The present world has been created as a testing ground for man as man is engaged in a continuous test here. If he passes this test, he will obtain a place in the ideal world, Paradise, in eternal life after death. On the other hand, if he fails this test, he will live in a state of eternal deprivation. To be eligible to enter Paradise, there are two things that man needs to do while on Earth. One is to acknowledge the truth, and the other is to lead a principled life.
In the present world, man finds himself completely free. However, this freedom is not given to him as a right. Instead, it is simply a sort of examination paper for everyone. Man has to acknowledge the truth without any pressure. Without any compulsion, he must bow before the truth. Man has been given freedom of choice to test him. Through his own choice, he should limit or control his freedom. Bowing before the truth is undoubtedly the most enormous sacrifice for man. Acknowledging the truth may appear to be making oneself small compared to others, but this makes a person arrive at the highest position, leading him to reach the door of Paradise.
In this regard, the second thing man must do is lead a principled life. Generally, a person’s character is constructed according to his emotions. Anger, revenge, jealousy, hate, opportunism, etc.—are negative feelings that often indelibly shape a person’s character. Any man cannot enter Paradise with a character developed by such emotions. To enter Paradise, he needs to be a person of virtuous character. For this, man should not build his character under external factors; instead, he must build it by adhering to certain moral principles. Only people of honest character can be held eligible to enter and live in Paradise in the life after death. This is the creation plan under which man has been created.
Paradise is that ideal world where man can find perfect peace and satisfaction and be in the company of those who make his life truly meaningful. The desire for this Paradise is enshrined in every person’s heart. It is this Paradise where man will find complete fulfillment. With his whole being, man is in search of this very Paradise. Moreover, Paradise is waiting with its entire existence for such people. The time is coming when Paradise and man shall meet each other. Each will find the pair made for them.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
The Creator of man has created him according to a particular Plan. His intention is that man must spend a period of trial in this present, imperfect world, and after this, according to his deeds, he will earn the right to inhabit the perfect and eternal world, another name for which is Paradise.
The Creator of the world has created this world as one half of a pair—the present limited world, in which we pass our lives after birth, is the first half; and the next eternal world where we live after death is the other half. The Creator of man has thus created him as an eternal creature and has divided his life into two stages—the pre-death period, the limited life in this world, and the post-death period or the eternal life after death. The limited period before death is meant to be a test for man, while the eternal period after his death will be the period for his reward or punishment, based on his performance in the test in this life. This is the scheme of existence for this world devised by its Creator. The fundamental aim of creation is to select those who are fit to inhabit the world of Paradise. Evil people will not be selected to inhabit Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
The Maker of this world has made a pair to this world. One member of this pair is the world where we live after birth—the planet Earth. The other pair is the world where we go after death. These two worlds form a pair. In this way, man's life has two parts: the pre-death and post-death periods. Man's Creator blessed him with life, dividing it into the pre-death and post-death phases.
The world before death has been made as a testing ground, and the world after death has been made for receiving reward or punishment. Because the present world is designed for the purpose of test, everyone has been given freedom here. Here, everything has defects and limitations. It is as if this present world is a sort of examination hall. Here, all those 'things' needed to 'write' the 'examination' are available, but the higher 'things' are absent. If a student wants to build an ideal world in the examination hall, he will surely face only despair and frustration. Similarly, those who seek to build a perfect world in this limited and temporary world of test will face sorrow and disappointment.
While we are in this examination hall—this life of ours on planet Earth—what must each person do to obtain the perfect world they desire after death? The answer to this question is that we must use our freedom according to the Creator's Will.
For life after death, God has made a perfect world, Paradise. This Paradise is, in every sense, an ideal world. God will lodge such people as prove themselves to be eligible to be settled there. In the present world, those who qualify themselves according to divine standards will be settled in the ideal world of Paradise.
