4. THE COMFORT OF ILLUSION
He who contemplates (tafakkur) the consequences of this life will take all precautions. He who is certain of the long journey he is about to embark will be adequately prepared for travelling.
I wonder at a person who is certain of a matter yet still neglects it, and is confident of the harm of a matter yet still delves into it!
“You worry about mankind whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him.”
[al-Ah^db (33):37j
[It is ironic that] your desirous self (nafs) provokes you to do what you are unsure of but you cannot win it over matters that you are certain of!
The wonder of all wonders is that you are pleased with your arrogance {ghurur), and your indulgence into idle play while overlooking what has been hidden for you! You are fooled with your health and seem to forget that sickness is near; and you rejoice for your wellness all the while you fail to notice the pain that is yet to come. Verily, the death of others was just to remind you of your own death, and the death of others was only to remind you of your death! Your indulgence in fulfilling your desires averts you from remembering the destruction of your essence.
As one poet said,
As if you had not heard of the news of the people before,
and had not seen how time ruined those in the present.
It you did not know, then look at their ruins,
the wind and the grave erased their remains.
There is no house master that settled down in his grave without first being is removed from his house! How many palace lords have you seen being ruled by their enemies after they were removed from their positions!
O you who steps forward towards such an end, with every moment that passes, yet act as if he does not know or understand!
H ow can the heart sleep in tranquillity,
while not yet knowing w hether it will dwell
in hell or heaven?
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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