What comes to mind when someone asks you to reflect on life? More than likely, you will think of your family, home, career, friends and accomplishments. To us, life is what we live; it's the air we breathe, the people we meet, the money we make, and the time we expend. God speaks to us about life in the Quran. God says in chapter al-‘Ankaboot (the spider):
وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"And the life of this world is only amusement and play, and verily, the home of the Hereafter, that is the true life indeed, if they only knew".
Notice here that God attests to us that this world in which we live, and for which we too often live for, is simply play and amusement. It is temporary and deceitful, for the true life is the life of the Hereafter. The word God uses to describe the life of the Hereafter is "الحيوان", whereas He describes the life of this world as "الحياة". The word الحيوان gives the word الحياة a grander meaning, for each added letter in Arabic adds depth to the meaning. Furthermore, God is distinguishing the two words from one another, which subsequently forces us to differentiate the two worlds from one another. Here is to show us that there is no comparison between the temporary life of this world and next eternal life, the one for which we must strive.
This brings me to another verse in Surat al-Fajr. When a person comes on the Day of Judgment, wishing he/she had done more for one’s Hereafter, he/she will say:
يَا لَيْتَنِي قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي
"Oh if only I had done more for my life".
Here, the world "life" implies the afterlife, the true life God speaks to us about in Surah al-‘Ankaboot. The person wishes he/she had done more for their Hereafter. The person could have said: "I wish I did more IN my life", but instead, they will say "for my life", because again the true life that we often neglect is in fact the afterlife, and not this temporary life that we live in.
God continually reminds us in the Quran that the Hereafter is what we should be preparing for, and not this life. If this is true, then why do we plan and plan for tomorrow and the day after, yet tend to neglect vigorously planning for our akhira (afterlife)? We are in a constant battle between living for this world and planning for the next. We are enamored by the pleasures and temptations of this world, so much so that we have often fallen captive to it and have forgotten the meaning of "life".
Let us take the time to reflect on our life today, and question how we are preparing for the next life that will truly be our eternal home. Remember that "life" has yet to come, and that this world is simply our means to get there.
