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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

The Future Can Be More Beautiful

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • The article reflects on times when life feels like it's moving backward, with goals seeming distant and plans falling apart.
  • It addresses the anxiety of unanswered prayers and the doubt that tomorrow might not be better, referencing a Quranic verse promising a better future.
  • The verse, "And indeed, the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]," is presented as a source of comfort during difficult times, drawing parallels to the Prophet Muhammad's experience when divine revelation paused.

There are moments when life feels like a regression, where what once seemed close suddenly recedes, and carefully laid plans unravel due to unforeseen circumstances. In such times, seeing others reach their destinations while one remains at a standstill can make the future appear as a dim, endless corridor.

This feeling is compounded when prayers seem to hang unanswered in the heavens. Despite persistent knocking, doors remain shut. Efforts have been made, seeds planted, yet no growth is visible. Even with a conscious effort to maintain faith, a quiet question emerges: Will tomorrow truly be better?

And indeed, the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life].

— Quran (Surah Ad-Dhuha 93:4)The central verse offering comfort and hope for a better future.

The Quran offers an answer to this profound unease with a concise verse: "And indeed, the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]" (Surah Ad-Dhuha, 93:4). This short passage acts as a gentle hand on the shoulder of someone losing the courage to face the future.

Your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor has He detested [you].

— Quran (Surah Ad-Dhuha 93:3)A reassurance from God during a period of perceived silence.

This verse is not isolated; it resides within Surah Ad-Dhuha, a chapter revealed to bring solace to the Prophet Muhammad during a period when divine revelations temporarily ceased. This pause allowed adversaries to mock him, suggesting God had abandoned him. Imagine the emotional weight of that time: a Prophet, whose life was entirely dependent on Allah's guidance, facing days without new messages, the heavens seemingly silent.

Allah begins Surah Ad-Dhuha with a beautiful oath: "By the morning brightness, and by the night when it settles" (93:1-2). This seems to invite the Prophet to observe the passage of time – the alternation of night and day, darkness and light – emphasizing that nothing remains constant. This is followed by the reassurance: "Your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor has He detested [you]" (93:3). Only then does the comforting declaration arrive: "And indeed, the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]" (93:4).

By the morning brightness, and by the night when it settles.

— Quran (Surah Ad-Dhuha 93:1-2)An oath emphasizing the natural cycles of time and change.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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