Reason is the most important distinguishing feature between believers and unbelievers. Reason, an intellectual gift from Allah, is a characteristic of servants who believe in Him. It develops in proportion to an individual's faith and fear of and submission to Him. Fear of Allah and sincere faith endow the individual with an understanding which allows him or her to act in accordance with the good pleasure of Allah at every moment of his or her life. Using their conscience, such people choose to behave in the manner most compatible with the Qur'an, as a result of which they acquire a high standard of behavior which prevails throughout their lives. Allah has revealed this mercy on believers in the Qur'an:
You who believe! If you fear [and respect] Allah, He will give you discrimination and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. Allah's favor is indeed immense.
On the other hand, no matter how clever an unbeliever may be, so long as he lacks faith, he can never possess the reason with which to correctly comprehend the nature of the world in which he lives, nor what he needs to do as a consequence. That is because reason is a very different thing to intelligence; it cannot be acquired by hard work and experience, nor by solving mathematical problems or by occupying one's self in complicated academic processes. Reason is a power of comprehension and understanding which comes about by the will of Allah and belongs only to those who have faith. Allah has revealed in many verses of the Qur'an how deniers lack true reason. Some of these read as follows:
... Those who did not believe invented lies against Allah. Most of them do not use their intellect.
The likeness of those who do not believe is that of the beast which, call out to it as one may, can hear nothing but a shout and a cry. Deaf–dumb–blind. They do not use their intellect.
One of the principal reasons that unbelievers imagine this world they live in to be real, forget about the Hereafter and seek only to fulfill their earthly desires is that, as revealed in the verses, they have "no intellect." They therefore imagine that their whole lives are restricted to this world. Their narrow-minded perspectives on events and other judgments are nearly all directed towards this world. They see only the superficial aspects of the life of this world, are unable to comprehend its true purpose and spend their lives being totally forgetful of the Hereafter. Allah reveals the following about such people in the Qur'an:
They know an outward aspect of the life of this world but are heedless of the Hereafter. Have they not reflected within themselves? Allah did not create the heavens and the Earth and everything between them except with truth and for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the meeting with their Lord.
However, the fact is that via the verses of the Qur'an, Allah has provided information about the true face of the life of this world and has warned people not to be seduced by it. To humanity the love of worldly appetites is painted in glowing colors:
women and children, and heaped-up mounds of gold and silver, and horses with fine markings, and livestock and fertile farmland. All that is merely the enjoyment of the life of this world. The best homecoming is in the presence of Allah.
The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The Hereafter is better for those who guard against evil. So will you not use your intellect?
There can be no doubt that such behavior will inflict eternal losses upon those who do not reflect upon the magnitude of Allah's words.
Ghazali, a worthy Islamic scholar and man of high wisdom, once issued a reminder on this subject, describing how the transitory blessings of this world were dull and worthless compared to those to be granted by Allah in the Hereafter. Ghazali called upon people to seek the good pleasures of the Hereafter:
… In contrast to those peoples' stations, the ranks of the rulers in this world are small and dull—incomparably so. Allah speaks thus of the sultanate of the Hereafter,
"Seeing them, you see delight and a great kingdom [sultanate]"
Elevate the goods of the Hereafter, which Allah has described as such a great sultanate! Full well you know that the world and those things in it are few and worthless. Life is short, the span of the blessings of this world is short and very brief. Yet we muster our souls and possessions to acquire that very little and enjoy it for so short a time. Some of us achieve this, and others fail but envy those who do. They never look to see how they endanger their souls and possessions to acquire this. (Ghazali, Min -hajul Abidin, p. 319)
Real Life Lies in the Hereafter
It is through the guidance of the Qur'an that people learn the purpose behind their creation. They understand how they should serve Allah and they appreciate the truths about life itself. As set out in the preceding pages, we are informed in the Qur'an that "the true life" is that of the Hereafter. As revealed in the verses, therefore, the world we are living in at present is merely a "diversion," "a place of trial." When a person crosses over to the life of the Hereafter, all that will remain of this world will be brief memories in his or her mind. CompaARE YOU AWARE red to the Hereafter, the life of this world resembles "the blink of an eye," as in the following example: Imagine that you are sitting happily by the banks of a river one lovely spring day. Imagine that a light breeze makes the air cool and refreshing. Can you hear the delightful sound of the bubbling waters? Can you see the wonderful flowers, each more lovely than the last? Imagine that you are talking to a dear friend as you enjoy these beauties; imagine you are smelling the pure scent of the flowers on the air and listening to the sweet chirping of the birds. Imagine that as you are enjoying all these sensations you then wake up and find yourself lying in bed. In such a case, you would realize that everything you imagined to be real was in fact nothing but a dream: a figment of your imagination, which suddenly evaporated. Let us now imagine the same situation after you have woken up. Let us assume that you really are talking to a dear friend, enjoying all those sights and sounds by the banks of a sublime river.
