Page 150 - Allah is Known through Reason

people spend their whole lives in a kind of intoxication without thinking

about this at all. One of the most important reasons for this intoxication is
their inability to make a correct assessment of Allah. Many people esteem
Allah for his affectionate, merciful and forgiving attributes; they do not feel
a deep and heartfelt fear of Allah as they are supposed to. This causes
these people to be insensitive to the commands and counsels of Allah.
Allah particularly forewarns people in the Qur'an about this danger:
O mankind! Guard against (the punishment of) your Lord, and fear (the
coming of) a day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son
avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then
this present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver deceive you about
Allah. (Surah Luqman, 33)
Truly, Allah, Possessor of the most beautiful names and attributes, is
affectionate, merciful, and forgiving. However, it must also be remembered
that Allah, at the same time, is everlastingly Just, the Subduer of all, and
the Compeller; that Allah is close to the believers but remote from idol-
aters, unbelievers and hypocrites; that He is the Lord of retribution; and
that hell is the place where His latter attributes will most perfectly be
embodied.

People, for some reason, have superstitious beliefs on this subject.
They assume that after they die, they will go to hell to pay for the sins they
committed in the world, but will then go on to paradise after their pun-
ishment is over and abide there for ever. Allah, however, informs us in the
Qur'an that life both in hell and paradise will last eternally and that no one
will be released from either unless Allah so wills.
And they say: "The fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days:"
Say: "Have you taken a promise from Allah, for He never breaks His
promise? Or is it that you say of Allah what you do not know?" Nay, those
who seek gain in evil, and are girt round by their sins, they are com-
panions of the fire: Therein shall they abide for ever. But those who have
faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the garden: there-
in shall they abide for ever. (Surat al-Baqara, 80-82)
People will there encounter such torments as fire, heat, darkness,

150 Allah is Known Through Reason