The Veil Of Heedlessness

Man is intrinsically selfish; he is extremely sensitive about issues linked to his own interests. Ironically, he displays indifference towards death, which ought to be a matter of paramount concern. In the Qur'an, this state of mind peculiar to "those who do not hold firmly to Faith" is defined by God in one word: "heedlessness".

The meaning of heedlessness is a deficiency in full comprehension of facts owing to a blurring of awareness or even total unawareness and the resultant failure to arrive at sound judgements and give pertinent responses. An example of this is given in the following verse:

Mankind's Reckoning has drawn very close to them, yet they heedlessly turn away. (Surat al-Anbiya': 1)

People feel certain that one who is afflicted by a fatal or incurable disease will die. Yet, no less than this patient, these people who harbour such feelings of certainty, too, will die. That this will happen some time in the future or very soon does not change this fact. Often, heedlessness obscures this truth. For instance, it is highly probable that someone afflicted with HIV will die in the near future. Yet, the fact remains that it is also highly probable -if the truth be told, it is certain-that a vigorous person next to him will one day die. Maybe death will come upon him long before it comes upon that "HIV-stricken patient." This will most likely be at some quite unexpected moment

Family members grieve over patients on their deathbeds. Yet, hardly ever do they grieve over themselves, who will definitely die one day. However, given the certainty of the event, the response should not vary depending on whether it occurs shortly or at some far-off time.

If, in the face of death, grief is the correct response to give, then everyone should immediately start grieving for himself or for another. Or, he should overcome his grief and strive to have a deeper understanding of death.

To this end, being acquainted with the reasons for heedlessness will be useful.

Causes for Heedlessness

- A Lack of Sagacity: The majority of the individuals making up society are not accustomed to thinking over serious issues. Making heedlessness a way of living, they do not concern themselves with death. Any mundane problems they fail to solve keep their minds constantly occupied. Trivial issues, already "congesting" their narrow minds, do not allow them to give serious thought to grave issues. Thus, they spend their lives drifting in the daily flow of events. Meanwhile, at the death of somebody, or when the conversation turns to the subject of death, they derive comfort from blurted phrases and simply avoid the subject. They are people with narrow minds harbouring trifling narrow thoughts.

- The Complexity and Vividness of Life: Life flows very fast and it is alluringly vivid. In the absence of exceptional mental effort, man is likely to take no notice of death, which is bound to overcome him sooner or later. Not having faith in God, he is too distant from concepts like destiny, putting trust in God and submission to Him. From the moment he becomes conscious of material needs, he strives to ensure a good living. Such a person does not even endeavour to avoid death because he is already engrossed in worldly concerns. He constantly chases after new plans, interests and objectives and, one day, unpredictably and therefore with no preparation, faces the reality of death. Then he has regrets and wants to return to life, but to no avail.

- The Deception of Population Increase: One of the reasons for heedlessness is the recurrence of births. The population of the world keeps increasing; it never shrinks. Once dragged into the spiral of life, however, man may, because of misconceptions, believe in alluring yet utterly illusory notions like "births replace deaths", thereby maintaining an equilibrium of population. Such a rationale makes conditions ripe for the formation of a heedless outlook upon death. However, if from now on, no more births ever occurred around the world, we would still witness deaths one after another and, as a result, a shrinking world population. Then the horror of death would start to be felt. Man would see the disappearance of the people surrounding him one by one and would realise that the inevitable end would likewise afflict him. This is similar to what those sentenced to the death penalty feel on death row. Each day, they witness one or two people taken out for execution. The number of people in the cells steadily decreases. Years pass by, but still every day, those still alive go to sleep in a state of anxiety over whether the next day it would be their turn. Never do they fail to remember death, not for one second.

Ironically, the actual situation is no different from the aforementioned example. New-borns have no effect whatsoever on the ones destined to die. This is only a psychological misconception. The inhabitants of the world who lived 150 years ago are not around today. The following generations did not save them from death. Likewise, 100 years from now, those currently living, with a few exceptions, will not be alive. That is because the world is not a permanent place for man.

Methods Of Self-Deception

About from the reasons which make us disregard death and plunge into heedlessness, there are also certain defence mechanisms which people employ to deceive themselves. These mechanisms a few of which are mentioned below, reduce man to the level of the ostrich which buries its head in the sand to avoid a disagreeable situation.

