The Dunya and Its Reality by Ibn Al-Qayyim PDF

 the DUNYA AND ITS REALITY rn ju iJ I I t f i i n i f l i 9 L i^ J I BY IBN AL Q A Y Y I M  © A u t h e n t i c S ta t em e n ts P ubli shi ng, U S A All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any language, st...

 the DUNYA AND ITS REALITY rn ju iJ I I t f i i n i f l i 9 L i^ J I BY IBN AL Q A Y Y I M  © A u t h e n t i c S ta t em e n ts P ubli shi ng, U S A All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any language, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without express permission of the copyright owner. ISBN: 978-1-5323-8837-8 First Edition: Muharram 1440 A.H. / September 2018 C.E. Cover Design: Usui Design E-mail: [email protected] Translator: Rasheed Barbee Editing & Formatting: Razan Gregory Annurediting.com Publisher’s Information: Authentic Statements Publishing P. O. Box 15536 Philadelphia, PA. 19131 215.382.3382 215.382.3782-Fax Store: 5000 Locust Street (Side Entrance) Philadelphia, Pa 19139 Website: www.authenticstatements.com E-mail: [email protected] Please visit our website for upcoming publications, audio/Dvd online cata­ log, and info on events and seminars, insha Allah. m  T r a n s l it e r a t io n T a b l e Consonants 0- a k d d L_1 b i dh L t J 1 Cj t J r L> z ? m Su_J th j 2 t < J n Z ) u>- s i gh 0 h C h ul sh f J w t kh s J q s? y bow els A Short O a V i u Long L a u Diphthongs aw Glyphs sS Sallallahu ‘a layhi wa sallam (May Allah’s praise & salutations be upon him) Alayhis-salam (Peace be upon him) ‘A za wa ja l (M ighty and Majestic) & Radiyallahu ‘a nhu (May Allah be pleased w ith him) # Radiyallahu ‘a nhum (May Allah be pleased w ith them )  T able of C o ntents The First Sim ilitude...................................................................................9 Man in This W o rld................................................................................9 The Second Sim ilitude............................................................................ 11 The Desires of the W orldly life........................................................ 11 The Third Sim ilitude.............................................................................. 12 The Pleasures of the W orld Distract Its Inhabitants from the H ereafter................................................................................................12 The Fourth Sim ilitude............................................................................ 15 Their Deception of the W orldly L ife.............................................. 15 The Fifth Sim ilitude................................................................................17 T he Shade of a T ree............................................................................. 17 T he Sixth Sim ilitude................................................................................19 This W orld is Detached and V anishing........................................... 19 The Seventh Sim ilitude......................................................................... 21 A Gluttonous K ille r.............................................................................21 T he Eighth Sim ilitude............................................................................ 25 This W orld is Green and S w eet........................................................25 The N inth Sim ilitude.............................................................................. 27 T he Dunya is Insignificant to A llah................................................. 27 The T enth Sim ilitude............................................................................. 29 A Sea That Must Be Crossed.............................................................. 29 The Eleventh Sim ilitude........................................................................ 30 A Vessel Filled w ith H o n ey............................................................. 30 The Tw elfth Sim ilitude..........................................................................30 Seeds Scattered on the E arth..............................................................30 The T hirteenth Sim ilitude.....................................................................31 Moths R ushing the F ire..................................................................... 31 The Fourteenth Sim ilitude....................................................................32 The Green V alley................................................................................32 The Fifteenth Sim ilitude........................................................................ 