My son and I often play the card game Go Fish together, and for a while he legitimately kept winning. (I wasn’t letting him win, by the way.) After about fifteen straight losses and one tie, I eventually won a game.

Apparently, one developmental milestone for children around ages six to eight is that they do not like to lose. My son is in that phase right now.

When he wins, life is wonderful. You can’t tell him anything. But when he loses, you would think he has never won in his entire six years of existence. In that moment, it is as if every previous victory has been erased from his memory and he is convinced he will never win again.

As I watched this play out, I was reminded of a hadith about the reality of this life and the next. The Prophet ﷺ told us that the person who endured the greatest hardships in this world will be dipped into Jannah for a moment and then asked, “Have you ever experienced any hardship?” He will reply, “No, by Allah, I have never experienced any hardship.” Likewise, the person who enjoyed the greatest comforts in this world will be dipped into the Fire and then asked, “Have you ever known any happiness?” He will reply, “No, by Allah, I have never known any happiness.”

One experience becomes so overwhelming that everything before it seems to disappear.

I was also reminded of something I came across while studying zuhd. It was said that a person can possess wealth and still be a zahid, but on one condition: if his wealth increases, he does not become excessively joyful, and if it decreases, he does not become distressed and unhappy.

This is exactly what Allah ﷻ teaches us:

“No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being. Indeed that, for Allah, is easy. So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you nor exult over what He has given you. And Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.”
(57:22-23)

Allah not only tells us that everything happens by His decree, but He also informs us of this reality so that we are not devastated by what we lose nor intoxicated by what we gain.

Yet how often do we behave exactly like children?

When financial hardship is lifted, some people become so elated that they act as though they have never struggled and will never struggle again. Then, if that blessing is taken away, they speak as though Allah has never blessed them and never will. This all-or-nothing mentality causes a person to overlook countless blessings from Allah ﷻ simply because they are focused on what they have just gained or lost.

We see this lesson in the story of the three men tested by Allah ﷻ. One had leprosy, one was bald, and one was blind. Allah ﷻ cured them, enriched them, and gave them more than they had ever imagined. Later, an angel came to them in the form of a poor and afflicted traveler resembling their former condition. Two denied their past and acted as though their blessings had always belonged to them. Only one remembered where he came from and acknowledged Allah’s favor.

We see it again in the story of the owner of the gardens who became impressed with what he possessed and failed to acknowledge Allah ﷻproperly. He viewed his blessing as secure and permanent, only for his garden to be destroyed, leaving him regretting what he had taken for granted. (18:32-44)

This is the essence of zuhd: knowing that this world is temporary and refusing to let it occupy an oversized place in the heart. It is understanding that the changing conditions of dunya are not a flaw in the system. They are the system.

You will win some and lose some.
You will receive some things and be deprived of others.
You will experience ease and hardship.

The impermanence of this life and everything in it is not the problem.
Truly, the impermanence is the point.
The impermanence is the reminder in and of itself.

Allah ﷻ says:

“And whatever you have been given is only the enjoyment of worldly life and its adornment, but what is with Allah is better and more lasting. Will you not then understand?”
(28:60)

The more we accept this reality, the less we cling to dunya and the more we build for the Akhirah. We stop measuring Allah’s favor by our current circumstances and begin measuring success by our relationship with Him.

In many ways, this realization became one of the foundations of contentment for me. I learned that I belong to Allah ﷻ before my circumstances belong to me, and that understanding created a freedom I could never have anticipated.

I realized that anxiety often comes from believing reality is unmanaged, while rida appears when the heart realizes that reality is curated.

The heart resists decree when it assumes ownership over its life. It treats circumstances as possessions and outcomes as entitlements. When those things change, it feels robbed.

But once ownership returns to Allah ﷻ, decree stops feeling like a violation. It no longer feels like a power struggle or a fight for autonomy. The inner resistance begins to melt away because the heart recognizes that nothing was ever truly its to control or cling to in the first place.

Everything was entrusted by Allah, managed by Allah, and will ultimately return to Allah ﷻ.

Perhaps my son’s frustration over losing a game is not so childish after all.

Perhaps it is simply a mirror showing us a tendency many adults never outgrow.

Your reflection is really thought provoking. JazakAllahu khairyan, may Allah swt bless you.

I just came back from a trip.

For almost four days, I explored the Red Sea, going underwater, seeing the marine life, snorkeling, passing by different islands, and spending time on some of them. Some people even went ahead and swam with dolphins, but I couldn’t because you have to be skilled enough to keep up with their pace.

I kept seeing the different shades of blue in the sea and being so close to the fish that I could almost catch them with my hands. I basically experienced something I had only ever seen on TV, but this time, firsthand. The excitement was surreal.

Every time the experience was ending, and we were asked to go back onto the yacht, I felt a little sad. What reassured me, though, was the promise of experiencing it again in other parts of the sea.

But instantly, in that moment, it hit me that even if they promise to take us to explore the other parts of the sea, which I anticipate to be more beautiful, time is still finite, and every experience comes to an end.

What is with Allah is far better and more lasting وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى. 

May Allah make us among those who experience what is far better and more lasting. 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I woke up today — Alhamdulillāh — not recalling a single dream.
But as the morning settled in, pieces came back to me.
And with them… a wave of nostalgia.


