Hadith (1):
Abdullah bin Omar (RadiyAllahu Anhu) narrates that once a person said to the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam):
‘O Apostle of God ! Tell me who is the wisest and most farsighted of men.’
The Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) replied:
“He who remembers death much and makes the greatest preparation for it. They alone are wise and prudent who are like that. They earned respect in this world as well as glory in the Hereafter.”
[Tabrani]
Commentary:-
When real life is the life of the Hereafter it is apparent that the wisest and most farsighted among the bondmen are those who keep death permanently in the mind and prepare earnestly for it. On the contrary, they, surely, are the greatest fools who know that death is certain and, yet, make no preparations for it and remain engrossed in worldly pleasures.
Hadith (2):
Shaddad bin Aus (RadiyAllahu Anhu) related to us that the Apostle of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“The wise and the strong is he who keeps his inordinate appetites under control and strives for life after death [i.e., for deliverance and felicity in the Hereafter], and the foolish and the weak is he who subordinates himself to sensual pleasures [i.e., follows the biddings of the flesh instead of the commands of Allah], and hopes [for the best] from the Lord.”
[Tirmidhi and Ibn-i-Majah]
Commentary:-
In our world, he is considered to be clever who makes a lot of money and is in a position to do whatever he likes while a person who fails in these objectives is looked down upon as weak and foolish. With the men of the world who believe the earthly existence to be everything, it has to be so. But in this Tradition the Prophet (SAWS) tells that the real life is not of the present world which, in any case, is transitory, but of the Hereafter which is everlasting, and success in the life to come is for them alone who remain loyal and obedient to Allah during their stay on earth. Hence, the truly wise and successful bondmen are those who hold themselves in readiness for the life to follow and make their carnal selves subordinate to the Divine Will. On the other hand, they are lacking in wisdom and doomed to punishment who have made themselves slaves of their worldly desires and ambitions and instead of observing the laws and ordinances of Allah, follow their own whims and inclinations, and still cherish in their hearts the expectation of a happy sequel in the Hereafter. However clever they may be in worldly affairs, people who indulge freely in sensual pleasures and make no preparation for After-life are a miserable lot, imprudent, unwise and unblessed.
A special warning has been administered in this Tradition to those who care nothing in the practical life for what awaits on the other side of death and give a free rein to their desires and earthly propensities, and yet rely upon Allah’s Benevolence and Forgiveness and when anyone admonishes them they say that the Mercy of the Lord is boundless. Such people are sadly mistaken and are bound to be disillusioned in the end. The hope of compassion and kindliness from the Almighty is commendable when it is supported by action otherwise it is nothing but Satanic deception.
[Source: Marif-Ul-Hadith]