Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Sunday Guardian | Jul 09, 2017When a person works, makes money, builds a house, makes an effort to improve his standard of living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be called a purposeful life, for these activities do not demonstrate man's unique status. It might seem as if they are the result of deliberation, but if one looks at the matter in depth, one will see that in actual fact the motive force behind these actions is the same urge that motivates an animal in various ways, in its concern for its own survival. It is the pressure of one's needs, and the wish to fulfil the demands of one's self that underlie such a life. These are the considerations which, in fact, guide a person in his search for his livelihood. [Highlight1]When a human being grows up, he realizes that there are certain material necessities without which he cannot live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he requires a reliable source of income to sustain him throughout his life. He is forced by these considerations to obtain these things. Then he sees that those who have an abundance of these material things enjoy respect and apparently possess every form of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus he is driven on to do more than just seek a livelihood; he desires to earn to a degree greatly in excess of his actual requirements.For this reason these activities cannot be considered as being directed towards the purpose which sets a human being apart from the animal and lends him a higher distinction. To determine the purpose of life is, in short, the effort to make life meaningful. It must surely, therefore, be one which is in accordance with a human being's unique status; it must be one which leads him on the path to success and progress in terms of his true nature
Related Articles
Article
According to scientific accounts, about 15 billion years ago, at the behest of the Creator, a big cosmic ball came into existence in space. This contained all the particles from which the various parts of our universe…
Article
When we think about the purpose of man's life we realize that man is born with unlimited potential, yet in the present world he finds only a very limited use for it. According to his nature, man wants to live eternally…
Article
Everything in the universe submits itself to the will of God. Therefore, submission to God is the true religion for both man and the universe. Everything or being in the universe, including man, must strictly obey the…
Article
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Speaking Tree Website | April 24, 2017Of all the stages through which a person will have to pass, death is the most certain. Everyone who is alive now will be dead sometime in the future. One…
Article
Chapter two of the Quran, elaborates thus on polytheism: “Yet there are some who set up equals with God and adore them with the adoration due to God, but those who believe love God most. If only the wrongdoers could see…
Article
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Speaking Tree Website | January 09, 2017 The Prophet is reported to have said, "A man will not be let go on the Day of Judgment until he has been asked concerning four matters." (Tirmidhi) One…