It was about my old friends.
From back in middle school —
the first time I ever truly felt what it meant to have friends.

Back then, I was still homeschooled.
In elementary school, I didn’t really feel the need to belong.
I wasn’t shy — I talked, I laughed —
but I never got too close.
I didn’t have a group. I didn’t seek one.

But in middle school — something changed.
I made one close friend… then two… then a group.
And for the first time, I felt included — known — understood.

But like all things in this dunya,
it didn’t last.

Within a year or two, life pulled us in different directions.
Some went to public school.
Some just grew distant.
And without realizing, I moved on too.

Now, years later, I rarely think about it.
I hardly even care.

But this dream — this glimpse — brought it all back.
The laughter. The Inside Jokes. The Vibes.

I still have their contacts.
They're not bad people.
They don’t have the corrupted hearts like I’ve seen in other circles.

But even then — I choose not to go back.

Why?

Because I’m not ready to attach my heart to something that doesn’t last.
Not a dream. Not a moment. Not a group. Not a feeling.
No matter how kind people are — how close they seem —
people, being human, can…
disappoint.

And what does Allah ﷻ remind us?

وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
'The provision of your Lord is better and more lasting.'
[Sūrah Ṭāhā 20:131]

وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
'What is with Allah is better and more lasting. Will you not then reason?'
[Sūrah Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:60]

وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰ
'And Allah is better and more lasting.'
[Sūrah Ṭāhā 20:73]

وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
'What is with Allah is better and more lasting — for those who believe and rely upon their Lord.'
[Sūrah Ash-Shūrā 42:36]

I can try to fill my heart with distractions —
Busy my mind with people, ideas, or plans —
But none of it will last.
None of it will satisfy.
Because until I fully place my trust in Him,
until I take this life seriously,
until I become who Allah wants me to be —
Nothing else will give peace.

And everyone I put before Him —
Every attachment, every hope placed in people —
Will fail me.

And yet, even when I fail Him,
and even when the world fails me.

He says:

مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
'Your Lord ˹O Prophet˺ has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful ˹of you˺.'
[Sūrah Ad-Ḍuḥā 93:3]

There is no path forward —
Not in this life,
And not in the next —
Except through His gracious hands.
Beneath His merciful gaze.
With hearts that are fully anchored in trust and tawakkul.

Every being on earth is bound to perish.
Only your Lord Himself,full of Majesty and Honour, will remain ˹forever˺ (55:26-27)


O Allah…
You have never disappointed us — not once.
Even when we fell short, You raised us.
Even when we forgot You, You remembered us.
You never rejected us —
Even when we put others before You.

O Allah…
Draw us near.
Keep us near.
Let our hearts put their hope in You, not in Your creation.
Let us rely upon You completely.
Let us hold the best opinion of You always — no matter what comes.

Āmīn.

subhanallah jazakallah for sharing your insight, this beautiful

I find this ayah as one of those fundamental ayaat of the Qur’an that you feel you need to read at least once every day so the reality does not fade away from your vision and you stay focussed amidst all the distractions.  One thing that particularly caught my attention is the comparison I see between متاع of this world and what Allah swt has in the next.  When what Allah swt has is better and longer lasting, then it may mean that a layer of meaning of متاع is its temporality and imperfection. Every single thing - people included is متاع , you have it now and you may loose it the next moment. I think with this focus in mind, forgiving people, overlooking their shortcomings and minimizing expectations will become easier and worth it. This ayah is the healing words you tell your aching heart when you are wounded by someone’s words or loss of something/ someone you loved. It is so comprehensive and so comforting.

I was so looking forward to which ayah you were referring to when I began to read your reflection. And yes this ayah, SubhanaAllah! It does put things in perspective! JazakaAllahu khayr 

Again the same promise, Allah will never punish a people unless they've denied the message after being sent a messenger and Allah is most Just! So just in fact, that He gave the more flexible option to the disbelievers. In Surat Al=an'aam, they asked why they weren't sent an angel instead of a human, not realizing that if they had denied the angel, then the punishment would've been immediate. But with the Prophet SAW, they were given time to reflect, contemplate, repent and learn! Years even! Badr happened in 624, 14 years after the initial revelation!

In surat Al-Hadid, Allah further describes the nature of this world as play, beautification, amusement and delusion, similar to verse 60.

Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said that one amongst the denizens of Hell who had led a life of ease and plenty amongst the people of the world would be made to dip in Fire only once on the Day of Resurrection and then it would be said to him:

O, son of Adam, did you find any comfort, did you happen to get any material blessing? He would say: By Allah, no, my Lord. And then that person from amongst the persons of the world be brought who had led the most miserable life (in the world) from amongst the inmates of Paradise. and he would be made to dip once in Paradise and it would be said to him. 0, son of Adam, did you face, any hardship? Or had any distress fallen to your lot? And he would say: By Allah, no, my Lord, never did I face any hardship or experience any distress. [Sahih Muslim]

The disbelievers will be asked to call out (for help) to those they used to worship besides Allah. We are reminded, shirk comes in small and big forms. While one may not name another god, aoothubillah, they may worship wealth, status, sex, etc. It is a day where the only currency is good deeds. And anyone who denies Allah has incurred a debt so great, no amount of good deeds can pay it back.