Page 262 - For Men of Understanding

of workers, possess the power to rule over thousands, and wear clothes that
command everyone's admiration. But just as boasting about one's possessions
in a dream often subjects one to ridicule, he is sure to be equally ridiculed in
this world for boasting of images he relates to. After all, what he sees in his
dreams and what he relates to in this world are both merely images in his mind.
Similarly, when people realize the reality, the way they react to the world-
ly events they experience should make them feel ashamed. Those who fight
fiercely with each other, swindle, take bribes, commit forgery, lie, covetously
withhold their money; who do wrong to others, who curse and beat them, who
are full of passion for office and high rank, who envy and try to show off, who
exalt themselves above all others-all will feel disgrace when they realize that
they have committed all of these deeds in an illusion.
Since Allah creates the entire universe and reveals it to every human being
individually, the Ultimate Owner of all possessions in the world is Allah alone.
This fact is revealed in the Qur'an:
But to Allah belong all things in the heavens and on Earth: And He it
is that Encompasses all things. (Surat an-Nisa': 126)
It is hugely foolish to cast away religion for the sake of passions whose
original objects one can never reach, and thus lose eternal life.
At this point, it's important to grasp that the truth we are considering does
not mean that all the possessions, wealth, children, spouses, rank and position
one possesses and longs for will vanish in the future, and so are meaningless.
Rather, it predicates that in fact, people have no direct contact with any of their
possessions. They are merely perceptions they watch from within their brains,
composed of images that Allah shows to test them. As you see, there's a big
difference between those two propositions.
Although someone might not want to acknowledge this fact right away and
would prefer to deceive himself by assuming that all his possessions really
exist, he must finally to die. When he is resurrected in the Hereafter, everything
will become clear, and “sight will be sharp.” (Surah Qaf: 22) On that day, he
is apt to see everything much more clearly. If he has spent his life chasing after
imaginary aims, however, he will wish he had never lived, and say "Ah! Would
that [Death] had made an end of me! Of no profit to me has been my
wealth! My power has perished from me!" (Surat al-Haqqa: 27-29) On the
other hand, a wise man should try to understand the great reality of the uni-

verse here on this world, while he still has time. Otherwise, he will spend all
his life running after dreams and face a grievous penalty in the end. In the
Qur'an, the final state of those people who run after illusions (or mirages) on
this world and forget Allah, our Creator, is stated as follows:

260 For Men of Understanding