End Of One Who Does Not Adhere To Islam — Part One

Introduction

Islam is the true religion of Allah, the one preached by all prophets and messengers. Allah has prepared a great reward in this world and the Hereafter for whoever believes in it and threatened whoever disbelieves in it with severe torment. As Allah is the Creator, the Possessor, and the Disposer of all in this universe, and you are just one of His creatures, He created you, subjected you to all that is in the universe, ordained His Law for you, and commands you to obey Him.

If you therefore believe, obey His commandment, and abstain from all that He forbids you, you will attain what He promises you of the everlasting bliss in the Hereafter, and you will be happy in this world with all that He will endow on you of all kinds of favors; you will then be like the wisest men and the purest of them in soul: the prophets, the messengers, righteous people, and the favored angels.

But if you disbelieve and disobey your Lord, you will lose your worldly life and your Hereafter and expose yourself to His wrath and punishment in this world and the Hereafter. You will then be like the most wicked of all creatures, the most defective in intelligence, and the most debased in mind: the devils, corrupt people, false deities, and transgressors, just to mention a few.

Consequences of Disbelief

There are many consequences of disbelief. The first one is fear and lack of security. Allah promises complete security in this world and the Hereafter for those who believe in Him and follow His messengers. He says, “Those who believe and confuse not their belief with wrong, for them there is security, and they are the guided.” (Holy Quran 6:82)

Allah Almighty is the universe's owner, the protector of His creatures, and the overseer.

If He loves a servant of His because of his belief, He grants him security, tranquility, and peace. But if a servant of His disbelieves in Him, He withdraws tranquility and security from him, and such a person will always be afraid of his fate in the Hereafter, afraid for himself from calamities and diseases, and afraid for his future in this world. The insurance market insures lives and properties because people lack security and trust in Allah.

The second consequence is a difficult life. Allah made man, gave him dominion over the universe, and allotted each creature its food and life span. Hence, you see the bird going out of its nest to look for its provisions and then picking them. It moves from one branch of the tree to another and sings in a most melodious tone.

Man is also one of these creatures for whom Allah has portioned out his provision and lifespan. If he therefore believes in his Lord and stands firm on His law, Allah will grant him happiness and stability, and He will make his matters easy for him, even if he possesses only meager means of livelihood.

If he, however, disbelieves in his Lord and feels too big to worship Him, He will make his life strained and make him suffer from sorrow and distress even if he has all the means of comfort and enjoyment at his disposal. Don’t you see the staggering numbers of suicide victims in countries in which all means of affluence are guaranteed for their citizens?

Don’t you see all kinds of furniture and mats used for the enjoyment of this life? The heart's emptiness from faith, feelings of constraint and hardship, and attempts to dismiss these worries without God are the cause of all this extravagance. God says, “But whoever turns away from My Reminder, verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.” (Holy Quran 20:124)

Furthermore, the disbeliever will live in continuous war with his soul and with the world around him. This is because his soul is based on Islamic monotheism. God says, “Such is the way of Allah, upon which He created mankind.” His body surrenders to its Lord and moves according to His order, but the disbeliever insists on going against his nature and lives his voluntary life in rebellion against his Lord.

Although his body surrenders to the will of the Creator, his own voluntary will will be in opposition. He will always be at war with the world around him, as everything from the largest galaxy to the smallest insect moves according to Allah's will. God says, “Then He (Allah) rose over towards the heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’ They both said, “We come willingly.” (Holy Quran 41:11)

The universe loves him who agrees with it in submission to Allah and hates him who opposes it. The disbeliever is the recalcitrant in this universe, for he makes himself an opponent to his Lord and contender with Him; that is why it is appropriate for the heavens and the earth and all other creatures to hate him and his disbelief and atheism.

Allah says, “And they say, ‘The Most Gracious (Allah) has begotten a son.’ Indeed, you have committed a terrible act by ascribing a son to the Most Gracious, which has caused the heavens to almost tear apart, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall into ruins. it is not suitable for the majesty of the Most Gracious that He should beget a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto Most Gracious as a slave.” (Holy Quran 19:88-93)

God Almighty says about Pharaoh and his hosts, “And the heavens and the earth wept not for them, nor were they given a respite.” (Holy Quran 44:29)

Disbelief is ignorance, or rather the greatest ignorance, because the disbeliever is ignorant of his Lord. He sees this universe that was created by his Lord most wonderfully; he sees in himself the greatness of Allah’s deed, and yet he is ignorant of the Creator of this universe and the Constructor of his self. Is this not the greatest ignorance?

He lives the life of one who wrongs himself and all that is around him. This is because he subjected himself to purposes apart from those for which he was created. He does not worship his Lord but worships others. Injustice is putting something where it doesn't belong, and this is worse than worshiping the undeserving. Luqmaan has told his son while explaining the awfulness of polytheism, “O my son! Join not in worship of others with Allah. Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great wrong indeed.” (Holy Quran 31:13)

This behavior also harms those around him, as he fails to acknowledge the rights of the One to whom they are due. On the Day of Resurrection, every man or animal he has wronged will stand before him asking Allah to take revenge on his behalf.

Furthermore, the disbeliever exposes himself to the calamities and afflictions as immediate punishment for his disbelief. Allah Almighty says, “Do those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah might sink them into the earth, or that the torment might seize them from directions they perceive?” Or that He may catch them in the midst of their going to and fro (in their jobs) so that there be no escape for them (from Allah’s punishment)? Or that He may catch them through gradual diminishing (of the wealth and health). Truly, your Lord is indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.” (Holy Quran 16:45-47)

Conclusion

God Almighty also says, “And a disaster will not cease to strike those who disbelieved because of their (evil) deeds, or it will settle close to their homes, until the promise of Allah comes to pass. Certainly, Allah does not break His promise. (Holy Quran 13:31)

The Lord of Mercy says in another verse, “Or did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing?” (Holy Quran 7:98)

This is the fate of every man who turns away from the remembrance of Allah. God Almighty tells us of the punishments of past nations that were disbelievers.

“So, we punished each of them for his sins; of them are some of whom We sent a violent wind, and of them were those who were overtaken by torment—an awful cry, and of them were some of whom We caused the earth to swallow, and of them were some whom We drowned. It was not Allah who wronged them, but they wronged themselves.” (Holy Quran 29:40)