Can it be said that one who considers God Almighty to be...

Can it be said that one who considers God Almighty to be present and watching and Who sees himself to be in the presence of the Lord, and who considers it possible that there should be retribution for his words and deeds, a reckoning and chastisement, and that in this world every word he speaks, every step he takes, every deed he does, is recorded by angels of Allah called ‘ Raqib and ‘Atid ,’ [^3] and they carefully record all his words and deeds, and in such a state, could he fearless of his own doing?

It is painful [to realize] that they do not even consider these truths to be possible. From the manners of some and their way of living it is obvious that they do not even consider the existence of a supernatural world to be possible, since the mere consideration of this possibility keeps man from committing many wrongs.

[^1]: “By Allah, if the seven climes and what is under their skies were offered to me to be sinful to Allah by taking the skin of a grain of barley from the ant, I would not do it.” Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 215. [^2]: Shimr was the assassin of Imam Husayn, peace be with him, and symbolizes evil. [Tr.] [^3]: “He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand [raqibun ‘atidun]” (Q 50:18). Previous…