"The servant does not move forward on the Day of Resurrection until he has been asked about three things: about his years, how he passed them; about his wealth, from what he acquired it and on what he spent it; and about his knowledge, what he did with it."
Muhammad, Hadith
This is a very popular hadith, that is, a saying of the Prophet. In the four years since I converted I know I've heard it referenced several times in Friday communal prayers. If you've read any of this blog, or been unfortunate to have a more serious conversation with me face to face, you know that I'm drawn to the aspects of Islam that shape our understanding of how we treat each other on a daily basis. As I'm wont to opine, by definition I can't understand God or the nature of the afterlife, but I might be able to get my brain around how I treat the people I meet on a daily basis. No matter whether you read this saying from the Prophet as a true prediction of the events of the day of judgment or merely as a metaphor, it is a reminder of how you should be living your life. What did you do with your years on this earth, how did you acquire your wealth and who benefited from it, and how did you use your knowledge for the greater good. Not surprisingly I guess, this reminds me of the Noble Eight-fold Path of Buddhism where you're instructed to consider everything that you say and do in regards to the bigger question of Enlightenment. Some ahadith and Quranic surahs lay out a more specific path of conduct (including the one I'll be discussing tomorrow) but this lays out a more general philosophical framework based on constant self-reflection.
Muhammad, Hadith
This is a very popular hadith, that is, a saying of the Prophet. In the four years since I converted I know I've heard it referenced several times in Friday communal prayers. If you've read any of this blog, or been unfortunate to have a more serious conversation with me face to face, you know that I'm drawn to the aspects of Islam that shape our understanding of how we treat each other on a daily basis. As I'm wont to opine, by definition I can't understand God or the nature of the afterlife, but I might be able to get my brain around how I treat the people I meet on a daily basis. No matter whether you read this saying from the Prophet as a true prediction of the events of the day of judgment or merely as a metaphor, it is a reminder of how you should be living your life. What did you do with your years on this earth, how did you acquire your wealth and who benefited from it, and how did you use your knowledge for the greater good. Not surprisingly I guess, this reminds me of the Noble Eight-fold Path of Buddhism where you're instructed to consider everything that you say and do in regards to the bigger question of Enlightenment. Some ahadith and Quranic surahs lay out a more specific path of conduct (including the one I'll be discussing tomorrow) but this lays out a more general philosophical framework based on constant self-reflection.
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