Two Opposing Ladies: This World and the Hereafter
One of the most challenging turns on the Sufi path is the reality that a person cannot fully love both this world and the afterlife at the same time. Abdülkadir Geylânî (q.s.) expresses this conflict with a striking simile: “The world and the afterlife are like two ladies. If one is pleased, the other becomes offended.” A person’s heart distances itself from the affection for the eternal abode of the afterlife when it turns towards worldly desires, temporary positions, and transient pleasures. If a servant lives with asceticism while in this world and yearns for the abode of the afterlife, he becomes one of Allah’s chosen servants and joins those beloved to Him through His grace. However, if he considers the world as capital and works solely for it, the afterlife slips away from his grasp and ultimately becomes bankrupt on the Day of Judgment.
Making This World a Field for the Hereafter
Islamic morality does not command abandoning this world completely and retreating to the mountains, but rather using it as a “field” without being captivated by its transient allure. The servant should primarily spend his time acquiring the afterlife and dedicate any remaining time to providing for his worldly needs. He should accept the afterlife as the true abode of gain rather than seeing the world as capital. Otherwise, he will have succumbed to lusts and Satan throughout the years spent in this world and become a prisoner of his own desires. A true believer, based on the principle of “Our Lord’s provision is better and more lasting” 11, uses the opportunities at hand to develop the abode of eternity. No matter how much he works in this world, he knows that his ultimate goal is to attain His pleasure.
Direction and Allah’s Choice
Striving solely for this world exhausts a person, humiliates him, and ultimately leads to disappointment in the afterlife. Geylânî (may Allah be pleased with him) reminds us of the verse, “There were those who intended this world; and there were those who intended the Hereafter” (Al-i Imran, 152), stating that people will be separated on the Day of Judgment according to their choices. Those who intend for this world are disappointed, while those who intend for the afterlife have in fact obeyed Allah directly and attained His pleasure. For turning towards the afterlife is the spirit of worship and piety itself. The wise believer suffices with only the halal provision appointed to him during his short stay in this world, purifies his heart from worldly anxieties, and thus attains happiness in both worlds 10, 9.