life: a prison for the believer and a paradise for the unbeliever

زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

The life of this world has been made appealing to those who disbelieve, and they ridicule those who believe. But those who fear Allah shall be above them on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit. — Quran 2:212

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏ الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ
2956 صحيح مسلم كتاب الزهد والرقائق

“The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the unbeliever.”

— Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)

Reference: Sahih Muslim 2956

Hadith Explanation:

A believer is ever mindful of Allah/God. Therefore, he/she is not free to do what they please. That is why this world feels like a prison to them.

On the other hand, a person who is not mindful of Allah, does whatever they feel like, or whatever they think they can get away with. There are indeed many things that can be enjoyed in this world. A person who is not looking forward to meeting their Lord, would spend their every moment trying to maximize their enjoyment here, short-lived though it is. Thus, the non-believer can find this world to be a Paradise. But the believer knows that no happiness here is everlasting and that they are always in danger of falling into the hands of Satan. They, therefore, long to get out of the exam that this world is and into the safety of the grave.

An-Nawawi said,

“The believer is imprisoned and prohibited in the world from forbidden desires and disapproved acts, being responsible to do laborious acts of obedience.”

Reference: Sharḥ al-Nawawī ‘alá Sahih Muslim 2956

قال النووي أَنَّ كُلَّ مُؤْمِنٍ مَسْجُونٌ مَمْنُوعٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الشَّهَوَاتِ الْمُحَرَّمَةِ وَالْمَكْرُوهَةِ مُكَلَّفٌ بِفِعْلِ الطَّاعَاتِ الشَّاقَّةِ

2956 شرح النووي على مسلم