You are only moved from one abode to another” ”.[^2] But with no doubt, the creatures, with the passage of time, will lose their superficial appearances and their bodies will disintegrate, this superficial disintegration is referred to as destruction or mortality. This fact is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in the following manner: "كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيها فانٍ ويبقى وجهُ رَبِّكَ ذو الجَلالِ والإكرام"86 "Everyone on it must pass away.
And there will endure for ever the person of your Lord, the Lord of glory and honor." And in the Surah al-Qasas, verse 88, this notion is taken care of with the word "perishable": "وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ" "And call not with Allah any other god: there is no god but He; every thing is perishable but He; His is the judgment, and to him you shall be brought back [Qur’an 28:88].
Thus, Imam ‘Ali (as) in the expression “from the aged father near death” emphasizes that he, too, like every other creature will change superficially and will move from one state into another. The only thing from him which remains is his spiritual, heavenly aspect, the eternal nature of which is emphasized in Qur’an.[^3] No doubt, a belief in the lack of stability in the world will stop people from indulging in false pride and negligence.
And this is a constructive alert for all those who desire to be the followers of that Imam. Conceding to the conquest of time “المقر للزمان” Although man is capable of dominating the earth and the time, and God has made him a dominant factor over all creation, "أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ" “Do you not see that Allah has made what is in the heavens and what is in the earth subservient to you?” [^4] He is a vulnerable and weak creature, a victim to the system of the truth.
"يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْتُمْ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ" “O men! You are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He who is the self-sufficient, the praised one.” [^5] It is a fact that man can struggle with nature and disease and microbes, and can bring the natural disasters under control and can, in this way, lower the rate of casualties and increase life expectancy, but it is also the case that he cannot overpower everything.