بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As life continues and I sit here in contemplation, I wonder about the purpose of our existence. It seems we, as a society, are so engrossed in the distractions of this world that we forget to consider the next. I think of the people I encounter daily, all absorbed in their phones—some checking prices, others reading, and many watching videos. Everyone seems to be lost in these fleeting moments of entertainment. Perhaps this is what the verse means when it says that this life is nothing but temporary enjoyment.
Sometimes, I dream of moving to a new country, like Japan, hoping a change of scenery might lift my spirits. Maybe this feeling of restlessness is my soul’s way of crying out, like a caged bird longing to be free. Perhaps the real world, yet to come, is free from these negative emotions.
Today, as the rain fell effortlessly, I sat in my car watching the world rush by. It was striking to see how quickly life moves. The cars and I share something in common—we’re all just passing through, moving from one destination to another. We are like drops of water falling from a vast sky. As the poet Rumi said, “You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” Life is beautiful, albeit hard, but maybe it was designed this way so that we can truly appreciate the blessings in the next world.
Lately, I’ve been taking life one day at a time, thanking Allah (SWT) for every moment I’ve been given. A part of me wishes to retreat to an isolated cave, away from the hustle and bustle, away from trade and responsibility, into absolute silence and contemplation. The more books I read, the more I long to be lost in the stories of the past. Yet, doing so would be an injustice to the unique tale Allah has written for me. I often tell Allah, “Ya Rabb, I don’t know what the future holds, but I trust You, for You have written it.”
Alhamdulillah, I am grateful for everything I have been given, but a part of my heart feels incomplete—not due to the absence of blessings, but because of a longing for the true life that begins after death. This world feels like a prison, and the believer is a prisoner within it. Perhaps this feeling inside me is my soul crying out to be free.
I pray that Allah is pleased with me and only decrees death when it is best for me. Until then, I will continue to collect good deeds before moving on to the next world, Insha’Allah. I pray it goes well for all of us. I wonder what the future holds, but I trust my Maker. Let’s see the good that Allah has written for me.
By: Ibn Muhammed