And in Allah should the believers put their trust. (Qur’an 3: 122)
Don’t be sad: live today as if it were the last day of your life. With this frame of mind and outlook towards life, you have no reason to allow sadness or anger to steal the little time you have. In a hadith, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:
“When the morning comes upon you, then do not expect to see the evening, and when you see the night, do not expect to see the morning.”
In other words, live with heart, body, and soul for today only, without dwelling upon the past and without being anxious about the future. An Arab poet said:
“The past is lost forever, and that which is hoped for is from the unseen, so all that you have is the present hour.”
Being preoccupied with the past and dragging past woes into the present – these are the signs of an unstable and unsound mind. A Chinese proverb reads:
“Do not cross the bridge until you reach it.”
In other words, be anxious over events only when they come to pass. One of our pious predecessors said,
“O’ son of Adam, verily, you have only three days: Yesterday, and it has forsaken you; tomorrow, and it has yet to arrive; and today, so fear Allah and obey Him in it.”
How can he truly live who carries with him the concerns of the past, the present, and the future? How can one find peace, while constantly recollecting that which has already occurred? One plays a past event back in his mind, feels its pain, and yet benefits nothing from the process.
The meaning of, `when the morning comes, do not expect to see the evening, and when the evening comes, do not expect to see the morning,’ is that we should not have lofty or long-term hopes for this world. Expect death and do your best in doing good deeds. Do not let your concerns and ambitions surpass the limit of that day in which you live, a code that will allow you to concentrate and spend all of your energies on being productive each day. Use time efficiently and concentrate all of your efforts on achieving something today, by improving your manners, taking care of your health, and improving your relations with others.
Source: Jamiat KZN