Some ignorant people believe that the message of the verse...

Some ignorant people believe that the message of the verse: “But whoever has been blind in this [world], will be blind in the Hereafter, and [even] more astray from the [right] way”. (al-Isrā’:72) Is that worldly health and pleasures are in direct correspondence with health and pleasures in the Hereafter; however, they do not consider the fact that the term ‘blind’ in the above verse dos not mean physical blindness rather it means ‘ignorance’, or spiritual blindness.

Another verse maintains: “Indeed it is not the eyes that turn blind, but the hearts turn blind -those which are in the breasts!” (al-Hajj:46) The Holy Qur’an states elsewhere: “But whoever disregards My remembrance, his shall be a wretched life, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise Him blind. He will say, ‘My Lord! Why have You raised me blind, though I used to see?’ He will say: ‘So it is.

Our signs came to you, but you forgot them, and thus you will be forgotten today.” (TāHa:124-126) Therefore, the reason for blindness in the next world results from forgetting God’s signs in this world, as opposed to physical blindness. Finally, it must be noted that the relationship between this world and the Hereafter is not similar to the relationship between causes and their effects in this world.

Worldly benefits (blessings) will not lead to adversity in the Hereafter Some people have cause to believe that the blessings of this world and those of the Hereafter are on a counter-relationship. Hence those who failed to enjoy the blessings of this world will consequently meet prosperity in the Hereafter, while those who enjoyed the blessings of this world will be deprived from prosperity in the Hereafter.

The advocates of this idea have justified it by referring to some verses and traditions in which the worshippers of this world have claimed not to enjoy any of the blessings of the Hereafter (al-Baqarah:200, Āl-‘Imrān:77, al-Isrā’:18, al-Shu’arā:20).

However, being in love with this world does not equal enjoying worldly blessings, rather the lover of this world is one who sets worldly desires as the objective of all his attempts and employs all his strength in gaining them even if he does not meet his desires. On the other hand, a lover of the Hereafter is one who does not fall in love with worldly pleasures, but chooses the life of the Hereafter as his objective, even though he may be enjoying worldly blessings.