The Deception

Illustration by Simra Hanan

Did you hear about that shop down the street

The one which is always bursting at its seams

Do you know the reason why?

People walk in just to try

To find a remedy for their broken heart

Or to seek for what is their missing part

Some walk out finding their remedy

But little do they know that it's all just temporary

They will be back walking through the shop's door

Again, longing for something even more

And she is a cunning saleswoman

Hayati has a profound effect on every human

She can present any scrap as glittering gold

Her persuasion captures both young and old

Hayati speaks words that would melt in your hands

She makes you feel as if she fully understands

Hayati knows exactly what to offer you

After perusing through concoctions of different hues

A bottle of 100% pure concentrated happiness

But side effects in fine print warn of the mess

That the fleeting joy will surely accompany

Addiction, discontentment, and misery

But yet they have not realised

And looked past her well-woven lies

That what she offers is just a temporary fix

Which often is nothing more than a gimmick

Leaving a large hole in your soul

Darkening your heart to a charcoal

Temporary joy purchased for the price of your soul

Now look who is now in control?

As you become a puppet of your desires

Hayati helped in setting the stage

But you wrote the play - each and every page

Chasing the passing worldly gains

Money, power, and fame

Branded cars and gated mansions

Living the high life, basking in the attention

But all these efforts were in vain

For which of these actually remain?

When we become nothing but mere remains

But perhaps before more of us become her bait

I must tell you something important, so please wait

Someone wise once told

That the life of this world

Is only the enjoyment of deception

So, before Hayati alters our perception

Let us take the necessary action

That would safeguard us from destruction

For the life of this world, Hayati

Welcomes you into her store enticingly

But you have a choice to repel that temptation

And have a better chance of your salvation

When ultimately you are laying six feet below

All the riches and fame you had will not follow

So, invest your time and energy wisely

Into building your home of eternity

"كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ. "

"Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the deception of enjoyment." (The Qur’an, 3:185)

Ghuroor (غُرُورِ): deception

Hayati (حياتي): life of this dunya