the true purpose of life

CONTENTS

Dedication 5Acknowledgments 6Foreword 7Caution 9Introduction 10The Existence of a Creator 14The Essence of Religion 24What is Life? 29Life as a Purposeful Creation 34Concept Of the After Life 44Concept of Life in Various Religions 54Life in Islam - The Only Choice 65Islam - The Universal Religion 78Benefits and Unique Features of Islam 85Return to Your Lord, The Most Loving 94How does one Become a Muslim? 99Living Islam 100Conclusion 108Afterword 111For Further Reading 113Bibliography 114Softwares 116

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all those people who sincerely wantto know about the 'True Purpose of Life' and the Right Path leadingtowards the achievement of this sublime goal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My acknowledgments are due to my beloved teacher,instructor and guide Shaykh Zahoor Ahmad Shah Al Madniwho not only gave a direction to my knowledge but also by hischaracter, left an everlasting impression on my heart. Myacknowledgments are also due to my family especially my motherMasarat Shah, my father Farooq Ahmad Sikander and mybrothers Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander & Raies Ul HaqAhmad Sikander who have always encouraged me to carry onsuch tasks. I am also very much thankful to Iesha Javed who notonly emended this book but also assisted me to accomplish thistask with her utmost support and encouragement. And above all,I am really grateful to God Almighty without whose help, this workwould have never been achieved. If there is anything good in thisbook, it is from God. All mistakes are mine.

FOREWORD

In The Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The sole aim of writing this book is to acquaint the reader witha very fundamental topic; The Purpose of Life. This topic is indeedof a very significant nature for, the various issues that exert a greatinfluence upon life on this planet are actually founded on thefundamental question of the purpose of our lives. This book ismeant for every sound-minded and logical human being irrespectiveof religion or ideology, provided that one reads this book with anopen heart and mind, without any bias or prejudice. Fresh air cancome in only when the windows are let open. If the windows arekept closed, one is deprived of the much needed fresh air and isforced to breathe foul air leading to suffocation. The same holdstrue for knowledge and guidance. Only an open mind can graspthe truth. The one who has already made his mind rigid and stagnantand is not ready to accept the truth will be always divested fromguidance.

I have dealt with the subject matter of this book in a simpleand lucid style, using simple English so as to make this workaccessible for an average reader, keeping under consideration itssize. I have discussed each topic briefly and precisely and haveavoided going into arguments as my aim of writing this book is tomake the reader think about this subject and not to indulge in anyfutile arguments which would have rendered this bookinappropriate for a common man.

From a quite long time I was getting some continuous requeststo deal with this subject both in speech and in the form of a book.So I started writing this book to explain the real purpose of life

that I have personally grasped after years of research andinteraction with people from different countries and ideologies. Ihope that this book will prove as a means of Hidayah (guidance)for the reader.

It is intended that this book will provide its reader with aninsight about this subject after which he can himself reflect uponthe Truth and then find the path to God. It is also intended that thisbook arouses your interest in this very topic and then make youthink for a while that "Where I am and Where I am headingtowards?" and if you are treading a wrong road then this bookwill definitely help you rediscover the true path of life. No mattereven till now if you haven't realized the true purpose of life, don'tbe disheartened because "It is never too late to mend." God willaccept you whenever you turn to him at any moment of your life.It's my humble prayer to God that may the readers of this bookfind the true purpose of their lives before the end of this brief life.

REMEMBER that unlike any ordinary book, this bookaddresses the most fundamental question of your life. This bookis therefore not to be pushed into the corner of a book shelf butrather should serve as a source of inspiration for you.

Oh God! Accept this work from me and bring True Peace inthe lives of all humans.

CAUTION

In the following pages, you are now going to read about thereal purpose of your life which is the most fundamental topicpertaining to life on Earth. Read through the pages carefully andattentively with a relaxed and free mind so that what you readmay change your outlook towards life.

When you finish, go through the contents and ponder upon allwhat you read in this book and thereby reflect.

The True Purpose of Life8

INTRODUCTION

A single glimpse at things around us will very soon make usrealize how complex in nature this world is, much more than what’sapparent and same is true of human life. People today have becometoo busy in their personal jobs to take time out to reflect. Eachday so many people are born and so many die but globally no oneis bothered. There are people all around us but it seems that theyare engrossed in the world to such an extent that they barely thinkof anything beyond this material world. Almost everybody aroundus is concerned with the present world only and are directing theirbest efforts towards achieving and amassing as much as possibleduring the short course of their lives. Most of the humans becomehappy on getting food, clothes and other stuff. But it’s same likeanimals that go happy on finding a prey.

When we exercise this materialistic type of behaviour in ourlives, it often makes us heedless about the true purpose of life,which is otherwise most fundamental. If only for a few moments,we were to free our souls from our selfish motives and vestedinterests, and just ask our inner selves, “What’s the purpose ofmy life?” then we will truly come to some conclusion providedour thinking is rightly guided by authentic information on thesubject. What is life? Where have we come from? Where willwe go after death? These are some critical questions that have,since the very ancient times, fascinated the philosophers alongwith the rest of the humankind. And these profound questionsabout the purpose of life generally strike the minds of everyonesomewhere in life.

