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[This page was last updated: 02/11/02]

On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, radiyallahu 'anhuma, who said: The

Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, took me by the shoulder
and said:

"Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a

traveler/wayfarer."
Ibn 'Umar used to say:
"When evening comes, do not expect (to live till)
morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to
live till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation)
for your illness, and from your life for your death."

[Al-Bukhari]
background
There are so many verses in the Qur'an that make comparisons between
the worldly life and the Hereafter. The priority and emphasis is made on
the Hereafter where it is described as the real life and the worldly life as
a life of nothing but entertainment and amusement. Allah says in Surah
al-An'am, Ayah 32:

And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion but
the home of Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. Will
you not then reason?

And in Surah al-'Ankabut, Ayah 64, Allah expresses the same meaning
mentioned in the previous ayah. The same meaning is also expressed in
other ayahs such as in Surah Muhammad Ayah 36, Surah Yunus Ayah
26, Surah al-Kahf Ayah 45 -46, Surah Fater Ayah 5, Surah al-A'la Ayah
16-17, and Surah al-Isra' Ayah 18-19.

In all of the above mentioned ayahs, Allah draws the attention of the
believers toward the Hereafter to remind them that it is the final
destination and the real life and enjoyment of the believers. Allah also
comments on this life as nothing but amusement and diversion. It is a life
of a test and trial. It is a life used as a means of getting us forward to
the Hereafter.

In Islam there is no nullification of life as some people may

misunderstand. There is a balance and adjustment between this life and
the Hereafter. There should be no polarization or what Islam is -
rahbanah or extremism. There should be no conflict between this life and
the next life. There is a kind of moderate conception about this life and
the Hereafter. Islam also makes it an obligation that the believers
cultivate the earth and make it as an amanah for them to establish the
Islamic civilization which is based on Tawhid, good morals and values.
This civilization is guided by revelation. This is considered an obligation.

Furthermore, the concept of 'ubudiyyah (worshipping Allah) is a

comprehensive concept where everything we do in this life, if it is guided
by revelation and is done with a good intention, becomes a form of
worship even though it is a worldly matter. If the thing is done in
accordance with the teachings of shari'ah and the main guidelines of
revelation, then there will be the adjustment and the harmony between
this life and the Hereafter. The Muslim's life in this world and the
Hereafter should be in total submission and devotion to the will of Allah.
The Muslim should establish a good life, improve his way of life and aim
for the Hereafter at the same time. By doing so, he is obeying Allah,
being guided by His guidance and instructions. He will still enjoy this life
but at the same time whatever he does will be recorded by Allah as his
good deeds. Consequently, he will get the pleasure of Allah.

lessons
The hadith starts with Abdullah bin 'Umar (Ibn 'Umar), radiyallahu
'anhuma, saying: "The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam,
took me by the shoulder and said." Here we can learn many lessons as
teachers and educators. We have to show care and attention to our
audience if we want to be good educators or teachers. This can be
achieved in many different ways. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi
wasallam, used to follow different approaches when dealing with his
audience. Sometimes he called upon the name of a certain person and in
other times, like in this hadith, he gets closer to the person he is
speaking to by putting his hand on his shoulder.

Sometimes the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, will start his advice
or teaching with a statement that attracts the attention of the audience .
For example, we can see this in a previous hadith (19) that has been
said on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas when the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi
wasallam, said "O young man, I will teach you some words (of wisdom)."
Sometimes the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used the questioning
style as we saw in a number of previous hadiths. The questioning style
plays a significant role in conveying the message and attracting the
attention of the audience. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asks
the question where the answer to that question is only known to him. The
audience and the addressee will be more keen and motivated to know
the answer.
In general, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used all of these
approaches or means to show care to the addressee, to attract their
attention, and also to stress or emphasise the meaning he wanted to
convey. This is also sometimes achieved by repeating what he says.
Sometimes he would draw diagrams (e.g. a circle or a square) on the
ground. Other times he would use analogy to clarify or simplify a certain
concept. All of the above mentioned ways can be adopted as techniques
for educating.

The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, tells the believers how to deal
with this life, and as usual he offers his audience with more than one
choice. In this hadith, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is giving
two choices or levels with regards to living in this world:

1. To be as a stranger

This is usually the easier choice. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi

wasallam, used the analogy 'to be as a stranger' because, as Ibn
Rajab points out, the stranger is usually prepared to eventually go
back to his original place or home town. His heart will always long
for his home. His main concern will be to be in preparation to do
whatever possible and beneficial for returning. A stranger does
not look like the other people in his current environment - he is
different. Similarly, the believer should be different from those
who only care about this life and worldly matters. He should rid
himself of the yearning for this materialistic world, a world where
some people do not care about the spiritual aspects and the
Hereafter. As believers, we should be different from the 'people of
this world'.

