Quranic Wisdom For the Day The Quran says

 *Quranic Wisdom For the Day*

The Quran says:

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ (سورة الشورى 20).

"Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We shall increase [and multiply] his harvest. But whoever desires the harvest of this world, We shall give him a part of it, and he shall have no share in the Hereafter" [Shūra: 20].

This profound verse is full of wisdom and summarizes key aspects of our faith. From it, we glean:

- Both this world and the next are a 'harvest'. They are not just there for free. You need to desire, and then plan, and then decide what to plant, and then take care of the fields and water them, and exert effort. Only by putting in the necessary work will you get the desired results.

- Allah has promised that if you merely *desire* the Hereafter and strive for it, you shall get it! Faith is based on sincerity, and as long as that desire is sincere (which implies there will be some actions as well), Allah will bless your efforts and accept them. There is no chance of failure if you turn to your Lord.

- Another Divine Promise is that whoever desires the Hereafter will be given far more than the efforts he put in. Allah has promised that He shall magnify the efforts and bless such a person with much, much more! Therefore, the one who chooses the Hereafter shall be given his share of this world, and shall be rewarded far more than what he might deserve. You don't earn Paradise with your actions: you are gifted Paradise by Allah as a reward far above what you deserve for the actions you put in.

- We are also told that whoever doesn't desire the Hereafter, and is content with this life, will be given a portion of his efforts in this life, and nothing in the next. No one attains all that he wants in this world, so even if he gave it 100 % of his efforts, he shall get back a small percentage of this world. This world won't even reward you the full efforts you put into it, for no matter what you get of this dunyā, it is temporary, and comes with its own pain and suffering.

- Lastly, the person who aims only for this world shall not be blessed with anything in the next. Why should the one who never desired the Hereafter be rewarded with it, for indeed '...actions are based on intentions.'  This verse also explains, in very simple language, why the one who turns away from faith will not be rewarded like the faithful. Whoever intends the Pleasure of God shall attain it; whoever chose to ignore God shall be ignored in the next life. It's really not that complicated (and it surprises me every time a person of fame who wasn't a believer passes away, the same controversies online emerge).

This verse reminds us to prioritize the eternal over the temporary, and to prefer the Hereafter over this world.

Credit: Yasir Qadhi