What is "ad-dunya"

Ad-Dunya is an Arabic word whose root is دنو (d-n-w) or دني (d-n-y). The literal meaning of this word is 'the nearer' or 'the lower' and refers to "this world' in Islamic thought.

Ad-Dunya is the world of appearances and greatest superficiality when compared with the world of the hereafter. It is a world of temporality where all things will one day cease to be. The world can be seductive and beautiful, and a Muslim need not outright turn his or her back on it, but he or she must understand it for what it is and avoid submitting only to it.