If someone were to ask "which of the two would you prefer?" after you had experienced both, you would of course say, "the one after I had woken up." The reason is that what goes on in our dreams remains in our dreams and benefits a person nothing in real life. Nobody can seriously feel sorrow at what he or she has lost in a dream since he or she knows that these have no effect on real life. No matter how much delight a person takes in a dream, this can never give as much pleasure as when he or she is awake and in the real world.
In the same way, the life of this world is dream-like, very short and transitory when compared to the Hereafter. Like returning from the world of the imagination to the real world on awakening from a dream, the life of this world which seems so real now will shortly come to an end and your real, eternal life will begin in the Hereafter. This is how the Qur'an describes how people realize that they stayed only a short time in the life of this world:
He will say: "How many years did you tarry on the Earth?" They will say: "We tarried there for a day or part of a day. Ask those able to count!" He will say: "You only tarried there for a little while if you did but know!" (Su -rat al-Muminun, 112-114)
In another verse, Allah has warned people by revealing that rather like the harvest which sprouts with the rain but then turns dry and brittle, the life of this world is a place of deception and will inevitably one day come to an end:
Know that the life of this world is merely a game and a diversion and ostentation and a cause of boasting among yourselves and trying to outdo one another in wealth and children:
like the plant-growth after rain which delights the cultivators, but then it withers and you see it turning yellow, and then it becomes broken stubble. In the Hereafter there is terrible punishment but also forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. The life of this world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion.
That being the case, to ignore this reality and to become emb roiled in transient blessings of this world, and then to suffer the inevitable turmoil, would be an error of the most grievous nature. Believers know that the blessings of this world a re a gift from Allah and must be used as means with which to attain His approval. In return for this godly approach, Allah makes everything that believers do auspicious and reward s them with eternal Paradise in the life of the Hereafter.
Those who make do with this world and who are unable to see its true face make little or no effort to attain the Afterlife. Since they imagine the world they live in to be real, they unwisely make all their plans with it in mind. Although Allah sometimes bestows blessings on them in the light of His wisdom, a severe loss still awaits them in the Afterlife, where they will experience their real lives. Allah has revealed the situation of these people, in the life of this world and that of the Hereafter, in the Qur'an:
If anyone desires to cultivate the Hereafter, We will inc -rease him in his cultivation. If anyone desires to cultiva -te this world, We will give him some of it but he will ha -ve no share in the Hereafter.
No indeed! We have given these people enjoyment, as We did their fathers, until life seemed long and good to them. Do they not see how We come to the land eroding it from its extremities? Or are they the victors?
People should pay attention to these reminders in order to stay clear of such a fate in the Hereafter.
