Women in the Qur’an and the Sunnah’

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Women in the Quran and the Sunnah

In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct.

The Quran says:

“And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women.”

[Noble Quran 2:228]

The Quran, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, ‘believing men and women’ to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says:

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.”

[Noble Quran 33:35]

This clearly contradicts the assertion of the Christian Fathers that women do not possess souls and that they will exist as sexless beings in the next life. The Quran says that women have souls in exactly the same way as men and will enter Paradise if they do good:

“Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight.”

[Noble Quran 43:70]

“Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life.”

[Noble Quran 16:97]

The Quran admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women:

“O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them – except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good.”

[Noble Quran 4:19]

Considering the fact that before the advent of Islam the pagan Arabs used to bury their female children alive, make women dance naked in the vicinity of the Ka’bah during their annual fairs, and treat women as mere chattels and objects of sexual pleasure possessing no rights or position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Quran were revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness and men as being possessed of inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards men and women as being of the same essence created from a single soul.

The Quran declares:

“O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from this pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you.”

[Noble Quran 4:1]

The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Women are the twin halves of men.” The Quran emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile:

“They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them.”

[Noble Quran 2:187]

Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each other’s chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wife’s company and she in his. “The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them.” Islam does not consider woman “an instrument of the Devil”, but rather the Quran calls her Muhsana – a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: “When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion.” He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: “Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower).” The Quran has given the raison d’être of marriage in the following words:

“And among His signs is this, that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect.”

[Noble Quran 30:21]

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said:

“The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalifah, ‘Umar: “Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her.”

On other occasions the Prophet said:

“The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith.”

And again:

“The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife.”

Before the advent of Islam women were often treated worse than animals. The Prophet wanted to put a stop to all cruelties to women. He preached kindness towards them. He told the Muslims:

“Fear Allah in respect of women.”

And:

“The best of you are they who behave best to their wives.” And:

“A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good.”

And:

“The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutbah on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said:

“Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means.”

In Islam a woman is a completely independent personality. She can make any contract or bequest in her own name. She is entitled to inherit in her position as mother, as wife, as sister and as daughter. She has perfect liberty to choose her husband. The pagan society of pre-Islamic Arabia had an irrational prejudice against their female children whom they used to bury alive. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was totally opposed to this practice. He showed them that supporting their female children would act as a screen for them against the fire of Hell:

It is narrated by the Prophet’s wife, Ayshah, that a woman entered her house with two of her daughters. She asked for charity but Ayshah could not find anything except a date, which was given to her. The woman divided it between her two daughters and did not eat any herself. Then she got up and left. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the house, Ayshah told him about what had happened and he declared that when the woman was brought to account (on the Day of Judgment) about her two daughters they would act as a screen for her from the fires of Hell.

The worst calamity for a woman is when her husband passes away and, as a widow, the responsibility of maintaining the children falls upon her. In the Eastern World, where a woman does not always go out to earn her living, the problems of widowhood are indescribable. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) upheld the cause of widows. Most of his wives were widows. In an age when widows were rarely permitted to remarry, the Prophet encouraged his followers to marry them. He was always ready to help widows and exhorted his followers to do the same.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said:

“One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day.”

Woman as mother commands great respect in Islam. The Noble Quran speaks of the rights of the mother in a number of verses. It enjoins Muslims to show respect to their mothers and serve them well even if they are still unbelievers. The Prophet states emphatically that the rights of the mother are paramount.

Abu Hurayrah reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked:

“O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention?”

He replied, “Your mother.” “Then who?” He replied, “Your mother.” “Then who?” He replied, “Your mother.” “Then who?” He replied, “Your father.”

In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Mu’awiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice.” He said, “Then remain in your mother’s service, because Paradise is under her feet.”

The Prophet’s followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim Ummah. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs.

Ayshah reported that Saudah bint Zam’ah went out one night. ‘Umar saw her and recognized her and said, “By God, O Saudah, why do you not hide yourself from us?” She went back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about it while he was having supper in her room, and he said, “It is permitted by Allah for you to go out for your needs.” The predominant idea in the teachings of Islam with regard to men and women is that a husband and wife should be full-fledged partners in making their home a happy and prosperous place, that they should be loyal and faithful to one another, and genuinely interested in each other’s welfare and the welfare of their children. A woman is expected to exercise a humanizing influence over her husband and to soften the sternness inherent in his nature. A man is enjoined to educate the women in his care so that they cultivate the qualities in which they, by their very nature, excel.

These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He exhorted men to marry women of piety and women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to their children.

He said:

“Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allah’s laws.”