34 A Guest and a L oan............................................................................. 34 The Sixteenth Sim ilitude....................................................................... 38 Salt W ate r..............................................................................................38 The Seventeenth Sim ilitude..................................................................39 The Companion and the Jo u rn e y.....................................................39 The Eighteenth Sim ilitude.................................................................... 41 The Call of the D unya.........................................................................41 The N ineteenth Sim ilitude.................................................................... 42 T he R ace............................................................................................... 42 T he T w entieth Sim ilitude.....................................................................46 T he Torn G arm en t..............................................................................46 T he T w en ty First Sim ilitude................................................................49 A Small Portion from A Small Portion............................................ 49  T r a n s l a t o r ’s In t r o d u c t io n ail ^xAj All praise belongs to Allah, the King, the Holy, the One F ree from all defects, the G iver of security, the W atcher over His creatures, the All-M ighty, the Compeller, and the Supreme. I ask Allah, the Exalted, to elevate the rank of our Prophet M uhammad, the final messenger sent as a m ercy for the creation. O mankind, verily, the promise of Allah is true. So do not let this worldly life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah. [Surah Fatir 35:5] “ The Dunya and Its Reality" by ibn al-Qayyim is taken from his larger work titled “ 'Uddat as-Sabirin wa Dhakhirat ash-Shakirin." In this book Ibn al-Qayyim expounds upon parables extracted from the Q ur’an, Sunnah, and statements of the Salaf to shed light on the reality of the Dunya. Rasheed ibn Estes Barbee M uharram 1440/September 2018  T h e F ir s t S i m i l i t u d e M a n in This W orld ♦♦♦ The slave has three states. T he first state is his condition w h e re he is nothing, and this is before he exists. T he last state is from the tim e of his death until the state that has no end, the eternal life. A fter the soul exits the body it will have its presence either in Paradise or the Hellfire; then it w ill be returned to its body for recompense according to its actions. It w ill then reside in one of these tw o abodes—Paradise or the Hellfire—for eternity. T he sec­ ond state is betw een these two, w hich is from the tim e he exists until he dies. This is the state that lies in the middle and consists of the days of his life. Therefore, look at the tim e man spends in this middle state compared to the first and last states, and you w ill no­ tice m an’s years in this w orld are less than the blink of an eye. Those w ho are able to view the world like this w ill not cling to it; and they w ill not care how their days pass by, w h e th er they have difficulty and restricted means or ease and luxury. For this reason, the Prophet did not put brick on brick or reed on reed (meaning he did not construct a building), and he ^ said:  Ibn a l -Qa y y i m | 10 (_?i (Jll Ju£ Uiill L^aj LajI tUllllj - ' ,i ASjjjj ^\j 4 flV'. I have no need of worldly comfort. M y example in this world is like a rider w ho took a nap in the shade beneath a tree on a scorching hot day, he rested and then left it.1 And he ^ said: ^ «UujJal ^Aa.1 3*-?^ 0“ Cfr VJ (_ji UlJI li 'a 3 ^ 2 The likeness of this world in comparison to the Hereafter is that of one of you dipping his finger into the sea. So let him look to see what he brings forth.2 This alludes to the statement of the Messiah Jesus -if; This world is a bridge; therefore, cross it and do not reside on it.3 1 a l-B u k h a ri 3098 2 S ahlh M u slim 2858 3 K itab D ham a d -D u n y a 3/215  T h e D u n y a a n d I ts R e a l i t y | 11 This example is correct. This life is a bridge to the Afterlife. The cradle is the first nook at the beginning of the bridge, w hile the niche in the grave is the last nook at the end of the bridge. Some people cross half of the bridge, w hile others cross tw o thirds of the bridge. Some people only have one step left on the bridge, but they are unaw are of this. Regardless of how m uch is left, everyone