Doing Good Deeds Also Requires a Balance Between This World and the Hereafter: The Secret to a Life Without Falsehood

Have you ever felt the same feeling as Hanzhalah?

When you hear a stirring sermon, witness a soul-stirring sermon, or attend a gathering that makes your heart tremble, you feel as if heaven and hell are truly before your eyes. You cry. You're determined to be a better servant. You feel your faith soar to the seventh heaven.

But then you come home.

The kids call. The couple talks about household chores. The chores pile up. The bills await. And slowly, like morning mist dispelled by the sun, the enthusiasm evaporates. You fall back into old habits. Then a small, aching heart whispers, "Am I a hypocrite?"“

Hanzhalah bin Ar-Rabi', Rasulullah's friend and scribe, experienced exactly the same moment. One day he met Abu Bakar Ash-Siddiq, and he honestly said, "Hanzhalah has become a hypocrite."’

Abu Bakar was shocked. “Subhanallah, What are you saying?"”

“"When we were with the Prophet," Hanzalah explained, "he reminded us of Paradise and Hell, as if we were seeing them with our own eyes. But when we left his presence, we were preoccupied with wives, children, and worldly affairs. We forgot many things."”

Then Abu Bakr, the friend who would later become the first caliph, answered with a surprising sentence: "By Allah, I also feel the same thing."“

Subhanallah.

It turns out that Hanzalah wasn't the only one who felt this unease. Abu Bakr Ash-Siddiq—a companion guaranteed paradise—also felt it. In fact, perhaps every believer who is honest with themselves has felt the same way.

Then they both went to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There, the Prophet provided a remedy for their deepest anxieties.

The Prophet said:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ, لَوْ تَدُومُونَ عَلَى مَا God willing God bless you فُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ، وَلَكِنْ يَْ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً، سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً

“"By the One in Whose Hands my soul is, if you were constantly in a state like when you were with me and in a state of dhikr, surely the angels would greet you in your beds and on your streets. But O Hanzhalah, one hour and one hour. One hour and one hour. One hour and one hour."” (HR. Muslim, Buku At-Taubah, Chapter Fadhl Ad-Dawam 'Ala Al-'Amal, no. 2750)

Imagine. If we could maintain that peak spiritual state at all times, angels would shake hands with us. What an incredible honor. The ultimate spiritual achievement.

But then the Prophet continued. And this is the sentence that changed everything: saa'atan wa saa'atan.

The Prophet repeated this three times. As if he wanted to carve its meaning into the recesses of his soul.

What is the meaning saa'atan wa saa'atan?

It means: one hour for God, one hour for the world. One hour to worship with full concentration, one hour to struggle with family and work. One hour to reach the afterlife, one hour to take care of the mortal.

This doesn't mean we divide our time rigidly like a class schedule. Rather, it's the principle of balance: that a healthy spiritual life doesn't recognize the concept of "all or nothing.".

Don't assume you have to be at your spiritual peak every second. Don't assume that feeling tired after caring for children and a partner is hypocritical. Don't assume that the need to rest, relax, and enjoy the halal world is a form of betrayal of God.

No.

It is sunnatullah. That is grace. That is God's way of keeping His servants from breaking in the middle of the road.

Because truly, humans are weak. And Allah, the All-Knowing, understands that weakness. He doesn't burden us with the obligation to be at our highest spiritual state at all times. He only asks us to be consistent, even if only a little.

An hour devoted to Him. An hour devoted to family. An hour dedicated to work. An hour guilt-free rest.

This is the perfect balance. It's not a balance that makes this world as important as the afterlife—because the afterlife is certainly more important. But it's a balance that recognizes that to reach the afterlife, we must pass through this world in a way that pleases us.

Ibn Uthaymeen once provided a valuable lesson from this hadith. He said that the principle saa'atan wa saa'atan This does not only apply to matters of worship and the world, but also to knowledge. If you are bored studying one book, move to another book. If you feel bored with one scientific discipline, alternate it with another scientific discipline. Because forcing yourself to be bored will only make you run away from goodness.

The same applies to worship. If you feel tired from long night prayers, just do short but consistent ones. If you find it difficult to read the Quran for hours, just do a few minutes but consistently. For Allah loves a small but consistent deed more than a large one that is interrupted midway.

Take a moment to reflect. Perhaps we've been too hard on ourselves. We feel like every time our faith wanes, every time our devotion wanes, every time this world seems closer than the hereafter—we immediately conclude that something is wrong with our faith.

But it's not.

The Prophet Muhammad himself taught that the ups and downs of faith are natural. What's important is to regulate our rhythm. There are times when we soar high with the angels. There are times when we walk the earth with our children and spouse. Both are acts of worship, as long as the intention is sound.

Don't kill yourself with persistent guilt. Don't torture yourself with accusations of hypocrisy every time you're preoccupied with legitimate worldly affairs. It's precisely these unbalanced, extreme attitudes that often lead people to abandon religion altogether.

What God asks of you is not to be an angel. You are not an angel. You are a human being, created with limitations and needs. What God asks of you is this: to be a balanced human being. A human being who, when with God, is present wholeheartedly. And when with his family, he is also present with full love. When he works, he works wholeheartedly. When he rests, he rests without guilt.

Because life isn't about choosing between this world and the afterlife. It's about managing this world to achieve the afterlife.

Saa'atan wa saa'atan.

One hour for Him. One hour for them. One hour for yourself.

So become a complete human being. Not the one torn apart by endless anxiety. Because the Prophet Muhammad has shown the way: a blessed balance.

And the good news? This balance is what will sustain you in obedience. It's not about soaring high and then crashing down. But rather, consistent, small steps will ultimately take us higher than we ever imagined.

And Allah knows best