Complementary: The Unseen (Part 1)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

As a complementary set to the brief lecture I presented in my video 'The Unseen,' this is the first article for your soul to indulge. I hope it benefits us all. I have tried my best to include Quranic reference and hadith as much as I could. I hope Allah will bless me and my family and please make dua (prayers) for me as I am preparing for my second episode insya Allah. ;-)

Note: For Quranic reference that is only presented with which surah and verse, please kindly check in your Al-Quran for the translation.

1. Life is short. It is meaningless. We could not perceive it as something solid and physical. We only feel and experience it instead.

2. But the real taste of living is unseen and is ahead of us. It is in the Hereafter, and there will be no existence of time.

3. If we have a dictionary there, surely we’ll agree to remove the word short and long from our bank of words. Or at least not to use it to describe about time anymore. It is eternal with no second, minute or hours.

4. This world is beautified and made so as a test to mankind. Allah describes this in Surah Al-An’am, verse 32.

5. Allah then gives us this thing we know as free will so that we on our own decide which path to follow. Refer Surah Al-Insan (76:3) and Surah As-Syams (91:8-10).

6. The rule of this test is simple. Only those whom believe and are righteous, will be granted Paradise and live an eternal life, blessed by Allahu ta’ala. The people of taqwa (righteousness) are described by Allah as having several important criteria, which begins with the belief in the unseen (Al-Ghaib). Refer Surah Al-Baqarah (2:2-3)

7. Before I expound on the unseen, we shall firstly elaborate on righteousness or taqwa, because when we understand what and why we must have taqwa, then it’s easier to understand why we must be a person whom believes in the existence of the unseen. They are all interconnected.

8. We live in this mortal world as wayfarers. We do not own it. We mere travel upon it and therefore need some provisions to survive.

9. What is the best provision for us?

“Take necessary provisions with you for the journey, and taqwa is the best provision of all.”

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:197).

10. And in this journey, the destination is surely the unseen world, either Paradise or Hellfire. The path to it is not easy and straight but it is worth taken.

11. In fact, every difficulty we face will be sorted out by the help of Allah through a way out that He prepares for us, when even we could not expect that it will come. The condition is, however, by having taqwa in the first place.

“He that fears (have taqwa in) Allah may be provided a way out by Him, and given sustenance from the sources he could never imagine.”

Surah At-Thalaq (65:2-3)

12. The significance of having taqwa through believing is absolutely the best thing to have. Allah honors someone as His best servant from the one who has the most taqwa in Him. Refer Surah Al-Hujurat (49:13).

13. How many of the scientific descriptions are there in the Quran, and how many of these that were totally believed by the companions can be proven in the laboratory during that time? Wait a minute. Was there even a laboratory? But they still believed, didn’t they? Can we imagine their level of taqwa and faith that Allah has instilled in their heart? Isn’t this not a point of wonder and a point to ponder?

14. Not to forget the resistance from shirk and slavery to mankind portrayed by Bilal when he was terribly tortured under the hot scorching sun with only the word ‘Ahad’ (Allah is One and Only) as his shield do we remember?

15. Investigate the Quran and see the beauty of its methodology in teaching us Islam. The chapters that feature the thirtieth part or juz in the Quran are mostly Makiyyah in origin (revealed in Makkah) and this group of earliest chapters tells us stories and reminders that revolve around the concept of taqwa and belief in the Judgement Day, Paradise and Hellfire, all of which are the subject of unseen we are talking about.

16.  It was this fundamental teaching of Islam that prepared Muslim for about 13 years before an Islamic nation can finally be established in Medina (Madinah) as a strong baby government that finally grew to become the strongest Islamic Empire.

17. What more then can veil our eyes from seeing the importance of having faith, taqwa and to believe in al-ghaib? Is there any?

18. Yes there is. It’s this transient world of luxury and deception. The moment we are attached to it and inflicted by this heart disease called wahn, our life is already doomed, unless we repent and turn back to Him. Because even if we are not willing to, we shall finally die and return to Him too by the way (and will be surely judged). Refer Surah Al-‘Ankabut (29:57).

19. Don’t underestimate the wrath of Allah for people whom disobey Him, and never underestimate his love for the people of taqwa.

20. If we do not begin now and it is too late to repent later, the total regret and loss we shall taste during the Judgement Day will be one that is indescribable. The unbelievers will certainly suffer the most of everything till they wished they were mere dust when they lived in this world. Refer Surah An-Naba’ (78:40).

21. My message is straight forward here. In this current world that promises us the greatest trial man could ever face throughout history, the only answer to pass the test is to have taqwa and strong faith.

22. Let me conclude my article with this very inspiring and persuasive hadith by Prophet SAW recorded in the book of Sahih Muslim, Chapter 11, Book 39, hadith number 6738.

“Anas b. malik reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said that one amongst the denizens (inmates) of Hell who had led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Fire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him: O son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no my Lord. And then that person amongst the persons of worlds is brought who had led the most miserable life (in the world) from amongst the inmates of Paradise. And he would be made to dip once in Paradise and it would be said to him: O son of Adam, did you face any hardship? Or had any distress fallen to your lot? And he would say: By Allah, no my Lord. Never did I face any hardship or experience any distress.”

23. Read the hadith again and put your deepest thought to it. By feeling it, allowing it to enter our hearts, there should be nothing else that can stop us from having the willingness and desire to go through any hardship in this life, for we know, that what will be granted in return, is something irreplaceable, something no one could ever imagine, but it will be there, waiting for us, the people of faith, the people of taqwa.

“No one knows what delights of the eye have been kept hidden for them as a reward for their good deeds.”

Surah As-Sajjadah (32:17)

Wallahua'lam. Wassalamualaikum wbt ;-)

P/S: Read part two here.

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