Higher Aims – a Kaafir has no higher aims

 

How can a Muslim describe the aims of a Kaafir as high when a Kaafir has no ambition but to indulge in this worldly life? For it, he toils and for it, he fights, while turning his back to the Hereafter. Allah Ta’ala says, ‘Verily, those who hope not for their meeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present world, and those who are heedless of Our signs. Those their abode will be the Fire, because of what they used to earn.’ (10:7 – 8). Allah has made clear to us that the real life is in the Hereafter, that is the life indeed, if they but knew.’ (29:64)

How could the aims of a Kaafir be high when he deviated from the path of Ieman, and refused but to be the burning wood of the hellfire? How can he have high aims while he sacrificed his wealth, his offspring and himself for the sake of swaying people from Allah’s path? Allah says, “Verily, those who disbelieve and prevent mankind from the path of Allah, they have certainly strayed far away.” [4:167]

How can the aims of a Kafir be described as high when Allah created him on the innate nature of tawheed, but he destroyed it and gave him the blessing of a mind but he crippled it. And Allah prescribed to him the signs of His Oneness, and the proofs of the truthfulness of His Messenger, and He sent down a Book that is a miracle but he turned away from all this, and made the life of this World his highest endeavor!

The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said “Allah despises the one who is proud, full of himself, who walks in arrogance, makes loud noises in the markets, sleeps like a dead corpse at night, and works like a donkey at day, and possesses knowledge about the matters of this life but is ignorant about the matters of the Hereafter.” (Ibn Hibbaan) They have knowledge about the apparent things of this world, the matters of livelihood, like when to plant, irrigate, and harvest, and how to build, etc. But they are ignorant of the matters of the Hereafter. How well does this hadeeth describe the kuffaar whose sole concern is this life, and who rejoice with what they acquired in it. Allah says, “Therefore, withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder and desires nothing but the life of this world. That is what they could reach of knowledge.” [53:29]

And among the kuffaar are those who seek Paradise, and strive to attain it, but they took the wrong way. They will not attain it, for they have turned away from the only Path to it, the Path that Allah has Shown us through his Messenger, (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam), as Allah says, “Say, ‘Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.” [18:103-1041

Therefore how can a Muslim admire a kafir and describe him as having high aims because of actions whose only Purpose is to improve his life in this world?! Even if his actions are meant for worship, they are wasted and will not benefit him in the Hereafter, as Allah says, “And We shall turn to whatever deeds they [the kuffaar] did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.” [25:23]

From “Uluwwul Himmah” by Muhammad al-Muqaddim