Now, who are those people who will qualify for Paradise? These are the ones who, using their intellectual capacities, attain the realization of God. Coming out of intellectual confusion, they discover the truth. They devote themselves to God alone and worship none but Him. Despite possessing freedom, they let themselves willingly be regulated by divine discipline. Faced with adverse conditions, they build in themselves a positive personality. They deal with others in the same ethical way they want others to deal with them.
All these qualities are the criteria set according to God's creation plan for an individual to be eligible for being settled in eternal Paradise after death.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
No, Islam does not believe in the concept of karma. The concept of karma rests on the notion of the perpetual re-birth of a person until the soul is cleansed, after which it finally joins the divine. According to this concept, it is the outcome of the karma of a person that determines his next form in his re-birth and this cycle continues.
According to Islam, a person’s life is eternal, a fraction of which he spends on the planet earth. The time he spends on earth is a test. How he has performed in this test will be evaluated after his death on the Judgment Day. The Quran says:
On that Day people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds: whoever has done the smallest particle of good will see it; while whoever has done the smallest particle of evil will see it. (Quran 99:6-8)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Yes, the positive aspect of death is the sense of urgency that it creates in a person. That is, the thought of death makes a person realize that whatever needs to be done should be done at the present moment. Whether or not a person believes in religion, the concept of death would still instil a sense of urgency in him.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The real issue facing man is what will happen to him after death.
People consider that the problems of this life are the real problems. What will be their state when they learn that the real problem is that of accountability after death and leading on to eternal life, far from this ephemeral life?
People have set up their own standards about what is right and what is wrong and when they measure up to their self-devised standards, they think they are in the right. How shocked they will be when they learn that only those were in the right, who lived up to the standard set by God!
People think that they are fortunate when they are welcomed by a host of people. But what will happen when they will find that only those are fortunate, who are to be welcomed by God and his angels?
Source: Spirit of Islam July 2013
God created an ideal world that was perfect in all respects. He ordained that this ultimate world be inhabited by impeccable ideal human beings. To achieve this target, God first settled man on Earth giving him complete freedom. The present world is a selection ground for this grand project. Here, it is being observed as to who makes proper use of his freedom and who misuses it. At the end of history, those who have abused their freedom will be rejected, and those who may have exercised it judiciously will be selected and settled in heaven. Contrary to atheist thinkers who term the concept of paradise a beautiful idealization of human wishes, it would be more accurate to call it a beautiful interpretation of human history.
God’s creation plan is in fact a complex one. One part of it pertains to maintaining complete human freedom, while the other is that of continuing to manage it according to His own knowledge till the completion of this plan. Thus, it is a matter of managing bilateral demands. Any comprehensive interpretation of history is possible only if it is viewed in the light of these bilateral requisites. This is the correct principle of interpretation of history. It is not possible for anyone to interpret history without taking this principle into account.
Although it is man who performs the task of interpreting human history, the creator of man is God rather than man. Therefore, the only guiding principle for the interpretation of history for a historian could be for him to first discover the Creator’s plan of creation. This is the key principle, and no one can interpret history correctly without keeping this in mind. In the following pages, I seek to find a coherent interpretation of history in the light of this principle.
Source: Interpretation of Human History
History, in a simple sense, is a narration of events. Whereas the interpretation of history is related to the philosophy of history, that is, to discover those laws which are at work in the process of history. Various theories have been put forward in this regard, but all of them are based on human imagination. The correct interpretation of history is that which is in accordance with the Creator’s plan of creation for man.
According to the creation plan, the creator did not create the present world in order to establish an ideal system at the collective level. It has actually been created for the purpose of testing human beings. That is why, God has given man complete freedom to everyone. Man has the choice to make proper use of his freedom or misuse it, to lead a life of righteousness or a life of wickedness. Therefore, an ideal system, at the collective level, at the level of the whole of humanity, cannot be established in this world. It is only in Paradise that an ideal system can come into being.