- Postponing thinking about death to the latter years of life: People generally take it for granted that they will live until their mid-sixties or seventies. This explains why generally young and middle-aged people employ this defence mechanism. With such calculations in mind, they postpone thinking about such "gloomy" issues to the latter years of their lives. In their youth-or their prime-they do not want to "blur" their minds with "depressing" issues. The latter years of life are inescapably the time when one cannot get the best out of life and this period is thought by many people to be the most appropriate phase in which to think sedulously about death and become prepared for the next life. This also brings spiritual relief, since it provides a sense of doing something for the Hereafter.

Nevertheless, it is evident that making such long-term and inconclusive plans makes no sense for one whose next breath is not even guaranteed. Every day he sees many people of his age or even younger ones dying. Obituaries constitute a considerable part of daily newspapers. Every hour, television channels report news of deaths. Often man witnesses the death of people surrounding him. Yet, little does he think that people around him will also witness his own death or read about it in the newspaper. On the other hand, even if he lives for a very long time, nothing will change in his life, since his mentality will remain the same. Until he is actually facing death, he just postpones thinking about death.

- Making the assumption that one will "serve one's sentence" in hell only for a certain period: This view, which is prevalent in society, is nothing but a superstition. After all, it is not a belief having its roots in the Qur'an. In no part of the Qur'an do we find any reference to "serving one's sentence" in hell for some time and then being forgiven. Quite the contrary, in all relevant verses, there is specific mention of the separation of believers and disbelievers on the Day of Judgement. Again we know from the Qur'an that believers will remain in Paradise for all eternity, while disbelievers will be cast into hell, where they will suffer everlasting torment:

They say, 'The Fire will only touch us for a number of days.' Say, 'Have you made a contract with God-then God will not break His contract -or are you rather saying about God what you do not know? 'No indeed! Those who accumulate bad actions and are surrounded by their mistakes, are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. Whereas those who believe and do right actions, such people are the Companions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Baqarah: 80-82)

Another verse stresses the same point:

That is because they say, The Fire will only touch us for a number of days.' Their inventions have deluded them in their religion. (Surah Al 'Imran: 24)

Hell is a place of unimaginable torment. Consequently, even if remaining in hell only for a certain time were possible, a man of conscience would never consent to go through that suffering. Hell is the place where the attributes of God, al-Jabbar (The Compeller) and al-Qahhar (The Subduer) are manifested to the utmost degree. The torment in hell is incomparable to any pain in the world. A person who cannot endure even a burn on his finger saying he can readily undergo such torture is merely demonstrating weak-mindedness. Furthermore, a person who does not feel terrified by the Wrath of God fails to give God due esteem. Such a person, entirely deprived of faith, is a poor man who does not even deserve a mention.

- Thinking "I already deserve Paradise": There is also a group who assume themselves to be the people of Paradise. Engaging in some minor deeds they assume to be good deeds and avoiding some wicked deeds, they think they are ripe for entry into heaven. Steeped in superstition and mouthing heresies which they associate with religion, these people actually adhere to a faith completely divorced from that of the Qur'an. They present themselves as true believers. However, the Qur'an classifies them among those who ascribe partners to God:

Give them this parable. Once there were two men. To one of them We gave two vineyards surrounded by date-palms, with some cultivated land in between. Both gardens yielded their crops and did not suffer any loss, and We made a river flow right through the middle of them. He was a man of wealth and property and he said to his companion, while conversing with him, 'I have more wealth than you and more people under me.' He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, 'I do not think that this will ever end. I do not think the Hour of Doom will ever come. But if I should be sent back to my Lord, I will definitely get something better in return.' His companion, with whom he was conversing, said to him, 'Do you then disbelieve in Him who created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, and then formed you as a man? He is, however, God, my Lord, and I will not associate anyone with my Lord. (Surat al-Kahf: 32-38)

With the words, "But if I should be sent back to my Lord", the garden owner expresses his lack of sound faith in God and the Hereafter and consequently reveals that he is an idolater who harbours doubts. Meanwhile, he claims that he is a superior believer. Moreover, he feels no doubts that God will reward him with Paradise. This insolent and inferior character of the idolater is very common among people.

These people, deep inside, know that they are entirely fraudulent, yet once they are questioned about it, they try to prove their innocence. They claim that observing the commandments of religion is not so important. Furthermore, they try to clear themselves, claiming that the seemingly religious people they see around them are immoral and dishonest. They try to prove that they are "good people" by stating that they do not mean any harm to anyone. They state that they do not hesitate to give money to beggars, that they have been serving honestly in public service for years and these are the things that make a sincere Muslim. They either do not know or simply pretend not to know that what makes a man a Muslim is not getting along well with people, but being a servant of God and obeying His commandments.