We are so ignorant about the purpose of our lives. Let’s think

that have we come into this world just for getting wealth, luxuryand sex? Or is there anything beyond about which we often forgetto ponder and consequently it makes our statements contradictoryabout the purpose of life.

First and foremost, he (man) needs to know his own natureand the nature of the world he lives in, how he came into thisworld and what will happen to him after death. More than anythingelse, it is man’s nature to seek answers to these questions. Theworld in which he lives in lacking in nothing; it lacks only theanswers he seeks. The sun provides him with heat and light, buthe does not know the sun’s true nature, or why it has been putto service. The wind is a source of life for man, but he is not ableto stop the wind in its course and ask it what it is, and why it actsas it does. Man’s own being stares him in the face, but he remainsin the dark as to what he is, and what he has come into thisworld for. It is beyond the human mind to work out answers tothese questions. Yet answers he must have. Not everyone putsthese questions in words, but still they linger in the human soul,causing untold anguish and sometimes welling up with such forcethat they lead to insanity1.

So the only and the best way left is to turn towards GOD andsee what he has mentioned about this matter. If we say that God isthe creator then he must definitely has laid some rules and guidancefor his creation just like we see an operating manual with everygadget2.

What would you think of a person who tried to use a straw hatas a cooking pot or a glass bottle as a hammer? What would youthink of a person who used up all his life before finding out itspurpose? Until we put our lives to the use they were made for, weare like that hat on the fire, or the bottle used as a hammer. Wedestroy ourselves without finding the satisfaction of fulfillment. Godhas a purpose and plan for your life. He has a work for you to do

The True Purpose of Life 11

on earth and has prepared a wonderful home for you in heaven.You were born to fit into God’s plan...If you don’t have fellowshipwith God, you have missed the main purpose of life3.

The fact worth mentioning is that human beings are imitativeby nature. We possess a natural tendency to blend into oursurroundings. We are always ready to follow what others aredoing, not realizing where it will lead us. Humans exhibit thisimitative nature because it’s very easy to do so. Following thecrowd is very easy as it will surely lead us to somewhere... evenif it be an evil destination. Our illustration is that We are all walkingand if somebody asks, “Why are we walking?” we will replybecause all are walking. But to follow the truth and finding outthe truth about life requires a deep thinking and study whichmajority of people are not ready to accept. But “were you tofollow the common run of those on earth, they will lead youaway from the Way of God. They follow nothing but conjecture;they do nothing but lie”4.

In Reality, we need just a brief moment of time to understandthe purpose of our life. It will not take long. We just have toprepare our self to find it and then face the facts about the truthof life. We all desperately need a Divine code that will guide usand show us the true purpose of life. When we will finally get it,only then our minds will be stabilized and our heart will find restand tranquility, which is indeed a great joy for us all. Only aftergetting satisfied with life, can we devote our minds to other fieldsand get excellent results. If our life is well and peaceful, onlythen will our activities bear fruit. Just as every cause has an effect,Life is a cause and if this cause is good, so will be its effect. Thusthe dire need of today is to address this topic in context of thepresent world scenario and modern society in order to give aright direction to our lives and so as to make this world a betterplace to live in.

Footnotes[1] God Arises, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, p. 243-244.[2] For more information about the existence of the creator (God), see

the next chapter.[3] The Great Questions of Life, International Correspondence Institute,

p. 25-26.[4] Holy Qur’an Chapter 6, verse 116.

The True Purpose of Life The True Purpose of Life12 13

The True Purpose of Life The True Purpose of Life

THE EXISTENCE OF A

CREATOR

I came not knowing from where, but I came.And I saw a pathway in front of me, so I walked.

And I will remain walking, whether I want this or not.How did I come? How did I see my pathway?

I do not know!Am I new or am I old in this existence?

Am I free and unrestrained, or do I walk in chains?Do I lead myself in my life, or am I being led?

I wish I know, but…I do not know!

And my path, oh what is my path? Is it long or is it short?Am I ascending in it, or am I going down and sinking?

Am I the one who is walking on the road,or is it the road that is moving?

Or are we both standing, but it is the time that is running?I do not know!

Before I became a full human, do you seeif I were nothing, impossible? Or do you see that I was

something?Is there an answer to this puzzle, or will it remain eternal?

I do not know ... and why do I not know??I do not know! 1

To know about the true purpose of life, it is indeed verysignificant to know the creator who has bestowed us with theprecious asset called life. There indeed exists a supreme and anultimate creator who has created the entire universe and whatever

is in it and we call that Creator as GOD. "The question of God'sexistence has preoccupied the great minds for many centuries.Those who believe in God seem to agree that the limited finitehuman intelligence cannot prove the existence of the InfiniteBoundless God Who is. It can only illustrate or demonstrate Hisexistence to the satisfaction of the curious human mind. Thosewho deny claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theoriesof knowledge. Their arguments are sometimes inapplicable,sometimes irrelevant, always complex, and often incomprehensible.However, the developed free mind will find its way to God. Failureto find the way does not mean that there is no way. Denial ofreality does not make it unreal2.”

