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My brothers and sisters, some people are more interested in the life after death and some are interested in this life.

The reality is a believer strikes a balance between the two with the greater interest in the hereafter,

because if you have lost this world but you've gained the hereafter, you've actually gained everything.

But if you have this world and you've lost the hereafter, you've actually lost everything.

So we always ask the Almighty for goodness in this world and goodness in the hereafter.

In the interim, we tend to work towards one of the two or both of them, without realizing or sometimes knowingly what we do is we give preference to something,

even though we may claim that we give preference to the other.

What this means is we say that we want paradise and we are working towards paradise and we'd love jannah,

but the way we lead our lives is very far from actually making sure that that statement is true.

So we are so interested in worldly items, we pursue them to the degree that we compromise our duties unto Allah.

Be it your prayer, be it your truthfulness, your worship, your charities, your dress code, your relationships, your moralities, your values.

All of that becomes compromised because of worldly reasons and we still claim we want paradise.

Now, Allah Almighty in Suratul Isra explains something really beautiful.

If you take a look at Suratul Isra, which is also named Surat, Banu Israil, the reason is the Isra or the journey by night from Makkah to Baithul Makdis is mentioned in it.

And Banu Israil because the children of Israil are mentioned in it, the children of the Prophet Jacob or Yaqub may peace be upon him.

So those are the names of the Surah.

In the Surah Allah Almighty tells us quite clearly that whoever strives towards achieving the goodness of this world, we will give it to them.

You worked hard to achieve the goodness of this world, we will give it to you.

Listen, verse number 18, Allah says,

Whoever wants this current life that you are in right now, that which is right now and strives towards it, we will give whatever we wish to, from amongst them, we will give them.

And in the hereafter, they achieve nothing, they didn't believe in it, they didn't want it.

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