Page 72 - Fear of Allah

FEAR OF ALLAH
ple. It is one of his many lures, which leads to all forms of wrong ac-
tions and falsities being continuously committed. Furthermore,
Allah's declaration that, "No one is safe from the punishment of
his Lord" (Surat al-Ma'arij: 28), is clear proof that no one is guaran-
teed forgiveness in this way.

Assuming themselves as deserving

of the Garden

There can be no doubt that a distorted understanding of the
Qur'an will give way to a similarly distorted view of the Hereafter.
Hence, the majority of ignorant people share the common belief that
they are worthy of the Garden. Many of these people possess no
concept of being questioned for their actions following their death.
According to them, even if such a possibility existed they think that
they would be met with a positive outcome, thereby fooling them-
selves into a false sense of security.
Allah has given an example in the Qur'an of a garden owner
who was arrogant and self-assured. He did not fear Allah and be-
cause of his wealth was extremely spoilt. The high yield of his gar-
dens as well as their beauty served as a basis for his self-assurance.
The sensation of power he derived from this seduced him into igno-
rantly believing that his possessions were indestructible and ever-
lasting, and he adopted a stance of absolute insolence:
He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, "I do
not think that this will ever end. I do not think the Hour will
ever come. But if I should be sent back to my Lord, I will
definitely get something better in return." (Surat al-Kahf:
35-36)
The owner of the garden serves as an example to people nowa-

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