MCC Tucson Lectures
Muslim Community Center of Tucson
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July 4, 2025·Muharram 9, 1447 AH·12:59 PM·44m·July 2025

Is Your Life Just a Blink Away?

The Fleeting Nature of the Dunya: A Friday Sermon on the Hereafter

dunya and akhirahfleeting lifedeathworldly attachmentcontentmenthereafterislamic perspectivefriday sermon
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Summary

This Friday sermon from the Muslim Community Center of Tucson focuses on the fleeting nature of worldly life (dunya) and the importance of preparing for the hereafter (akhirah). The speaker uses Quranic verses and hadith to illustrate how quickly time passes, comparing human existence to a mere moment or the blink of an eye. Key themes include the deceptive nature of worldly pleasures, the inevitability of death, and the importance of maintaining a balance—enjoying halal things without becoming attached to material possessions or worldly pursuits. The sermon emphasizes that believers should use their time, wealth, and efforts to earn Allah's pleasure rather than being consumed by worldly ambitions.

Transcript

Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.

Allah heal.

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Allahbarb. Allahbar. Allahbar. Allah. Akbar.

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Ashad. Ashan Hayah Hoolah. Oh fell.

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Allahbarbah.

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Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. for.

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The Quran.

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Quran.

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In the name of Allah the gracious, the merciful. All praise is due to Allah. We praise him. We seek his help. We seek his forgiveness and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and the evil within our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him. Whoever Allah leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify there is no god but Allah alone without any partners and that Muhammad sallallah.aihi wasallam, peace and blessings be upon him, is a servant and his messenger. Allah Almighty has said, "Oh you who have faith, fear Allah as it is his right to be feared and do not die unless you are Muslim." And Allah Almighty has said, "Fear Allah from whom you ask of each other and in your family ties for Allah is ever watchful over you." And Allah Almighty has said, "Fear Allah and speak words as befitting. He will amend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and his messenger has achieved a great triumph." The truest word is the book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The most evil matters are those that are newly invented. For every newly invented matter is an innovation. Every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance is in the hellfire. We thank Allah for letting us come to the masid on the blessed day of Friday to reap the benefits and virtues that come with the day of J. Where did the time go? The sun hardly rises before it sets. And it seems like a day is merely a moment. One minute you open your eyes and the next is time. And the new moon hardly appears, then it disappears. And it seems a month is just a day. And a year hardly begins before it ends. And it seems a year is just a week. And the years have been passing by so quickly that subhan Allah, we're just left in astonishment. Where did the time go? Yeah, it's been around 5 years since a global pandemic. I don't know if I'm the only one who thinks that just insane. So many things have happened in the year 2019 to 2020, even 2021. And to think that four to 5 years have passed since then, subhan Allah, it's just mind-blowing. We're halfway through 2025 as well. And time passing quickly this, we all know it's among the signs of the hour. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said, Now the hour shall not be established until time is constricted. And the year is a month. A month is the week and the week is the day and the day is the hour and the hour is the flare of a fire. And in many instances the Quran and Sunnah indicate the fleeting nature of this worldly life as well. In the Quran Allah mentions the fleeting dunya. Often the time of their account has approached for people while they are in heatless turning away. They are heedless in turning away while their time of account is near. And he also says, "And what makes you perceive? Perhaps the hour is near." And then Allah goes more specifically into this. And the command for the hour is not but a glance of the eye or even nearer than that. Indeed Allah is over all things competent. And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said my advent meaning my arrival and the hour are this. And he would point his two fingers together this. He would point his two fingers together. That's how close his arrival and the hour are. And we've all heard this before how the hour is coming close and the dunya will soon to end. And Allah describes the attachment to this very fleeting world water. The example of this worldly life is but rain which we have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb and from those plants mankind and livestock eat. And then he goes on.

