimes materialism has become so deeply rooted in our life that it has even corrupted religion and religious people. They do what they are supposed to do religiously, for the sake of Allah — but they do it just because of the dunya. I have had organizations ask me before any other question: "How much are you going to charge us?" Is that how it works these days? How much money will you pay me for a talk? Now, it is fine to be paid for your time, your traveling, your effort, your teaching — but is this the goal? Is this the priority? Is this what defines the engagement? Is this more important than what you will offer, what you will give, what kind of talk you will give?

One organization once told me in a message: "Sheikh, we saved last year $200,000–$300,000. We have savings." I said, "Savings from what?" From charity money. They are treating business and charity the same way — as savings. I said, that doesn't make you good. If you can reduce your operation cost, that is nice. But you're telling me that you still have $200,000 that was originally meant for charity and sadaqah, and you have it sitting in your account — and you are proud of that? I was wrong to not say something stronger. But I just want to give you an example of how this issue has become part of everything in our life today, across every spectrum.

Avoiding Extremes: Neither Rejecting the Dunya Nor Being Consumed by It

Sometimes we also find many narrations that give an unbalanced way of dealing with this issue. And by the way, when we say balance between the dunya and the akhirah, I do not mean 50-50. That is wrong. The akhirah and the dunya are not 50-50. Balance means that there is no contradiction between the akhirah and the dunya. There is no one neglected and abused. It means that they work hand in hand. It means you don't have to be put in a position of either this or that. That is not how the relationship is.

Sometimes we find narrations and stories that give a completely dark view of the dunya — "The dunya is completely cursed by Allah, and everything in it is cursed by Allah." That is not an authentic narration from the Prophet, and even if something similar exists, it must be understood in the right perspective.

For example, one of the zuhhad — the ascetics — was once asked for advice. He said: "Leave this worldly life for its people — the way the people of this worldly life have left the akhirah. They don't think about the akhirah. You also don't think about the dunya." And al-Hasan al-Basri said: "By Allah, loving this worldly life is one of the major sins in Islam." He said all major sins came because of the love for the dunya. People did not worship idols, did not disobey ar-Rahman, for any reason other than the love for the dunya. People fornicate, steal, kill — all these things happen because of the love for the dunya. And he said the true believer, the one who really knows Allah, should never compete over it, never be upset because he doesn't have much of the dunya.

Now, I could go on with tons of these narrations, all of which exist in our books and heritage. But when you read them, some people might exaggerate and go to the far right. Another group will go to the far left — citing that the Prophet every day said, "O Allah, make me rich," as found in Sahih Muslim. They cite that the Prophet said the righteous person with money is the best of people — that good money in the hand of a good righteous man is praiseworthy. He said to Sa'd that it is better to leave your children and family with wealth than to leave them poor. And they compile all these ahadith about money, collecting wealth, earning, being rich. The reality is, both camps have a point, and both miss some points.

The Quranic Understanding: Body and Soul, Dunya and Akhirah

There is no doubt that human beings are made of body and soul. We have this life and the next life. Allah created Adam from clay and breathed into him from His spirit. He put a spirit created by Allah into him:

Man is made of clay and spirit. And it is by Allah's wisdom that man is such a thing — a combination of these two. Similarly, this world and the hereafter do not oppose one another. Rather, they are intertwined — مُتَدَاخِلَتَان.

The early generation never received this world as one option and the hereafter as another option in Islam. Rather, this world is a farm for the hereafter and the path that leads to it. The companions of the Prophet and the early generation had this broad, comprehensive understanding of the concept of worship. They did not separate this world from the hereafter.

The mushrikeen used to say: اليومَ خمرٌ وغداً أمر — "Today we drink, tomorrow we'll deal with whatever issue we have." In modern days they say: ساعةٌ لربِّك وساعةٌ لقلبك — "One hour for your Lord and one hour for your heart" — meaning one hour at the masjid, and after that, at home, at work, in my business, it's my own life.

Unfortunately, this is wrong. All our hours, all our days and nights, are for Allah. Marriage is not merely a personal choice — it is an act of worship. Business is not just an economically smart decision you make — there is halal and haram in it. That is why you cannot do what is haram to fulfill your desire. You cannot leave an act of worship because you are busy — even if that thing occupying you is permissible, let alone if it is impermissible.

Key Principles from the Quran and Sunnah

1. This World Is Fleeting; the Hereafter Is Everlasting

The Quran and Sunnah make clear that this world is fleeting and quickly passing, while the hereafter is better and everlasting. Everything in this life will come to an end, or can be a distraction. Every enjoyment, every reward in this life — it ends. Uthman said: Al-jannah is the one thing that will never ever come to an end. Ibn al-Qayyim said: The most foolish person is the one who prefers the dunya, which is temporary, over the akhirah, which is everlasting.

2. This World Is a Place of Action; the Hereafter Is a Place of Reward

One of the concepts that must be clear in our minds — this world is a place of action while the hereafter is a place of reward. There is no action in the hereafter. Keep that in mind.

3. This Dunya Is Imperfect

You have to realize that this dunya is imperfect. There is nothing in it that is perfect. Nothing in it will ever be complete. It is only the akhirah which has complete and perfect things. The reward in this dunya is little, and the akhirah is better for those who have taqwa.

