Allah said in Surat Al 'Imran, v.185: {... "and only on the Day of Resurrection will you be paid your wages in full..."}

This verse is a relief for the mind. A person with a sense of dignity hates nothing more than to be cheated out of something which is rightfully his or hers. Yet, the way life is structured is such that people are wronged & cheated left and right, and often have no choice but to either remain patient or exact revenge. If one is wronged, there is no third option when it comes to maintaining one's honor. Since we as Muslims are in general discouraged from the latter, and are encouraged to hold to the former, and since we are human beings who have limits as to how much we can let pass without violating this balance, we need some type of firm reassurance that our patience and dormancy will pay off, and this verse provides that.

A result of pondering over this particular sentence is a greater attachment to the Hereafter, since the message is essentially that you should not look to this life to get the good that is coming to you. This world is a staging ground, this life merely a partial reality. Had complete justice began and ended here, had our reward manifested itself here in full - had this life been the end as opposed to the means to a later end - then our hearts would've been even more drawn to it than they are. We would've been obliged to attach greater value to this world due to the greater expectations we would've had of it. But from the Wisdom of Allah, and from His Mercy, He has caused a delay in that full payment of justice to the next life, and this is in part to attach our hearts to it; to give us a greater grasp of the reality of this world in comparison to the next; to give us a better existence to look forward to even with all of the pleasures that He has granted us in this life.

طارق مهنا
Tariq Mehanna
Plymouth Correctional Facility
Isolation Unit - Cell #108