What is the currency of the Hereafter?
Today, I will present the explanation of a Hadith from Bukhari Sharif. I have in my hand volume two of the famous Arabic commentary, Fathul Bari, written by Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani (Rahmatullah Alaihe), which comprises in total fourteen volumes. No matter how much Urdu literature one reads, still he will be incapable of deriving benefit from the knowledge contained in these books. Solely by the grace of Allah Ta'ala and the duas of the pious, am I able to present some of these teachings to you, today.
Before I begin, I will first mention seven actions, which should be done on Friday, and are repeated here every Friday, after Fajr. Whosoever will practice upon them, will have written in his account the reward of one year's Nafl (optional) fast and one year's Nafl Salaah, in lieu of every step taken from his home to the Masjid. If his home happens to be fifty steps away from the Masjid, he shall receive the reward of fifty years of Nafl fast and fifty years of Nafl Salaah. Such a person will appear on the Day of Judgment with an enormous positive balanced.
O my friends, earn what you can today, for now is the time for earning. The earnings made in this transitory abode shall have great value tomorrow, when we return to our eternal home. There is still time to awaken from our slumber and acquire the currency of the Hereafter. The currency of today shall hold no value tomorrow, just as one country's currency is not recognized by another. When death shall strike, our currency shall immediately change. All worldly posts shall, on that day, mean absolutely nothing!
Many years ago, a wealthy man posed the following question to me: "When a billionaire passes away, people are heard saying, "May Allah forgive him. He was indeed a most pious man. He used to be punctual with his Salaah and most abstinent. He would see to the wages of the Imaam and the Muazzin. He spent freely to build Masjid and Madressas, etc." No one however, speaks of the businesses which made him so rich, that he had a factory in Karachi, another in Faisalabad, and one in Lahore. These things are never mentioned. Why?
Through the blessed duas of my elders, Allah Ta'ala inspired me with the answer almost immediately. I replied, "Because after one's eyes close, he abandons this world and moves on to the other. The currency there is different from what is found here, thus mention is made of how much of the currency of his new abode he had acquired. So