The Pains of the False World: Passion and Desire are Obstacles to Happiness

Allah reveals in the Qur'an that people's earthly desires contain two distinct elements. One of these is the "conscience," which commands what is good and prohibits what is evil; the other is fujoor, which commands what is evil. The word fu -joormeans engaging in sin and rebellion: telling lies, turning one's back on what is right, disobeying just laws, moral collapse and that which is an affront to godliness. In other words, the concept refer red to here as fujoor includes all the negative features of the human ego. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that He has inspired both fujoorand conscience, which impels human beings to avoid the former:

The second important feature of immoral desires drawn attention to in the Qur'an is "passion" and "greed." Someone who contents himself with the life of this world and fails to consider the Hereafter is devoted to all he possesses with "passion" and "greed." He or she starts to live as if death and the Afterlife were far away. In fact, in societies which live far removed from the moral values of the Qur'an, peoples' passions are praised and honored. The more people are attached to the life of this world and the more efforts they make to attain its benefits, the more they are esteemed by others who share the same twisted mindset. Yet this is a grave error. Of course, a person must strive to have a pleasant life and must always seek to do his or her best. Yet that determination and will must be directed at the kind of life approved of by Allah. Otherwise it would be a terrible mistake, in forgetting our Lord, Who gives them all they possess, for people to be caught up in worldly desires and to live a life far removed from the moral values of the Qur'an. Attention is drawn to unbelievers' passionate attachment to the things of this world in the verse, "And you have an in -satiable love of wealth" (Surat al-Fajr, 20). In another verse, "The enjoyment of this world is very brief. The Hereafter is better for those who guard against evil" (Surat an-Nisa', 77), Allah reminds us that the blessings people are so passionately fond of are the enjoyment of the life of this world. The word "enjoyment" in this context means worthless things, ultimately condemned to vanish. The blessings of this world which people so greedily desire are false and worthless compared to those of the Hereafter.

Those Deceived by the False World are Always Troubled

Every event people experience throughout their lives, every word they speak, every image they see: they are all creARE YOU AWARE ated by Allah, the Lord of the Universe. Knowing this and living by the comfort this knowledge inspires is one of the greatest joys of life and faith. People who are aware of Allah's dominion over the entire universe, who know that He will always create what is best and most auspicious, behave in a submissive and accepting way. Their hearts are therefore always at ease. They know that Allah creates everything in the light of a specific destiny, with goodness and wisdom, and act in all they do with the confidence this knowledge brings with it. This submissive attitude of believers is revealed in another verse: Say:

No matter what may befall them, believers, who know that everything is under the control of Allah, never fall into despair in the face of any trouble or difficulty. They always try to see the positive aspect of everything. Everything a person will think or say throughout his or her life is set out down in the minutest detail by Allah before he or she is even born. The individual encounters these events set out for him or her when the time is right. Since believers know that everything in their destiny has been created in such a way as to have an auspicious conclusion, they are always submissive to that destiny and feel secure and at ease. In the Qur'an, Allah has revealed:

Those who are unable to comprehend these truths wrong themselves by being taken in by the enjoyment of this world. Since they make the mistake of thinking that events take place independently of Allah, they seek means of intervening in them. The way that events may appear to be going "badly" or "against them" is a source of constant sorrow and inescapable discontent for such people. On account of these erroneous beliefs, they are constantly stressed out; they lie awake at the slightest trouble, their nerves suffer and they undergo physical and spiritual harm. They resort to various means to rid themselves of these difficulties; they may seek relief by taking part in amusements of various sorts or by not thinking at all. Yet, it is impossible for such measures to bring them true peace and happiness. That is because, as revealed by Allah in the verse, "Those who believe and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah. Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace" (Surat ar-Ra'd, 28). A person can only find peace by turning to Allah, submitting to our Lord and living by the moral values He ordains.

