The temporary nature of this world

 

The temporary nature of this world

 

A seeker of Allah Most High (Salik) should always keep in the mind the ephemeral nature of the world.  This world is going to end one day.  You might see how the great palaces and huge mansions lie desolate today.  What wishes those people might have been harboring, what desires!  Everything turned to dust.  When you keep the ephemeral nature of world in mind in this manner, the disease of love of the material world will be driven away from you.

 

Reflect on the end and temporary nature of this world!  The day of life is coming close to its dusk.  The time to return to our abode is approaching.  Great mansions lie desolate.  Open your eyes and look.  Beautiful and delicate, young and strong, majestic and powerful rulers and lovers of luxury lie buried beneath tons of earth.  Neither those means of luxury remain nor that wealth and affluence.  All their desires and wishes lie wasted.

 

Similarly, we also have to die one day.  Very soon, a pit in earth will be our grave.  That’s why acquire the love of Allah Most High.  There is still time otherwise you will have to face regret and the regret will be of no use.

 

Hear!  All the dead desire that they come back into this world at least for a day so that they can acquire the love of Allah Most High and return.  But this wish will never be fulfilled.

 

Look at the temporariness of the world and learn.  The world is a place to pass through and the outcome of the travelers is the grave.  Just go to the graveyard and see.  What beautiful folk are buried in the earth!  What efforts they would make!  What plans they would make to seek this world!  Alas!  Today in death they have with them only their longings. 

 

Now they have much desire to do something.  They are given the reply that this is not the place to sow; it is the place to reap what you have sown. 

 

We are also in the same heedlessness.  We will also die like this.  These hands, this tongue, these feet, which we think are ours will all turn to dust.  Our heirs will take our wealth and properties.  The insects of the grave will be the masters of our body. 

 

We will have only our deeds.  Now, if our deeds are good enough, we will be in eternal peace.  If they are bad, then it will be lasting regret.

O you who are deceived by this world!

 

This world is nothing more than the screen of a theatre.  There is nothing more than electric lights and pictures.  Those who watch it are intoxicated by it.  Let the lights go out, there is nothing left.  Those who watch it are lovers of shadows.

 

The same is the case of this world.  Let the curtain of heedlessness be drawn and we will understand what exactly this world is and what we thought of it.

 

Everything of this world will perish and is not worthy of our love.  We shouldn’t entangle our hearts in them.  Alas!  We have such love of this world as if we are going to remain here forever.

 

The person who develops love for this world is like a traveler loving the inn.  For the stay of one night, the traveler builds a beautiful mansion and plants orchards.  Indeed, everyone will declare that traveler a fool.  The stay is for only 1 night, why these preparations for it?

 

In the same way, we also see the temporariness of this world night and day, but are heedless of our own end.  If our heedless is not dispelled even on seeing the temporariness of this world, then when will it be dispelled?

 

[Excerpted from Mawaaiz-e-Hasana, Vol. 1]