Page 56 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

54 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

when seen in the eye of a person of sincere faith who fears
for his state in the world to come. From the peaceful expres-
sion in his eyes and on his face, it can be seen that he has
reached maturity and is free of worldly passions. From his
look of intelligence and awareness, it is clearly understood
that he has faith in Allah. The Prophet (saas) says the fol-
lowing in one of his hadiths:

The one who remembers death the most and the one who best
gets prepared for the life after death; he is indeed the one who is
the most wise and conscious. (Ibn Majah)
A Muslim with such awareness does not try to reflect
anything unnatural in his eyes; on the contrary, his freedom
of expression suggests that he can be trusted. His spirit
shows how peaceful he is in the power of his faith. His
expressions show a person of fine moral character and fear
of Allah and who is determined to have nothing to do with
ignorant culture. There is keenness and nobility in his
expressions.
In contrast to such an individual, people under the influ-
ence of superficial culture wear expressions that betray all
the ugliness of that culture. No matter how much they try to
hide it, their eyes always give them away. For example, a
Muslim shows his excitement, pleasure and lively happi-
ness, but these others frequently have a dull look in their
eyes. These people may be lively and extroverted, good con-
versationalists. But, the empty lifelessness on their faces
comes from their unawareness and inability to understand
the reality of the Hereafter.
We are told in the Qur’an that such expressions come