Page 48 - Unawareness: A Sly Threat

46 UNAWARENESS: A SLY THREAT

beings to recognize His existence and turn to Him. Among
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these are times of anxiety and difficulty: Do they not see that t
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t they are tried once or twice in every year? But still they do not t

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t turn back. They do not pay heed (Surat at-Tawba:126). These
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difficult periods are very useful in causing people to realize
their unawareness, for, in such moments, the lower self, which
is in a constant state of rebelliousness against Allah, realizes
its helplessness. During these times, people bring their con-
sciences to the fore, see their errors, and find ways to avoid
them. This important opportunity, provided people act upon it
properly, helps them curtail their lower selves by recognizing
their own weakness and repenting of their sins. As a result,
they feel closer to Allah. They realize that Allah’s power is all-
sufficient, that He is the source of all things, and that only He
can end this period of testing.
It is He Who conveys you on both land and sea, so that
when some of you are on a boat, running before a fair
wind, rejoicing at it, and then a violent squall comes
upon them and the waves come at them from every side
and they realize there is no way of escape, they call
upon Allah, making their religion sincerely His: “If You
rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thank-
ful.” But then, when He rescues them, they become
rebellious in the land without any right to do so. O
humanity, your rebelliousness is only against your-
selves. There is the enjoyment of the life of this world,
and then you will return to Us and We will inform you
about what you did. (Surah Yunus: 22-23)
Unaware people can realize that there is no power to