There are many people who question that, "Who created God?"but it is a very illogical question as it contradicts the very definitionof God i.e. He is 'uncreated' and not made. He was there alwaysand will remain till eternity. He is infinite while as the creation isfinite. The God makes His presence felt to His creation by themeans of His signs. God says:

"Soon will We show them Our Signs in the(furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their ownsouls, until it becomes manifest to them thatthis is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Lordwitnesses all things?"3

If we just begin to observe this massive universe, we will surelyfind the signs of God in it. There are billions of galaxies in theuniverse and each galaxy consists of billions of stars. Our earth isone of the smallest stars of the universe. The marvellous wondersof universe, the major astral bodies of the solar system, the sun,the moon and the stars, all work in a perfect unison without aslight deviation. There is a perfect order in whole of the universe.Each of the celestial bodies are swimming perfectly in theirrespective orbits without any collision. How could all this just



happen by an accident or by a chance? Just see the human bodyand its complexes. See the marvels of DNA and RNA. We cansee the miracles of God everywhere in this universe. If you have areasoning mind at all, all you have to do is just to observe thecreation of God to realize that somebody has put it there together,designed it, and then make it work like it does.

As Dr. Robert A. Millikan (1868-1953), the great nuclearphysicist and pioneer of cosmic ray research, said, "If you wouldsay that this watch just put itself together, invented itself, you wouldbe crazy! And just as there had to be a watchmaker behind thesynchronized perfection and order of every watch, so there hadto be a Divine Designer and Creator behind the intricate precisionof the Universe." And similarly if we see a beautiful painting, theconcept of its creator automatically hits our mind that there mustbe some artist who has designed it, then the concept of theformation of so much complex universe with its perfect ordercoming into existence just by a chance sounds illogical.

The famous physicist Sir Fred Hoyle makes a very strikingobservation about the origin of life. In his book The IntelligentUniverse he writes: The chance that higher life forms might haveemerged in this way (by coincidence) is comparable with thechance that a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemblea Boeing 747 from the materials therein.4

The Bible says: "For the invisible things of Him (God) fromthe creation of the world are clearly seen, being understoodby the things that are made, even His eternal power; so thatthey are without excuse." 5

Further the Qur'an says:

"And to Allah belongs the dominion of theheavens and the earth, and Allah is over allthings competent. Indeed, in the creation of the

heavens and the earth and the alternation ofthe night and the day are Signs for those ofunderstanding-Who remember Allah whilestanding or sitting or lying on their sides andgive thought to the creation of the heavens andthe earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did notcreate this aimlessly; exalted are You [abovesuch a thing]; then protect us from thepunishment of the Fire."6

The vast majority of human beings have always believed inGod. From the most ancient civilizations to the most primitive ofmodern societies, religions with God at their center have formedthe foundation of human culture. In fact, the denial of God'sexistence (atheism) throughout history was limited to a fewindividuals until the rise of communism in the 20th century. Eventoday, in the secular societies of the West, where modern socialscientists armed with Darwinian theories have argued that God ismerely a figment of the human collective imagination, theoverwhelming majority of citizens, laymen and even scientists, holdsteadfast to their belief in God.7 Even the anthropologists andhistorians have found that the people of ancient civilizations havealways believed in God as they have found various statues andother data that confirms their staunch belief in God. Howeverthey just differed in the concept of God.

As above mentioned that only a minority of people have deniedthe existence of God through the ages. The atheists believe thatthis universe came into existence just by a mere chance but wehave already refuted this claim. They also believe that matter andtime have always been there and the universe will keep on goingtill eternity but today science has proved that both matter and timehad a beginning and will come to an end8. Even the atheists believethat life came into existence by a mere chance but till now science

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has failed to prove this claim9. "If man were to come into being byaccident or by sheer chance, his entire life would be based onchance, and his whole existence would be meaningless. But nosensible man can conceive of his life as meaningless, and no rationalbeing would leave his existence at the mercy of fluctuating chance.Every reasonable human being tries to make his life as meaningfulas possible and set for himself a model of conduct according tosome design. Individuals, groups and nations do plan their courseof action, and every careful plan produces some desired effects.The fact of the matter is that man does engage in planning of onesort or another, and can appreciate the merits of good planning."10

It must be noted that human beings have a natural inclinationtowards God and there exists a spiritual vacuum in human beingsthat can only be filled by believing in One Supreme God. It'sinteresting to see that the people who don't believe in God likeatheists and materialists do show respect to their ideals like KarlMarx, Fredrick Engels and Lenin in order to fill their spiritualvacuum. If one doesn't believe in God then the life becomespurposeless.

Consequently, the overwhelming body of archeological datain support of God's existence has led some anthropologists toconclude that belief in God (deism) must be inborn and not learnt.Although the vast majority of social scientists proposed otherwise,recent scientific discoveries appear to support the minority viewthat deism is innate. In an article entitled "God Spot is found inthe Brain," Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran of the University ofCalifornia at San Diego said that the phenomenon of religiousbelief in God is hard-wired into the brain.11

This feeling of doubt and confusion about the presence of aCreator and whether He sent messengers and Prophets to guidemankind must be quite painful because it deprives the Atheist andthe Agnostic of tranquility, security and peace of mind. The

unbelievers do not have credible answers to the purpose of one'sexistence. And thus they say that man lives for himself and for thepleasures of this life. So what happens when life turns sour? Whathappens when one goes through hardships? It is no coincidencethen that the largest number of suicides takes place amongst

