decisions and reactions to events that are so important to adults,such
as economic crises, natural disasters, wars, and oppression, have no
meaning for them. As longas they are not hungry or thirsty or have
lost a toy, they live in contentment, unaware of what is going on
around them. And as long as they are content, they unconsciously go on
sleeping, playing, and laughing.
However, although it may not be obvious at first, many people are
hardly different from children when it comes to their level of
awareness. This characteristic is especially evident in their lack of
appreciation for such important matters as Allah's (God's) existence
and the Hereafter, the purpose of their creation, the certainty of
death, andthe account they will give to Him in the Hereafter forevery
action or thought while alive.
Most people live accordingto their own desires and intentions, unaware
of Allah's commands and prohibitions, even though He informs us of
them through clear signs. They only want to enjoy the world's
pleasures, be happy, and satisfy their own egos. They pursue its
temporary allurements to the exclusion of all else, working all their
lives to get what they want. Their greatest worries are that their
efforts be in vain andthat they will lose what they already have.
However, this short life and everything pertaining to it will one day
come to an end. Unaware of the eternal punishment awaiting all those
who lived their lives without making any attempt to please Allah, they
head toward the Day of Judgment—a day of great fear and distress for
them. But they continue to desire the world's transitory allurements
andworry only about losing them.
This unconscious, insensible, and uninterested attitude, which they
insist upon following despite His clear evidences, commands,
andwarnings, is known as "unawareness."
Allah has created blessings, including their own bodies and many
beautiful things wherever they may look, to remind human beings of His
existence. At every moment and in every place, we see that creationis
imbued with countless wonders:
In the creation of the heavens and Earth, and the alternation of the
night and day, and the ships that sail the seas to people's benefit,
and the water that Allah sends down from the sky–by which He brings
the ground to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures
of every kind–and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds
subservient between heaven and Earth, there are Signs for people
whouse their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 164)
Think of everything that happens and everything you see while you are
awake. When you get up and look in the mirror, yousee your body
regenerated after a long sleep and notice how it continues to function
perfectly without your interference. You see your body just as it was
yesterday—your symmetrical and esthetically shaped body that started
from the division of a single cell andnow contains about 100 trillion
of them; your bodyin which hundreds of complex functions occur ina
perfect sequence of which you are not even aware.
But most people pay no attention to these facts. When looking in the
mirror, all they see is whattheir face generally looks like or if
their hair is combed. They think of nothing except work, school, or
what they are going to do that day. Thusthey fail to realize that
every new day offers themanother opportunity to draw closer to Allah.
Perhaps this will be their last opportunity to do so, for this might
be their last day on Earth. Most people, who cannot appreciate
thevalue of this opportunity, generally busy themselveswith trying to
please only themselves or others. We can explain this with the
following example:
Think of a general knowledge quiz. The winner will win a great deal of
money. How will the contestants behave during the contest? Will they
look around distractedly instead of listening to the questions and
thinking of the answers? Will they criticize the host's shirt, tone of
voice, or hairstyle?Instead of concentrating on the answer, will they
think about what they are going to do or wear tomorrow?
Quite the contrary. The contestants would listen carefully to the host
and try to use the limited time in the best possible way. They would
concentrate on coming up with the answers by being interested in
nothing except the matter at hand.If they were to engage in the type
of meaningless behavior just cited, then we would think that they are
bewildered, have a closed mind, or are irrational; in other words,
unaware.
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