There is no greater punishment in the next life than being veiled from Allah and not being able to see Him. This is more painful than being cast into the Hellfire and being denied entry to Paradise.
Allah says: Their hearts have been stained by all ˹the evil˺ they used to commit! No indeed! On that Day they will be veiled from their Lord (83:14-5).
Why is their punishment that they are veiled from their Lord? Because the wrong they did was associated with their hearts, and the heart is the focus of Allah’s gaze. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah does not look at your appearance or your bodies, but rather He looks at your hearts and your actions.”
If a person lives their whole life with no concern for the state of their heart, which is the focus of Allah’s gaze, it is only fitting that they be denied the vision of their Lord in the next life.
Habib Ali al-Jifri (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)