Islam As It Is
man, know theyself!
~ 14 ~
One who assures his worldly position at the cost of
his after-life is like the man who does not care to
save up for his old age while he is still young.
Eventually a time comes when his limbs fail him
and he can no longer work for a living. It is only
then that he realizes his predicament: he is without
food, clothes or shelter, and he can no longer
provide for himself. How many have we seen lying
in rags, in the shade of some wall, with dogs
barking and snapping around them, and boys
throwing stones at them? We have seen many such
pitiable sights, but we are not so shaken by what we
see that we feel the need to take any precautions.
None of us actually see ourselves coming to such an
end, because we are too concerned with the present.
Who cares for tomorrow?
When, in wartime, the air-raid siren announces the
approach of squadrons of enemy bombers coming
to blast us to eternity, we are chilled by this idea,
and everyone immediately dashes to the air-raid
shelters. In a matter of moments, the streets are
deserted. Anyone who does not react to the alert in
this way is considered idiotic, if not mentally
deranged. But what happens when men of religion
