It was this sort of property that the Commander of the...

It was this sort of property that the Commander of the Faithful described when he saw ‛Ala bin Ziyad's glorious castle: “This castle can be a tool for success, if guests and family members are treated with hospitality inside it.”[^5] Man's essential purpose will remain misunderstood if one lives in a world of passions and carnal desires, a world where only pleasure is important. Were one to live in such a world one would think that life's only goal is love of oneself and worldly possessions.

There is, of course, no problem if one approaches this world in a way where possessions and children do not take one away from the remembrance of Allah. Anything else will lead to destruction and loss. One clear point of the ninth verse of Surahal-Munafiqun is that the Qur’an does not give the order to stay away from the world.

It does not say: “Do not seek profit and livelihood.” Instead it uses the Arabic word ' tulhikum .' What is meant by this is an approach to the world that does not keep one away from the remembrance of Allah and does not keep one unnecessarily busy.[^6] The reason this world leads to loss is because one spends all of one's physical and spiritual strength on something that will not remain after death.

A person who seeks only this world will not benefit in the least from the blessings that are reserved for the believers. The Commander of the Faithful has a succinct and beautiful saying about this world: “One who looks at the world as a means of obtaining success in both worlds can see, and one who thinks of the world as the final goal is blind.”[^7] One who thinks that gold, silver and mansions are the goals of life will not respect any moral principles.

Such a person will abandon truth, justice, equity and other ethical virtues. Death Cannot Be Delayed People whose highest goal in this world will wish to prolong their lives when they are confronted with death and will have the feeling that the wealth they have amassed will not benefit them anymore. During these last moments of life they will desire to spend their money in the way of Allah so that they can secure provisions for the next life.

They are neglectful of one of the divine secrets ( sunnat illahi ). This secret is that death cannot be delayed. Death arrives once one has exercised all of ones abilities and has lived a full life. In the same way that a ripe fruit must be picked, a soul that has reached its personal perfection must leave the body and enter the next life.