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Atheists, Agnostics and people who do not know their purpose inlife. Do you know which country has the largest number ofsuicides? It's Japan. In the year ending March 2000, there were33,000 suicides in Japan. That is 91 suicides per day or 1 suicideevery 15 minutes! This despite Japan being the second largesteconomy in the world wherein people do not have to worry aboutproviding a roof over their heads or about food or medical care.12

There are hundreds of scientists that had a complete faith inGod because there comes a stage in science when a person is leftwith no other alternative except to believe in a Divine Creator i.e.The God. Johannes Kepler, Samuel Morse, Isaac Newton,Michael Faraday, James Prescott Joule, Louis Pasteur, J JThomson, Maxwell, Max Planck, John Dalton are some of themany examples of great scientists who had a staunch belief inGod. Albert Einstein, who is one of the most important scientistsof the last century, was also known for his faith in God. He did nothesitate to defend that science could not exist without religion. Ashe put it: "I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without thatprofound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: sciencewithout religion is lame."13

Some other scientists who admit that the universe is createdby a Creator and who are known by their cited attributes are:

Robert Boyle (the father of modern chemistry).Iona William Petty (known for his studies on statistics andmodern economy).Michael Faraday (one of the greatest physicists of all times).Gregory Mendel (the father of genetics; he invalidatedDarwinism with his discoveries in the science of genetics).Louis Pasteur (the greatest name in bacteriology; he declaredwar on Darwinism).John Dalton (the father of atomic theory).Blaise Pascal (one of the most important mathematicians).

John Ray (the most important name in British natural history).Nicolaus Steno (a famous stratiographer who investigatedearth layers).Carolus Linnaeus (the father of biological classification).Georges Cuvier (the founder of comparative anatomy).Matthew Maury (the founder of oceanography).Thomas Anderson (one of the pioneers in the field of organicchemistry)..14

"The root cause of the majority of the ills of modern life lies inpersonal philosophies and social aims being so often diametricallyopposed to each other. What we call crime, corruption and all theother attendant evils are nothing other than the results of any givensociety's members setting their sights on material happiness.Whether individuals, groups or nations are concerned, the momentthe goal in life becomes individual prosperity, the seeds ofdestruction are sown for the rest of the humanity.

The insatiable lust for self-fulfillment leads to innumerable socialevils: fornication, robbery, looting, fraudulence, kidnapping,treachery, terrorism, murder and, ultimately war. All these are theresult of people pursuing their own happiness, come what may -and, inevitably, it is society that pays the price.

The only solution to this problem is for humanity to turn to itstrue purpose in life. The fact that materialism has given rise to suchconflict between individual aims and social purpose clearly indicatesthat man's true goal in life is quite other. Rather than aim at worldlysatisfactions, he should set himself to earning the approbation ofhis Creator in the life after death, for this is what man's purpose inlife truly is. If he were to adopt this course, the individual andsociety would be able to progress in harmony with one another,for there would then be no confrontation between the two; theindividuals who constitute the society would then be workingtowards ends which did not clash with those of society as a whole,

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but which contributed positively to the general good. Makingeternity one's goal results in harmony. The pursuit of false objectivescan bring nothing but discord."15

There are various ways to know God, and there are manythings to tell about Him. The great wonders and the impressivemarvels of the world are like open books in which we can readabout God. Besides, God Himself comes to our aid through themany messengers and revelations He has sent down to man. Thesemessengers and revelations tell us everything we need to knowabout God. So by reflecting on nature, by hearing the words ofthe messengers, and by reading the divine revelations we can gainmost convincing knowledge about God and find the Straight Pathto Him.16

Be assured that GOD exists and He is close to you. He seesand knows everything that we do and he will one day definitelycall us for account.

Footnotes[1] This poem has been written by an Arab poet Elya Abu Madhi (A

born Christian) to express his uncertainity about the purpose of lifein his Arabic poem Al-Talasim meaning "puzzles" and has beentranslated to English by Mostafa Malaekah.

[2] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati, p.18. For an interestingcomparative view see, for example, Jacques Maritain, Approaches toGod. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1954); Muhammad ZafrullaKhan, Islam: Its Meaning For Modern Man. (New York: Harper &Row, 1962); John Hick, ed., The Existence of God. (New York: TheMacmillan Company, 1964). Also refer to "The Way to Find God" byMaulana Wahiduddin Khan.

[3] Holy Qur'an Chapter 41 verse 53.[4] Nature, 12 November, 1981.Quoted By Harun Yahya in "The Existence

Of God" & also quoted by William Bonner in the book, "What wentwrong in 20th century".

[5] Bible, Romans 1:20.[6] Holy Qur'an Chapter 3 verse 189-191.

[7] Did God become man, Dr. Bilal Philips, p.5.[8] For more information please refer to the book "Timelessness and the

Reality of Fate" By Harun Yahya.[9] For more information please refer to the book "Tell Me About

Creation" By Harun Yahya.[10] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 19.[11] Did God become man, Dr. Bilal Philips, p.5.[12] The Purpose of Life By Mostafa Malaekah. Source: www.islam-

guide.com[13] Science, Philosophy and Religion, New York 1941.[14] The existence of God, Harun Yahya p.56.[15] God Arises, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan p.254-255.[16] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 26.