The Beauties of This World are Imperfect and Flawed
This world is dream-like. In the same way that the taste and feeling of satisfaction imparted by the apple one eats in a dream are nothing compared to those of the apple one eats when one is awake, so the pleasure one receives from this world's actions is a poor man's version of its equivalent in the Hereafter In the Qur'an, Allah warns people against the deceptive nature of the life of this world:
... Allah's promise is true. So do not let the life of this world delude you and do not let the Deluder delude you concerning Allah.
Allah created man from clay and breathed His own soul into him; in other words, He created man from "nothing." Allah knows all of the characteristics of human beings and He is fully aware of their earthly desires. He knows of their weaknesses, wishes, the things they enjoy or need, their doubts and fears, in short everything, better than they do themselves. Allah reveals how close He is to us in another verse:
We created man and We know what his own self whis -pers to him. We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
Human beings always feel a deep longing for perfection in their souls. As a requirement of the testing they undergo, Allah, Who knows all their desires and passions, has created the life of this world with flaws and imperfections alongside its countless blessings. People, if they wish to be spiritually successful, must strive to overcome these imperfections and rid themselves of flaws in order to pass the test erected in front of them by the Lord. However, one must always bear in mind the fact that it is still impossible for them to achieve the desired level of perfection. Allah has made this perfection unique to Paradise and to those of His servants deserving of bliss.
In the life of this world, a struggle with a great many more imperfections is necessary just in order to survive; human beings, without exception, need to eat every day, sleep, protect themselves from illness, wash and take care of themselves. In exactly the same way, they need to use their reason and conscience at all times in order to protect themselves from the evils of earthly desires and to exhibit proper moral values.
As revealed in the Qur'an, "He is Allah—the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beauti -ful Names. Everything in the heavens and Earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise." (Surat al-Hashr, 24), Allah's creation is flawless. Our Lord has the power to accomplish all and to create everything He so desires. Yet He encourages human beings to think by creating flaws and imperfections in the life of this world.
When considered in its components and compared to the perfection of the life of Paradise, the wisdom in the imperfections in the life of this world can be more easily comprehended. To give an example, no matter what, an individual can go no longer than two or three days—if that—without sleeping. There then follows a gradual loss of consciousness and that person loses all touch with reality. Similarly, a person who goes several days without washing becomes dirty and will feel an immense physical discomfort. A person also needs to feed and look after him or herself on a regular basis in order to survive. Falling ill is another serious imperfection. That is because human beings are so helpless that even a germ or virus, so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, can result in sickness and oblige the individual to do nothing but rest for weeks on end. In such an event, the person becomes weak and takes little pleasure from most things. The individual concerned will no doubt become highly dependant on the help and care of other people.
On account of His infinite compassion, our Lord has also created the means by which people can overcome the imperfections they encounter in the life of this world; foodstuff s which confer strength and power, materials which can be used for cleaning and bodily maintenance, and medicines capable of curing illness are all manifestations of Allah's compassion for and protection of His creatures.
Alongside such physical imperfections in the life of this world, there are also spiritual ones: the way a person's heart may be troubled, and feeling of doubt or fear are examples of this. Moreover, earthly passions are never satisfied for long; an activity embarked on with enormous enthusiasm soon becomes wearisome. These are all just some of the imperfections specially created by Allah in this world. However, let us also note that although the spiritual difficulties in the life of this world turn into great suffering for those without faith, believers live far distant from them. Human beings are created with a great many negative features in their desires; yet faith and a fear of Allah will shelter them f rom these evils and the weaknesses of their own passions, their own worldliness. Binding oneself to Allah with sincere faith and submission prevents a person from suffering such spiritual troubles as fatigue, despair and sorrow. On the other hand, the above-mentioned spiritual difficulties result in horrible crises for non-believers.