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Until when the earth has taken on its adorment meaning all these beautiful green shrubs and these and these amazing plants for the mankind and the lifestyle to eat and when they insan they think they have capability over it. They think they have power. They think they have authority over these green shrubs, over these plants. Then our command comes and we make it as if it didn't even flourish yesterday. That's how quickly it can change. who give thought and subhan Allah this great example is repeated inah and surah had the worldly life is like water that nurtures crops and the water either seeps into the earth or evaporates and it doesn't remain likewise the worldly life vanishes and ends water does not stay in one place and similarly the beauty of this world it doesn't remain with anyone forever it's bound to end when water comes down in an amount that benefits the earth It vibrates with greenery and benefits the living. However, if the water is excessive, it floods the land. It destroys the crops and it kills people. And likewise, if a person takes from this worldly life enough to sustain himself enough to help them on their journey to their Lord Almighty and then they benefit from it, then they can truly benefit from this dunya because they made the world a means to the hereafter. They made the dunya a stepping stool to the hereafter. But if someone is greedy and they spend all their life accumulating and enjoying in this worldly life and they overtake, they take too much, it destroys them as they try to replace the hereafter. Therefore, it is said that the love of the world is the root of all sins. And this worldly life was likened to the lush green land. For it becomes green and beautiful and then it turns yellow and becomes dusty. and its beauty fades away. Similarly, the delights of this world deceive those who look at it. You'll look at the world, you'll marvel at its beauty at first because everything looks so beautiful. Everything shines and then once you keep looking at it, once you get accustomed to it, once you get attached to it, then it all goes away either through a calamity that spoils it or death that cuts off its pleasure. And thus it is described in the Quran that the enjoyment of this world is the enjoyment of deception. And what is this worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion? On top of the deceiving nature of this worldly life, a person only lives a small fraction of it. Even if someone mashallah were to live for a 100red years, that still wouldn't be enough. No matter how long one lives in this world, even if it were 100, a thousand years, it will seem at the time of death, at the time of resurrection and the time of reckoning. And they will think all these times at the time of death, resurrection, and reckoning. And they'll think back on the dunya, and it will be as if they only live for a moment. That's how insignificant this duny is. Allah Almighty has said, And on the day when he will gather them, it will be as if they had not remained in the world but an hour of the day they will know each other. How many years do we live? Let's say at the best best case scenario 100 years and in the hereafter we'll be it was only an hour. That's how it will feel and only an hour. Allah will say how long did you remain on the earth in a number of years? Give me a number of years. How long you lived on this earth? And they will say we remained a day, maybe a part of a day. We don't know. Ask those who enumerate. Meaning we didn't keep track of how long we lived in this world. Ask those who kept track. We just lived and we moved on. That's how that's how insignificant it is. And on the day when they see it, it will be on that day they had not remained in the world except for a morning or an afternoon. you come over to someone's house for breakfast and then you move on. That's how insignificant the world is. That's how short it will be. And the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, the most knowledgeable of people about this worldly life and its reality said, By Allah, the world compared to the hereafter is nothing more than what happens when you dip your finger into the sea. Let him see what he draws out. What happens if you dip dip your finger into the sea? You dip it in, it comes out, two drops come out and whatever's left, that's the dunya. And that dries away in a matter of moments. That is how insignificant this dunya is. The believer should take heed from these verses and a hadith that clarify the reality of this world and the duration of human existence within it. Especially since they frequently encounter these verses when reciting and listening to the Quran. Therefore, believers should not make this worldly life their greatest concern or allow their love for it to corrupt their hearts. Instead, the believers should take from it what helps them obey Allah the Almighty and strive to purify their soul with righteous deeds. In this lie success and prosperity, as Allah Almighty has said, he who has succeeded has purified it, meaning the dunya. And he has failed who instills it with corruption. his heart with the dunya. We ask Allah to make us among those who realize the fleeting nature of this worldly life and to not be deceived by the enjoyment of delusion and to invest in the hereafter. And that brings me on to the next point which is that no matter how long someone were to live in this dunya even if let's say you live the 80 years they will never be satisfied. Look at the famous. Look at the rich. Look at the powerful. Look at the celebrities. Everyone knows that those people who have sold their souls to the entertainment and the pleasure of the dunya while forgetting the hereafter, they are all miserable. People say money can't buy you happiness. And you look around and some people they look happy. You look at the celebrities with their Bugattis, their Ferraris, their Mercedes. You look at them with their yachts and their private islands. You look at them with their butlers and everything. They have their designer clothes and they're smiling in their pictures on Instagram and whatnot. They look happy. They look happy. The truth is money can't buy you contentment. Being serenely calm, being happy, actually happy without having to worry about that is going to end. Being calm, being content, that is something that you can only achieve in the hereafter. That's not something you can achieve in this. No matter how hard you strive for it, you can't achieve it in this. True, serene, calm, contentment, that comes in the And even if someone were to live forever. And that's another thing I'd to bring up. People wish they could live for years and years and years, don't they? They think, "Oh, I'm going to have to die soon. I wish I could live for longer. I wish I had a healthy, a longer life." But ask someone logical. Ask someone with a mind. Would you like to live forever? No. Why? Why would someone not to live forever? Because they know they will eventually get tired of the dunya. No matter how much you have, you will get tired of the dunya. Let's say in this hypothetical, this person who lives forever, has immense wealth, they have immense amounts of everything they could ever possibly have. Even if they have that, they will watch their family and loved ones pass away. They will watch the collapse of the world. They will watch the collapse of the nations. They will go through pain and heartbreak through trials and tribulations. Suppose they age as well. They will go through the whole aging process breaking down and becoming a husk of who they once was. And at the end of the universe, they will still be there because no matter what the dunya is meant to end. Allah has promised it. And we all know the promise of Allah is true. Lifespans are finite for a reason. And death demolishes the pleasures of this worldly life. No one can repent. No one can prevent, repel or postpone death. If you love this world so much, then prevent death from yourselves. Allah challenges you. Prevent death from yourselves if you can. If you should be truthful, wherever you may be, death will overtake you. Even if you should be in the highest of lofty constructions, even if you should be in giant buildings or if you're in castles, death will overtake you. Subhan Allah. Look at this powerful wording. It's a reality that no one can deny. Muslims, Jews, Christians, the atheists, no matter what, this is a reality of the world. Even if someone doesn't believe even the they know that the is bent to end every soul will taste death. Every soul shall taste death. Then to us you'll be returned. Allah Almighty has said say indeed the death from which you flee indeed it will meet you. It is 100% guaranteed. You can flee from death all you want. You can try to run away from death all you want. It will meet you. Death will meet you. And when that time comes when you die, what will we bring? We won't be bringing any of our wealth. We won't be bringing the enjoyments of this duny. We won't be bringing anything that we worked for in this dunya. The job that we work so hard for. I'm sorry, but the bitter truth is when you die, it becomes obsolete. The money that we love, the spouses that we love, the children that we love, the parents that we love, the friends that we love, nothing, none of it will make it into the grave except for what you worked for in the only make it into the grave. And when we make into the grave, the only physical thing we will bring with us is our bodies and our cuff. The white sheet that will be wrapped around our bodies for us to be buried in. That is it. In fact, you're not taking the coffin with you. The cuff is taking you into the grave. You're bound to that white cloth helpless. And it's only then that in the grave that we have ample time to think about how we spent our life. And it will be in that grave that we can think where did the time go. May Allah make us of those who remember him often and cling to the instead of the.

