Assalamu alaykum,

Generally we are driven by our desires and one of the desires we must feed on is the desire to have an eternal, blissful life in Jannah/Heaven by contemplating over its virtues. Take the time to imagine the possible virtues in the Gardens of Heaven. If you are unable to, then read the verses of the Quran describing Heaven and the ahadith from the Sunnah describing the possible rewards in it. We generally think that as Muslims we directly enter Heaven and anything we wish for will come to life for eternity. That tends to happen when you watch too many fantasy shows. The reality is that you get for eternity THEN what you made an effort for NOW in your relatively short lifespan. If you have a proof from the Quran and Sunnah to claim otherwise, please reference it.

To achieve our ENDLESS desires, we require making an effort by utilising the LIMITED resources from this life effectively. This also requires having the incentive to achieve success in this life by fully utilising our God-given resources such as our mind, energy, time, and space. We need to balance our worldly desires of wealth, health, networking, and relaxation by managing our time patiently through proper planning. All the while, not forgetting to plan around our efforts to fulfil our desires for a blissful afterlife. Then, we will be able to achieve TRUE success in these areas to give us sufficient wealth, ample health, a well interconnected reliable web of social networks, and a satisfying form of relaxation.

In the process of achieving this true success, we will encouter a few managable challenges due to the promise of Allah to test us through His blessings and the promise of Shaytan to misguide us through his whispers:

ONE: Standards....

You can achieve success and blissful life in this world without having a desire for the afterlife. However, the catch is that you may be risking if not possibly sacrificing the blissful Afterlife and some, if not all of its eternal benefits. From my Islamic research, doing the fard requirements of being a Muslim is like just getting your visa for an unquestionable ENTRY into Jannah/Heaven. We may think this is sufficient because we have a tendency to "lower the bar" for ourselves as Muslims by comparing ourselves to those who may be entering the Hellfire for eternity. That will tend to happen when so many of them may obviously be around you, especially in a non-Muslim land. This is exactly why you need to try to make sure you always have good company around that will "increase the bar" for you and your family, in ANY and ALL aspects of life.

TWO: Priorities....

The problem with prioritising the desires of this world BEFORE the desires of the hereafter is that we may become overwhelmed with our worldly desires because we are only human, we are not angels that cannot disobey Allah's commands. This is because we ACTUALLY experience the benefits of achieving our worldly desires in real time while still waiting and hoping for the desires of the Hereafter. This is where emaan comes into play to allow us to control our worldly desires while utilising them to achieve our desires for the Hereafter.

THREE: Limits...

The reality is that you may be unable to fully utilise your resources in this life to reap the benefits of the afterlife because this life is just a test of our capabilities. But using them effectively and wisely to balance the desires of this world will allow you to achieve the endless desires of the Hereafter.

Let me clarify that you will be unable to achieve the desires of the Hereafter without focusing on the desires of this world and managing them wisely. It is just a matter of balancing the limited desires of this world to effectively achieve the endless desires of the Hereafter.

May Allah guide us on the straight path with sincere, correct intentions.

Insha-Allah.