Page 40 - Perfected Faith

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PERFECTED FAITH

tudes, behaviour and the way he speaks reflect his commitment to
being worthy of paradise and staying away from hellfire, because no
one in this world can be exempt from divine retribution.
Aware that "scales of justice" (Surat al-Anbiya', 47) will be set up
on the Day of Judgement, he does not want to miss an atom's weight
of good. Allah has warned people on this subject as follows:
That Day people will emerge segregated to see the results of
their actions. Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it.
Whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. (Surat az-
Zilzal, 6-8)
Similarly, he strictly abstains from any act that would incur the dis-
approval of Allah, because each act he commits will draw him closer
either to paradise or to hell. Nothing exists beyond these two places.
People of perfected faith who have a certain awareness of these
facts feel constant "fear and hope" throughout their lives. They never
forget the state of people awaiting to be taken either to paradise or to
hell on the Day of Judgement.
How would someone behave if he were at the crossroads of para-
dise and hell right at this moment and realised that his eternal life
would begin in earnest after his being judged?
Being right on the verge of hell, would he ever dare to display a dis-
pleasing attitude, which would immediately be taken into account?
Certainly not! On the contrary, anybody in such a dire situation
would do anything to attain paradise and would draw on his wisdom
and conscience to display the attitude most pleasing to Allah. Even a
person who had never engaged in such a serious effort throughout
his life, deeming the Day of Judgement distant from himself, would
feel great panic and strive to make up for his misdeeds. But on that
day, no time is granted to make amends. The time granted terminates
with death and records are thereupon finalised. From that moment
on, no one will be requited for anything other than what he has done.
Having an unshakable faith in the hereafter, paradise and hell, and