As we know, there are many different types of competitions: sporting competitions, knowledge contests, and competitions in various fields. Perhaps the most important of all is the competition a person has with himself. This competition begins with birth and ends with death. Its rewards may be given to a person in different forms in this world, but the ultimate reward is the reward that will be granted by Allah, who created us, in the Hereafter.
As a child, a person is dependent on his or her parents and lives under their guidance until reaching a certain age. Upon reaching adulthood, a person begins to exercise his or her own will, learns to stand on his or her own feet, and continues life accordingly. From adulthood until old age, a person generally strives to remain independent through his or her own will and efforts. In advanced old age, if fortunate, a person’s needs may be met by children and grandchildren, or the person may spend the final days of life in a care facility.
Thus, from childhood until advanced age, a person goes through various tests and trials. In a sense, this period is a time in which a person’s competition with himself takes place and develops within him.
During this period, a person first learns his religion and what Allah expects from him as His servant, beginning with education from childhood. Then, depending on his family, surroundings, and circle of friends, he either puts what he has learned into practice or fails to do so. It is precisely during this period that a person’s competition with himself begins. Allah has given human beings reason and understanding. Through these, a person can learn what is beneficial and what is harmful, both for this world and for the Hereafter. He may also be conscious—or may not be conscious—that his life in this world is limited, that he will eventually die, and that after death he will stand before Allah and give an account of everything he has done. If these truths are not properly taught to him, and if he does not subsequently learn them through his family, friends, or surroundings, this awareness may never develop, and the person may live without truly understanding how he is living.
This is precisely where the most important competition begins for an adult. The rules communicated to humanity through Allah’s prophets and the Scriptures sent with them—what a person should and should not do—constitute the standards by which he lives. He passes through old age and eventually moves into the Hereafter, with his deeds determining the outcome of this competition. The human ego (nafs) constantly tries to lead a person toward evil.
People who have educated themselves well, received sound upbringing, understand their religion, and possess good judgment recognize the tricks and traps of the nafs. They do not give in to it, and thus they win the most important competition of all. The nafs within a person tries to make him lose the competition he has with himself. The struggle against the nafs is one of the most important competitions a person faces. Those who win this competition will, by Allah’s permission, encounter rewards in the Hereafter that no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
Human beings were not sent into this world aimlessly or without purpose. The Qur’an clearly explains the purpose of human creation: “I have not created jinn and humankind except to worship Me.” (Qur’an, Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56). Thus, a person’s ultimate goal is to know his Lord, attain His pleasure, and receive His grace in eternal life. Life in this world is a short period of testing and competition given to us for this purpose.
Imagine a race… We are all at the starting line. Some of us run faster, some more slowly. Some stumble at the beginning, while others remain on the right course for a long time. But this race has a very important difference from other races: our opponent is often not the person standing before us, but the one within ourselves. Human beings were not sent into this world without purpose. Life is not merely about eating and drinking, earning money, attaining status, accumulating worldly possessions, and then leaving this world. We were sent into this world to know our Lord, worship Him, and attain His pleasure.
The world, therefore, is a short arena of testing and competition placed before us for this purpose. A person’s greatest opponent is often not someone else, but himself. Within every person there is a nafs that continually pulls him in different directions. According to the Qur’an, the nafs is inclined to command evil. (Yusuf, 12:53). A person becomes truly successful to the extent that he can resist the desires of his nafs through reason, free will, and faith rather than following every impulse it presents.
In this competition, however, a person’s opponents are not limited to his nafs. Illicit desires, bad habits, friendships that distance a person from Allah, anger, arrogance, envy, the pursuit of status, and attachment to worldly pleasures are also obstacles that appear along the way. Every decision a person makes in response to these obstacles determines the outcome of the race a little more.
Sometimes two paths appear before a person: one is pleasing to the nafs but ultimately leads to regret; the other may initially seem difficult, but eventually leads to peace and eternal happiness. The first is like a precipice down which one can easily slide. The second requires patience, willpower, and determination.
Moreover, this race has a very important difference from other races: there is no return. A person comes into this world only once. Every second of life, once it has passed, can never be brought back. The opportunities we have today may not be available tomorrow. Youth passes, health changes, opportunities disappear, and eventually the curtain of life closes. According to the Qur’an, when death comes, a person’s request to be sent back to the world will no longer be granted. (Al-Mu’minun, 23:99–100).
So the real issue is not overtaking others; it is being better today than we were yesterday. If we were defeated by our nafs yesterday, we can resist it today. If we neglected a good deed yesterday, we can do it today. If we hurt someone yesterday, we can mend that heart today… This is what it means to win the real race. In this race, Allah’s mercy is also our greatest hope. A person does not walk this path through his own strength alone; he proceeds by asking his Lord for help. Every step he takes brings him a little closer to Allah’s pleasure. Every sin he abandons is a victory over his nafs. Every good deed he performs is an investment for eternal life.