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Alhamdulillah. Throughout the Quran and Sunnah and the hadith, we hear many times for us to focus on the instead of the to give up the for the and this is true. But I also want to reiterate that as a Muslim, we are not meant to hate the dunya. Do not hate the duny. Do not be depressed because you live in the dunya. Do not resent the dunya. For Allah has made halal and things for us to enjoy. Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said from this world he loved perfume, prayer and women. And Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam had favorite foods. He liked sweet water made from dates. And he liked eating the shoulders of animals. We're meant to enjoy what's halal of this dunya. a traveler enjoys the shade during his journey. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. We should remember to keep a balance and not to get attached with the dunya. We're meant to resent the attachment to the delusions of the dunya. And we should focus on the the everlasting life of the hereafter. We should give up the delusions and the attachment to the and the trials of the world because if we grow attached to them, we end up selling our the more you love the the more it will break your heart especially when you have to let it go. Chasing the it doesn't mean live in a cave and it doesn't mean you give up your job. No, it means for example you pray your five daily prayers on time. You treat your parents withan with honor. You keep your tongues moist with the with the remembrance of Allah. You seek halal wealth and you give from it in. You lower your gaze. You forgive those who wrong you. And you control your desires because you know Allah is watching. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said be in this world as though you are a traveler or a stranger. And and a traveler he doesn't build a mansion at a rest stop. He rests and moves on. This dunya is your resting stop. It's your resting place. Jenna is your destination. Jenna is your destination. So walk through the dunya, but keep your eyes on the hereafter. Use every minute, every dollar, every word, and every breath as a way to earn Allah's pleasure. I want to share with you a story that was the inspiration for this topic. A story that would provide as an inspiration and an example of someone who understood how much value that and the pleasure of Allah and his prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam had compared to his dunya. A story of a man named a story of a man who started with everything and left with nothing. He was one of the most famous and wealthy people in the city of Mecca. He came from a prestigious family. luxuries left, right and center. And he was one of the most handsome men in the city of Mecca. When he walked through the city place, people would line up just to glance at him. That's how handsome he was. And when he would walk by some place, people would know that he had recently been there because of how expensive his perfume was. Meaning that himself as a person, his aura, his upbringing, his lifestyle, it was that of a prince. His clothes were custom made, imported from Syria. His shoes were imported from Yemen and his mother and his family was from a similar status. He had everything he would ever ask for. And one day he heard about a man preaching an faith and he was like what is this? This is the opposite of what our forefathers taught us. And he was interested. So he went to meet with the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam himself and he went to the place where the early Muslims were residing and he heard the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam speaking about jannam and he was speaking about this very topic the fleeting dunya and the delusions and the distractions of this world that drag people into hell and from hearing that alone he gave his right And from then on, he kept visiting again and again to the house, sneaking out and practicing his faith privately because at this time the Muslims were persecuted. And he kept practicing until one day a spy had followed him and saw him practicing Islam. So he went straight to his mother and said, "Do you know what your son is doing? Do you know what he's doing? He's practicing this faith." So his mother was filled with anger. And what she did, she paid a few guards and had him chained up in her basement in the cellar. And from the cellar, he heard about a migration to Abbiscinia. And so he waited until one night when the guards were sleeping and he made a run for it. And he ran all the way to where the migration was taking place. And he made it to Abbiscinia. And in Abbisinia, he heard a rumor that all of Becca had converted to Islam. Of course, this rumor was false, but he learned the hard way because he came back and that's where he found out. And when he met his mother, his mother told him, "Yeah, come back to your life. Come back to me. Come back to your clothes. Come back to your decad in life. Come back to your status. Come back to your honor." Yeah, there are many instances where we are practicing our faith and the dunya makes its way it lodges its way into our practicing. Of course, not in this exact scenario. There are smaller scales, but people they want money, they want fun, and usually that ends up showing its ugly head while you're at your strongest of iman. And subhan Allahb he was very strong of faith and so he denied his mother his