The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam — Page 163
157 and then observing a still higher condition they would desire that their lower condition should be covered up and thus they will continuously seek unlimited maghfirat. This seeking of maghfirat or istighfar is sometimes made the basis of adverse criticism of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. I trust that now it will have become clear that the desire for maghfirat is a matter of pride for man. He who is born of woman and does not make istighfar his habit, is a worm and not man, he is blind and not seeing, he is unclean and not pure. In short, according to the Holy Quran, hell and heaven are both reflections of a man's life, and are not something new that comes from outside. It is true that in the Hereafter they will be manifested physically, but they will be reflections of the spiritual conditions of man in this life. We do not conceive of heaven as containing material trees, nor of hell as full of brimstone and sulphur. According to Islamic teachings heaven and hell are the reflections of the actions that a person. carries out in this world.