Page 78 - Those Who Exhaust All Their Pleasures In This Life
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76     THOSE WHO EXHAUST ALL THEIR PLEASURES IN THIS LIFE


               one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge
               the feeding of the poor. (Surat al-Ma‘un: 1-3)

               Those who show off and deny help to others. (Surat al-
               Ma‘un: 6-7)
               O you who believe. Do not nullify your charity by
               demands for gratitude or insulting words, like him who
               spends his wealth, showing off to people and not
               believing in Allah and the Last Day. His likeness is that
               of a smooth rock coated with soil, which, when heavy
               rain falls on it, is left stripped bare. They have no
               power over anything they have earned. Allah does not
               guide unbelieving people. (Surat al-Baqara: 264)
               Unbelievers approach even their closest friends with the
            same debased expectations in the hope of obtaining some
            advantage. For example, as people become more materi-
            ally and emotionally needy with advancing years, they
            need someone to care for them and take an interest in
            them. So, unbelievers show interest, love, and compassion
            to their relatives while calculating what may happen to
            them in the future.
               But those who do not have a good moral character will
            be “rewarded” for their behavior. They will be shown only
            insincere compassion, and no one will form a sincere and
            close relationship with them. People will offer them com-
            passion only for what they can receive in return. So, they
            force themselves to live in a world devoid of spiritual val-
            ues, where compassion and love are debased and where
            material possessions are the only important considera-
            tions. In this way, they receive tangible rewards for their
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