Spirit of Islam, July 2013

W HAT a shock it will be for man to realize that his activities on earth have amounted to nothing. People take pride in asserting themselves, but they would do better to discover their humility and abject helplessness in the presence of God. They seek to justify their errors, but they would do better to admit them. They have been given tongues with which to praise God, but they praise human beings instead. They have been endowed with the emotions of love and fear to offer to God, but they prefer to offer them to other objects. Hoarding wealth is their greatest aim in life, whereas it should be to give their wealth in God’s cause. True virtue lies in being kind to the weak, but they ignore the weak and hail the mighty. They prefer to engage in noisy, worthless pursuits, but they would do better to delve into the silent world of meanings. Individual progress lies in being able to criticize themselves, but they never cease to criticize others. They were expected to consider worldly wealth as worthless, but they have striven after it relentlessly, as if it were the source of all goodness. Only those are in the right, who measure up to the standard set by God. Today people recognize only the cruelties and injustice perpetrated by others. What will become of them when they learn of the cruelties and injustice perpetrated by themselves? People have taken shelter in objects other than God, and think that they have gained a firm footing in life. But what will become of them when they find that there is no real refuge, save in God? People justify themselves by means of words. What will become of them when they learn that there is no substance to their words? By accumulating worldly amenities, they feel sure that they have all they need to succeed in both the worlds. What a shock they will receive when they learn that death has obliterated all in its wake! People A FOOL’S PARADISE