must cross it. Thus, w hoever stops on the bridge and begins to dec­ orate it w ith various adornments, w hile being incited to cross it, then he is extrem ely ignorant and foolish. ♦ ♦ ♦ ------- T he Se c o n d S im il it u d e The Desires o f the W o r ld ly life ♦♦♦ W orldly desires in the heart are like food cravings in the stomach. At the tim e of death, the person will find disdain for the w orldly desires w ithin his heart, and its stench and grossness; just as he finds it from delicious food after it has been digested from his bow­ els. T he more delicious the food is, the greasier the food is, the sw eeter it is, the filthier its excrem ent w ill be. E very desire in the soul is similar to this. The stronger and more desirous it is, then its harm will be more severe at the tim e of death. Just as the person w ho is agonized by w hat he loves, if he loses that thing his agony w ill increase according to his love for it. The Prophet said to Dahhak ibn Sufyan:  Ibn a l -Qa y y im | 12 J l i ftUJIj Dfill 4j 1c-.-jyJL a ij iiL>l*Jaj : J l i 4iil L >~i«\c- ai La : Jla ? j. ' ^ j ^Vti : J l i ’i_s-^ j j | ^LiJa 4_JJ j j aj Laj Ljall Ji« s-LA^3 j 6, Lul jjli Don’t you receive your food w hile it has been salted, and seasoned, and then you drink milk and water? He said: “Certainly O Messenger of Allah.” The Mes­ senger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “What be­ comes of it?” He said: “It becomes as you are aware of O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “For surely Allah, the Exalted, has made an example for this worldly life in what becomes of the food of the son of man.1 Some of the Salaf would say to their companions, “Let’s go so I may show you the w orldly life.” So, he would take them to a garbage dum p and say, “Look at its fruits, chickens, honey, and fats.” ♦ ♦ ♦ -------- T h e T h ir d Sim il it u d e The Pleasures o f the W o rld Distract Its Inhabitants fro m the Hereafter ♦♦♦ The world has pleasures and delights w hich distract its inhabitants from the Afterlife, and they are followed by regret according to 1 C ollected by A h m ad  T h e D u n y a a n d Its R e a l i t y | 13 their heedlessness. This is similar to a people w ho boarded a ship that carried them to an island. The navigator of the ship told them to dismount the ship to take care of their needs, w hile w arning them to not linger; and he cautioned them that the ship would m ove on. Thus, they all w ent to various parts of the island. Some of them took care of their needs and hurried back to the ship, w h ere they found em pty space. Therefore, they took the most spa­ cious, comfortable areas they desired. Some of them rem ained on the island looking at its flowers and amazing lights; and listening to the chirping of its birds, w hile be­ ing impressed by its rocks and stones. T hen their soul rem inded them that the ship was leaving quickly. T hey rushed back to the ship, but only found a tight place to sit, so they sat therein. Some of them remained, enjoying those beautiful rocks and amaz­ ing flowers; then they took some things from the island back w ith them. But w hen they reached the ship they only found a small tight space. The items they took back w ith them made it even tighter. Thus, these belongings became heavy and troublesome up­ on them , but they w ere not able to discard them. T hey did not find anyone to take them for them , nor any place on the ship to put them. T hey put them on their necks and regretted taking them back to the ship, but their regret did not benefit them at all. Then the flowers they took on the ship w ithered and shriveled; their fragrance changed, and the odor harm ed them.  Ib n a l -Qa y y i m | 14 Some of them entered the forest and forgot about the ship. T hey w en t far off on their excursion, such that w h en the captain of the ship called out that the ship was departing, his voice did not reach them due to them being preoccupied w ith its amusem ent. T hey spent some tim e picking fruits, some tim e smelling the flowers, and some tim e enjoying the beautiful trees. In the midst of this, they are fearful a beast of prey w ill attack them. T hey are not safe from thorns pricking their clothes and feet. T hey are not safe from branches poking them in the stomach or box-thorns ripping their clothes or uncovering their private area. T hey are not safe from frightening sounds terrifying them. Some of them reached the ship but did not find an y w h ere to sit, thus they died on the shore. Some of them w ere distracted w ith their desires until a w ild beast slaughtered them or a viper bit them. Some of them got lost and w andered about until they died. These are examples of the people and their distraction, th eir fleet­ ing portion of the w orldly life and their forgetting the re tu rn and end result of their affair. How evil is the intellect that is distracted by material items w hich w ill w ith er away! So, this has distracted his m ind and disabled him from obtaining safety.  