Once Mu’awiyah asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “What are the rights that a wife has over her husband?” The Prophet replied, “Feed her when you take your food, give her clothes to wear when you wear clothes, refrain from giving her a slap on the face or abusing her, and do not separate from your wife, except within the house.” Once a woman came to the Prophet with a complaint against her husband. He told her: “There is no woman who removes something to replace it in its proper place, with a view to tidying her husband’s house, but that Allah sets it down as a virtue for her. Nor is there a man who walks with his wife hand-in-hand, but that Allah sets it down as a virtue for him; and if he puts his arm round her shoulder in love, his virtue is increased tenfold.” Once he was heard praising the women of the tribe of Quraish, “…because they are the kindest to their children while they are infants and because they keep a careful watch over the belongings of their husbands.”

The Shari’ah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The main distinction it makes between them is in the physical realm based on the equitable principle of fair division of labor. It allots the more strenuous work to the man and makes him responsible for the maintenance of the family. It allots the work of managing the home and the upbringing and training of children to the woman, work which has the greatest importance in the task of building a healthy and prosperous society.

It is a fact, however, that sound administration within the domestic field is impossible without a unified policy. For this reason the Shari’ah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. Any transgression of this principle involves for him the risk of losing the favor of Allah, because his wife is not his subordinate but she is, to use the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), ‘the queen of her house’, and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of women’s liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her soul!

Prof. ‘Abdur Rahman I. Doi

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Treat Women Nicely

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“Treat women nicely, for a women is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion, so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely.” (Bukhari, 3106)

The rights of Muslim women were given to us by Allah (SWT), who is All-Compassionate, All-Merciful, All-Just, All-Unbiased, All-Knowing and Most Wise. These rights, which were granted to women more than 1400 years ago, and were taught by the perfect example of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), were given by the one Who created us and Who alone knows what rights are best for our female natures. Allah (SWT) says in the

Qura’n:

“O You who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at time of marriage) you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. And live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings

through it a great deal of good.” (An-Nisa 4:19)

The most basic right of a woman in Islam is the knowledge and recognition that she never has to ask or demand or fight for her rights which are guaranteed to her by Allah (SWT) Himself.

Istikharah, When seeking guidance in decision-making

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When seeking guidance in decision-making (Istikharah)

On the authority of Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah he said: ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Quran. He (peace and blessings be upon him) would say ‘ If any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units (two Rak’a Nafilah) of prayer and after which he should supplicate:

Allahomma inni astakheeroka bi’ilmik. Wa’astaqdiroka biqodratik. Wa’as’aloka min fadlikal-‘azeem. Fa’innaka taqdiru wala aqdir. Wata’lamo wala-a’lam. Wa’anta-allamul ghuyoob. Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu anna [Hathal-Amra] khayul-lee fi deenee wama’ashi wa’ajila amri wa’ajilah, faqdorho lee, wayassirho lee, thomma-barik lee fih. Wa’in konta ta’lamo anna [Hathal-Amra] sharrul-lee fi deenee. Wama’ashi. Wa’ajila amri. Wa’ajilaho. Fasrifho ‘annee. Wasrifnee ‘anh. Waqdur leyal-khayr haytho kan. Thomma ardini Bih.

Translation of Du’a:

‘O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favor, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.’

One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret, for Allah has said:

“and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah.” [Noble Quran 3:159]

Notes:

The above Du’a is to be recited when there is uncertainty about the advisability of taking a decision, provided it is Islamically permissible.

After performing Wudu’ (ablution), one should offer two Rak’as (Sunnah required for this purpose).

Before reciting the Du’a it should be made sure that the person is not already inclined to a given decision; otherwise it will mean the person is not serious about seeking guidance from Allah.

In making this Du’a the actual matter or decision concerning which divine guidance is being sought should be mentioned instead of the words (Hathal Amra) in transliteration or the words “this matter” in the translation above.

After reciting the Du’a (immediately or later on), one may feel more favorably disposed toward one choice or the other.

Salatul istikharah

from the book Fiqh us-Sunnah by As-Sayyid Sabiq

It is a sunnah that, if one must choose between permissible alternatives, one should pray two Rak’as sunnah, be they regular sunnah prayers or a prayer for entering a mosque, and so on, during any time of the day or night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Quran after reciting Al-Fatihah. Then one should praise Allah and send salutations to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and recite the following supplication which has been recorded by Bukhari in Jabir’s narration: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would teach us al-Istikharah for all of our affairs as he would teach us a surah of the Quran. He said ‘if one of you is deliberating over an act, he should pray two Rak’as and say:

“O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and You know all of the hidden matters. O Allah! If you know that this matter (then mention it) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter (or he said ‘for my present and future life’) then ordain it for me, make it (easy) for me and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter (or he said ‘for my present and future life’) then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and ordain the good for me wherever it be and make me be pleased with it.”

There is nothing authentic concerning anything specific that is to be recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic report concerning how many times one should repeat it.

