LOVE OF DUNYA; THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL

Allah in the Holy Quran, refers to the dunya as ‘’Ghuroor’’ a place of delusion.
The word dunya encompasses many things, but generally means the temporal earthly world in contrast to the eternal spiritual realm of the hereafter. The duniya is any earthly concern or possession. There is no problem in loving the duniya. The problem comes in when we make the duniya become the goal and not the means to the ultimate goal. It is a place where we are for a time and that is the duniya should be used for or avoided with the ultimate goal of pleasing Allah in mind. This life is just a means to the hereafter where what we do in the duniya will determine our position with Allah.
Quran 87: 16-17 But you prefer the worldly life, while the hereafter is better and more enduring.
Quran 3:14
‘’beautified for people is the love of that which they desire- of women and sons, heaped up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with him the best return.
Quran 2:28
‘’seeing that you were dead and he gave you life, then he will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the day of resurrection) and then unto him you will return’’
The verses made it clear that this life constitutes the first part of our journey, following which we will die and then will be resurrected (in the hereafter)and depending on our performance in this life we will get due rewards or punishment.
Our time in this life is limited. Allah has repeatedly reminded us in the Quran; a fact that has been further clarified by the Prophet (SAW) as well that the value of this life is very minute.

Consider some of the verses of the Quran on this topic:
Al-Tawbah: 38
‘’are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the hereafter.
Ar-Rad:
‘’as compared with the life of the hereafter, the life of this world is nothing but a brief passing enjoyment’’
Al-Anaam: 32
‘’and the life f this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house in the hereafter for those who are Al-Mutaqun (the pious). Will you not then understand?
So, by likening this life to brief passing enjoyment, play, amusement, and a deception , Allah (SWT) has cautioned us not to get carried away by the charms of this life, because in comparison with the hereafter, this life has quiet a limited span. As we go through life challenges as well as it attractions, we have to ensure that we do not deviate from the straight path.
The Prophet (SAW) said:
‘’the life of this world compared to the hereafter is as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again, then compare the water that remains on his finger to the water that remains in the ocean (Sahih Muslim(2858)
Ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) took me by the shoulder and said ‘’be in this world as though you are a traveler’’
We run after wealth believing it to buy and secure our present and the future.
Surah Fatir: 5 says;
‘’let not then this present life deceive you’’
We become obsessed with gaining benefits, pleasures and comforts and in doing so we go after acquiring more power and authority. We vie and compete with others in pursuit of those and lose sight of the hereafter.
Allah reflects this situation in the following verses.
Surah Al-Thakathur 1-2
‘’the mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly things) diverts you until you visits the grave.
He also says in the verse 5:
‘’nay, if you know with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you will not have occupied yourselves in worldly things).
Focusing on the present with lack of consideration for the hereafter can push us to the edges of something called ‘’the entitlement syndrome’’ by which psychologists refer to as a state where one feels that one is rightfully entitled to the fulfillment of one’s wishes and desires. But faced with the reality of limited time in this life, therefore, to acquire and enjoy all of these life resources, we plant the seeds of greed and dissatisfaction within us that in turn lead us to injustice, deprivation of rights of people, to the misuse of power and authority.
The Prophet (SAW) expressed his concern for our imaan when he said:
‘’by Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that this world will be spread out in front of you as it was spread out in front of those before you and then you will compete for it as they vie for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them’’ (Riyad as-salihin(the meadows of the righteous) by Imam Nawawi.
The price we pay for excessively loving the duniya is that we become part of a cut-throat culture where material success is a measure of person’s worth and failure in worldly acquisition is regarded as a matter of shame and humiliation.
When people get carried away by the sea of life, they become heedless of Allah, the hereafter, the moral bounds and moral responsibilities, the right of others and their own obligations to render those rights.
They strive to acquire more at any cost, and become oblivious to their end. About such people, Allah says:
‘’these are they who have bought the life of this world at the prize of the hereafter’’ Sura Baqarah: 86.
Meanwhile, Islam does not expect us to withdraw ourselves from the world. Allah tells us in Quran surah Al – Qasas:77
‘’but seek, with that(wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you the home of hereafter, lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land, verily Allah like not the Mufisidun(those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief makers, corrupters)
Today our nation is faced with many evils, spurned out of love for duniya , if not how do we explain crimes like:
1. Economic and financial crime
2. Money laundering
3. Cybercrime
4. Bribery and corruption
5. Highway robbery
6. Child trafficking
7. Drug trafficking
8. Ritual killings
9. Political thugry to mention but few.
Know that everything Allah gives us in wealth and possessions are all test.