Man is placed on earth only for a very short time. There, he will be tested, trained and then passed over to the Hereafter where he will stay forever. The possessions and blessings of this world, although created similar to their originals in Heaven, actually possess many defects and weaknesses. For they are only intended to make man remember the Hereafter. However, the unbelievers are not capable of comprehending this fact, so they act as if the things of this world are their sole objectives. Yet, this is wholly deceptive, since, the entirely temporary and defective favours of the world are far away from satisfying man who is created for the beauties of eternal perfection. Allah describes how the world is a temporary place full of deception:
“Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, andrivalry in respect of wealth and children, as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure, whereas the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.”
Just as it is told in the Qur’an, all of the ignorant people live only for a few objectives such as riches and children and mutual boasting among themselves. In another verse the goods and chattels of deception in the world are thus described: “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: Women and sons; Heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to). Say:
Shall I give you glad tidings of things Far better than those? For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home; with companions pure (and holy); and the good pleasure of Allah. For in Allah’s sight are (all) His servants”
The life of this world is extremely rudimentary and lacking in worth when compared to the eternal life in the Hereafter. To express this, the original Arabic word for the
“world” has the connotation of a “scanty, crowded, dirty place”. People consider that their 60-70 year long life on this earth will be long and a satisfying one. Yet, in a very short time death comes and all areburied in their graves. As a matter of fact, as death comes closer one realizes how short a time he has stayed in this world. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will question the people. “He will say: ‘What number of years did you stay on earth?’ They will reply: ‘We stayed a day or part of a day: but ask those who keep account.’ He will say: ‘You stayed but a little-if you had only known! Did you think that We had created you in jest, and that you would never be brought back to Us?’ ”
Denying Allah and disregarding the Hereafter, in the life-long pursuit of worldly greed will mean eternal punishment in Hell-Fire. Those who conduct themselves in this way are described in the Qur’an as “people who buy the life of this world at the price of the Hereafter”. For them Allah decrees:
"Their penalty shall not be lightened, nor shall they be helped.”
“Those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present, and those who heed not Our Signs; their abode is the Fire, because of the evil they earned.”
Those who forget that this world is only a temporary place for trial and who are not careful of Allah’s Signs, but are satisfied only with the worldly play and amusements of this life, assume them as their own, and even deify them will surely deserve the grievous penalty. The Qur’an describes the status of such people:
“Then, as for him who transgresses all bounds, and prefers the life of this world, then surely the hell, that is the abode.”