Is there anything called a perfect wife? A perfect husband? Perfect children? Perfect parents? What is the most beautiful thing to have? Love — love is one of the most beautiful things to have in this life. But to earn the love of someone means you always worry about losing it. You always have to maintain it. You always have to say "I love you." You always have to show your love in action. Your loved one can be lost and can die. Your love will not simply continue on its own. When you say "I love you more than yesterday," that means yesterday was not complete. What is the most rewarding thing in this dunya? Just think about it.

I remember one of my friends and colleagues said: when he was young in the 1990s, he used to make a lot of du'a — even in his umrah — asking Allah to give him the video game called Atari. That was a new invention at the time, and as an American kid he had it while nobody overseas did. He said, "I was so proud of myself," and he said, "Ya Rabb, Atari in Jannah! Ya Rabb, Atari!" And today he says, "I hope Allah did not accept my dua," because now there are PlayStations and all kinds of new things. There is nothing perfect and tomorrow you will have a better one. You are in a nice car, you see a nicer one. You have a nice house, you find a better one. There is nothing in this life that will ever be complete. Keep that in mind.

4. The Dunya Is Given to Both Those Allah Loves and Those He Does Not

The Quran teaches us that Allah gives this dunya to those He loves and to those He does not. So the opening of the dunya for you is not a sign of His love, and its being withheld from you is not because He is angry with you. Remember that the akhirah is the only thing that Allah rewards with exclusively for those He loves.

(Reported in various narrations by the early scholars and referenced in collections on the virtues of the akhirah)

And the Prophet lived in poverty and hunger. So much of the dunya was held back from him.

5. This Dunya Is a Place of Taklif; the Akhirah Is a Place of Reward

You are here, created to worship Allah, to fulfill certain obligations — taklif. In the akhirah, there is no more kulfa, no more orders, no more obligations to be fulfilled. This dunya will never be truly good without worshipping Allah, without obeying Allah. No matter how much enjoyment there is, it will all turn into suffering without Him. The best thing in this dunya is to draw close to Allah — because that is what the akhirah, at its core, is all about: being close to Allah in Jannah.

The Fundamental Principle: The Akhirah Is the Goal, the Dunya Is the Means

May Allah make us among the inheritors of Jannah, and make the dunya in our hands and not in our hearts. My brothers and sisters, let us keep this fundamental principle — that the Quran and Sunnah always emphasize — firmly in mind: the akhirah is the goal and the dunya is the means. Do not ever make the dunya your goal. Make sure it is a means.

Ask yourself: Why do you want to take this job? Why do you want to be rich? Why do you want to get married? Why do you want to be famous? Why do you want to be in this position? Why do you want to be a doctor, a businessman, a mechanic — whatever job you want? Why do you want to have children? Always ask yourself, and make sure this is a means for the akhirah, not a goal in itself.

Use whatever tools, gifts, and talents that Allah has given you as a means to take you to the akhirah. Yes, the dunya is important — but the akhirah is the most important. It is the priority. Seek what Allah has given you in order to seek the akhirah. And do not forget your share in the dunya from the things that Allah has permitted for you. That is why the Sahabah worked, earned money, and had wealth.

Imam Ahmad was asked whether an ascetic person — a zahid — can have a hundred thousand dirhams. He said, "There is nothing wrong with that." Being a zahid, someone attached to the akhirah, while having wealth in your hand — that is fine. But with one condition: that if you lose some of it, you are not overly distressed, and if it increases, you are not overjoyed. In other words, Imam Ahmad was telling you: money in your hand is acceptable. But money in your heart — that is something that needs to be fixed.

Do not allow it to be in your heart. When money and wealth and the dunya are in your hand, it is easy to give. I can pass on what is in my hand. But to have it rooted in my heart and then rip it out and give it away? That is very hard. I know that, because I am a fundraiser sometimes — and it is not easy.

Any time the Quran and Sunnah criticize the dunya, they mean to criticize those who are attached to the dunya and have forgotten about the akhirah. Those who have preferred the dunya over the akhirah. Any time you find this criticism, it is related to those who prefer the dunya over the akhirah and have forgotten about it — been distracted by the dunya. Or when the dunya blocks you from doing good deeds, from obeying Allah, from doing what will make you win in the akhirah.

Making Every Action an Act of Worship

My brothers and sisters, that is why every time you do something in this world, make sure your intention is to do it for the sake of the akhirah, for the sake of Allah. Even when you sleep, when you make money, when you work, when you are nice to your family. The Prophet said: even when you put food in your wife's mouth, there is ajr. Even when you sleep with your wife, there is ajr. The Prophet said: the money you spend on your family brings ajr. Even the seed that you put outside in the backyard for the birds to eat from — you will get reward for it. That is just extraordinary.

One of the salaf said: "I spend my night massaging my mother's feet, and I consider this more rewarding than spending the night in prayer" — because the intention behind it was right.

When you have this overall intention, you know what it means? First, you get reward for everything. Second, no matter what worldly matter you are involved in, your heart will always be attached to the akhirah. I ask Allah to make it easy for us to attach our hearts to the akhirah and not to be distracted by the dunya.

Don't let the dunya make you come late to salah. Don't let the dunya make you be stingy with your money and your time. Don't let the dunya stop you from learning. Don't let the dunya stop you from reading Quran and learning Quran. Don't let the dunya stop you from praying extra salah. Don't let the dunya distract you from fasting. You will leave this dunya soon — much sooner than you think. Or the dunya will leave you sooner than you think.