In an endeavour to base their distorted religion on some kind of rationale, they subscribe to certain fallacies. This is actually typical of their insincerity. To legitimise their own life, they seek refuge in slogans like: "The best form of worship is to work" or "what matters is sincerity of heart." In the words of the Qur'an, this is just "inventing lies against God" and it merits the punishment of eternal Hell. In the Qur'an, God describes the situation of such people as follows:

They think they deceive God and those who have faith. They deceive no one but themselves, but they are not aware of it. (Surat al-Baqarah: 8)

- Double-Standard Rationales: Sometimes when people think about death, they assume they will disappear for all eternity. Such a startling idea makes them develop another defence mechanism; they only give half credence to the fact that "there is an eternal life promised by God." Such a conclusion raises some hope in them. When they consider the responsibilities of a believer towards his Creator, they prefer to completely ignore the fact of an eternal life. They comfort themselves thinking: "After all, we shall be reduced to insignificance, decomposing completely in the soil. There is no life after death." Such an assumption represses all fears and concerns, such as giving an account of one's deeds on the Day of Judgement or suffering in hellfire. In both sets of circumstances, they lead their lives in heedlessness until the end of their days.

The Consequence of Heedlessness

In the previous sections, as we have said, as long as one lives, death inevitably calls itself to one's attention. These reminders sometimes prove to be beneficial, prompting man to re-examine his priorities in life and to re-evaluate his outlook in general. But there are other times when the above-mentioned defence mechanisms take over, and with each passing day, the veil of heedlessness before one's eyes becomes thicker.

If disbelievers await death in a tranquil mood and have an irrational feeling of comfort, even when they are intensely aware of its approach in the latter years of their lives, it is because they are completely swathed in this veil. That is because death for them connotes restful and sound sleep, tranquility and calmness, and an eternal relief.

Contrary to what they think, however, God, the One who creates every being from nothing and the One who makes them die and who will give life to all creatures on Judgement Day, promises them eternal regret and grief. They will, too, witness this fact at the moment of death, a time when they assume they will go to an eternal sleep. They realise that death is not total disappearance, but the initial moment of a new world full of anguish. The terrifying appearance of the angels of death is the first sign of this great torment:

How will it be when the angels take them in death, beating their faces and their backs? (Surah Muhammad: 27)

At this moment, the pre-death arrogance and insolence of the disbelievers turn into terror, regret, desperation and eternal pain. In the Qur'an, this is referred to as follows:

They say, 'When we have been absorbed into the earth, are we then to be created afresh?' In fact, they deny they will ever meet their Lord. Say: 'The Angel of Death, who has been given charge of you, will carry off your souls, and then you will be sent back to your Lord.' If only you could see the evil-doers hanging their heads in shame before their Lord: 'Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard, so send us back again and we will act rightly. Truly we are now firm believers.' (Surat as-Sajdah: 10-12)

There is No Escape From Death

Death, especially at an early age, seldom comes to mind. Considering this as the end, man even escapes from the thought of it. However, just as physical avoidance provides no cure for death, neither does avoidance of thinking about it. Besides, it is impossible to ignore death. Every day, newspapers run headlines about the deaths of so many people. You frequently come across hearses or pass by cemeteries. Relatives and associates die. Their funerals or visits to offer condolences inevitably bring death to mind. As one witnesses the death of others, and especially the death of beloved ones, he inevitably thinks about his own end. This thought hurts him deep inside, making him restless.

No matter how strongly the individual resists, wherever he seeks refuge or how he tries to escape, he may actually encounter his own death at any moment. He has no other choice. Ahead of him, there is no other exit. The countdown never stops, not for a moment. Wherever he returns, death meets him there. The circle encloses constantly and finally catches up with him:

Say: 'Death, from which you are fleeing, will certainly catch up with you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible and He will inform you about what you did.' (Surat al-Jumu'ah: 8)

Wherever you are, death will catch up with you, even if you are in impregnable fortresses. (Surat an-Nisa': 78)

That is why we need to stop deceiving ourselves or disregarding facts and strive to earn the good pleasure of God during this period predetermined by Him. Only God knows when this time will be over.

Our Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) also said that one of the best ways to prevent one's conscience from hardening, and attain a good character is by frequently remembering death:

Abdullah ibn Umar narrated, "Gods's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, 'These hearts become rusty just as iron does when water affects it.' On being asked what could clear them he replied, 'A great amount of remembrance of death and recitation of the Qur'an.'" (Al-Tirmidhi, 673)