Although Allah has shown people the way to free themselves from dissatisfaction and to experience true happiness, those who deliberately turn their backs on this merely "wrong themselves." Allah reveals the situation of such people in another verse:

In the same way that unbelievers who look for comfort and peace—to escape the stress and problems they suffer and to rest o re their good spirits—fail to find what they seek in this world, they also suffer a loss in the Hereafter which cannot be revoked. As they turn from the path of Allah, the things such people seek are described in the Qur'an as serving no other purpose than "increasing their ruin" in the Afterlife:

It must not be forgotten that in many verses of the Qur'an, Allah has revealed that He forgives people and accepts their repentance. A person may make many mistakes until finally becoming aware of these truths. Yet the important thing is to understand that he or she is on the wrong path, repent and attempt to live by the moral values ordained by our Lord. It is revealed in the Qur'an, in an address to his people by Prophet Salih, what they needed to do to attain the good pleasure of Allah: To Thamud We sent their brother Salih. He said:

Our Lord also reveals, in another verse, that He will respond immediately to any prayer:

Unbelievers They Weary Themselves and Labor in Vain

Nearly all people try to succeed in something in the life of this world. No matter how different the areas they interest themselves in may be, human beings all have one common aim: to be recompensed for their efforts and labors. Those who ignore the Hereafter believe that being rewarded for their labor in this world is worth all the problems involved. However, the fact is that these people are ignoring one very important factor: the approval of Allah. What actually makes an action and its outcome valuable is Allah's approval of that individual and the action partaken in. Any effort expended or success achieved in an activity undertaken without aiming at His approval is only temporary, just like the life of this world. For that reason, Allah has described the efforts expended by unbelievers and such things as they do as "mir age. " When these people proceed to the Afterlife they will see—unless Allah in His Mercy wishes otherwise—that all their labors and the efforts they took such joy in are all empty:

As we have seen, unless a person acts bearing the approval of Allah in mind, even if he does the most important thing in the world, this may still be of no worth in the Lord's sight. So long as a person fails to act in conformity with the approval of Allah, the esteem felt for him or her by all those around or his or her recognition as a performer of good deeds cannot prevent those actions proving empty. This is how Allah describes in the Qur'an the position in the Hereafter of those who imagine that they are doing good deeds:

People whose efforts in the life of this world are misgu -ided while they suppose that they are doing good. (Su -rat al-Kahf, 104)

After death, the misguided soul will come to realize that all that he chased after with such enthusiasm is ultimately worthless in comparison to the blessings of the Hereafter. This will be a cause of immeasurable and eternal disappointment. Learning that a lifetime's efforts have all been for naught will make a general regret become an eternal regret. Allah describes the position of such people in the Hereafter in the following terms:

There can be no doubt that nobody will wish their lifetime's endeavors come to nothing. The solution therefore is to strive not for a transitory world but for the true, eternal life of the Hereafter. If a person aims at attaining the approval of Allah in all that he or she does and expends all his or her endeavors in order to live by the moral values ordained by our Lord, then he or she may hope for full recompense for even the slightest good deed. In one verse Allah reveals the advice given by Prophet Luqman to his son:

[Luqman said:]

In another verse He reveals that He will increase from His favor to the right actions performed by believers:

What a person on the wrong path therefore needs to do is to repent before it is too late and to turn to our Lord:

Allah Punishes the Unbelievers, Both in This World and the Next

By Allah's will, people caught up in the false face of the world are not just recompensed for their errors in the Hereafter but during the life of this world also. Even the wealthiest or seemingly most knowledgeable person in the world will generally find no happiness in these attributes if he or she fails to live by the moral values of the Qur'an. On account of their denial, Allah fills the hearts of such people with unease, spiritual discomfort and restlessness. Although they live surrounded by blessings which appeal to their earthly desires they still take no real pleasure in them. No matter how happy and content they may appear, this is generally deceptive. The unease experienced by unbelievers spreads into every area of their lives. Their failure to appreciate the might of Allah, to think about destiny and look on events with a positive eye, and to exhibit proper moral values all guarantee trouble for them. Moreover, since they are unable to understand how the moral values of the Qur'an offer the individual a perfect and peaceful life, they imagine that everyone in the world suffers just the same troubles as they do. Yet those troubles in fact stem entirely from their own imperfections. Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that on account of their denial, there is suffering for those who turn aside from the true path, in this world and the next:

