Stop and Look at the Signs
Jummah Mubarak, sis! In the whirlwind of life, whether things feel overwhelmingly chaotic or wonderfully serene, it’s so important to pause and remember that this world is a simulation, a temporary space. We mustn’t let the trials or the triumphs here pull us away from what truly matters: our eternal home, Paradise.
When everything seems out of control or even when life is going smoothly, take a moment to breathe. Stop and appreciate the beauty around you, the delicate petals of a flower, the gentle breeze, and allow yourself to feel. If tears come, that’s okay; let them flow. These quieter moments are opportunities, chances to turn back to Allah, to seek His guidance, and to notice the signs He places before you.
There are many gates to Paradise, and the way you live in this world shapes the path you will take in the next. Will your entry be through your generosity and charitable actions? Through your fasting and self-discipline? Through the purity of your heart and your piety? Through the profound journey of Hajj?
Each of us has the chance to build our own path and choose the deeds that will lead us to Allah. So reflect: how am I living today? Am I striving toward a gate that reflects my devotion? May Allah guide us to the best of deeds and grant us entry through the gate that pleases Him most. Ameen.
Surah Al-Ankabut (29:64)
“And this worldly life is nothing but amusement and diversion, but the Home of the Hereafter is indeed the Eternal Life, if only they knew.”
This ayah reminds us with profound clarity that everything we experience in this world, the struggles, the celebrations, the heartbreak, the victories, are all part of a temporary design. This life is filled with distractions that can easily pull the heart in different directions. At times it feels overwhelming, and at other times beautiful and calm, but either way it remains fleeting. It is not the final destination.
Allah tells us that this dunya is play and passing enjoyment, a place of lessons, tests, and opportunities, not permanence. Every joy fades, every hardship ends, every moment changes. But the Hereafter, the true everlasting life, is where our souls will finally rest in a state that never diminishes.
This ayah gently realigns our focus. When life becomes too heavy or too sweet, we are reminded to ground ourselves in the truth that the real life, the life without death, pain, or loss, begins in the next world. What we do here, however, shapes our place there.
It encourages us to step back and ask:
Am I preparing for the life that never ends, or am I losing myself in the distractions of the one that does?
The ayah is not dismissing the beauty of this world but teaching us to treat it wisely: appreciate it, learn from it, grow through it, but never allow it to blind us from our ultimate purpose. The dunya is temporary, but what we do within it determines our eternity.
