Man was not sent to this world to remain here forever, but to live for a short while and undergo a test. When one reflects on how children born yesterday become young today, how the young grow old, and how countless people depart from this world one by one, it becomes clear how swiftly life passes. Death, however, is an unchanging reality for everyone. Therefore, what truly matters is to depart prepared for the eternal life that comes after death.
Just as a person makes the necessary preparations before setting out on a journey, taking provisions and essential supplies along, one must also prepare for the journey to the Hereafter. For neither wealth, status, nor fame will enter the grave. Only one’s faith, deeds, noble character, and acts of goodness will accompany the human being.
At the very beginning of this preparation comes knowing Allah and believing in Him sincerely. A person should know his Lord who created him from nothing and live in gratitude, fully aware of the countless blessings He has bestowed. Prayer, supplication, the Qur’an, contemplation, and sincerity are among the most important means through which a person draws nearer to Allah.
People must continually renew themselves, reassess their emotional and intellectual frameworks, and seek “tajdīd” (renewal) by viewing truths every day from a deeper and more advanced perspective suitable to their age.
In reality, just as society requires constant renewal, individuals also need continual rejuvenation. Every single morning, with the awareness of a new day, a person must once again feel the depth of his religion within his soul. Truth and reality should be perceived and experienced ever more deeply each day, remaining perpetually fresh in the conscience.
Our Noble Prophet sav addressed Abu Dharr (ra), and through him all believers, saying:
“Renew and repair your ship once again, for the sea is exceedingly deep. Take your provisions completely, for the journey is indeed very long. Keep your load light, for the mountain pass you must climb is steep beyond measure. Be sincere in your deeds, for Allah, who sees and watches over all things, distinguishes and evaluates everything perfectly, is fully aware of all that you do.”
Bayazid al-Bistami once said:
“For thirty years I worshipped Almighty Allah with all my inner strength and spiritual energy. Then I heard a voice from the unseen saying: ‘O Bayazid! The treasures of Allah are filled with worship. But if your aim is to reach Him, then regard yourself as insignificant at the door of Truth and be sincere in your deeds.’ Thus I received this divine admonition…”
The aforementioned hadith is almost a manifesto for the traveler of the Hereafter. Yet the blessed words of our Prophet sav should also be evaluated from the perspective of service to faith and the Qur’an. Great care should be taken in reflecting upon what concepts such as ship, journey, provisions, burden, steep ascent, and sincerity signify for devoted souls.
Restore your ship; inspect it carefully from every side. Repair its damaged parts and complete its maintenance. For in the boundless ocean stretching from the world of souls to Paradise, encountering mountain-like waves is inevitable. Your ship must be sturdy enough to withstand the long voyage, violent waves, and terrifying storms. One cannot cross an ocean with a small boat meant for leisure on a lake, nor can a simple skiff endure the open sea for long. Renew your ship, improve it, and maintain it so thoroughly that you may overcome the greatest obstacles as though traveling aboard a mighty transatlantic vessel.
There is also a dimension of this matter related to service to faith. Devoted souls must read their age and the conditions in which they live very well; accordingly, they must attain maturity and continually preserve their metaphysical tension and spiritual dynamism.
Another way of preparing for the Hereafter is to avoid sins and strive to live a pure life. Certainly, human beings may make mistakes; however, what matters is not persisting in error, but repenting and turning once again toward righteousness. A person who lives according to Allah’s commands, strives to benefit humanity, and spreads goodness finds peace in this world and hopes to attain the blessings Allah has promised in the Hereafter.
Take your provisions completely; acquire everything you may need throughout the journey. Once you leave the shore, obtaining supplies becomes extremely difficult, perhaps impossible. Therefore, while there is still time and before your ship sets sail, think carefully, calculate wisely, and prepare thoroughly everything you will need for the long voyage ahead.
