Life of the World: A shallow eulogy to Muhammad Ali
The life of this world: A shallow eulogy to Muhammad Ali
“Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) like a rain (Ghayth), thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow, then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is)) forgiveness from Allaah and (His) pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.†Q57: 20
In one verse, Allaah describes the reality of the life of this world from the period of birth to that of growth and the ultimate period of demise. Just as the gardens flourish in greenery and eventually wither away so shall the strength of man turn to weakness, his youthfulness to old age of feebleness, his speed to sluggishness, his freshness to tiredness, his audacity to timidity and finally his life to death.
Life is a gift never meant to be wasted but rather to be fully utilized to earn a bigger and ultimate gift of Jannah (Paradise). In essence, he who has been given life has been given everything, what he makes out of it largely depends on how he views this temporary world. A proper understanding of the life of this world makes men of intellect and faith to shift their focus to the life after this (Hereafter). By so doing, they make their presence felt through their sincere worship of Allaah Alone, through benefitting humanity for the sake of Allaah, through championing the cause of a better world which they are absolutely certain to leave behind for others to enjoy.
Going down memory lane, there were generations that populated this world before this very generation, graced by men that had power, authority, wealth, strength, charisma, men of faith, men of disbelief, men that made history colorful, men that left a black spot on history pages, men that are long gone but still alive in the hearts of those walking the face of the earth. The wisest and luckiest of them all were those that knew the reality of the life of this world and they never allowed it to delude them into believing that they will never die and everything of theirs will never perish. This realization changed the cause of their history.
The
Prophet of Islam (Muhammad may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
who understood the reality of this life more than anyone advised men on how to
live in this world having the mindset of leaving it at anytime. He (Pbuh) said;
“Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death,â€
At
this juncture the spotlight is focused on the demise of Muhammad Ali (the
boxer).
Indeed, in the life of Muhammad Ali (the boxer) there is a lesson for those who have insight. He quitted boxing before I was born but we all grew up knowing almost everything about him, perhaps because he was not just a boxer but also a great personality that graced the 20th century. His impact was felt and never to be forgotten by those around him and even those far away from him. He was young, audacious, full of strength, vigor, stamina, passion, the memories of his fast speed in the rings, his eloquence and poetry prowess, his bold stands against racial discrimination and injustice, his humorous and witty nature, his generosity and life leaves an indelible impression in the minds of his friends and foes. He was best at what he did and this made him a model for those that loved him and even those that hated.
Nobody is perfect but the best thing that ever happened to Muhammad Ali was his reverting to Islam without which all these accolades from the world in favor of him would have mean nothing now that he is gone. He was never shy to proclaim his Islam, he was afraid of Hellfire that he kept echoing the fact that he has to please Allaah in this world before going into the life of eternity.
His
youthfulness was overtaken by old age, his strength by illness (Parkinson), his
speech by silence and finally his life by death. He is now celebrated because
he made good use of his youthfulness before his old age, his health before his
sickness. Indeed, in his life is a definition of life, a depiction of the
reality of this world. He lost his health but he gained Islam. May Allaah
forgive his shortcomings and admit him to Jannatul Firdaus (paradise).
Don’t lose your Islam for the sake of this world that you will leave behind.
Twitter:
@penabdull
Instagram:
@penabdul