On the authority of Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra), the blessed Messenger of God ﷺ is reported as having stated, “Be in the world as a traveler or a stranger,” [Bukhari]. In this simple statement, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ communicates the essence and summary of the journey of a human being as a traveler or wayfarer from the world of form to that which is beyond.
By learning to live and be as a traveler, as one who realizes that he or she is here but for a limited amount of time and that eternity awaits in the world beyond, not only can we experience life beyond fear, grief and suffering, but we can also better prepare our souls for the that which is eternal.
We Are Travelers
We begin our lives at birth and the journey ends for each and every one of us at the death of the physical form. Based upon this blessed tradition from the Prophet ﷺ, however, we are reminded that death is not the end, but rather the means to arriving at the true destination of the soul.
Thus, for a believer, death is not something to be feared, but rather prepared for. For one of faith, death is not something to avoid, but rather to journey towards with excellence and integrity.
The Muslim is by definition he or she who looks forward to the meeting with their Lord, and thus one who does not fear death. Thus said the blessed Messenger ﷺ, “Death is a gift for the believer,” [Tabarani].
Furthermore, the Prophet ﷺ consistently advised to “remember death,” for it is only in the acceptance of death that one becomes liberated from fear and thus able to truly live. It is but by remembering the temporality of life in the world that we prepare for that which is eternal.
Be In the World as a Traveler: Experience Peace
For most, because of the fear of death, life passes moment by moment in fear, worry and anxiety, all of which result from attachment to the world of form, known as dunya in Arabic.
Yet for the believer, particularly they who have transcended the world of illusion, Allah Almighty states, “Verily, upon the friends of God, there is no fear nor do they grieve,” [Surah Yunus, Holy Qur’an, 10:62].
Who are the friends of God? The friends of God are simply they who are close and intimately connected with God, and they who are close and deeply connected with God are they whose hearts have transcended and are not attached to the temporal world of form.
By remembering that we are travelers, and by living and being in the world as wayfarers, they who are on a sacred journey from form to transcendent light and energy, we liberate ourselves from the ceaseless suffering that invariably results from attachment to that which is ever passing away.
It can be said that all suffering is from attachment, and it is but the realization that we are travelers that enables one to let go of that which is ultimately not that important, and to embrace that which is true, real and eternally of value.
“Suffering is from attachment. Be in the world as a traveler and transcend both fear and grief.”
Be In the World as a Traveler: Awaken
Form veils essence, and a traveler in the spiritual sense is he or she who is traveling from form to spirit, from illusion to reality, from time and space to that which is eternal.
The great Imam Ali (kw) stated, “All human beings are asleep, and they awaken with death.” Thus, the journey’s end is not in fact the end, but rather it is the beginning. In death, we do not enter into eternal slumber, but in fact the exact opposite, we awaken.
To be in the world as a traveler is to move through life free of attachment, and only thus do we become capable of truly loving and truly living. To truly experience is to be awake, and so it has been reported that the noble Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stated, “Die before you die.”
To live and be in the world as a traveler is in effect to die to the illusion and vanity of the world of form and appearance, and thus to awaken to transcendent truth, light and reality.
Be In the World as a Traveler: Return to Fitrah
Allah Almighty has created all things in a state of original excellence and wholeness known as fitrah, yet as we become acclimated to what is essentially a false world, this original state of purity and innocence becomes warped, fragmented and veiled.
As fear increases in the psyche, that original state of tranquility becomes increasingly lost, and we become increasingly fragmented and fractured. Fear arises from attachment, yet by remembering to be in the world as a traveler, we free ourselves from attachment and thus from fear, and so progressively return to our fitrah, the original state of wholeness, completeness, peace and tranquility.
When a human being is again healed and whole in their fitrah, he or she is in alignment with the Universe and is thus supported by the will of the Divine in all of their affairs. Paradoxically, by letting go of the world, it is given to one. Yet one who seeks and chases after the world loses not only light in the afterlife, but fails to ever reach to peace, happiness and contentment in the world itself.
Be in the world as a traveler, return to your original state of fitrah, and journey in peace and prosperity.
To your divine and eternal success.
[content_band style=”color: #333;” bg_color=”#F5F5F5″ border=”all” inner_container=”true”]
[custom_headline style=”margin-top: 0;” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″]Embrace the Path of the Traveler[/custom_headline]
The traveler is who or she who is strong and focused enough to let go of attachment to the world of form, to embrace the inevitability of death and to thus transcend both fear and suffering.
This requires the heart and spirit of a spiritual warrior, and this is none other than the sacred and noble prophetic path walked and taught by the great messengers of the Divine.
[x_custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” style=”margin-top: 0px;”]Recommended Course[/x_custom_headline]
[x_button class=”button-action” block=”true” href=”/eternal-warrior-way/” target=”blank”]Eternal Warrior Way Program[/x_button]
[/content_band]
Wonderful, Ihsan!
Thank you for the calm gentle insightful reminder
Masha’llah, welcome sister Esther. Peace, blessings, light and grace be with you.
assallam-o-alykum brother Ihsan. Hope you will be in peace and blessings. I have not forget about you and my journey. I have done a lot of research on getting the correct understanding and need more help and guidance. need your prayers.
