Unawareness: A sly threat

The happy and joyful movements of a small child amuse people. The hard
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 long as they arenot 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
ofdeath, and the account they will give to Him in the Hereafter for
every action or thought while alive.
Most people live according to 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, andsatisfy 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 and that 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
and worry only about losing them.
This unconscious, insensible, and uninterested attitude, which they
insist upon following despite His clear evidences, commands, and
warnings, is known as "unawareness."
Allah has created blessings, including theirown bodies and many
beautiful things wherever they may look,to remind human beingsof His
existence. At every moment and in every place, we see that creation is
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 topeople's benefit,
and thewater 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 who
use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 164)
Think of everything that happens and everything you see while you are
awake. When you get upand look in the mirror, you see your body
regenerated after a longsleep 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 bodythat started
from the division of a single cell and now contains about 100 trillion
of them; yourbody in which hundreds of complex functions occur in a
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 what their 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. Thus they fail to realize that
every new day offers them another opportunity to draw closer to Allah.
Perhaps this will be theirlast opportunity to do so, for this might be
their last day on Earth. Most people, who cannot appreciate the value
of this opportunity, generally busy themselves with trying to please
only themselves or others. Wecan explain this with thefollowing
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 theycriticize 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.
But many people have fallen into a far more serious state of
unawareness: a way of life that is completely divorced from Allah's
commands and prohibitions. This condition is caused by their
unawareness that He created them only to serve Him.
Unawareness poses a severe threat to everyone who is carelessand fails
to submit to Allah sincerely. Such people continue to be unaware of
their true situation until they begin to sincerely abide by the
Qur'an's commands and prohibitions and do their best to remain aware
at all times. Therefore, all readers of this book should acknowledge
the possibility that they could have a certain degree of unawareness
within themselves and realize that no one is immune to or safe from
this insidious danger: Allah says in the Qur'an: "No indeed! Truly
humanity is unbridled, seeing himself as self-sufficient" (Surat
al-'Alaq: 6-7). After people set aside their imaginary immunity
andaccept the Qur'an as their guide, they can analyze their situation,
try to correct their errorsand mistakes, and eventually overcome their
unawareness. The main reason why peoplepersist in their unawareness,
thereby allowing it to grow stronger every day, is that they are
content with their own supposed perfection.
THE RESULT OF UNAWARENESS
Despite all of Allah's warnings, unawareness quickly draws those
whopersist in it toward a horrible, indescribable, and eternal
punishment.Allah created this world as a place of testing, andthose
who leave it without becoming aware will continue their lives
eternally among the people of Hell.
As revealed in the Qur'an, their eyes and ears have been sealed and
their understandingremoved. Their understanding and awareness are like
thoseof animals. And, because they are so by choice, they are even
lower than animals:
We created many of the jinn and humanity for Hell. They have hearts
with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see,
and ears with which they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No,
they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat al-A'raf:
179)
Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? They are just
like cattle. Indeed, they are even further astray! (Surat al-Furqan:
44)
Animals have no awareness. Allah compares unaware people to them,
because their animal-like unawareness has causedtheir hearts to
harden. Whatever they see and hear, and all of the admonitions and
advice they receive, do not lift them out of that state. Asa result,
they do not learn anything from what happens to them.
All people without exception are responsible for understanding and
living according to the truth. But if they persist in their
unawareness, they become less intelligent than other living species
and lose those qualities that make them human. The sense, perception,
and understanding that Allahgives to everyone so thatthey can know of
His existence and serve Him are closed to these people who are
determined to persist in unawareness:
Those are the people whose hearts, hearing, and sight have been sealed
up by Allah. They are the unaware. (Surat an-Nahl: 108)
Such individuals can no longer save themselves from living among the
people of Hell unless they turn towards Him. Their lack of awareness
and confusion will be even greater in Hell:
Those who are blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and
even further off the Path. (Surat al-Isra': 72)
The harshness of the punishment and its terror are described in verses
as follows:
… the kindled Fire of Allah reaching right into the heart. It is
sealed in above them in towering columns. (Surat al-Humaza: 6-9)
People who live in a state of unawareness, who make no effort to
escape from this state, and who die without being aware of the Qur'an
and His pleasure will be dragged down toHell.