Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Sunday Guardian | December 22, 2013In the creation of mankind and the world, there is an underlying purpose and order. If we ponder over creation, we find perfect order and harmony in the universe, thus it is our duty to seek and find out our true purpose in life.In this perfect world of nature, we find that man's life is full of imperfections. Many of our desires are left unfulfilled. Death stands out as an inevitable fact that each one of us must face.Perfection is not possible and eternal life cannot be achieved.If we ponder over this inequality and imperfection in the world, we can only conclude that there must exist another world where perfect justice will be done.[Highlight1]This is the eternal ideal world of the Hereafter, where all of our desires will be fulfilled. What is the criterion for eligibility to this perfect world?The reality of death is common and each one of us has been sent to this world only for a brief temporary visit. The purpose for this visit is a profound truth that we all must seek. Without this quest we cannot make our life meaningful.According to the Quran, "God created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct" (67:2). This implies that this world is but a "testing ground" for mankind- the test to see which one of us will be eligible to inhabit the perfect world of the Hereafter. God in His wisdom, tests each one of us in different ways and circumstances.Material wealth, success and position are given to man as a means for the test of life and should not be considered as the purpose of his life. This quest for the Hereafter and to be successful in the "test" is the purpose of life.
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 I Speaking Tree Website I March 02, 2015Percy Bysshe Shelly (d. 1822), the famous English poet, wrote: "Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought."Why is this the case?It is…
Article
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
When the earth is shaken with its violent shaking, when the earth shakes off her burdens, when man asks, ‘What is happening to her?’; on that Day it will narrate…
Article
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Speaking Tree Website I February 16, 2015The Quran relates that whoever kills a human being, except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land, shall be regarded as…