By S N Smith — May 8, 2023
A great part of humanity has embraced the belief that they can live their lives any old way they wish and will not have to answer for what they do. They believe that they will go into the ground and decompose and that is the end of it. Or, they believe that no matter what they have done in this life they will be ultimately forgiven in the hereafter and thus have nothing to worry about.
The wicked and the righteous are the same and ultimately end up having the same end, so they claim. Those who pray, give charity, believe in Allah and follow that which He has commanded and avoid that which He has prohibited are the same as those who continually carried out acts of disobedience to Allah, never prayed, and never gave one thought to the hereafter. In answer to this, Allah says in the Quran:
Sad 38:28 — أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ كَٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ كَٱلۡفُجَّارِ — Shall We treat those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the same as those who do mischief on earth? Shall We treat those who guard against evil, the same as those who turn aside from the right?
Al Qalam 68: 35-36 — أَفَنَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ كَٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ (٣٥) مَا لَكُمۡ كَيۡفَ تَحۡكُمُونَ (٣٦) — Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin? (35) What is the matter with you? How judge ye? (36)
As Sajda 32: 18-20 — أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقً۬اۚ لَّا يَسۡتَوُ ۥنَ (١٨) أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتُ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ نُزُلاَۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (١٩) وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ فَمَأۡوَٮٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓاْ أَن يَخۡرُجُواْ مِنۡہَآ أُعِيدُواْ فِيہَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمۡ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ (٢٠) — Is then the man who believes no better than the man who is rebellious and wicked? No equal are they. (18) For those who believe and do righteous deeds, are Gardens as hospitable homes, for their (good) deeds. (19) As to those who are rebellious and wicked, their abode will be the Fire: every time they wish to get away therefrom, they will be forced thereinto, and it will be said to them: “taste ye the Penalty of the Fire, the which ye were wont to reject as false. (20)
Ghafir 40:58 — وَمَا يَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَلَا ٱلۡمُسِىٓءُۚ قَلِيلاً۬ مَّا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ — Not equal are the blind and those who (clearly) see: nor are (equal) those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and those who do evil. Little do you learn by admonition! (58)
Az- Zumar 39:9 — أَمَّنۡ هُوَ قَـٰنِتٌ ءَانَآءَ ٱلَّيۡلِ سَاجِدً۬ا وَقَآٮِٕمً۬ا يَحۡذَرُ ٱلۡأَخِرَةَ وَيَرۡجُواْ رَحۡمَةَ رَبِّهِۦۗ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ — Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord― (like one who does not)? Say: “Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.”
They think that if they don’t receive any punishment in this life for their actions that this is a sign that nothing bad will happen to them when they die. Thus for such people, Allah granting them respite is a sign that either Allah does not exist, to begin with, or that He is already pleased with them and thus has nothing to worry about.
In response to this notion, Allah says in the Quran:
At-Tariq 86:17 — فَمَهِّلِ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ أَمۡهِلۡهُمۡ رُوَيۡدَۢا — Therefore grant a delay to the unbelievers: give respite to them gently (for a while).
Al-Imran 3:178 — وَلَا يَحۡسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَنَّمَا نُمۡلِى لَهُمۡ خَيۡرٌ۬ لِّأَنفُسِہِمۡۚ إِنَّمَا نُمۡلِى لَهُمۡ لِيَزۡدَادُوٓاْ إِثۡمً۬اۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ۬ مُّهِينٌ۬ — Let not the Unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: We grant them respite that they may grow in their iniquity: but they will have a shameful punishment.
Ibrahim 14:42 — وَلَا تَحۡسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلاً عَمَّا يَعۡمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ لِيَوۡمٍ۬ تَشۡخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ — Think not that Allah doth not heed the deeds of those who do wrong. He but giveth them respite against a Day when the eyes will fixedly stare in horror.
Fatir 35:45 — وَلَوۡ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِمَا ڪَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهۡرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ۬ وَلَـٰڪِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّ۬ىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ بَصِيرَۢا — If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in his sight all His servants.
Nuh 71:4 — يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۖ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ — “So He may forgive you your sins and give you respite for a stated Term: for when the Term given by Allah is accomplished, it cannot be put forward: if ye only knew.”
Yunus 10:11 — وَلَوۡ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسۡتِعۡجَالَهُم بِٱلۡخَيۡرِ لَقُضِىَ إِلَيۡہِمۡ أَجَلُهُمۡۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرۡجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِى طُغۡيَـٰنِہِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ — If Allah were to hasten for men the ill (they have earned) as they would fain hasten on the good then would their respite be settled at once. But We leave those who rest not their hope of their meeting with Us, in their trespasses, wandering in distraction to and fro.
Al-Hajj 22:48 — وَڪَأَيِّن مِّن قَرۡيَةٍ أَمۡلَيۡتُ لَهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ۬ ثُمَّ أَخَذۡتُہَا وَإِلَىَّ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ — And to how many populations did I give respite, which were given to wrong-doing? In the end I punished them. To Me is the destination (of all).
Sadly, such people are under a grand delusion. And this is ironic given the fact that it is they who say about the believers — those who believed in Allah and accountability in the hereafter — are the ones who are deluded and these believers are wasting their lives when they could be having a good time in the short life that they have.
In moments of despair, even the believers may fall into this trap of thinking and ask themselves the question what is the point of all this self-denial and distancing oneself, as it were, from the rest of humanity? Why go through all of these trials and hardships?
It is a sad reality but most of humanity does not even take the time to reflect upon the purpose or meaning of their existence. Or if they do reflect upon this it is but for a fleeting moment and then they put it out of their minds and go on with their lives because the thought is just too uncomfortable to deal with.
There are other people who say life does not have any meaning at all and to say otherwise is nearly participating in a fantasy. Such people say that we come into this world, live our lives and then die and that is all there is to it.
Allah says of such people in Surah al-Jathiyah 45:24:
وَقَالُواْ مَا هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحۡيَا وَمَا يُہۡلِكُنَآ إِلَّا ٱلدَّهۡرُۚ وَمَا لَهُم بِذَٲلِكَ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍۖ إِنۡ هُمۡ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ
And they say: “What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us.” But of that they have no knowledge: they merely conjecture.
