Lessons from Spring

“Know that verily it is Allāh who gives life to the Earth after its death…” (Al-Qur’ān, 57/17)

As the birds chirping sounds fill the air, the flowers begin to blossom, the grass begins to sprout from the dead Earth, and the leaves start to adorn the trees again, we are afforded a fantastic opportunity to reflect and take lesson.

In many Āyāt of the Qur’ān-Karīm, Allāh Ta’ālā speaks about how He gives life to the dead. “He brings forth the living from the dead (such as a human being from dead fluid), the dead from the living (such as an egg from a chicken) and He revives the Earth after its death. And similarly, will you be raised (from your graves one day) …” (Al Qur’ān, 19/30)

These types of Āyāt impress upon us the greatness of our Creator and remind us of the Ākhirah and our own condition one day. Therefore, the beautiful scenes we witness in Spring shouldn’t pass by without appreciating the beauty of Allāh Ta’ālā’s creation. We should also realize that just as the greenery “died” and was given new life, so too will we one day be brought back from the dead for a great and fearsome occasion, the Day of Qiyāmah.

In other Āyāt, Allāh Ta’ālā teaches us another lesson through the example of the Earth and its changes- “Have you not seen that verily it is Allāh who sends rain down from the sky, then channels it into springs in the Earth? After that, He brings forth crops of different colours, after which they dry out, and you notice them turn yellow, and eventually Allāh turns it to chaff. Certainly, in this is a lesson for people of intelligence….” (Al-Qur’ān, 21/39)

The Dunyā is the same. It is outwardly beautiful, green, and lush in its luxuries and pleasures. However, compared to the everlasting Ākhirah, it is incredibly short-lived. We must, therefore, keep in mind that all the beauty we see and enjoy will soon wither away and come to an end; if not the luxuries themselves, then we will be leaving it all behind one day!

How foolish is one who runs after the temporary while neglecting his everlasting abode? When this applies to permissible pleasures, how much worse is one who destroys his Ākhirah by indulging in Harām! The Dunyā has been compared to one’s shadow; if he tries to run after it, he will never catch it. But, on the other hand, if he is content and gives preference to his Ākhirah while still getting what is decreed for him, he will also build his Jannah in this world and the next!

May Allāh Ta’ālā give us the ability to take a lesson from the signs that He has created for us, Āmīn. In the words of a pious predecessor regarding Spring: “The land (in it) is silken, the air is fragrant, and every minute of it is a lesson and a reminder!”