Man should keep the scale of his good deeds heavier, but as far as it is observed, his preoccupation with worldly endeavours is so great that this will not happen. He is worried day and night that this or that worldly task may get accomplished, that he may acquire some land or get some house built, whereas he should keep the scale [tilting] heavier on the side of religion than the world, even in his thoughts and opinions. Even if anyone is preoccupied day and night in prayer and fasting, it can never be to his benefit unless he puts God first.
In every word and deed, Allah the Exalted should be the objective; otherwise, he will never be worthy of God’s acceptance. The world is an idol that man is intimately attached to. If he weighs and compares, he will see that he makes all manner of pretensions for worldly objectives, and the side of religion is very weak; whereas, there is no guarantee of life nor is there knowledge whether or not one will even live beyond the next second.
How excellently has Sheikh Sa‘di (rh) expressed:
مکن تکیہ بر عمر ناپائیدار
[Do not rely on life, for it is transitory.]
Of all the people standing right now, who can say that he, from among them, will certainly be alive for another year? Nevertheless, if it is realised from God that life is now over, then all desires are worthless. So, remember well that a believer should not be a slave of the world. One should always be trying to do some good.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat – Vol. VII (Farnham, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2024)
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