TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

There is an incident about a pious elder. One day, he got into a discussion with someone, and during the conversation, some harsh words slipped from his tongue. Afterward, they went their separate ways. That night, after offering the ‘Isha prayer, the elder lay down to rest—but he felt deeply restless. His conscience began to reproach him: You spoke harshly to a servant of God. You belittled him. Pride still lingers in your heart. What if, in God’s sight, that very person is elevated while you are worthless—what will you do then? You had the right to disagree with your brother’s opinion, but you had no right to insult him with harsh words.

These thoughts disturbed him so much that he couldn’t sleep. He spent the entire night tossing and turning. At one point, he got up, performed ablution, and stood in prayer. But it felt as though God was rejecting him. This deepened his anguish even more.

At daybreak, after offering the Fajr prayer, he went straight to the man’s house. When he saw him, he tearfully pleaded, “For God’s sake, please forgive me.”

This is the state of one who truly fears God.

Now contrast this with another kind of person: if he quarrels with someone in the evening, by morning he is already planning his revenge. If he insulted someone yesterday, today he’s urging others to join him in humiliating that same person. If he once takes offense, he clings to that resentment for years, doing all he can to bring the other down.

A person whose heart is filled with the fear of God finds that fear becomes a guardian over him. He corrects by morning the wrong he committed the evening before. But a person devoid of God’s fear is led only by his ego. He walks the path of pride and stubbornness—until it leads him to Hell.