When we examine various aspects of the lives of unbelievers, the unhappiness which encompasses such people is clear to see. We can see how all-encompassing and influential this trouble is. Some peoples' greatest dream from childhood is to make a lot of money, become rich and spend that money howsoever they choose. This is so important to them that they will make any sacrifice to achieve that end. When their student years come to an end and they begin to find themselves undertaking serious responsibilities, they imagine that they are now in a position to deal with the difficulties life may confront them with.

Since they fail to consider that it is Allah Who gives human beings their daily bread and Who grants blessings and takes them away as He wishes, they wear themselves out in order to achieve such transitory benefits as wealth or position. They are essentially defeated by their own worldview. Much of the time, they are forced to give up things they love as they strive for this end which they believe will bring happiness and contentment. They may eventually attain the enjoyment of this world at the end of this chase for glory, through so much difficulty and trouble. Yet the outcome is again no different. In addition to all the trouble they experience in attaining their desires, they also begin to feel uneasy out of a fear of losing them. They have no idea how to be happy with what they have and make do with those blessings in their possession. They constantly complain about the situation they are in and lament over the things they do not possess. Even the sight of someone wealthier, more cultured, more talented or apparently better looking than themselves is sufficient to undermine their morale. They make great efforts not to allow their state of mind to show. They seek distraction and amusement and to free their souls from trouble in a variety of activities. They may indeed sometimes achieve happiness on a temporary and superficial level. At such times, they are happy on the surface; yet this is not a permanent happiness. They feel massive doubt and fear yet they are so careful not to show this to the world. Indeed, even if they forget their woes for a time, they can at any moment fall victim once again to despair, pessimism and sorrow because they do not submit themselves to Allah. When a jovial businessman suddenly remembers his debts; or a student regrets his poor marks; or the elderly look back on their lost youth; or the bereaved recall happy times they spent with their deceased friends—these thoughts can give rise to sorrow and numbness. And it is similarly sobering for any of them when they realize that death, the inevitable end, is approaching. Whether these people are rich or poor, old or young, attractive or ugly makes no difference. Someone obliged to labor under difficult conditions from morning to night is in exactly the same position as another person who enjoys total well-being and has no need to assume any responsibilities at all. They constantly experience the difficulty of being unable to enjoy true interest, concern, love and affection from those around them. Since they imagine that the tasks they perform regularly every day and the responsibilities they bear will never come to an end, they feel a great weariness in their bodies, minds and hearts. They are indeed aware of how monotonous and meaningless their lives are and their inability to find a solution is a cause of major restlessness.

So long as they fail to believe in Allah, people in that position can never escape their doubts and troubles. They unequivocally fail to seek shelter in Allah. They do not abide by the road He has set out. They seek to adapt themselves to the lives they lead and regard troubles and difficulties as normal parts of life.

In truth, Allah is punishing the unbelievers for their deeds with all these troubles they experience while they are still alive. Since they ignore the life of the Hereafter, their true life, and turn to the false things of this world, the sufferings of this world are never-ending for them.

As revealed in the Qur'an:

Even greater suffering awaits them in the Afterlife. They will realize the truth of the Hereafter but having ignored it in this world, it will be of no use to them whatsoever. They will be recompensed with the curse and torment of Allah for their deeds:

The Companions of the Garden will call out to the Com -panions of the Fire: "We have found that what our Lord promised us is true. Have you found that what your Lord promised you is true?" They will say: "Yes, we ha -ve!" Between them a herald will proclaim: