As we have all experienced many times in our lives, when a person faces a life-threatening danger, their conscience begins, with astonishing speed, to make an accounting of everything. They evaluate, one by one, the life they have spent in this world and the things they have done during that time.
If the person in such a situation is someone who has not done good deeds in this world and has not obeyed by the religion of Allah, a great sense of regret fills them at that moment. For the truths that they never thought about throughout his worldly life suddenly appear before their eyes in complete clarity. Perhaps for the first time in their life, they realize that death is actually very near. They think about and understands that they have not lived a life deserving of Paradise while they were in this world, and that the feeling of regret they are experiencing stems from this. The moment they feel the nearness of death, they realize the ingratitude they have shown toward Allah, and they can also feel very clearly in their conscience that this behavior will not go unpunished. An intense fear, unlike anything they have ever experienced before, fills in. They understand that only Allah can save them from the situation in which they find himself.
Thus, when they consult their conscience and are able to consider about themselves sincerely, they makes promises that if they survive, they will never again forget things they have experienced, will be greatly thankful to Allah, and that they will arrange the remainder of their life according to these truths. They pray to Allah with earnest pleading in order to be saved from the danger they face. If only they can be saved and be given another opportunity to live...
But some people do not remain faithful to the promise they made to Allah when the danger they were facing comes to an end. As soon as Allah saves them, they immediately return to their former state of mind. The regret and submission they felt are instantly replaced by their former ingratitude. They suddenly forget the truths they thought about and realized when they came face to face with death. With the sense of security that comes from having overcome the danger, they turn away from Allah as though it was not, they themselves who prayed to Allah and experienced that regret. They continue their former lives from where they left off, perhaps becoming even more attached to the world than before. Allah has explained the states of mind of such people in the Qur’an through the following examples:
It is He who conveys you on both land and sea so that when some of you are on a boat, running before a fair wind,
rejoicing at it, and then a violent squall comes upon them and the waves come at them from every side and they realize
there is no way of escape, they call on Allah, making their religion sincerely His: ‘If You rescue us from this,
we will truly be among the thankful.’ But then, when He does rescue them, they become rebellious in the earth without
any right to do so. Mankind, your rebelliousness is only against yourselves. There is the enjoyment of the life of this world
and then you will return to Us and We will inform you about what you did. (Surah Yunus, 22–23)
When harm occurs to you at sea, those you call on vanish – except for Him alone! But when He delivers you to dry land,
you turn away. Man truly is ungrateful. Do you feel secure against Him causing the shore to swallow you up or sending
against you a sudden squall of stones? Then you will find no one to be your guardian. (Al-Isra, 67–68)
When faced with a situation that reminds one of the nearness of the Hereafter, that makes one think about death and the Day of Judgement, and prays for salvation, and resolves to spend their life seeking God's pleasure, remain faithful to their promise to God when they safely escape this danger? As the verses draw attention to, can a person be certain that after such a danger has passed, they will not encounter a similar or another danger? And even if they do encounter one, can they be certain they will be saved again?
Of course, no one can be certain of such a thing. Moreover, no matter if they are saved from another danger – because a person will inevitably die when their allotted time is up. Then they will once again experience the same regret, but that regret will be of no benefit.
What is told here is, in fact, the common state of mind possessed by all people who live far from religion. In other verses of the Qur’an, Allah informs us of the condition these people as follows:
When harm touches man, he calls on Us, lying on his side or sitting down or standing up. Then when We remove the harm from him,
he carries on as if he had never called on Us when the harm first touched him. In that way We make what they have done appear
good to the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 12)
When harm touches people they call on their Lord with sincere devotion. But then, when He gives them a taste of mercy from Him,
a group of them immediately associate others with their Lord. (Surat Ar-Rum, 33)
As described in the verses, unbelievers turn to Allah at the moment they encounter a hardship. However, after they are delivered from the danger, they immediately forget the promise they made to Allah and become ungrateful. As can be understood from this, the regret they experience actually stems from their helplessness at the moment of danger.
What Should Sincere Regret Be Like?
