The Garden that Withered as it Thrived
It was a weekday’s afternoon. I flopped on my bed out of sheer exhaustion. I could feel a strange burn emitting from my chest with every inhalation. I wondered if I would ever be able to weather through this pain.
Today, I went to see the doctor with the same complaints I had the last time. His previous prescription had failed to do me any good. I saw several days of missed work this past week, and it was becoming clear that the few days ahead would see a similar fate. Completing the chapters I had promised my readers was undeniably out of the question.
I wondered why this had come to be. I had won the past 5 years over, with only a couple of days of missed work. My colleagues had regarded me as the most hardworking employee in our crowd. I gained praise for the timely completion of any and every work assigned to me.
Boy, had I been proud of myself for it!
I used to think to myself that this success had only got to do with my talents and capabilities. The successes that flowed in one after another had me believing that this was everything I truly deserved in life. It had me sunk deep into the delusion that the triumph would be never ending.
But on this day, as I lay on my bed, all those successes seemed to helplessly fade away into a void. I had now become someone who had no certainty of showing up to work for two consecutive days. Just months ago, I had been a front row volunteer to take on any new upcoming events. But now, I could barely meet my minimum responsibilities on the job.
My shortcomings had cost me the faith of my readers.
Why though? I thought to myself as the burn on my chest grew unbearable.
And right then, I was reminded of the second story in Surah al-Kahf; the story of the owner of two gardens. The one who had extreme pride towards his two gardens, so much so that he shoved words of belittlement at his poor neighbor. In the following Ayat, Allah states what the arrogant man said as he entered his gardens.
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَٰذِهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣٥﴾ وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا ﴿٣٦﴾
And he entered his property, while wronging his soul, saying, “I do not think this will ever perish (35) nor do I think the Hour will ˹ever˺ come. And if in fact I am returned to my Lord, I will definitely get a far better outcome than ˹all˺ this.” (36)
As soon as I recalled these Ayat, I thought to myself, سُبْحَانَ اللّه (all praise is due to Allah), is there an inch of difference between me and the owner of the two gardens?
Like he did, I had thought that my success would run eternally. I had seldom pondered about the Day of Judgment due to that very mindset.
The owner of the two gardens had to witness the demise of his fortune, just days after he had spoken his words of arrogance.
I was going through a similar phase. My success had come to a standstill; or perhaps left me altogether, never to return to my doorstep.
I realized that this was my moment of repentance. This was the day I realized I should destroy the pride that had plagued my heart. I realized that all my actions should only be undertaken for the pleasure of Allah. This has been a goal I have strived to achieve to this day but haven’t yet succeeded. I sincerely seek strength from my Lord to reach that goal.
My dear brothers and sisters:
Every bit of success we achieve in our lives is nothing more than a blessing from our Lord. Had He willed, we would have been talentless shells dwelling on this planet. Our talents are inhibited so it becomes a trial for us during this temporary time.
The test is whether we dedicate our lives to achieve the pleasure of our Lord with the qualities that have been bestowed upon us. And to remember Him even when those talents enrich our lives with victory.
We should always prioritize the success of the Hereafter, ahead of the successes of this life. That’s our only path towards success in both lives.
God Willing!