old life and out of anger she would tear off all the clothes off his back leaving him with literally nothing. He had to walk away using his hands to cover himself. It was only when his uncle had pity on him that he gave him a small cloth to cover himself with. And the Sahabah when they used to look at Musb they used to weep because they knew who he was. He used to be someone who would wear long lengthy robes and fancy perfume and now he was wearing this cheap wool garment that would leave sores on his body and he used to weep and subhan Allah the reason I'm telling you this is because this is one of the most prominent examples of someone giving away their dy for the and it's not he gave it up in vain no Allah honored him and subhan Allah I urge you when you get home to read the story of Musabb because subhan Allah his story it is so inspirational it is such an amazing story and I urge all of you to read the story of Musabb but I'll give you one final anecdote from his story how Allah honored him with martyrdom we all know what happened at the battle of Bahad we all know how it started and Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam during this battle He wanted someone to carry the flag of And now who was a Muslim at this time? They were all Muslim. But Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he chose this young boy. That's number one. how Allah honored him with this flag of now we all know what mistake happened at a at the battle of the archers they left their post the disbelievers they came back he attacked the the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and he was rumored to be dead and when news came to Mus he didn't wallow many of the Muslims who decided they were putting down their swords you know we give up the prophet's dead mus he said the messengers before him have died as He was strong of faith. He was strong of iman. And then the rumor came that the prophet was alive and he was surrounded. So what he did was he held the flag of in his right hand and he started running around the battlefield his right hand raised shouting Allahbarb come fight me come fight me. So the attention would be taken off the prophet. And someone came and they lobbed off his right arm. So what did he do? He grabbed the flag with his left arm, raised it up in the air, started running around. Allah abar, come fight me. Come fight me. Someone came and they lobbed off the left arm as well. He bent down, he picked up the flag with his teeth and he started running across the battlefield with the flag between his teeth. And at this point, the goof were obviously tired of this distraction. and they hit him and they speared him and they slashed his body until he finally fell. After the battle had concluded, the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he surveyed the battlefield and he asked where is Hamza? Where is so and so? Where is so and so? Until he came upon a body and he began to weep. This was the body of Musbay. His face had been disfigured by the kufur. They cut off his nose and his ears. But one thing they did find was the flag was still between his teeth. He did not abandon his faith. He did not abandon his duty. The flag was still between his teeth. And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he wept for him saying, "You gave everything for the sake of Allah." And when it came time to bury his body, they found he had only two belongings. a bowl for woo and half of a cuff. He was too poor to afford a full cuff. When they'd cover his head, his feet would stick out. And when they covered his feet, his head would stick out. Finally, they decided, we'll cover his head and we'll cover his feet in lemongrass and then we'll bury him right there. Yeah. I want to remind you who this man was. He had everything in the dunya. Every single thing you would ask for. wealth, looks, honor, status. He had everything. He had so much money. And now he didn't even have enough money to be buried in. He didn't even have enough money to die in. Only half of awan and he barely made it to adulthood. We wouldn't consider him an adult nowadays. We would consider him a teenager. that his life short-lived will be remembered and honored because he gave it to Allah. He gave his life to Allah and this is what Allah decided to do with it. He honored him. We ask Allah to make us of those who remember him often. We ask Allah to make us of those who focus on the and enjoy what he has given us in the duny. We ask Allah to remove our unhealthy attachment to the dunya. We ask Allah to make us clear- minded and to keep our priorities straight. We ask Allah to guide us and make the path to the smooth and easy. We ask Allah to forgive all of our shortcomings. We ask Allah to dismay any sins we may commit knowingly or unknowingly. We ask Allah to have mercy on us on our parents and their parents as well. We ask Allah to grant us the highest levels of paradise without any accountability. We ask Allah to guide all those who are not Muslim to guide those who are drowning in sin. We ask Allah to protect us from living a life of sin. We ask Allah to conceal and hide any sins we may have committed in the past knowingly or unknowingly and to conceal and hide any sins we will commit in the future. We ask Allah to not let him take us from this earth until he is pleased with us. We ask Allah when the time comes of our death our souls are extracted from our bodies peacefully. We ask Allah to make it so our last words.