During the period of life that, in a sense, resembles a race, a person must overcome many obstacles in order to pass this test successfully. Youth, physical strength, wealth, social status, recognition, and special talents can all contribute to winning this race if they are used properly. Otherwise, God forbid, if these blessings are used improperly because of the desires of the nafs, a person may suffer a loss in the race. In that case, in the eternal life of the Hereafter, he may face consequences—punishments—that he could never have imagined.
In fact, from a human perspective, these matters are not particularly difficult or complicated to understand. The questions are clear, and so are the answers. If a person listens to his nafs, he will eventually face the consequences of his choices in the infinite Hereafter. But if he does not listen to his nafs, and instead takes seriously the prophets sent by Allah and the Scriptures they brought, living accordingly, then when he enters the Hereafter, he will attain from Allah many rewards that no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
The race is not against another person. It is a race against oneself. Therefore, before the red card is shown to us—that is, before death—let us immediately choose the right and beautiful path, remembering the principle that “it is always beneficial to turn back from a wrong path, no matter how late.” In this way, a person may gain the opportunity to enter the Paradise that pleases Allah.
If we regard worldly life as a race, then every morning a new day of competition opens before us. Every person we meet, every choice we make, every word we speak, and even the intentions that pass through our minds are part of this race.
In the end, there will be winners and losers. The Qur’an tells us that people will receive the consequences of what they have done. (Az-Zalzalah, 99:7–8). The steps a person takes in this world have consequences in eternal life. For this reason, before competing with others, a person should compete with his own nafs. Every time he is able to choose what pleases Allah instead of what his nafs desires, he moves one step ahead. When he can say “no” to sin, “yes” to goodness, choose good companionship instead of harmful friendships, and place Allah’s pleasure above worldly interests, he advances further along the path toward victory.
Life is, in reality, a short opportunity to win. We can make use of every moment, rise again after every fall, and redefine our direction with every choice we make. In this race, a person’s strongest opponent is his own nafs. The nafs often wants what is easy. It may encourage haste instead of patience, self-interest instead of sacrifice, the forbidden instead of the lawful, pride instead of humility, and anger instead of forgiveness. According to the Qur’an, the nafs is inclined to command evil. (Yusuf, 12:53). This is where a person’s real struggle begins.
Defeating another person may appear to be a great achievement. But overcoming one’s anger when angry, restraining oneself when one has the opportunity to commit a forbidden act, and choosing what pleases Allah rather than what the nafs desires constitute a much greater victory. Because in this race, the medal is not won outside; it is won within the person himself.
A mistake that seems small can gradually become a habit; a habit can become a character trait; and character can become a person’s way of life. Sometimes a person walks toward a precipice without realizing it. The first steps may seem completely harmless. Yet at the end of the road there may be an abyss from which there is no return.
For this reason, a person must be able to say “No!” firmly at certain points. No to his nafs. No to what is forbidden. No to harmful companionship. No to habits that distance him from Allah. And, in return, yes to Allah’s pleasure.
One of the most important realities of worldly life is this: time does not turn back. The day we are living today will no longer be in our hands tomorrow. Yesterday has passed. Tomorrow has not yet arrived. The only capital given to us is the moment we are living in now.
When death comes, the race ends. There is no longer an opportunity to perform a new good deed, turn away from a wrong, reconcile with someone, or make a new beginning. The Qur’an tells us that when a person encounters death, he will wish to return to the world, but this will not be possible. (Al-Mu’minun, 23:99–100). In this race, being behind someone else is not what matters. What matters is not remaining under the control of our own nafs.
So let us regard life as a race. But not a race to overtake others… A race to overtake our own nafs. A race to draw a little closer to Allah every day. A race to become a little better person every day. And ultimately, by Allah’s grace, a race to attain eternal happiness…
The race is still going on. The final whistle has not yet been blown. We can still take another step. We can still win. If life is a race given to us, the race is not over yet. There are still steps we can take, hearts we can win, sins we can abandon, and good deeds we can perform.
Perhaps there have been times when we were defeated by our nafs. Perhaps we have taken wrong paths and, from time to time, lost our direction. But for a human being, the greatest loss is not falling; it is failing to rise after falling. Every morning is a new beginning. Every breath is another opportunity Allah has given us.
Therefore, instead of wasting time looking at where others are, let us not forget our own race. Because at the end of this race, what matters is not who overtook whom, but who was able to attain Allah’s pleasure. And one day, for every one of us, the final whistle will sound.
When that moment comes and we look back, may we not have a life filled with regrets and “if onlys.” Rather, may we be able to say:
“My Lord, I did my best to make use of the life You gave me in order to earn Your pleasure.”
That is the true success. The race continues. We are still breathing. So let us keep running…
One of the greatest blessings we must make use of while it is still in our hands is life itself. The race continues. And the most beautiful part is this: we still have the opportunity to win before the final whistle is blown.
Let us, therefore, take seriously the life we have been given in this world—and the race within it, which is not a joke or a game. Let us always keep our goal of entering Paradise before us by avoiding what is forbidden, refraining from sin, and fulfilling Allah’s commands, with faith, hope, determination, steadfastness, and active patience.
Let us fulfill its requirements and then, by Allah’s grace, eagerly hope to attain Paradise, relying on Allah’s mercy.
What do you think?