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THE ESSENCE OF

RELIGION

"Throughout history religion has been abused andmisunderstood. Some people use it as a means of exploitationand suppression, as a pretext for prejudice and persecution. Someother people use it as a source of power and domination over theelite and the masses alike. In the name of religion unjustifiablewars have been launched, freedom of thought and conscience hasbeen oppressed, science has been persecuted, the right of theindividual to maturity has been denied, and man's dignity and honorhave been flagrantly debased. And in the name of religion aninjustice has been inflicted upon humanity with the result that religionitself has suffered many losses.

These are historical facts which no one can deny. But is thisthe proper function of religion or the right approach to religion?Could this be the purpose of religion? The indisputable answer isan emphatic “no”. There are many religions in the world, and eachone claims to be the one and only true religion. Each religion issupposed to have come from God for the right guidance of man.But these claims contradict each other and have caused dissentionsamong people and vehement reactions to religion - instead ofwelding mankind into one universal brotherhood under the OneUniversal Benevolent God. This situation makes any neutralobserver confused and perhaps averse to all kinds of religion."1

"Religion is not only a spiritual and intellectual necessity butalso a social and universal need. It is not to bewilder man but toguide him. It is not to debase him but to elevate his moral nature.

It is not to deprive him of anything useful, or to burden him, or tooppress his qualities but to open for him inexhaustible treasures ofsound thinking and right action. It is not to confine him to narrowlimits but to launch him into wide horizons of truth and goodness.”In short, true religion is to acquaint man with God as well as withhimself and the rest of the universe. This is by no means anoversimplification of the function of religion. Here is what it means.

"When the purpose of true religion is carefully examined, it willbe found that religion satisfies the spiritual and moderate materialneeds of man. It unties his psychological knots and complexes,sublimates his instincts and aspirations, and disciplines his desiresand the whole course of life. It improves his knowledge of God -the Highest Truth in the universe and of his own self. It teacheshim about the secrets of life and the nature of man and how totreat them, about good and evil, about right and wrong. It purifiesthe soul from evil, clears the mind from doubts, strengthens thecharacter and corrects the thinking and convictions of man. Allthis can be achieved only when man faithfully observes the spiritualduties and physical regulations introduced by religion.

On the other hand, true religion educates man and trains him inhope and patience, in truthfulness and honesty, in love for the rightand good, in courage and endurance, all of which are required forthe mastery of the great art of living. Moreover, true religion insuresman with peace and security and makes his life meaningful."2

"Despite growing evidence that man is hard-wired with a"physical facility for belief," the fact that the concept of God hasvaried greatly among human societies still leads some thinkers,even those who believe in God, to conclude that religions must beman-made. However, thorough research reveals a commontheological thread linking the various religions. That link is the beliefin a Supreme Being among the various gods, a monotheisticfoundation that can be found in even the most externally pantheistic


of religious systems. For example, the concept of God in Hinduismexists as a single example among many religions, which supportsthe view that human beings were originally monotheistic and throughvarious degenerative processes became polytheistic. In spite ofits many gods and idols, Hinduism has a single Supreme Godabove all, Brahma.

Traditionally, most anthropologists have concluded that religiondevolved from various stages of polytheism to monotheism,beginning with early man's deification of the forces of nature, then,eventually, devolving into ditheism to consolidate all of thesupernatural powers into two main gods (a god of good and agod of evil), and, finally, simplifying into a belief in one god,monotheism.

Thus, religion, according to anthropologists and social scientists,has no divine origin; it is merely a by-product of the evolution ofearly man's superstitions, based on his lack of scientific knowledge.Hence, these same theoreticians believe that science will eventuallyunlock all of the secrets of nature, resulting in the disuse of religionto explain natural phenomena, and, the consequential extinctionof religion altogether.

Man's innate belief in a Supreme Being, however, seems tosupport the opposite view, proposing instead that man began as amonotheist, but in time, strayed into various forms of polytheism.This view is further supported by fact that all of the so-calledprimitive tribes, which have been "discovered," have been foundto hold a belief in a Supreme Being. No matter what theirevolutionary stage of religious development is found to have beenat the time of "discovery," most were found to believe in a SupremeGod over all other gods and spirits. As such, the concept of asingle Supreme Being remains in most of the religion's as evidencethat the masses strayed away from monotheism by giving some ofGod's attributes to other aspects of creation, which eventually

came to be regarded as lesser gods in some cases and asintercessors in others. Nevertheless, a Supreme God, in whateverform He takes, is at the core of most religions."3

Arnold Toynbee studied the history of the man through theages and put his findings in a monumental work consisting of tenvolumes. He summarized that in the History of the man, religionstood at the centre. In an article in The Observer on October 241954, he wrote:

"I have come back at the belief that the religionholds the key to the mystery of existence;"4

"But the “Trust in the God” has been misunderstood; it isoften taken to mean helpless fatalism and or categorical denial ofhuman free will and self-realization. An over emphasis onspirituality and resignation is bound to give rise to a counteremphasis on materialism, rationalism, "free will", and so on.Stressed beyond certain limits, spirituality may become superstition,and confusion. Likewise, a counter stress may turn materialisminto laxity, free will into libertinism, and rationalism into sheer vanity.The intellectual history of the last few centuries demonstrates thesetendencies only too well." 5