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Strain the lines. Fill the gaps in between. Do not leave space for alhamdulillah. foreign.

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For.

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All.

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Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

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Allah sir Allah You don't believe Allahel. Allah.

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Alhamdulillah. for.

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Oh, send me a Allah. Allah Allahel.

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All.

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Right, just a couple of announcement and we'll dismiss. Just I want you to really pay attention to the driving patterns that are outside the masjid. The first entrance that you see that's turning into the masid is an exit. It's not an entrance. I don't know how many times I can, you know, be very, you know, prun about and remind you be careful. There is a tendency within the parking lot for people to fly out. If you're entering and turning into it with full speed and there's a car coming from the opposite side, you're going to definitely meet each other halfway through. The second past the palm tree with the island, that is the entrance. That is not the exit. The exit is the first entrance a lot of you are using as entrance. And it's you think it's a very convenient thing to do. Just please be attentive. It is a problematic. The alley behind them is an exit only. It's not an entrance or a two-way street. Be mindful of that. There are several signs up that remind you of that. So, be careful and please pay attention in the parking lot. , I want to thank Haf Talha for being part of a community for a while. Tala is moving to Colorado. , he said it's a beautiful weather and the mountains look much better with snow than they do with dust. So, I don't know. Inshallah we wish him all the best on his future endeavors and with his family. Inshallah we have a small partying gift for our MCCT fatal. Please take this as a small gesture of our appreciation for your time that you spent and the efforts you have made in the community. May Allah make it a beautiful transition. May Allah open more doors for you. Come back soon. All right. donate generously on the way out. I want you to pay attention that when you went walk outside there is a tree of gratitude that's been put up. Those are from the students from the summer school the Sunday school that translates to summer school. We still have a week or so left. If you're interested in your childhood being there, those are some of the activities the kids do on a daily basis. Enjoy the gratitude tree.