Ibn Al-Qayyim, a famous Muslim scholar, says that a Muslim is a

stranger amongst the disbelievers and the Mu'min is a stranger
amongst the Muslims, and the Muhsin is a stranger amongst the
Mu'mins. This means that there are different levels of being a
stranger: the lowest level is Islam, the second level is Iman and
the third level is Ihsan. [Refer to Hadith 2]
 2. To be a traveler or wayfarer, traveling along a path

This is a higher level than the stranger. The traveler is always

traveling day and night without stopping, He is heeding towards
his final destination. Even if he stops for a while, this is to provide
himself with the needed power to continue his journey and to go
farther until he achieves his main objective. A stranger might
obtain and keep more things than he actually needs but the
traveler takes as little as possible in terms of luggage or other
things. Similarly, the believer who is in such a situation has a main
objective or concern - and that is not to take more than what he
needs (i.e. he should not be weighed down with materialistic
things or wealth).

Another thing is the traveler needs to know that he is traveling on

the right path, the straight path. For this, he needs to obtain the
right knowledge (ilm). He also needs good, helpful companions to
help him on his way.

Some scholars ask how would a person be contented with this life
where the day distorts the month and the month distorts the year
and the year will distort the age? That is how this person will be
satisfied with this life if his age will lead him to his final destination
and his life will lead him to death. One scholar said when a person
looks back at his life since his awareness of this life until this
moment, it will seem like a blink of an eye. What remains for the
rest of his life is also like that 'blink of an eye'. If that is the case,
the person should be careful and wise up.

Ibn 'Umar says: "When evening comes, do not expect (to live till)
morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening."
This saying is like an explanation to the hadith. Al-Bukhari mentions it
because the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is talking to Ibn 'Umar.

If one still did not understand the message, Ibn 'Umar continues by
saying: "Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from
your life for your death." This means that today you may be healthy, but
you never know about the future. It is then wise and better to perform
good deeds and to be closer to Allah now before being unhealthy or
before dying. This meaning has been stressed by the Prophet, sallallahu
'alayhi wasallam, in other hadiths where he asks us to utilise our time
and to do beneficial things whether in this life or in the Hereafter. We can
relate to Imam Nawawi's other hadiths that have been previously
mentioned in which certain charitable acts have been emphasised.

The impact of this hadith on the life of Muslims

1. To increase the sense of responsibility in terms of our duties

towards Allah, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, relatives,
and the community members.
2. To motivate the Muslims to enjoin what is good and to forbid what
is evil.
3. To be closer to Allah at all times.
4. To minimise weaknesses, shortcomings and sinful acts.
5. To maximise self-accountability and self-reckoning.
6. To emphasise taqwa and fearing Allah the Almighty.
7. To be safeguarded from being misled or enslaved by
self-interests, desires and worldly temptations.

Challenges that threaten the above mentioned concept

of dealing with this life in a good way

1. The promotion of the materialistic aspects of life, especially by the

media.
2. The complexity of contemporary life where there are more
problems, and the engagement in life activities without proper
balance.
3. Rapid life changes due to technology advancement and progress
which in turn creates other problems, such as:

Adjustment between the old lifestyle and the new

lifestyle.
The emergence of new values which lead to
conflicts between sets of values.
Technology misuse.
 The increase of social ills.
The weak religious awareness and education or
spiritual training in the Islamic world (i.e. tazkiyyah).

4. The challenges of modernity.

5. The challenges of globalisation and promotion of imposed
corrupted western values.

conclusion
These challenges add to the size of the responsibilities that face the
Muslims who want to implement this hadith in their lives. Most of these
challenges are addressed in previous hadiths. This hadith contains a
helpful piece of advice for every single Muslim which helps us to deal
with this life in a proper way by offering us two choices or levels. We
need to understand all the above mentioned issues. This will help us to
apply the hadith in a more positive way.

Some Muslims throughout history misunderstood this hadith.

Consequently, they misunderstood the Islamic teachings regarding
dealing with life. They understood it in a negative way. We also find other
Muslims who are affected by the challenges of modernity and the
excessive tension that is given to this life. We find minimum levels of
good deeds. They are overwhelmed by the advancement of technology
and end up with little iman or spirituality. The Islamic standpoint that
should be understood is that there is no conflict or opposition between
this life and the Hereafter. On the contrary, Islam establishes harmony
where a Muslim lives in this life but his heart is devoted to Allah and the
Hereafter. Whatever he does is with the objective of pleasing Allah and is
to be done in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the guidance of
revelation.

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