It must be noted that only the society based upon religiousprinciples can prosper and excel in every field. When a society ismade according to the Divine will of God then there will be harmonyand a peaceful coexistence among its components and members.But the society based upon the principles of man can't survive forlong. For Example, after the Russian Revolution of 1917, thesocialists transformed the society according to their own rulesand motives and this was a reason for their failure6. Human beingsare fallible but God is not. He has created us and only He knowswhich is the path for us. A society based upon human principlesoften leads to laxity and moral degradation along with many othersocial ills. We can see various placards on roads which are to be


followed like Do not spit around, Stay away from illegal sex, PayTaxes, etc. but still the people do opposite as there is no strongpower to enforce them. But when a society is based upon Religion,and its individuals frame their lives according to it, then these goalscan be achieved without even advertising them because the religiondevelops the concept of accountability and an individual willautomatically mould his life according to it.

Footnotes[1] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 57.[2] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 58-59.[3] Did God become man, Dr. Bilal Philips, p.7-8.[4] Concept of God in Major Religions, Dr. Zakir Naik p. 2.[5] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 86.[6] For details read, "What went wrong in 20th Century" by William

Bonner.

WHAT IS LIFE?

"The meaning of life constitutes a philosophical questionconcerning the purpose and significance of human existence. Theconcept can be expressed through a variety of related questions,such as Why are we here? What's life all about? And What is themeaning of it all? It has been the subject of much philosophical,scientific, and theological speculation throughout history and therehave been a large number of answers from many different culturaland ideological backgrounds.

The meaning of life is deeply mixed with the philosophical andreligious conceptions of existence, consciousness, and happiness,and touches on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning,ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will,conceptions of God, the existence of God, the soul and the afterlife.Scientific contributions are more indirect; by describing theempirical facts about the universe, science provides some contextand sets parameters for conversations on related topics."1

Popular Views2

"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people askthemselves at some point during their lives, most in the context"What is the purpose of life?" Here are some of the life goalspeople choose, and some of their beliefs on what the purpose oflife is:

...to realize one's potential and ideals• ...to live life to the fullest.• ...to lead a full and productive life.• ...to chase dreams.


...to live one's dreams.• ...to spend it for something that will outlast it.• ...to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made

some difference that you lived at all.• ...to expand one's potential in life.• ...to become the person you've always wanted to be.• ...to become the best version of yourself.• ...to seek happiness and flourish.• ...to be able to put the whole of oneself into one's feelings,

one's work, one's beliefs.• ...to follow our destiny....to submit to our destiny.• ...to shape your own destiny.• ...to fight life's game(s) and win, or draw, or, at the very

least, lose with dignity.• ...to create your own reality....to achieve biological perfection• ...to survive, that is, to live as long as possible, including pursuit

of immortality (through scientific means).• ...to live forever or die trying.• ...to evolve into something more.• ...to evolve into the most harmonious state.• ...to replicate, to reproduce. "The 'dream' of every cell is to

become two cells."• ...to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28)...to seek wisdom and knowledge• ...to expand one's perception of the world.• ...to follow the clues and walk out the exit.• ...to learn as many things as possible in life....to know as much as possible about as many things aspossible.• ...to seek wisdom and knowledge and to tame the mind, as

to avoid suffering caused by ignorance and find happiness.• ...to face our fears and accept the lessons life offers us.• ...to find the meaning of life....to find the purpose of life.• ...to find a reason to live.• ...to resolve the imbalance of the mind by understanding the

nature of reality....to do good, to do the right thing• ...to leave the world a better place than you found it.• ...to do your best to leave every situation better than you

found it.• ...to benefit others.• ...to give more than you take.• ...to end suffering.• ...to create equality.• ...to challenge oppression.• ...to distribute wealth.• ...to be generous.• ...to contribute to the well-being and spirit of others.• ...to help others, to help one another.• ...to take every chance to help another while on your journey

here.• ...to be creative and innovative.• ...to forgive.• ...to accept and forgive human flaws.• ...to be emotionally sincere.• ...to be responsible.• ...to be honorable.• ...to seek peace.• ...to be a true authentic human being....to love, to feel, to enjoy the act of living• ...to love more.


• ...to love those who mean the most. Every life you touch willtouch you back.

• ...to be glad of life.• ...to treasure every enjoyable sensation one has.• ...to seek beauty in all its forms.• ...to have fun....to enjoy life.• ...to seek pleasure and avoid pain.• ...to be compassionate.• ...to be moved by the pain and sorrow of others, and try to

help them out of love and compassion.• ...to love others as best we possibly can.• ...to love something bigger, greater, and beyond ourselves,

something we did not create or have the power to create,something intangible and made holy by our very belief in it.

• ...to love God and all of his creations.• ...to glorify God by enjoying him forever....to attain spiritual enlightenment

Dante and Beatrice see God as a point of light surrounded byangels; from Gustave Doré's illustrations for the Divine Comedy:• ...to reach the highest heaven and be at the heart of the Divine.• ...to have a pure soul and experience God.• ...to understand the mystery of God.• ...to know God.• ...to know oneself, know others, and know the Will of heaven.• ...to attain union with God....to have power, to be better• ...to strive for power and superiority.• ...to rule the world.• ...to know and master the world....to know and master nature.• ...to fill the Earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28)

One should not seek to know the meaning of life

• The answer to the meaning of life is too profound to be knownand understood.

