Lost in the World

Fear of Hell and the desire for Heaven do not dominate man’s life. Instead, he is guided by worldly apprehensions and desires alone.

The Prophet said: “I have never seen anything more strange than people sleeping, while they should have been running away from Hellfire as fast as they could. Moreover, I have never seen anything more strange than people asleep while they should have been running towards Heaven—the objects of their desire—as fast as possible.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2601)

How dreadful will the punishment of Hell be and how ignorant man is of this reality! How wonderful are the delights of Heaven, and how strange is a man who is not eager to attain them? Indeed, this is the strangest thing in the whole world.

These people who are asleep will be awakened only by the flames of Hell. They will then suffer destitution and debasement; there will be no escape.

Today, people are lost in the world, leading their lives as if there were no superior power above themselves, although every day, death comes to announce that man is confronted with a reality beyond his control. How helpless is man, yet how powerful does he imagine himself to be!

Man breaks his promises; he does not pay people their due; he does not bow to the truth; he accuses others but fails to admit his own mistakes; he turns away from the weak and hails the strong; he bases his life on his desires rather than on principles; he persecutes the downtrodden and cowers before the mighty; he concentrates on him-self rather than on God. Fear of Hell and the desire for Heaven do not dominate his life; he is guided by worldly apprehensions and desires alone.

The man continues in his evil ways and forgets that, in so doing, he is removing himself further from Paradise and drawing himself closer to Hell. It is the tragedy of man; he does not care for what he should most desire and does not fear that which should strike terror in his heart.