Page 40 - Those Who Do Not Heed The Qur'an

38 THOSE WHO DO NOT HEED THE QUR'AN

people because only by thinking can people be aware of Allah's
boundless power and the beauty of the universe He created. Only a
thinking person realizes that the world has been created by divine
wisdom in every detail, that death is near, and that there are certain
obligations that are required to be met in this life. We are told in a
large number of Qur'anic verses that only thinking people can heed
advice and that they alone are capable of seeing the proofs of Allah's
existence. Indeed, the very purpose of the revelation of the Qur'an is
for people to think carefully about its verses, as is stated here: "It is a
Book We have sent down to you, full of blessing, so let people of
intelligence ponder its Signs and take heed." (Surah Sad: 29)
However, a large proportion of humanity regards thinking as a
hardship. These people even believe that thinking is damaging to
their lives and their set ways. According to this opinion, "the great-
est damage" lies in reminding people of their responsibilities in this
life and taking them out of the slumbering, empty minded state of
heedlessness in which they find themselves. Like a kind of magic
spell, this sleep makes people forget why they exist, that there is a

purpose in life, and that one day they will die. Another form of this
sleep is to be inundated by the daily routines. Perhaps these people
feel they spend a great deal of time thinking, making decisions and
finding answers, but in fact what they think about does not go be-
yond the details of their day-to-day needs and impulses. Their
thoughts are not related to the purpose of human creation, how the
world came into being or the fact that one day every living thing
will be buried in the ground. Actions, statements and behaviour
learned by rote, taught, and become accustomed to, have such a
hold on these people that they do not even feel a need to think about
more fundamental realities.
Just as they evade thought, so too do these people escape hastily