Page 13 - Why Do You Deceive Yourself ?

Introduction 11
The years pass quickly and then all of a sudden, he faces the
greatest and most inescapable truth of life. The time of death comes.
Whatever his age at the time, he departs from the world.
Until that moment he has thought of death very little or not at all.
He has seen a number of people around him die but he has always re-
garded his own death as something far off. Throughout his life he has
failed even to grasp the idea of death because his mind has been so oc-
cupied with worldly things that the thought of death has not managed
to cross it. For this reason, he is far removed from essential considera-

tions such as Allah's good pleasure and the Garden and the Fire. He
has been unable to understand the true purpose of life by reflecting
upon such realities. Throughout his time in the world he has pursued
aims, plans and ideals very different from those that are really impor-
tant. He has worked very hard for worldly things but is totally unpre-
pared for the Hereafter.
While in this condition, he meets with death when he least ex-
pects it, unprepared and confused like someone who suddenly
awakes from sleep. Feeling regret at last, he wants to turn back but it is
now too late. Allah describes the situation of this person and those like
him in Surat as-Sajda:
Say: "The Angel of Death, who has been given charge of you,
will take you back and then you will be sent back to your
Lord." If only you could see the evildoers hanging their

heads in shame before their Lord: "Our Lord, we have seen
and we have heard, so send us back again and we will act
rightly. Truly we now have certainty." (Surat as-Sajda: 11-12)
So, how does a person wind up in this position? How does he
manage to avoid reality until the time comes when he feels a regret for
which there is no cure? How does he manage to ignore the purpose for
which he is placed in the world?