Two journeys are destined for man: the first is the journey within this world, and the second is the journey from this world. Just as one requires food, drink, clothing, and wealth for worldly travel, one also needs provisions for the journey beyond this life. The better and more valuable provision for that journey is piety and righteous deeds. A person devoted to service must be highly equipped according to the conditions of the age.
Take your provisions fully, but do not carry unnecessary burdens along the way. Everything worldly that will become fuel for Hell is a burden upon the back of man. Disbelief, sinfulness, rebellion—all are burdens. Every sin and every mistake is a burden. Therefore, lightening one’s load means cleansing oneself from major sins and impurities. Think about the difficult obstacles ahead, the hard passes, and the steep ascents. You cannot traverse such distances with crushing weights upon your back. You may carry fifty or a hundred kilograms for a few steps, but you cannot walk miles with such weight, nor can you reach your destination carrying so much.
Therefore, while stepping toward the eternal world, one must rid oneself of worldly burdens, avoid carrying anything useless for the Hereafter, and lighten the load to make the journey easier. Especially if you are a person devoted to a sacred cause, you must become a hero of chastity, purity, and self-sufficiency; free yourself from worldly attachments and be ready to migrate wherever destiny calls with only a small bag in your hand. Like Hz. Ali (ra), who at times shivered from cold with a single garment and at other times sweated profusely beneath the heat, one must consent to a simple life and never use service as a means for worldly gain.
In everything you do, be truthful, sincere, pure, transparent, free from hypocrisy, and wholehearted. Dedicate your deeds solely to Allah cc. Always preserve the purity of your heart and the uprightness of your thoughts. In your relationship with Allah, remain distant from worldly ambitions and ulterior motives. Fulfill your duties and responsibilities only because He has commanded them. While doing so, seek solely His pleasure and aspire only to His eternal favor. Surely Allah, who sees and observes everything—not only outward forms but also hearts and intentions—and who evaluates every deed in all its outward and inward dimensions, is fully aware of all that you do.
Allah Almighty not only sees what you do, but also knows the intention with which you perform it. More than numerous deeds and abundant results, Allah values whether His pleasure is sought in every action. Indeed, in His sight, “One ounce of sincere action is preferred over tons of deeds lacking sincerity.”
Our Noble Prophet sav said:
“Renew your faith through ‘Lā ilāha illāllāh.’”
However, this advice of the Messenger of Allah should not be understood merely as verbal repetition of the declaration of faith. While these blessed words are uttered by the tongue, they must also be deeply felt within the conscience for faith to truly be renewed. Thus, the statement “Say Lā ilāha illāllāh” also means:
“Feel these words within your conscience; seek ever-deeper understanding in religion and faith; continually renew yourselves and constantly advance toward the purpose of your creation.”
The matter of renewing faith is something that requires continuity. This renewal must become an aspect of the believer’s nature and a part of his innate disposition. In this way, he continually deepens his faith and eventually attains verified and certain belief (īmān al-taḥqīqī). Indeed, renewing faith and thereby achieving spiritual renewal begins with verbally proclaiming “Lā ilāha illāllāh Muhammadun Rasūlullāh,” and continues until this declaration becomes complete spiritual knowledge and realization. Thereafter, this devoted traveler reaches the highest levels through the love born of divine knowledge, the passion arising from love, and the mutual spiritual attraction produced by that passion.
The ego, vain desires, illusion, and Satan exercise influence over every human being to varying degrees. Benefiting from man’s heedlessness, they darken the light of faith through countless tricks, doubts, and whisperings. Therefore, faith needs polishing every day, every hour, indeed at every moment. With a faith continually polished, constantly kept radiant, and elevated to the horizon of certainty, one can pass safely not only through worldly oceans but even through the abysses of Hell itself.
This world is but a guesthouse; the real homeland is the Hereafter. A wise person is one who uses this brief worldly life to gain eternal life. What matters is not living long, but living in a manner pleasing to Allah.
Is it not so?
*This article benefited from Fethullah Gülen Hocdjaefendi’s October 28, 2013 Bamteli sermon, “The Manifesto of the Devoted.