T he D u n y a a n d Its R e a l i t y | 15 T h e Fo u r t h S i m i l i t u d e Their Deception o f the W o r ld ly Life The people are deceived by the w orldly life, w hile their belief in the Afterlife weakens. Ibn Abi Dunya collected a narration1 that Hassan said that the M essenger of Allah ® said to his Companions: \ t 1c. Sj\SLa j\ ^\^ bajl t i i La I^Iuj La jj LA UjjS t ^ l b V c5)liall ' f J *o ; a$c. Cajjj la* (jl : I^ILaa Ali. ^ J L j ^llc- :l^li 4«.Yj* L : J l i l*^3 :Jl^ sJ-D3 O? *^! ^ Lj ^£jja* (jl ^jjljl : J l i -\S y ls ^ - ?£ail ^Jlc- : J l i 4la* U :Jli. ULii 4-ji\j.^i»'1 V : (jlli ?J_jLo*j La 4^jai. jJaUjj «.(jj aL> a. Ui. Y aiL ^ajjl^ aj >* 'j j r. 4jL r. 11 : J li 44LL -Sjtnl^xj Jla^Lc. iU i La ^£aS -~Aaa : J l i " I^Jai. U a L jj i l j j «.La ^*L j gli t J li. liLa : J l i V|jjl ^ 1 l^lli.Jaa^ll : J l i 4la* L :l^lli 4«.Vj* L :J l i 4J1I 4j»J«ll Ji. JLaa :Jli.^SLaaL^I i~Lajl tjaalj; ^ Ij 4^SjLoS f-L (ji!iu Laj 4sa^j JJ lal lilla la* Lai^, La ailj :^*jjSI ^a. 1 N a rra te d fro m Ishaq ibn 'Ism a‘11 fro m R u h ibn 'U badah fro m H isham ibn H ussein  Ibn a l- Q a y y im I 16 1-iA ^11 ^AJ » J3j tUlji ojiA»~I VI Aiilj. ^ j V j LS.Ijgr. jii3 t ' vjilk3j ;4_*_jjl ^jajS ^ Vci^ik.' ^ 3 , ^ ‘ "‘.i' ^llljS JjoSj j j j La I^LjjLoli t jJic. Indeed, m y example, your example and the example of the world is like a people who are going through a dust-covered desert with no water, such that they don’t know if the road they have traveled is more or if what is left to travel is more. They ran out of sup­ plies and fatigue has set in. They are still in the mid­ dle of the desert w ith no supplies and no transport. Thus, they are sure they w ill die. W hile they w ere in this condition, suddenly there was a man walking toward them dressed in a garment and his hair was wet. They said, “This person is from the countryside and he could have only come from a nearby place. W hen he reached them he said, “O people, how are you doing? They responded, “As you see.” The man said, “What do you think if I guide you to fresh wa­ ter and a green garden, what w ill you do?” They said, “W e w ill not disobey you at all!” The man said, “Make a covenant and promise, witnessed by Allah.” They gave him their covenant and promise in the Name of Allah « that they would not disobey him. He took them to the fresh water and green garden.  T h e D u n y a a n d Its R e a l i t y | 17 The man remained w ith them as long as Allah * willed and then he said to them, “0 people, let’s move out.” They responded, “W here are w e going?” He said, “W e are going to water which is not like your water, and to a garden which is not like your garden.” The majority of the people said, “By Allah, w e did not find this until after w e thought w e would never find it; then shall w e find a life better than this?!” The minority of the people said, “Didn’t w e give this man a promise by Allah, that w e would not disobey him? He was true w ith his initial promise, so by Allah he w ill be truthful in his other promise.” The man left with those w ho followed him w hile the rest of them remained behind. So the enem y rushed those who remained behind. Some of them w ere killed w hile the others became prisoners1. — ----------- T h e F if t h S im il it u d e The Shade o f a Tree ♦♦♦ T he similitude of this world and its inhabitants is like the example given by the Prophet ^ of the shade of a tree and a person travel­ ling in it toward Allah 36. ' C ollected in A z Z uh u b by ibn Abi D u n y a, H ad ith 177  Ibn a l -Q a y y im | 18 Jll Lulll J aaJ L5T^“ ‘IjjSllj ^jlUi I have no need of worldly comfort. M y example in this world is like a rider who took a nap in the shade beneath a tree on a scorching hot day; he rested and then left it.1 Thus, he takes shelter in the shade of the tree during a scorching hot day, then he moves on and leaves the shade behind. Ponder this similitude well and look at how it coincides w ith the reality of this world. The greenery and verdure of this world is like a tree. The rapid m anner in which this world vanishes away bit by bit is like the shade. And the slave is a traveler