The World and the Hereafter Like Two Wives
In Islamic ethics, it is impossible for a person to connect their heart simultaneously to both the transient desires of the world and the eternal blessings of the hereafter. Abdülkadir Geylani (q.s.) describes this conflict magnificently: “The world and the afterlife are like two wives. If one is pleased with you, the other will be offended.” To give your heart to both divides a person’s inner world and leaves them bewildered. Consider the hereafter as your capital, and the world as its profit! Spend your time primarily on securing the hereafter; then spend a portion of your remaining time providing for yourself in this world. Do not think of the world as your capital and the afterlife as your earnings!
Making the Hereafter Your Capital
The servant who prioritizes the hereafter actually guarantees happiness in both worlds. If you had entered the path of the hereafter and made it your capital; then both your world and your afterlife would have been your earnings. And your share of happiness and prosperity would have reached you. You would be protected and honored. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever intends for the hereafter, Allah will give him the world as well. Whoever intends for the world, He will not give him the afterlife.” Because intention is the spirit and essence of worship.
Pursuing Your True Share
The heart should only be directed towards a single absolute beloved (Allah and His pleasure). If you practice asceticism in this world and obey Allah, desiring the abode of the hereafter, then you will be among the chosen servants of Allah Azze and Celle, counted among those devoted to love and obedience. Then you will also have gained the afterlife – which is Paradise and the proximity of Allah Azze and Celle. The world will serve you; your allotted share from it will reach you. For everything is subject to its creator and Lord. If you are preoccupied with the world and turn away from the hereafter, your Lord will be angry with you. And the afterlife will escape from you; the world will also oppose you.