The present world is in fact a selection ground of ideal individuals who will be found eligible to inhabit the ideal world of Paradise in the Hereafter. Ideal individuals are being selected from every generation. For instance, in the first generation, Adam’s son Cain was rejected while his other son Abel was accepted. The same process has been going on throughout history. In every age and in every generation, God has been selecting deserving candidates while rejecting the undeserving. It is described in the Quran thus: “…a large group of the earlier people and a large group of those of later times.” (56:39-40)
Once this desired list of accepted and rejected individuals is complete, the Creator of the universe will replace this world with an ideal world, that is, Paradise. Then the individuals who had been selected would be settled in this Paradise to enjoy a life free from fear and sorrow forever, whereas those who had been rejected would be thrown into the universal dustbin to live a life full of intense regret and remorse for all eternity.
Source: Interpretation of Human History
This limited world where man finds himself before death has all the necessary ingredients for the ‘trial’. It has man as the perfection-seeking creature in a less-than-perfect world where he has been given complete ‘freedom’. Man, thus, has a ‘choice’ to misuse his freedom by creating havoc, killing people, living a life of leisure, or using his freedom wisely by submitting to an unseen God and living a disciplined life, to qualify for Paradise.
Man’s trial rests on discovering God, Who is in the Unseen. Before seeing Him, man should voluntarily surrender himself before God. He should be so desirous of Paradise that this world appears meaningless. He should adopt divine ethics without any external pressure to do so. He should develop his intellectual and spiritual being to such an extent that he produces in himself the ability to inhabit the refined world of Paradise. Paradise is a heavenly colony where peace, love, and noble character prevail. Of this world's inhabitants, only those who have succeeded in maintaining a high moral character will find a place in Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
Another question I am often asked is, “If God cannot control man’s action, then how is He All-Powerful”? There is no doubt that God is All-Powerful. However, since He has decided to put man to the test, He has given man freedom of choice to do what he likes. As if there was no free will, there would be no test. So, to test man, God has withheld His power when it comes to man and given him the freedom to respond in any way that he wants. God, however, is getting a record of all of man’s thoughts, speech, and deeds maintained, and will hold him accountable for them on the Day of Judgment. On that Day all of humanity will see the power of God.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
I am often asked this question: "Is man’s life governed by destiny, or does he have freedom of choice?” The fact is that God has provided the infrastructure to man in the form of a life support system and the different situations that present themselves to man. This is the destiny part of the matter. However, man can respond to all these situations as he likes. In this aspect, he is entirely free. That is his free will or his freedom of choice.
Therefore, I say that the matter is 50-50. Destiny plays a 50 percent role, as man cannot change the infrastructure and situations provided to him. Free will plays the remaining 50 percent role, as man is entirely free to respond to situations the way he likes.
Freedom has opened doors of two kinds for man, one leading to success and the other to failure. If an individual becomes arrogant and insolent, he has misused his freedom and failed to pass the test.
But if, on the other hand, he remains modest and humble, bowing to his Lord’s Will on all occasions, he will have made the proper use of this God-given freedom: he will, without any compulsion, have bound himself by divine principles. One who chooses this course will succeed in the test of freedom. God will handsomely reward him as no other creature. Held to be the chosen servant of God, he will remain in an everlasting state of blissfulness and blessedness in the eternal world of Paradise after death.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
There is no doubt that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. However, since He has decided to put human beings to the test, He has given them the freedom to do as whatever they wish. If there were no free will, there would have been no test. So, in order to test people, God has withheld His power when it comes to man and given him freedom to respond in any way that he wants. In granting freedom to man, God has chosen to not enforce His Power on him.
God is all knowing, but He has not fixed people’s destinies. Justice is meted out on the basis of evidence, which in this case would be the record of use or misuse of freedom that a person is building up. On the Day of Judgement, God shall hold a person accountable for his thoughts, speech and deeds and on that day, all of mankind will see God’s justice.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
When man was granted freedom, it was implicit that there would be misuse. The Quran says:
When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am putting a successor on earth,’ they said, ‘Will You place someone there who will cause corruption on it and shed blood?’ (Quran 2:30)
But God also placed a check in human nature which was a guarantee that man would not take to 100% evil and would take a U-turn to make a situation positive. This check is the conscience, which is the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
All the things in this world are God’s subjects. The stars and satellites rotate in space entirely at their Lord’s bidding. Trees, rivers, mountains, and all other such natural phenomena function according to the unchangeable ways God laid down for them in advance. Similarly, the animals follow precisely those instincts instilled in their species as a matter of Divine Will.