• You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

• To live a meaningful life, one must forget about the search forthe meaning of life.

• It's best to just get on with life and stop worrying about whatit means.

Life has no meaning

• Life or human existence has no real meaning or purposebecause human existence occurred out of a random chancein nature, and anything that exists by chance has no intendedpurpose.

• Life has no meaning, but as humans we try to associate ameaning or purpose so we can justify our existence.

• There is no point in life, and that is exactly what makes it sospecial.

Or its minimal counterpart: Life has meaning

• ...uncertain, but there must be something

It's very difficult to give a universally acceptable definition oflife as various religions, philosophers and thinkers have interpretedlife from various views and angles.So there are so many viewsabout life which even contradict each other. So in order to get theright meaning of life, we must adhere to the right religion and thenmould the purpose of our life according to it.

Footnotes[1] Source: Wikipaedia.[2] Ibid.



LIFE AS A PURPOSEFUL

CREATION

If we just analyze once our immediate surroundings, we willsoon realize that everything around us and every object in theuniverse has got some definite purpose. The plants provide usfood and oxygen and maintain the environmental balance, the sungives us heat and light, the animals perform various fruitful activitiesand so on. So everything in the universe has got its respective jobto do and this principle holds true for every object whether minutelike bacteria or enormous like the planets and stars. Everything inthe universe is carrying on its purpose and is not futile in anyway,then how can the complex creation of man with his complexfaculties of reason, sight, hearing, etc. be useless? It's illogical tosay so. God's creation is not in vain. God has created us for a realserious purpose that needs our high attention. "Life is real, life isearnest, And the grave is not its goal", as famous poet Longfellowtruly says.1

"Did ye then think that We had created you injest and that ye would not be brought back to Us(for account)?” 2

"Life is a brilliant demonstration of God's wisdom andknowledge, a vivid reflection of His art and power. He is the Giverand Creator of life. Nothing comes into existence by chance, andnobody creates himself or anybody else. Life is a dear and acherishable asset, and no sensible or normal person would like tolose it by choice. Even those who feel so desperate and take theirlives by committing low suicide, try in the last minute to regaintheir existence and wish to capture a breath to live. Life is given to

man by God, and He is the only Rightful One to take it back; Noone else has the right to destroy a life.

When God gives life to man, it is not in vain that He endowshim with unique qualities and great abilities, nor is it in vain that Hecharges him with certain obligations. God means to help man tofulfil the purpose of life and realize the goal of existence. He meansto help him to learn the creative art of living and enjoy the goodtaste of life according to the divine guidance. Life is a trust fromGod, and man is a trustee who should handle His trust with honestyand skill, with mindfulness of God and with consciousness ofresponsibility to Him.

Life maybe likened to a journey starting from a certain pointand ending at a certain destination. It is a transitory stage, anintroduction to the Eternal Life in the Hereafter. In this journeyman is a traveler and should be concerned with only what is of useto him in the Future Life. In other words, he should do all thegood he can and make himself fully prepared to move any minuteto Eternity. He should consider his life on this earth as a chanceprovided for him to make the best of it while he can, becausewhen his time to leave comes he can never delay it for one second.If his term expires, it will be too late to do anything about it or toextend it. The best use of life, therefore, is to live it according tothe teachings of God and to make it a safe passage to the FutureLife of Eternity." 3, 4

"Man attains a highest distinction only when he leads apurposeful life. Such a life characterizes the most advanced stageof human development. And this does not mean that by taking upjust any task which is apparently significant man's life becomestruly purposeful. A really purposeful life is one in which mandiscovers his supreme status; a life in which his personality makesmanifest its unique distinctive quality. An animal strives to obtainfood; a bird flies in the search of a better country when the season



changes; a wasp busies itself building up its own home from tinyparticles of earth; a herd of deer takes measures to protect itselffrom the wild beasts of prey. All of these appear to be purposefulactions. But when the phrase 'a purposeful life' is applied to man,then it does not refer to efforts of this nature. Without doubtarranging for one's food, clothes and habitation are sure of thetasks that man has to perform in this world; but this is a level ofpurposefulness in which men and animals, being concerned onlywith bare survival, are equal. Its true application in relation to mancan only be one, in which he appears in all his dignity. Man's lifebecomes purposeful only when it goes beyond common animalismand takes the form of superior humanism.

God's creation in this world fall into two categories: animateand inanimate. Obviously, animate objects enjoy a certainsuperiority over inanimate objects. The former can be dividedinto three classes: the vegetable, the animal and the human. Modernscientific research has shown that plants also possess life, in thatthey nourish themselves, they grow and they have feelings.

But animals and men surely represent a higher form of life. Inwhat way does man excel animals? Many theories have beenadvanced in answer to this question over the ages, and great mindsare still, studying it. But modern biologists have come to theconclusion that it is man's capacity for conceptual thought, whichdistinguished him from other life forms. Animals lack this quality,whereas man is conscious of the fact that he is thinking. Heconsciously forms all plans of action in his mind; in his everydaylife his actions are determined by him. Whereas this is not the casewith animals. Though many of their actions appear to be thoselike of men, these actions are not the result of thought. They allstem from pure instinct. Animals are simply led intuitively by theirdesires and their needs in certain direction. Their actions aregoverned by environmental stresses without any physical pressures

from within.

