Aoudhubillahi min al shaitanir rajeem.
Bismi Allahi Al Rahmani Al Raheemi
Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajeun
Ash Shahadu an La Ilaha illa Allah
Wa ash shahadu an Muhammedan Abdul Allah Wa Rasul Allah
As Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh my dear respected (believing Muslim friends) brothers and sisters in Al Islam
Hasbuna Lahu Wa Nimal Wakil
When it comes to Dunya versus Akhira, I look at it like the old adage, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." Or the analogy (which Allah (swt) has asked us not to do analogies, but) of having one foot in the Dunya and the other foot in the Akhira. Why should the Muslim attempt to stand that way?
My thoughts are that our efforts each day should be 50% for managing affairs of this life and 50% for managing affairs for the next life. When we look at Surah 7 Ayah 169, the last sentence of the Ayah says, "But best for the righteous is the home in the Hereafter. Will ye not understand?" If I just say this to a believing Muslim but I understand what Allah (swt) has said in other places of the Quranul Kareem would I actually be showing care and concern for that believing Muslim? That sentence in isolation would make a person shirk their responsibilities and abandon any previous engagements or obligations. Because that sentence by itself is saying put all of your eggs in the Akhira basket, and since we cannot determine when our life in the Dunya will end some may neglect their duties to take care of themselves properly in this life. And that, in fact, fulfilling obligations and engagements are indeed Commands from Allah (swt0 and thus acts of ibadah (worship) to Him. This then makes managing our affairs of this life properly to be good deeds on our Scales for the next life. Please enlarge the graphic below with the architectural building for evidence (Ayats).
Money is not only required for a lavish or opulent lifestyle. Money is required for a modest or moderate lifestyle as well. Money is required just to maintain whatever quality of life the person has. That would be maintenance without making improvements...it takes money to do that. It takes money to heal properly...to adopt dietary practices that would be a healing for a person that has illnesses. Let's say that I want to plant some herbs in my garden. That takes money: to buy the house with enough lot size to plant an herb garden. But you also need to exercise and sometimes some illnesses must be sweated out of the body. It takes money to get the exercise equipment and or sauna put into the house that you purchased with enough lot size to put in a medicinal herb garden. I cannot clap my hands and make that appear and none of that is lavish or opulence.
Allah (swt) has said that if we are weak and oppressed to move ourselves away from oppression. But we also must not move somewhere where we are substituting one oppression for another. Furthermore He (swt) said that if they do not do this He'll throw them in Hell for not moving away from oppression. So there is a duty to not be poor, weak and oppressed in the land. In addition Allah (swt) said that there will be a people being marched into Hellfire and He will order them to be stopped and will ask them, "What was the matter with you that ye did not help each other?" Hell, for not being of help to one another. Well actually, He said that they were Zalimun but in addition they did not help one another. Sometimes there are some of us that need to either heal or get free from oppression, poverty and/or weakness.
So when it comes to Akhira versus Dunya we have a duty to be of help to one another's understanding. We have a duty to remind each other of the Holy Verses to be of help to one another. We have a duty to traffic and trade by mutual goodwill between one another. If you are giving some of that money to Armani, Tiffany, Cartier, Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Ferrari, etc. that is your freedom of choice. We should not compel others unless we want to be compelled ourselves. Thus, we have to leave people their freedom with their own resources so long as they are not harming innocent others. We don't want to cultivate compulsion like we do not want to cultivate possessions by evil principalities.
We know what Allah (swt) is saying, however, in these Ayat below. The duty is there. The sentence is clear. The person is free to do what they desire for themselves but Allah's position on it won't change. Sure there is no compulsion on the rich to be helpful and that same leniency must be shown the poor. If we are hands off when it is beneficial to them then must be hands off when harmful for the poor, oppressed and weak Muslim. The case of the Wrongfully Imprisoned Cat (which does not include those rightfully imprisoned amongst creatures and humans) is an example of oppression through negligence. Without the Dunya how else to stack good deeds to return to the Akhira? Without money how to give in Charity to those who need? Click to enlarge any of these graphics if they are difficult to read.
[7:168]
We broke them up into sections on this earth. There are among them some that are the righteous, and some that are the opposite. We have tried them with both prosperity and adversity: In order that they might turn (to us).
[7:169]
After them succeeded an (evil) generation: They inherited the Book, but they chose (for themselves) the vanities of this world, saying (for excuse): "(Everything) will be forgiven us." (Even so), if similar vanities came their way, they would (again) seize them. Was not the covenant of the Book taken from them, that they would not ascribe to God anything but the truth? and they study what is in the Book. But best for the righteous is the home in the Hereafter. Will ye not understand?