An-Nawawi holds that “after performing the istikharah, a person must do what he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what he has desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice of Allah, and would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah’s power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking Allah’s choice means that one should completely leave what one oneself desired or determined.” 

Source; http://islamswomen.com

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Cosmetics For Our Soul

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The best cosmetics in life and for our body is;
Truth – for lips
Pity – for eyes
Charity – for hands
Smile – for face
Love – for heart

PLAYING THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS AND HURTING SOMEONE!

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Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r-Raheem

Nawaytu’l-arba`een, nawaytu’l-`itikaaf, nawaytu’l-khalwah, nawaytu’l-riyaada, nawaytu’s-salook, nawaytu’l-`uzlah lillahi ta`ala fee hadha’l-masjid

They say that if speaking is from silver, if you like to talk, it is equal to silver, then to be silent is equal to gold because we cannot as a human being control our tongues. And the biggest problem in this world is that people are not able to control their tongues from talking. And the Prophet Sayyidina Muhammad he said, in the meaning of his hadith, tradition, part of the hadith is that “anyone who can guarantee for me,” he is saying, “can guarantee for me his tongue,” he didn’t say “his tongue” but he said, “what is between his jaws, I will guarantee for him Paradise.” Because you don’t know how you might address people and you hurt their feelings.

I heard my master in his teachings to many Muslim and non-Muslim. …As I said, “the place is small but the hearts are big.”

So… the Prophet , I heard my teacher many times was saying that “people might commit sins, too many and they might do things that are not allowed.” It means they might lie or they might cheat or they might because of their greediness, they might raise prices more than it should be, or they might do other things, not listening to the mother or the father or the elders, or not following what they need to follow in their beliefs, all that if you ask repentance, Allah will forgive you. God will forgive you. Anything that is between you and God, Allah swt, you do something wrong and you might take something to your advantage from the rights of your Lord, you repent, Allah is merciful He will forgive you.

As it is said in the Holy Qur’an, “Say [O Muhammad] to the people, ‘If they were oppressors to themselves, let them not lose hope of My forgiveness. I will forgive them, just let them repent.”

God is always merciful. But the problem is that when we hurt the feeling of someone else or we backbite someone else or we spread a bad rumor about someone else, the problem is not that you repent and god will forgive. The problem is that the person you hurt you must ask forgiveness. So there is a problem there. Might be the person you ask will not forgive you. So what happens? You are falling into a valley that has not bottom.

When the Prophet asked his companions about the meaning of bankruptcy, and we have lot of bankruptcy going around today. He asked them, “who is the bankrupt one?” They said, “whoever loses his wealth.” He said, “No, this is not the real meaning of bankrupt.” Although that is what we understand, bankruptcy is whoever lost all his wealth. He said, “No, the bankrupt one is the one who has no good deeds to present to God on Judgment Day.” And the companions said, “even if he is praying and fasting?” and he said, “even if he is praying and fasting, he might not have any good deeds.” They were surprised.

So it means on the Day of Judgment, and it is called judgment like you are judged here in a court, one person accuses the other. So on the Day of Judgment whoever has been harmed he will give from his good deeds to give to you. If he hurt you a lot then all the good deeds he did in his life will be transferred to you. Then he will be left with nothing, bankrupted.

So we said at the beginning that the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus and Moses and Abraham and Noah , all these heavenly religions came to discipline us and to teach how to behave with each other and to be relate with each other. That is the message that we have to carry with us.

Unfortunately many of us they try to hurt the others… in different ways. Look. Some Muslims hurt the majority of Muslims. Why? Because they thought this is their way, so even though they prayed and fasted, as the prophet said, because they hurted the other they are bankrupted in the presence of Allah they have nothing, they deserve punishment. Those who blended or branded or labeled the name of Islam and Muslim as terrorists because of their actions that they killed innocent people, they hurt the whole Muslim community. And not only the Muslim community, but they hurt the whole human race. What do you think the punishment will be on them. It is not going to be an easy punishment.

Antichrist, and we know in the Holy Bible and in the Torah of Moses and in the Holy Qur’an and the holy hadith of the prophet, about the last days we know that Antichrist is coming. Antichrist means the one who does not accept Jesus coming back on earth .it means he does not accept except his own belief. How many Antichrist we now have around this world?

Prophet Muhammad came 1400 years ago and delivered his message and he said, “Tis message will go to the Day of Judgment and in the Last Days Jesus will come back, and him and one of my grandchildren, Mahdi , will come to eliminate injustice.” But before that a lot of confusion that Antichrist will bring on earth before Jesus comes. So Jesus will come to eliminate what the Antichrist is doing.