May Allah Almighty make easy the way and illuminate you path, brother Jamil. To your divine and eternal success.
Thank you so much Ihsan. Today I woke up and felt that something was missing, a reminder is all i needed. Thank you!
Alhamdulillah, Racha, may Allah Almighty always send us gentle reminders when we need them. To your divine success.
Masha Allah this is a very powerful lesson and one that is taught in many of the worlds religious traditions.The ancient Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedanta teaches that we should recognise that in essence we are not the body and if we continue to think that this body and this world is all that we are then this attachment of the body to the world will only result in pain and suffering even though temporary relief may be achieved for brief moment or two. Keep up the good work Ihsan.
Shukran, thank you brother Jamil, please remember us in your prayers and may God’s blessings and peace be with you.
I have just mumbled to myself in the car on my way to home and said out loud; “—we are travelers”. Then I got home and prayed and after that I saw your email, I noted the highlighted *we are travelers* along the paragraphs. SubhanAllah. Once we tap into God’s Nur. He will keep confirming Himself over and over again in ourselves and in heavans. How could anyone’s eyes wouldn’t be conquered by these miracles. I am bewildered by the magnificence of His design (calculation). May Allah’s mercy be upon you Insan.
Allahu Akbar. And He continually reminds us to witness His signs which are messages of His love for us. Best of light and blessings, Cedar, in both this life and more importantly the eternal. To your divine success.
Thanks, Ihsan. A powerful truth and reminder.
I’m happy to know you’ve returned from your travels. I hope a return to the Soul of Islam is also in the works. The spiritual food you provide there is necessary nourishment for this journey.
Thank you, brother Yahya. Your love, support and prayers are deeply appreciated, and yes, a return and evolution of Soul of Islam Rabio is imminent, Insha’llah Ta’ala Rahman.
Al’Hamdilli’llah. I am so grateful for you, and this message. Watching your teachings is like taking a slow sweet sip of water after a long trip through the desert. May Allah bless you.
My blessed sister Jenn, thank you for your kind words. May you be sustained with the best of nourishment each step of the journey Home. To your divine, eternal and absolute success.
Jazakallah khair for your reminders , we truly are travellers , I pray that when we return Our Lord would be most pleased. Ameen
Ameen, wa iyyakum. Indeed may Allah Almighty guide us most importantly to His divine pleasure. Best of blessings, sister Yasmin.
Dear Ihsan,
We are of course travelers but we carry a burden of body, mind and world , whose demands have to be met in a certain measure, though in a detached manner. Reaching the destination is our goal but not without fulfilling the purpose for which the body , mind and the world were created.
Indeed, we are here to live and create in excellence and in beauty, and this can best be done beyond fear, greed and attachment that result from forgetting the temporality of this incarnation and this world. Shukran, best and most blessed regards. In God’s light, peace, love and guidance.
As Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu Brother Ihsan! I LOVE the service you provide for our community. May Allah be pleased & reward you accordingly! Ameen! Is the Spiritual Warrior program still available, or has time for enrollment passed? Please advise. Shukran. As Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!
Blessed salaams dear brother Fadhil, jazakullahu khairun. The Eternal Warrior Way Program is open for enrollment, and we will in fact be restarting the course with new content and new focus within the next few weeks. Feel free to enroll now and get familiar with some of the material already available. Insh’allah connect soon, to your divine and eternal success.
Interesting. In the last couple of days I was once again drawn to getting absorbed in Sufi material and Unani Medicine.
Excellent reminder as always.
Eternalwarriorway programm opening again or we starting as a group or everyone individually?
Definately wanting to start!
Blessed salaams dear brother Thomas, insha’llah we will be starting very soon in the next few weeks, I will make an announcement soon.
Travel in Deep Space
aware of body and mind
sukran, Ihsan
Mashallah !May Allah remember you as you remember and remind us.
Allahumma ameen, jazakullah sister Mahbuba. Best and most blessed regards to you and yours, in God’s light, love, protection and guidance.
Salaam brother,
Traveller reminder is very good. But if we think constantly like this then no one will prosper in this world. No will have any motivation to do anything. Iam sure in the Islamic history Muslim excelled in pretty much in all fields. They had motivation to prosper. Please let me know your thought.
Blessed salaams. Humbly, I would disagree. Our motivation then would be to do for the sake of love and of light, of earning the pleasure of our Lord and because it is for what we have been created. Rather than profit and attachment, purpose is a greater motivator to good action. And in this case, we would do with wisdom, guidance and inspiration, creating beauty and harmony rather than destroying and harming, as has become so common and the norm that we do not even think about it as a culture. May God guide and awaken us. To your success and happiness.
Thank you brother! Always a pleasure to be reminded of what really matters. I would like to add that when we realize the evanescent nature of our small self, all attachment falls away effortlessly like a weed whose roots have been pulled out withers away. Then we can manifest new effective patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are in harmony with Allah’s will and law. Please keep writing and spread this truth that puts an end to suffering. God bless!
Very well said. And thank you, may Allah Almighty support us to serve our divine purpose and minimize suffering for all of creation. In love and light, to your eternal success.
Lets all spread this truth so many great lessons. Time for us to awaken and for humanity to awaken.