Quran Garden

Session 478

Chapter 3

Verses 148, 149 & 150

So God gave them both the rewards of this world and the excellent rewards of the Hereafter: God loves those who do good.  (Chapter 3:Verse 148)

If you chase after this life, God will give you worldly possessions and material wealth.  But it is critical to note that, when God speaks of earthly rewards, He does not describe them as good but merely says, "The rewards of this world."  On the other hand, when He speaks of the Hereafter, He says, "And the excellent rewards of the Hereafter." Why?  Let's make a quick comparison.

Take a blank piece of paper and draw a line from top to bottom to divide the paper into two halves.  At the top of the right column, write "Worldly pleasures," and at the top of the left write "Pleasures of the Hereafter." It is the "Dunia vs. Akhera" sheet. 

For the sake of this exercise, let's assume that you are wealthy beyond belief and have access to all the money you ever want.  You own the best houses, vacation homes, and penthouses in New York, Paris, and Beijing and have the finest cars, jewelry, servants, cooks, doctors, and chauffeurs. 

We start with time.  How long will all this fun last?  Sixty years?  Eighty?  Then what?  Do you think you will be able to enjoy any of your wealth when you are ninety-five years old?  God says:

When We grant long life to a person, We cause him to regress in creation.  So will you not use your intellect?  (36:68)

On the other hand, the Hereafter is eternal.  You will not die, get old, sick, or even have an upset stomach.  So, regarding time, we write "eternal" on the left column and "temporary" on the right.

Next is quality.  Regardless of how much money you have, you are limited by current technology and materials.  Today's average family lives better than royal families from a few centuries ago.  In other words, your wealth is constrained by the current human condition.  But the pleasures of Paradise have no constraints because they are the work of Allah, Who is limitless in power and infinite in resources.  Prophet Muhammad said, narrating the Almighty's words, "I have prepared for My righteous servants such excellent things as no eye has ever seen, nor ear has ever heard, nor any human heart can ever imagine." So, on the right column we write "limited quality," and on the left we put down "infinitely superior quality." 

How about peace of mind?  With all your riches, are the servants stealing from you?  Is the market about to crash?  How about your accountants?  Are they giving you good advice?  Or is the government about to raise your taxes?  There is, and will always be, a little worry in your mind spoiling the enjoyment of life.  In contrast, God says:

But those who have faith and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down to Muhammad —and it is the truth from their Lord— He shall absolve them of their misdeeds and give them peace of mind and peace of conscience. (47:2)

Lastly, let's talk about work.  Anytime you want to enjoy the finer things in life, you have to work to make money and then purchase them.  There is never a guarantee that your trades will be profitable.  On the other hand, Allah guarantees that your righteous deeds will be immensely profitable and ensures that there will be zero effort on your part. 

So the question is, do you want something temporary, of questionable quality, that comes with a lot of headaches and requires a ton of work?  Or something eternal, of unimaginable premium quality, wrapped in blissful peace of mind, and requires zero effort?  Which is worth chasing after and sacrificing for?

God asks in wonderment:

Are you really content with the present, worldly life, rather than the Hereafter?! How small the enjoyment of this world is, compared with the life to come! (from 9:38)

The verse ends with, "God loves those who do good." We learned from the beautiful supplication in the previous verse how the believers had done well by turning to their Lord after the hardship in Uhud.  They had done well by seeking forgiveness from sin and excesses before they asked God to plant their feet and grant them victory over the disbelievers.  In other words, they understood that, without God's help, all their human power came to nothing.  And, just as we explained in Aya 147, where "God loves those who are patient," it is sufficient as a reward to become beloved by Allah for doing good.

Now we move to the next verse in Al Imran.  God says:

You who believe, if you obey the disbelievers, they will make you revert to your old ways, and you will turn into losers.  (Chapter 3: Verse 149)

How can it be that you, as believers, would obey the disbelievers?  You are different and better from them at the core and in so many ways.  The disbelievers and hypocrites will rush to exploit any weakness you may have in your faith.  You experienced this first-hand in Uhud!  When the rumor of Prophet Muhammad's death spread, a group of hypocrites said, "Since Muhammad is dead, there is no messenger among us anymore; let's go back to the religion of our forefathers." The believers who were weak in faith did not fare much better when they said, "Let's go to Ibn Ubay –the leader of the hypocrites of Medina– and ask him to intercede with Abu Sufyan for our safe passage." Thus, God advises us:

You who believe, if you obey the disbelievers, they will make you revert to your old ways, and you will turn into losers.  (Chapter 3: Verse 149)

So, if you are in a dire situation that calls for an ally, do not seek anyone other than the Almighty.  Why?  Listen to the answer in the next verse of Al Imran:

In fact, God is your Guardian, and He is the best of helpers.  (Chapter 3: Verse 150)

Didn't Abu Sufyan –one of the leaders of Quraysh– call out on the battlefield after Uhud, "We have Al-Uzza, and you do not have any glory"?  The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his companions, "Answer him."  They asked, "What should we say?" He said, "Say: 'Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector.'"  Then Abu Sufyan said, "One day for another," meaning that war is back and forth, and this day of Uhud repaid the day of Badr.  Omar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, replied, "No, we are not equals: our dead are in Paradise and yours in Hell."

Here we ask, does the phrase God "is the best of helpers" mean that there are other helpers besides the Almighty?  Yes, you can get help from people, but it is only superficial and not the genuine kind you need.  Real help is that which comes from Allah.  Why?  Because when God comes to your aid, it means two things.  The first is that your faith is on the right track because, as we discussed before, Allah does not aid those who deviate from His path.  Second, God's help is above all creation: if He is on your side, no one can overcome you.  The odds do not matter, and material considerations do not matter.  Some doubters will say, "You are kidding yourself if you think you can overcome a large army that has superior technology if you are weak." But, in the next Aya, Allah introduces us to one tiny soldier of His that can turn an entire battle upside-down.  He says in verse 151 of Al Imran:

We shall throw terror into the hearts of the faithless because they attribute partners to God

Ask any military leader, is there anything worse than a terrified soldier?

So, if you want real help and genuine victory, strengthen your faith and do not seek the disbelievers for help even under the worst circumstances, for they are not people of trust.  God says:

You who believe, if you obey the disbelievers, they will make you revert to your old ways, and you will turn into losers.  (Chapter 3: Verse 149)