heading toward the m eeting w ith his Lord 36. W hen the traveler sees a tree on a hot day, he does not deem it appropriate to build a home under the tree or take it as a perm anent residence; rather he shades himself according to his need. If he exceeds this, he is cut off from his com­ panions. ------- al-B u k h a ri 3098  T h e D u n y a a n d Its R e a l i t y | 19 T h e S ix t h S im il it u d e This W o rld is Detached and Vanishing ♦♦♦ The Prophet gave the similitude of this world as being like the one w ho dips his finger into the sea. ^jjl aJlLIsI 3*-kj U» liall 3-^“ » ^ j Aijh The likeness of this world in comparison to the Hereafter is that of one of you dipping his finger into the sea; so let him look to see what he brings forth.1 The w ater that remains on the finger of someone after rem oving it from the sea is like this w orld in comparison to the Hereafter. This is from the best similitudes. This world is vanishing and severed, even if the length of this w orld was longer than it actually is. The Afterlife is eternal, and it w ill never come to an end. That w hich is lim ited cannot be compared to that w hich is limitless. If the heavens and earth w ere filled w ith seeds, and after ev ery one thousand years a bird would take aw ay one seed, the seeds would eventually deplete. W hile the Hereafter w ill n ev er deplete. 1 S ahlh M u slim 2858  Ibn a l -Q a y y im I 20 Thus, this world, compared to the Afterlife, is equivalent to that one seed compared to the heavens and earth full of seeds. If the oceans w ere equipped w ith seven more oceans and they turned into ink, and all the trees w ere pens to w rite the W ords of Allah 36, the ink would dry and the pens would w ear out w hile the Words of Allah would never deplete. This is because the W ords of Allah 31 have no beginning and no end, w hile the oceans and trees have an end. Imam Ahmad and others have said that Allah 36 continues to speak if He wills. His perfection and Holiness apply to His speech as well. And His perfection is inseparable from His essence. Thus, His speech will only be perfect. The one w ho speaks is more complete than the one w ho does not speak. Allah 36 is not at all affected by weariness, fatigue or exhaustion from speaking. He creates and con­ trols His creation w ith His speech. His W ords are that w hich brings the creation into existence, and by w ay of His speech He com­ mands them. This is the reality of His dominion, His Lordship and His divinity. He 3%is the Lord and the King, and there is no deity w orthy of worship other than Him. This world is only a breath from the breaths of the eternal life and an hour from its hours.  T h e D u n y a a n d Its R e a l i t y I 21 T he S e v e n t h S im il it u d e A G lu ttonous Killer ♦♦♦ The Prophet 36 gave this example in a hadith that Bukharl and Muslim have agreed is authentic. This is the hadith of Abu Sa'Id al- K hudri «"iflMj \ 'tU > j V| ^ Load ^ 4-jl V ^ j 4_ilc. 4&1 ^ LauB 1JlA So, w e began turning toward the sun to see if any- thing of it remained (whether it has set or not). So, the Messenger of Allah 8s said, “That which remains of this world in comparison to what has already passed is like what remains of this day of yours compared to what has already passed.”1. Thus, this w orldly life—all of it—is similar to one day, and Prophet 8S was sent at the end of the day just before sunset. Jabir and Abu Huraira s? narrated that the Prophet 3s said: „ , I t.a ^ L. a '.U LU 1 U1 I and the Last Hour have been sent like this. He joined the forefinger w ith the middle finger together.1 1 Ja m i’ a t-T Irm id h i 2 t91  Ibn a l -Qa y y im | 48 Some of the Salaf would say, “Be patient, for surely it is only a few days. You are only stationary riders. Each of you w ill soon be called and you will respond w ithout delay. Your souls have already an­ nounced your death. Death will grasp you and there is no way around it.” Allah, the Exalted, said: lilj m f-ixj CLiWj O'0 u! ® ’ \% 3JA ^' Laa] a&l_j  Ibn a l -Qa y y im | 50 W e have been informed [by the Prophet &] that if a stone is thrown at one side of the Hellfire it would travel down for seventy years but would not reach its bottom. By Allah * , it w ill be filled (with men and jinn). Do you find it strange? jjx jjl S jj. a a A ja J I jJ a ^ ^ La lil A s lj (j A li y 4 ilr. ^ j j j L l j 4 Lolc. W e have been informed [by the Prophet &] that the distance between two shutters of the gate of Jannah is forty years distance. And a day w ill come w hen it w ill be fully packed. ^ la -la Li] La. j 4 4r.