Page 27 - Faith: The Way to Happiness

The Unhappiness of the Society of the Ignorant

People like these see only the attractive, that is, the deceptive
side of the blessings Allah has granted and so they deceive them-
selves. As a result they have difficulty in seeing the truth. Because
they do not think about the eternal Hereafter they only "desire the
life of this world and its finery." (Surat al-Ahzab: 28) They wander
about in blindness and confusion because they are ignorant of their
true purposes in life. Allah describes this in the Qur'an:
As for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have
made their actions appear good to them and they wander
about blindly. (Surat an-Naml: 4)
All the things people want during their lives and work for with
g reat effort and determination are really life's ornaments. At first
glance everything on earth may seem very beautiful and attractive
to people and the truth is that everything is a blessing for them.
However, it should not be forgotten that the life of this world is a test
for people. The real purpose of life is to be a servant to our Lord Who
p rovided all of these fine things and show gratitude to Him in the
most sincere way. If, on the contrary, a person forgets this tru t h ,
chases after the world's ornaments and makes them the basic pur-
pose of his life, he will be driven to great disappointment in this
world and the next.

Everything They Own Is a Matter for Boasting
Allah has created the life of this world to test people to see
whose actions are the best. With His manifold wisdom, Allah grants
His mercy to those of His servants He chooses and withdraws it
f rom those He chooses. People should be aware of this truth and
know that in either case they should lose none of their attachment
and devotion to Allah. For example, Allah tests some people with
wealth. When a person who has been poor acquires wealth by some

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