Page 57 - Why Do You Deceive Yourself ?

What Lies Do People Deceive Themselves with? 55
pens. Otherwise you will be placing your eternal life in a grave danger
of your own making.

Those who think they are going to Paradise
whatever happens
In communities that have abandoned a religious way of life, an-
other of the matters on which people deceive themselves is the idea
that they have the right to enter the Garden. Although the great major-
ity of these people accept that there is life after death, since they do not
lead religious lives, they have the false belief that they will definitely
go to Paradise. How people arrive at such an opinion we do not know,

but when comparing themselves with others, most of them see only
their good points and so they think that they are good people in gen-
eral and that as a result they have a right to enter Paradise. What is
most surprising is that these people form the concept of "goodness"
not according to the Qur'an but according to their own ignorant crite-
ria. They choose not the way of life and the morality which Allah will
approve but the lifestyle and morality approved by the society in
which they live, and as a result of their misguided standards they fool
themselves into imagining that they are bound for Paradise.
There is no doubt, of course, that hoping that Allah will grant one
admission to Paradise is a good thing, and wanting this is something
to be encouraged. However, the most important indication that such a
desire is sincere is when a person behaves consistently with entry into
Paradise, displaying fear of Allah and seeking refuge in Him through-

out his life. Living a life which Allah will not approve and not fulfilling
your obligations to Him while still claiming that you will go to
Paradise, is not only extremely insincere but also pure self-deception.
According to this thinking, a person can neglect his obligations to