Page 62 - Unawareness: A Sly Threat

60 UNAWARENESS: A SLY THREAT

When he sees the punishment, (he says): “If only I could
have another chance so that I could be a good-doer!”
(Surat az-Zumar: 58)
In order to avoid unawareness and having to express
such sorrows, people should think carefully and fear His
wrath. The greatest error of those who deserve punishment is
that they compare the Hereafter with this earthly life; and His
interrogation, Paradise, and Hell with their experiences in this
world. They deceive themselves by thinking that they can
make up for every error in the Hereafter, just as they did in this
world. For example, if they fail a course at school or are
expelled, there is the possibility that they can redeem them-
selves in the future. Prisoners think that their sentences will
eventually be served, after which they will be released.
Indeed, this world’s troubles do not last for ever; they eventu-
ally end one day. Believing that they will also have such
opportunities in the Hereafter, heedless people transgress the
limits He has established for humanity. But they fail to realize
the falsity of this comparison, for such opportunities to make
restitution only exist in this world. The Hereafter is the place
where rewards, both positive and negative, are given. In order
to avoid the unawareness that will bring eternal punishment in
its wake, people must realize that they will not return from the
Hereafter and that they can repent and reform themselves
only in this world.

Knowing that Hell’s punishment will last
forever

In just the same way as they regard death, unaware peo-