What! Are they in doubt about the meeting with their Lord? What! Does He not encompass all things? (Surah Fussilat, 54)
People may spend the whole of their lives in a state of acute and complete awareness, or semi-consciousness, or even total unawareness. Allah has called on people to be “aware” in many of His verses. Only in a state of complete awareness is it possible to live by Qur’anic moral values. Only with this acute awareness is the delicate conscience of the true believer possible. This full attention and clarity are essential in order to love Allah, to fear Him and hold Him in awe, to act according to the finest moral details, to preach the truth and virtues of Islam, to command what is good and warn people against what is unlawful, to compete with one another in good deeds and to set an example to other Muslims.
There are also people who spend their lives in a state of semi-awareness or even complete unconsciousness. However, it is quite impossible for such people to have a proper conception of faith and to exhibit the superior moral virtues of which Allah will approve. This is a conception that only a Muslim can manifest. The Qur’an reveals that this clarity of mind can only be achieved through faith:
You who believe! If you fear [and respect] Allah, He will give you discrimination and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. Allah’s favour is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal, 29)
Every believer must reflect on this truth and make every possible effort to make the best use of this opportunity, a blessing from Allah. It must not be forgotten that a closed mind is of no use at all. It brings with it neither peace, nor rest nor comfort. Worldly passions are of no use, either. On the contrary, this is a life style that has a seriously deleterious effect on the quality of a person’s life. Even more important, it may lead to a failure to abide by the moral values of the Qur’an and to behave in a way that will be pleasing to Allah. Full attention and awareness, however, result in great comfort in this world and in the blessing of Allah in the Hereafter.