So how many nowadays can be called “Antichrist on earth” that they are damaging the reputation of Islam and Muslims and against all heavenly messages? And they are coming against all messages and they are coming against every one who doesn’t accept them and the Antichrist will come against the whole world because they don’t accept him, and he will come and conquer one land after another. You found this in Bible in and in the hadith of the Holy Prophet . So he will establish himself in one place and then use that place to take over other places. That is the point of departure, intilaq in Arabic, to take over different places in order to take over the whole world.

And the Prophet said, “His evil power will move from one place to another.” Look today you see these circles of evilness, they are forming circles of evilness and they are doing all kinds of miseries around the world, problems around the world; terrorism around the world; fighting around the world; hijacking now, vessels and boats around the world. All kinds of evil work they are doing and this is because they are inheritors of what the Antichrist is coming with, they are paving the road for Antichrist. That means they are his supporters and we are looking and we are surprised how many of them coming around the world, destroying all kinds of beliefs.

“Antichrist,” the Prophet said, “he will not accept except his own beliefs.” He will say to you “if you accept me ok, if you don’t accept me…” he will eliminate them. And he will eliminate anyone who does not accept his belief and he will use massive elimination. And are we not seeing massive eliminations? Yes, look in Iraq, with suicide bombings. In other countries. And 911, after 911, before 911. Look in Africa how they are fighting. All of that is like a collection of different places around the world, with the same behavior and same ideology. Even if their belief is not Muslim but they are from different religions, but their focus, their belief, is to create confusion on earth either by their speeches or by their actions. Listen to what they say in their speeches. They are fiery speeches. And the Prophet said, “Anyone who can guarantee what is between his jaws … I will guarantee for him Paradise.”

These people we don’t hear from them except threatenings and Antichrist comes with threatenings, he cannot come with other than that. He comes before Jesus , before `Isa . And as I said, he has supporters. These supporters are coming out of their caves now and are spreading this earth with all these kinds of confusion. Unfortunately there is no end for it. The end will come with arrival of Antichrist. Because the evil power always going to be from century to century And in this century it is increasing a lot.

So what we have to do then is, as the Prophet said, “There will coming a time that there will be huge confusions around the world. Like chunks,… You know how you look at the sky at night and you don’t see any stars, there are huge chunks of dark night. He said, “Confusions will be so dark and so huge,” as if someone looking in the sky and seeing huge darkness there, no light. So at that time he said, “there will be lot of confusions around the world.” He said, “the one sitting, the one who is sitting, means sitting at home or sitting looking after his work, and sitting looking after his children and his family is better than the one standing and looking from the window.” He might receives something that might hurt him. The one looking is exposed. The one who is sitting on his chair, he is not looking outside there is no exposure for anything. He is not going to be exposed. He said, “the one who is sitting, is better than the one who is standing the one who is standing better than one walking the one walking on the street is better…?

And he said, “If you get angry at that time, then hit on a stone.” Hit your hand or your stick, it means get your anger out on that stone, until you break your stick. At that time “take your bow and arrow and hit it on the rock.” Don’t involve with anyone as something might hurt you. We are in such days.

That is why one of the companions of the Prophet , Sayyidina `Ali (r), karam-Allahu wajha, wa , he said, “you have to be careful what you are saying and what you want to say.” Today what makes people falling into problems is they have to know what they have to speak and what they have to say. He said, “before you speak judge yourself before you talk anything.”

Does anyone judge himself before he speaks? Look today these talk shows. Did you see any show they didn’t criticize each other? This one criticize this one and that one criticize that one. They say two opinions. What is the benefit? You are making more confusion with two opinions that one says something and that one says another: Who is right and who is wrong? Both consider they are right.

So the best is to keep silent. Study, learn, raise a family. Look at your work and don’t involve yourself too much with issues that don’t concern you. I don’t want to be long, but as he said, Sayyidina `Ali (r):

اعمل لدنياك كأنك تعيش أبداً ، و اعمل لآخرتك كأنك تموت غدا

A`amal li-dunyaka ka-annaka ta`ayshu abadan wa a`amal li akhiratika ka-annaka tamootu ghaddan – do for you lifetime that you are living on this earth as if you are living forever.”

It means be ambitious do what you want to do, but check what you want to say, but try to do the maximum, No problem. But make sure you do for your other life, the afterlife, as if you are dying tomorrow.

So look at the both sides. He said, “look at this world as if you are living forever. But keep in mind you might die tomorrow. You have to keep both sides, as any time you might be called and asked.

So the best in this time is to raise good children and a good family and to as soon as possible to get them married. You cannot leave your children without marriage. Too much temptations. Too much unacceptable acts that might make your children to fall down, as we are seeing outside in the streets, too much between girls and boys with drugs that are ruining their lives. Why? Because we are delaying their studies and we are delaying, we are not encouraging them to finish as quick as possible and then get married. Everyone is saying to wait and wait and wait, until they become 60 years old. Like Sayyid `Ali (r). Are you married.