Ramadan 14^th *Setting Goals for the Hereafter!*

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ , قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "مَنْ كَانَتْ الْآخِرَةُ > هَمَّهُ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَجَمَعَ لَهُ شَمْلَهُ وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ وَمَنْ كَانَتْ > الدُّنْيَا هَمَّهُ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ فَقْرَهُ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَفَرَّقَ عَلَيْهِ شَمْلَهُ وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا > إِلَّا مَا قُدِّرَ لَهُ" رواه الترمذي وابن ماجه, وصححه الألباني
>> The prophet (PBUH) said:* “Whoever makes the Hereafter his preoccupation, then God places wealth inside his heart, gathers together his affairs, and Dunyaa comes to him despite being reluctant to do so. And whoever makes Dunyaa his preoccupation, then God places his poverty before his eyes, breaks up his affairs, and nothing of Dunyaa comes to him except that which has been decreed for him” *

When reflecting upon those who are successful amongst people it is well noticed that they plan before starting any thing and prepare a study to determine the feasibility of any work. After planning and studying, they keep checking that the work is helping them achieve and fulfil their goals. The success of that work becomes their first and last concern.

*Has anyone of us planned or gave a serious consideration for his Hereafter so his concern became:

• reaching it without traces of sins,
• having a sound heart
• bringing a heavy scale of good deeds
• being among the winners and the victorious and
• using this worldly life simply as the vehicle to achieve his goals for the Hereafter?

These kinds of goals should always be the main concerns in our heart.

How much space, time, energy and motivation are spent thinking about this?

Oh God, do not make the life of this world our greatest concern; and remove from us difficulty in attaining knowledge.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: *‘a believer always blames himself; he says: what was the intention behind the word I said? What was the intention behind the food I ate? What was my intention behind my soul whispers? Where as the disbeliever never blames himself’.* It was narrated that whenever that prophet (PBUH) came across these verses “And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it. And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness, He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who instills it [with corruption].”

*He (PBUH) used to stop and say “Oh God! Grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are its Guardian and its Master and You are the best to purify it” *in another hadith, it was among his supplication *“Oh God! Grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are the best to purify it, You are its Guardian and its Master”* [Muslim].