The Evil of Their Deeds Will Become Plain to Them 

Four points in the passages below, from the Quran, the last stark warning of God to humanity, keep me thinking. 

First, during my life I have gone through and seen people with different outlooks go throw deluding themselves about their death.  They hope they may be able to reverse it and to become younger and the whole industry of genome project and cloning hopes for immortality for human beings on this planet—or after trashing the earth—on some other planet.  But there is no delusion for the prophet: 

“YOU [PROPHET] WILL CERTAINLY DIE, AND SO WILL THEY, AND, ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION, YOU WILL DISPUTE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR LORD.  So, who could be more wrong than the person who invents a lie about God and rejects the truth when it comes to him?  Is there not ample punishment for the disbelievers in Hell?  It is the one who brings the truth and the one who accepts it as true who are mindful of God: they will have everything they wish for with their Lord. Such is the reward of those who do good: God will absolve them even of their worst deeds and will reward them according to their best.” (39:30-34)

Second. Remember that the whole narration is around the last warning to humanity and the pending Day of Judgement.  The Truth is expressed as God declaring the end of evil and time.  And the faith that thanks to God that I arrived after long time of being lost and sinful, through enquiry and the grace of God to know that:

“IS GOD NOT ENOUGH FOR HIS SERVANT? Yet they threaten you [Prophet] with those they worship other than Him. If God allows someone to stray he has no one to guide him; if God guides someone no one can lead him astray. Is God not mighty and capable of retribution? 38 If you [Prophet] ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and earth?’ they are sure to answer, ‘God,’ so say, ‘Consider those you invoke beside Him: if God wished to harm me, could they undo that harm? If God wished to show me mercy, could they withhold that mercy?’ Say, ‘God is enough for me: all those who trust should put their trust in Him.’  Say, ‘My people, do whatever is in your power– and so will I. You will find out 40 who will suffer humiliation, and on whom a lasting torment will descend.’” (39:36-39)

Third, I came to understand it clearly that my gratitude and prayers, in attuning myself to the will of God, is my salvation and peace whether in this world or in the world to come.  I am and will be benefited from my gratitude, not God.  In loving parents, siblings, family, strangers, people, the poor, the destitute, and God it is me who am released from the rigid boundaries of ‘I’ and become free to a richer life and salvation.  It is me who find my way from dark to light, not God.  Giving and Forgiving is the essence of God, who doesn’t need anything.  And it is me who by lack of gratitude to God attract and draw darkness into my soul and body and write my destiny for Hell, not God.  God has given us a choice to decide for our destiny.  One can choose the path of cancer cells or life:

“We have sent the Scripture down to you [Prophet] with the Truth for people. WHOEVER FOLLOWS THE GUIDANCE DOES SO FOR HIS OWN BENEFIT, WHOEVER STRAYS AWAY FROM IT DOES SO AT HIS OWN PERIL: YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE OF THEM.  God takes the souls of the dead and the souls of the living while they sleep– He keeps hold of those whose death He has ordained and sends the others back until their appointed time– there truly are signs in this for those who reflect.  Yet they take intercessors besides God! Say, ‘Even though these have no power or understanding?’  Say, ‘All intercession belongs to God alone; He holds control of the heavens and the earth; in the end you will all return to Him.’” (39:41-44)

Fourth. The Truth comes and will come in absolute clarity to us.  Every deep truth will show itself and come to the surface.  We shall witness and understand the Truth in our flesh and blood.  We shall see that we had a choice between worshipping our own desires and whims, worshipping our transient life on this phenomenal world, or to connect and transcend to the ultimate direction that undoes nihilism, naturalism, and despair and opens up the horizon for us to experience the ecstatic bliss of experiencing God.  The Truth shall overwhelm us: 

“Whenever God is mentioned on His own, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but they rejoice when gods other than Him are mentioned.  Say, ‘God! Creator of the heavens and earth! Knower of all that is hidden and all that is open, You will judge between Your servants regarding their differences.’  If the evildoers possessed the earth’s assets twice over they would offer them to ransom themselves from the terrible suffering on the Day of Resurrection: GOD WILL SHOW THEM SOMETHING THEY HAD NOT RECKONED WITH, THE EVIL OF THEIR DEEDS WILL BECOME PLAIN TO THEM, AND THEY WILL BE OVERWHELMED BY THAT AT WHICH THEY USED TO LAUGH.” (39:45-48)