Page 14 - Why Do You Deceive Yourself ?

12 WHY DO YOU DECEIVE YOURSELF?

There are various defense mechanisms which people use to ig-
nore the truths of life and to console themselves by doing so. One of
these, perhaps the most effective, is self-deception. A person who de-
ceives himself believes he can evade all realities, including death and
all responsibilities. In fact self-deception is not a solution. On the con-
trary, failure to understand the true purpose of existence in this world
sets a person on a path that leads straight to Hell. What a person really
needs to accomplish is to avoid deceiving himself by ignoring the
truth and take the maximum possible advantage of the period that

Allah has allotted to him in the world.
Now, think about all this in terms of yourself. Up to now you may
have lived along the lines described above. You may have failed to
think about the true purpose of life, you may have put aside your re-
sponsibilities towards Allah, Who created you, and you may have de-
ceived yourself. If you do not want to meet death suddenly while in
this state and to be faced with eternal regret, you should read what this
book has to say and think very seriously about it because in this book
we point out the matters about which people deceive themselves and
the truths which they ignore.
Do not forget that waking up and seeing the truth at the moment
of death does nobody any good. Allah has given us a clear warning
about this:
Give from what We have provided for you before death

comes to one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would
give me a little more time so that I can give charity and be one
of the righteous!" Allah will not give anyone more time, once
their time has come. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-
Munafiqun: 10-11)