Page 159 - The Truth of the Life of This World

less." (Surat ar-Rum: 7), this misconception is described.
The reality dealt with in this chapter is very important, for it renders
meaningless all lusts and boundaries. Verifying this fact makes it clear that
everything people toil to possess, their wealth amassed with greed, their
children they boast of, their spouses they consider to be closest to them,
their dearest friends, their bodies, their superior rank which they hold, the
schools they have attended, the holidays they celebrate - all are nothing
but mere shadows. Therefore, all the efforts they expended and the time
they spent proves unavailing.
Some people unwittingly make fools of themselves when they boast of
their wealth and properties, or of their yachts, helicopters, factories, hold-
ings, manors and lands as if they can ever have direct contact with their
original possessions. Those well-to-do who cruise ostentatiously up and
down in their yachts, show off with their cars, keep hinting at their wealth,
suppose that they rank higher than everyone else. In what kind of state
would they find themselves, once they realize that they are boasting of
nothing but images in their own minds?
In many of their dreams, they in fact find themselves possessed of
grand houses, fast cars, precious jewels, rolls of banknotes, and loads of
gold and silver. In their dreams, too, they enjoy a high rank, own factories
with thousands 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, covetous-
ly 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

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