Unlike all these creatures in the Universe, man is free in this world. God has not placed any curbs on him. As such, the critical aspect of this creation plan is that man has been created with total freedom. But this freedom is to test man and not encourage him to lead a life of permissiveness. The purpose of freedom is that man should lead a morally good life of his own free will, thus demonstrating that he is of the highest moral character.
One who conducts himself in this manner will be reckoned as God’s special servant who, without any apparent compulsion, chose to be a man of principle, who submitted to God’s Will despite having freedom not to do so. This liberty accorded to man allows him to gain credit for being the most superior of all God’s creatures.
The decision regarding a person's eternal future will hinge on his use of freedom—whether he used his freedom correctly or misused it. For those who use their freedom correctly, Paradise is their reward. Those who misused their freedom will live in eternal deprivation.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
There is only one answer to this. Those who fear God should take upon themselves the responsibility of unilaterally showing patience. In spite of experiencing violence they themselves will be free of it. This is the only way a society devoid of violence can be established. According to the Quran, when Qabil wanted to kill Habil, Habil said:
“Even if you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise my hand to kill you. I fear God the Lord of the Universe.” (The Quran, 5: 28)
This is the ultimate example of unilateral patience in the face of violence, as established by Habil, the son of Adam. According to the Hadith, the Prophet of Islam said: 'In later times there will be political degeneration but you should never confront your rulers'. One of the companions asked, 'If they should come into our homes to kill us, then what should we do?' The Prophet replied, 'You become the better of the two sons of Adam'. That is, even though you face death at the hands of others, you should not attempt to kill them.
The only way to form a peaceful society is that individuals unilaterally refrain from using violence.
From the Quran, we understand that Adam and his spouse were expelled from Paradise and made to settle on earth. During the early part of their life on earth, there was a serious conflict between their two sons Qabil and Habil which led to the killing of Habil by Qabil. The Quran says that after this incident, God decreed that:
Whoever killed a human being except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land shall be regarded as having killed all mankind, and that whoever saved a human life shall be regarded as having saved all mankind. (The Quran, 5: 32)
Such severe words have not appeared in the Quran for any other crime. From this we can understand that in the eyes of God, the most heinous of crimes is to commit a violent act against another human being. In this matter if there is any exception it is only for an established government after a judicial process. For common man, there is no exception in this matter.
This strict forbidding of violence is because violence is against the system of nature. The order of nature established by the Creator gives full freedom and opportunity to every man and woman to do as they please. But violence and conflict destroys this very fabric of nature. Violence is an interference in the order of nature established by the Creator and such interference is without doubt the most serious of crimes.
Source: Spirit of Islam May 2014
This is a negative approach to the subject. In reality, Satan is a source of struggle for human beings. If there were no struggle, there would be no development at all. The development of a person’s mind is a result of his response to challenging situations. If there were no Satan, there would be no field of struggle left for an individual, his mind would not unfold and he would not be able to tap into his potential.
Satanic temptations give a person the opportunity to develop resilience and patience by not succumbing to them. According to a verse of the Quran, man is asked to seek refuge from the temptation caused by both Satan and man’s own soul. The verse is as follows:
Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of people, the King of people, the God of people, from the mischief of every sneaking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of people, from jinn and men.’ (The Quran 114: 1-6)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
God created the first man, Adam, and initially inhabited him in the garden of Paradise. He was told that he could live in Paradise with full freedom but with only one condition. In Paradise he was forbidden from approaching a particular tree or eating of its fruit. (The Quran, 2: 35)
This was the original forbidden tree of Adam's motherland. However, according to the Quran, Adam was unable to remain patient, and he ate from the fruit of the forbidden tree (The Quran 20: 121). He failed the ‘test’ that God had given him in Paradise. As a result of this action, he was banished from the garden of Paradise and sent to live on earth.
