Working for this life

Salaams all,

Sorry for the delay in my posting to the blog, I've been way behind on
all my emails. Fourth year is going well alhamdulillah, and interview
season is coming nearly to an end. It's nice that the business of
traveling back and forth to places to interview is over, but now I get
the worry and waiting for match day. Duas and prayers would be
appreciated from everyone. Other than that, I'm just finishing up
electives and trying to have as much fun as I can this last semester
of med school since I know I won't get this kind of a chance again.

I was having a conversation the other day with some friends and the
following hadith came up, and I thought it would be nice to share some
of the thoughts that I had about it:

"If the Hour is about to take place while any one of you has a sapling
in his hand, which he can cultivate before it takes place, let him
cultivate it for he will be rewarded for it."

What I thought was most amazing about this hadith was a slightly
different aspect of Islam that perhaps is not dealt with as much as I
think it should be. We are constantly reminded that this life is only
a test and a path towards the hereafter, which is eternal. As
muslims, we do everything in this life to gain a better position in
the afterlife. However, this hadith (and much of the Prophet (SAW)'s
life) points out that it is important to continue working for this
life in a positive way. The Prophet (SAW) did not sit in a cave all
day and pray. He was a leader, a statesman, a general, an imam, a
businessman, a father and a husband, and he is our role model for EACH
of those roles. Although we cannot hope to become perfect in each
area of life, we should strive to be the best for both this life and
the hereafter.

--Zain