| Answer: All these Ahādīth have a background and a context
which must be given due consideration.
No doubt, this world is transitory, but this is only one
side of the picture. The other side is that the more transitory it is, the more
precious it becomes, because each and every moment that we are passing in this
world is either helping us to make our abode in Paradise or otherwise, in Hell.
That is why the Holy Prophet (sws) has said ‘this world is the crop of the
Hereafter. As we sow here, so shall we reap in the Hereafter’.
God has created this world not haphazardly but under a
well-thought of plan. The natural corollary of this scheme is that we should
indulge ourselves in these worldly activities, provided the activity is not
pushing us towards the disobedience of God. Our duty is just to obey the
commandments of Allah in whatever field or activity we indulge in. If we are
doing that, then we should be satisfied that we are fulfilling our purpose,
which, you would know, is to purify our souls so that we can make ourselves
worthy of living in our permanent home: Paradise. This purification can only be
achieved by living a life of obedience and submission. You would appreciate that
living apart from worldly affairs is totally against the scheme of the universe.
Thus science and other allied disciplines are nothing but the attendants of
humanity. The primary principle that must remain before our eyes is that we have
not been sent here for living alone in some jungle; rather, we have been sent
here for taking part in the ‘game’ and we will be rewarded on the basis of our
participation, style of play and overall performance.
Moreover, it is to be noted that those things would be
considered ‘worldly’, in your words, which lead us away from the way of God.
Conversely, all those activities which are in conformity with God’s commandments
and which do not lead us astray would not be ‘worldly’. |