The Love of the Dunya
This worldly life serves as a transitional phase for the hereafter. Many individuals become preoccupied with its pleasures, forgetting the promised abode of the hereafter which Allah – the Almighty – has reserved for the dutiful and benevolent. The bliss of paradise far surpasses the delights of this life multiple times over. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) stated: “Nothing in paradise resembles what exists in this world except for the names; the entities themselves are vastly different.” To counteract the attachment to this world and indulgence in its desires, one should continuously remember the joys of paradise, using this life as a means to prepare for their eternal abode.
Hadiths on the Love of Dunya
Numerous authentic Hadiths encourage a detachment from worldly life while fostering a desire for the hereafter. Among these Hadiths are:
- It has been narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) departed from this world without ever having his fill of barley bread.
- As reported by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) never ate from a tablecloth until he passed away, nor did he consume finely made bread during his lifetime.
- Nu’man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) stated: “I witnessed your Prophet (peace be upon him) who had no food to fill his stomach from what was available.”
- Said Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him): “By Allah, I was the first Arab to shoot an arrow in the path of Allah. During battles with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), our only sustenance was the leaves of the sidr tree and some tough fibers, to the extent that one could only eat as sheep eat.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever’s intention is the pursuit of the hereafter, Allah will enrich their heart, unify their affairs, and the worldly life will come to them even while it is reluctant. Whoever’s intention is to seek the world, Allah will place poverty before their eyes, scatter their affairs, and they will only receive from it what was decreed for them.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “Gold, silver, silk, and brocade are for them in this world, but they are for you in the hereafter.”
The Love of Dunya in the Holy Quran
The Holy Quran warns against the love of the dunya and indulgence in its pleasures. Notable verses include:
- Allah says: “Every soul will taste death. And you will be compensated your full due on the Day of Resurrection. So whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained a great victory. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” (Quran 3:185)
- Allah says: “And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion, but the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. So will you not reason?” (Quran 6:32)
- Allah says: “Those who prefer the worldly life over the Hereafter and avert [people] from the path of Allah, seeking to make it seem deviant. It is they who are in extreme error.” (Quran 14:3)
- Allah says: “So turn away from whoever turns his back on Our message and desires not except the worldly life.” (Quran 53:29)
- Allah says: “The example of the worldly life is like water which We have sent down from the sky, causing it to mingle with the plants of the earth from which people and animals eat, until when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its inhabitants think they have power over it, Our command came upon it at night or during the day, and We made it as harvest, as if it had not flourished the day before. Thus do We detail the verses for a people who give thought.” (Quran 10:24)
- Allah says: “And they said, ‘There is nothing but our worldly life; we live and die, and nothing destroys us except time.’ And they have no knowledge of that; they are only falsifying.” (Quran 45:24)
- Allah says: “O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that when you are told, ‘March forth in the cause of Allah,’ you incline heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the worldly life instead of the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a little.” (Quran 9:38)
- Allah says: “Indeed, those who do not expect the meeting with Us and are satisfied with the worldly life and feel secure therein, and those who are, of Our verses, unseeing.” (Quran 10:7)
- Allah says: “The worldly life has been made alluring to those who disbelieve, and they mock those who believe. But those who fear Allah are above them on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account.” (Quran 2:212)
- Allah says: “So has the one upon whom the evil of his deed was made attractive and he considered it good? Indeed, Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. So do not let yourself perish over them in regret.” (Quran 35:8)
- Allah says: “O assembly of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from among you, recounting to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day? They will say, ‘We bear witness against ourselves.’ And the worldly life had deluded them, and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.” (Quran 6:130)