Page 64 - Character Types of the Unbelievers

CHARACTER-TYPES OF THE UNBELIEVERS
tending they did not know they had said anything unkind, and pass
over the matter with an apology. But, they knew exactly what they
were doing. They know that the best way for them to take revenge
on someone who is angry with them is to humiliate that person with

their lack of tact.

Their Attachment for This World
The majority of the elderly in a society of ignorance know well

the helplessness and difficulty that old age brings but, in spite of
their recognition of the fact, they do not take the lesson from it, and
do not temper their attachment to the life of this world. Even though
they have come so near to their death, they keep the thought far from
their minds. They see their friends dying one after the other, but still
act as if death will not come upon them. Rather, they save to secure
their future. They fear some day having none to take care of them, or
of running out of money, and therefore store food, clothing and
funds. But, though they are afraid of finding themselves in dire cir-

cumstances, they never think about the Afterlife. They do not con-
sider there to be any need to prepare for the world to come.
However, a human being’s true existence is in the next world. That is
the one he should prepare for. Allah relates us the following in the
Qur’an:
The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion.
The Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah. So will you

not use your intellect? (Surat al-An‘am, 32)
Believers, who believe this truth with certainty, will experience
old age in a very different way. They have already lived their lives in
the hope of gaining Allah’s favor. The further time passes, the more

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