In reality, as every person knows in his own conscience, the regret that is unique to believers and that brings benefit is not like this. True regret is not a feeling that is forgotten in an instant. It is a feeling that motivates a person to act and that can sometimes even bring about deep-rooted changes within him. A person who sincerely feels regret in their heart lives the remainder of the life that has been granted to them in accordance with the good pleasure of Allah and hopes to find Allah Forgiving and Merciful. When circumstances change and they are given a new opportunity, they never return to their former attitude. For they know that such ingratitude will be against their own interests, as Allah has stated in His verses.
All of the examples in the verses of the Qur'an, there is profound wisdom for us to reflect upon sincerely and take heed from. Through the verses of the Qur'an, Allah informs us of the psychology of the people on the ship as a lesson. The ingratitude described is a tendency that exists within every person's lower self (nafs). Therefore, every person should guard against this negative characteristic of their nafs, draw lessons from the condition of the people described in the verses, conduct a sincere self-examination, and think about the following:
However, it is not necessary for a person to be in danger in order to think about these matters and make the right decision. In fact, because a person is not currently faced with such a danger, they should not be certain that they will never encounter a similar situation. Someone who thinks today that he will never find himself in such circumstances may experience a similar event in the very near future. Or perhaps he may never encounter such an event until the end of his life. But one thing is certain: when the moment of death decreed for them arrives, they will suddenly find the angels of death beside him. The moment they see the reality of death when their appointed time has come, if they have not lived a life in accordance with Allah's good pleasure, there will certainly be things for which they will feel regret.
Holding Fast to Allah Is the Most Correct Decision
The only thing that must be done in order never to encounter this regret—which is described in the verses and which every person recognizes within his own self—either in this world or in the Hereafter, is to turn to Allah, to fear Him and be mindful of Him, and to fulfill the commands that Allah has revealed in the Qur'an. Death is very near for everyone. Therefore, a person should never postpone what they must do, and they should implement their sincere decisions with patience and willpower.
Whenever a person encounters a situation that remind them of death and leads to reflecting upon the nearness of the Hereafter, they will attain a tremendous gain if it is done with sincerely. The measure of a person's closeness and sincerity toward Allah should be equal to the degree of closeness and sincerity attained by one who turns to Allah with complete devotion and purity during moments of helplessness and danger. And they should maintain this closeness and sincerity throughout the rest of his life.
The Most Important Truth That a Person Must Not Forget
The true purpose of a person's existence in this world is to be a servant with whom Allah is pleased. Everything else—their achievements, the wealth and possessions they own, their family, social environment, and position—is merely a means by which they may draw nearer to Allah. As for those who forget or ignore that these things have been given to them so that they may give thanks to Allah and turn to Him, and who instead make it their sole aim to acquire these means unconsciously, everything they do in this world will come to nothing—unless Allah wills otherwise. The temporary benefits they obtain in this world will not avail them in any way on the Day of the Hereafter. Moreover, our Almighty Lord Allah explains in the Qur'an that it is precisely such people who will suffer the greatest loss:
Say: ‘Shall I inform you of the greatest losers in their actions? People whose efforts in the life of this world are misguided while
they suppose that they are doing good.’ Those are the people who reject their Lord’s Signs and the meeting with Him. Their actions
will come to nothing and, on the Day of Rising, We will not assign them any weight. (Al-Kahf, 103–105)
If a person earns Allah's good pleasure through the way they conduct themselves, their attitude, and moral character in this world, Allah will protect and watch over them in both this world and the Hereafter. But if they miss this opportunity while in the world and becomes passionately attached to worldly life, then the very moment the angels of death come to them, they will realize this terrible mistake—which they will no longer be able to remedy—and, unless Allah wills otherwise, they will live in a regret that will continue forever. In the Qur'an, Allah informs us of the words spoken by those who regret what they have done when they stand in His Presence:
He will say, ‘Oh! If only I had prepared in advance for this life of mine!’ (Surah Al-Fajr, 24)
‘Oh, if only I had not associated anyone with my Lord!’ (Surah Al-Kahf, 42)
‘Oh, if only I had gone the way of the Messenger! (Al-Furqan, 27)
Every person who does not wish to utter these words in helplessness after death has come should, this very moment, purify themselves of worldly ambitions, respond to the call of our Lord, and continue their life in the manner that He desires from us.
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