“From the wonders that I see from myself and all other people is inclination towards heedlessness of what is in our hands, despite us knowing how short life is and despite us knowing the fact that increase of reward over there (the Hereafter) is tied to the deeds performed over here.
So, O soul! O you whose life is so short! Take advantage of these days of mine, and wait for the Day when all shall flee, and beware of preoccupying your heart with what it has not been created for.
Carry the burdens of your soul over the times of bitterness, and tame it if refuses. Do not let it roam freely for long because indeed you are only within a pasture.
Certainly, despicable is the person who lies between two rows and yet preoccupies himself with other than them.”
– Ibn al-Jawzi
Sayd al-Khatir pg. 301.
Some pointers:
– Ibn al-Jawzi here is referring to how much we busy our lives with trivial, meaningless things, and yet attain nothing of virtue in the end. We’re preoccupied day in, day out, but we miss the great opportunities that really matter. So in the end, we exhaust ourselves for no meaningful reason.
– “you are only within a pasture” – our souls are contained within the borders of a pasture, i.e. the hudud & boundaries of Allah `azza wa jall, and so it’s not for us to let them graze freely for too long lest they wander into forbidden territory.
– “person who lies between two rows ” – i.e. suspended between this world and the Hereafter.
“Carry the burdens of your soul over the times of bitterness, and tame it if refuses. ”
Subhan Allah! That’s powerful! Barakallahu Feek for this reminder, Insha Allah it will resonate within all of us when we need it the most.
JAZAKALLAHU KHAIRAN.
Jazaki Allahu khayran. I have Sayd al-khatir, amazing book.
JazakiAllah khayran
Can you please teach me Arabic or any sources you have that could help me learn
Wa iyyak, Radwaan.
The best advice I can give would be to join a class in your area and begin learning from where you are. Also, listen frequently to Qur’an and learn how to read, write and understand basic Arabic terms, building yourself and progressing at all times.
There are a lot of support materials online nowadays which can be found easily via online searches, so use these to the best of your ability.
Wa billahi-tawfiq.