Nevertheless, as far as the test for man is concerned, it remains the same here on earth also. The difference between the two is that in Paradise there was only one forbidden tree, and in this world, there is a jungle of ‘forbidden trees’. The return to Paradise for man will only be on the condition that he does not partake of the fruit of the forbidden trees. Now, for man to fulfill this condition, he has to be extremely cautious, because while originally, he had to avoid only one tree, here it is necessary for him to refrain from a jungle of forbidden trees.
An account of things that are forbidden can be found in the Quran and Hadith. In the present age, the list of such things which lead man astray from the straight path has become very extensive. Such a comprehensive list of forbidden things cannot be compiled. Man has to now live very cautiously in this world. Whenever he comes across something that is a distraction from the straight path, he should immediately recognize it and shun it completely.
In this world, all such things take the place of a ‘forbidden tree’ that make man forget God and neglect the accountability of the Hereafter. Only the one who examines his life and continuously introspects will be able to save himself from these ‘forbidden trees’.
Source: Spirit of Islam April 2014
Paradise is the answer to man’s search. Man finds himself in a world where he has the status of a strange and unique exception. Every component of the vast universe is complete in itself. Here, it is only man who lives in contradiction. Other than man, the whole of the universe is a zero-defect universe. It is only man whose life seems defective.
All around the rest of the universe, there is certainty. However, in the world of man, there is tremendous uncertainty. No fear exists in the rest of the universe, but man is always afflicted by fear and apprehension. In the rest of the universe, satisfaction prevails, while in man’s life, dissatisfaction abounds. In the rest of the universe, all things get what they require, but man is the only creature in the world who does not always get what he wants. The rest of the universe is evil-free, but man, exceptionally, is afflicted with the ‘problem of evil’.
Paradise is the answer to this seeming conundrum. The concept of Paradise tells us that all those good things that are there for the rest of the creation are fully available for man too, with the only difference that the rest of the universe gets what it desires in the world of ‘today’, while man will get all that he wishes in the world of ‘tomorrow’ (the Hereafter), that is in eternal Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
Man has been given an unlimited sense of enjoyment, but the objects from which he can derive endless pleasure have been kept in the second stage of his life—in the world that comes after death. In the first stage of his life—in the present world—man discovers his ability to pursue pleasure. In the life after death, if he had led a righteous life in this world, he could obtain all the objects of pleasure. That is to say, in the pre-death phase of life in this world, he will experience the desire for pleasure, and in the post-death stage, he can experience the full experience of pleasure in Paradise.
In line with His creation plan, the Creator of the world has given man an initial introduction in this present world to the pleasures one will enjoy in Paradise. In this way, He conveys to man that if he wants to experience pleasure for all eternity and in the most total sense, he should create a strong desire for this and perform such actions as will hold him deserving of Paradise.
What should one do to become deserving of Paradise in the Hereafter? To put it briefly, man should make himself a purified soul. He must purify himself of every negative emotion. He should save himself from becoming a victim of greed, selfishness, jealousy, dishonesty, falsehood, anger, revenge, hate, and other negative feelings. He should develop a lofty, entirely positive character that makes him worthy of living in the neighbourhood of God in Paradise. He must be transformed into an angelic person or a divine personality.
Man’s life is divided into the pre-death and post-death phases. A tiny portion of man’s life is kept for the first phase, while the rest—which carries on for all eternity—is in the post-death phase. If man’s story is seen only in the pre-death phase, it will appear as a meaningless tragedy. However, if a man’s story is seen in the light of the period after death, it will seem meaningful.
In line with this creation plan of God, man stands at a very critical juncture. He has to choose between two alternatives. One option is to use the available opportunities in the present world according to God’s creation plan and then become eligible to live amidst eternal joy in Paradise. The other option is to lead a life of heedlessness in this world and be eternally deprived of pleasure in the next phase of life.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