With all these flaws and imperfections He has created, Allah reveals to us the false face of this world which He has created solely to test us in our faith. The individual thus longs for a life in which there is no imperfection, in which everything is flawless and complete—for Paradise. In Paradise, people will live forever with no troubles of any kind, never becoming weary and never become bored of that which they are given by Allah. As He reveals in the Qur'an: They will say, "Praise be to Allah Who has removed all sadness from us. Truly our Lord is Ever-Forgiving, Ever - Thankful:
He Who has lodged us, out of His favor, in the Abode of Permanence where no weariness or fatigue affects us." (Surat al-Fatir, 34-35)
In another verse, Allah has revealed that in Paradise believers will find everything their hearts desire: The angels descend on those who say, "Our Lord is Allah," and then go straight:
"Do not fear and do not gri -eve but rejoice in the Garden you have been promised. We are your protectors in the life of this world and the Hereafter. You will have there all that your selves could wish for. You will have there everything you demand."
Since unbelievers do not believe in the existence of the Hereafter, they vainly try to fulfill this aspect of their desires from the life of this world. They wrongly think that the more blessings of this world they can acquire, the happier they will be. Therefore, as revealed in the verse, "Leave the person I created on his own to Me alone, him to whom I have given great wealth, and sons who stay with him, and whose way I have smoothed. Then he wants Me to add yet more!" (Surat a l - Muddaththir, 11-15), they chase after the offerings of this world with great passion and cupidity.
However, the fact is that no number of material items will bring a person the happiness he or she seeks. That is because the emptiness in the hearts of unbelievers which they seek to fill with material values actually stem from the fact that they lead their lives far distant from Allah. Allah has created human beings in such a way that they can only find peace by remembering Him. Someone who fails to remember Allah wastes his or her life. Such people erroneously imagine that goods, property, rank or fame guarantee great happiness.
Only in the Hereafter will they realize the ultimate hollowness of the efforts they expended in this world. In return for their rejection of Allah in this world, they will encounter bitter suffering in the next. This is such a horrendous torment that they will happily give up all that was dear to them in this world to be freed from it: their families, their friends, the goods they were so deeply attached to and which they sought to add to by working day and night. Allah has revealed the situation of the unbelievers in the Hereafter:
If every self that did wrong possessed everything on Earth, it would offer it as a ransom. They will show remorse when they see the punishment. Everything will be decided between them justly. They will not be wron -ged.
If those who did wrong owned everything on Earth, and the same again with it, they would offer it as a ransom to save themselves from the evil of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. What confronts them from Allah will be something they did not reckon with.
... They can see each other. An evildoer will wish he co -uld ransom himself from the punishment of that Day, by means of his sons, or his wife or his brother or his fa -mily who sheltered him or everyone else on Earth, if that only meant that he could save himself. But no! It is a Raging Blaze...
It is those who have faith and who live for the good pleasure of Allah who will be saved both from the troubles of this world and the eternal suffering in the Afterlife. In the Qur'an, Allah gives those who demonstrate that morality the news of a pleasing life in both this world and the next:
Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Su -rat an-Nahl, 97)
The great Islamic scholar Abdul-Qadir Gilani has also reminded people not to be led astray by the distractions of this world but to work to gain our Lord's approval and the Afterlife, and that in the event he has exhibited such moral values, a person will find the most auspicious of everything in the Hereafter: Let not your main endeavors be such simple things as eating, drinking, dressing up and getting married. (That is because the -se are not ends in themselves, but means to achieve ends. Do not confuse the means with the ends.) Where is the endeavor of the heart and the secret? That is what one must know and find. Ha -ve no doubt but that this is nothing other than a desire for Allah. This must be your labor and your most important concern. In that event let your most sincere and serious endeavor be the Lord and the things in His sight…
The Hereafter is the opposite of this world. The Creator is the op -posite of the people. Know how to turn from this world to the He -reafter, from people to the Creator…
Everything you abandon in this world you will find in a more auspicious form in the Hereafter. Be as ready as if you had but one more day to live…" (Abdul-Qadir Gilani, Gonul Incileri Ikazlar (Warnings of the Pearls of the Heart), translated into Turkish by Celal Yildirim, Bahar Yayinlari, pp. 27-29)