It is in this unique conceptual quality of man that we can conceiveof what his higher purpose in life should be. The latter can only beone which does not result from the pressures of desire or ofimmediate exigencies. It must emanate from his own urge toworship God.

Man's true purpose in life can only be one which reflects thehigher side of his personality; one which displays him as the superiorbeing he is…..

Only when a person goes beyond his self and his environmentcan he understand that there is a higher purpose, on which heshould focus his life. The motive force towards the fulfillment ofthis purpose is not the urge to satisfy one's needs or those ofothers…It is purpose, which sets before man a goal far above allthese things - a goal which does not follow internal needs orexternal pressures, but results purely from conceptual thought.

When a person works, makes money, builds a house, makesan effort to improve his standard of living, he appears to be engagedin efforts towards some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannotbe called a purposeful life, for these activities do not demonstrateman's unique status. It might seem as if they are the result of adeliberation, but if one looks at the matter in depth, one will seethat in actual fact the motive force behind these actions is thesame urge that motivates an animal in various ways, its concernfor its own survival. It is the driving force of one's desires; thepressure of one's needs, and the wish to fulfill the demands ofone's self that underlie such a life. These are the considerationswhich, in fact, guide a person in his search for his livelihood.

When man grows up, he realizes that there are certain materialnecessities 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 toobtain these things. Then he sees that those who have an abundanceof these material things enjoy respect and apparently possess everyform of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus he is driven on todo more than just seek a livelihood; he desires to earn a degreegreatly in excess of his actual requirements.

In bustling markets, grandiose offices and opulent buildings,he is not really guided by deliberate thought. Rather, he is beingguided by inflated ideas of his own needs, desires, longings andambitions to achieve fame and high status in this world. For thisreason these activities cannot be considered as being directedtowards the purpose, which sets man apart from the animal andlends him a higher distinction.

Man's greater dignity can be based only on a purpose, whichemanates from inner desires and pressures of environment. Man'strue purpose in life can only be to seek the pleasure of God. Whenman seeks the pleasure of his Lord, his human qualities find fullmanifestation. This is a purpose loftier than the one towards whichan animal directs its energies. It distinguishes man from animals. Itis the ultimate station of human dignity.

To determine the purpose of life, in short, the effort to makelife meaningful. It must surely, therefore, be one which is inaccordance with man's unique status; it must be one which leadsman on the path to success and progress in terms of his true nature."5

"The purpose and wisdom, which manifest themselves in thewider universe under the direct control of God have to be adoptedby man of his own accord in his personal life. What God hasestablished on a physical plane, man has to establish on a moralplane. With the same strength as is possessed by the iron which isfound everywhere in the cosmos, man must have real staunchnessof character. But kindheartedness must spring from him too, in theway that springs gush forth form the rocks. Just as fragrance and

colour are to be found in abundance in the cosmos, so shouldman's life be enhanced by the fairness and honesty of his dealings.He should be like the tree which breathes out oxygen in return forthe carbon dioxide which it breathes in: that is, he should returngood for evil; he should be kind to those who wrong him. Heshould learn too, from the fact that nothing in the cosmos everencroaches upon anything else. Each physical entity concentratessolely upon playing its own part in the order of the universe. Manmust also engage in the same positive action avoiding all negativeactivities. Innumerable activities are going on throughout the cosmoson the grandest of scales, but without any recompense. In likemanner, man should keep on discharging his responsibilities withoutany hope of reward. He should reflect upon how the loftymountains and the trees cast their shadows upon the earth, withno thought for what anyone can do for them in return, and shouldemulate this act in all humility…

The activities going on in the world at every moment proclaimwho are the worthy and who are the unworthy. Those who aremotivated solely by the superficial interests of money, honour orfame are little better than miserable misfits in this selfless world ofGod. They are not true to the standards set in this universe, whichis a living manifestation of divine ethics. Only those who can bemotivated by the truth, pure and simple, who can rise abovepersonal interests, freeing themselves from complexes andobsessions, shall be deserving of honour and glory from God. Inthe heavenly world to come, all those who have been activatedsolely by their immediate worldly interests, will be marked downas unworthy, and cast out from it. This beautiful and blissful worldwill be inherited only by those who, motivated by unworldlyinterests, lifted their eyes from the immediate, material things inorder to be able to see things distant and 'unseen'…

Those who refuse to learn their lesson and persist in following


the path of selfish passion are wrongdoers of the worst kind. Thosewho refuse to see God's signs, although they have eyes, and refuseto hear God's voice, although they have ears, are, in the eyes ofGod, 'the worst animals' .6, 7

Allah has provided to man faculties of hearing and sight alongwith the power of decision making and complex thinking. But stillin spite of all these blessings still when a man turns away from thereal purpose of life, he becomes like a boat without oars and hislife loses the right direction. That's why God says:

"They have hearts wherewith they understandnot, eyes wherewith they see not and earswherewith they hear not. They are like cattlenay more misguided: for they are heedless (ofwarning)." 8

Further the Bible says:

"Seeing they do not perceive, and hearing theydo not listen, nor do they understand". 9

And then Allah affirms that good and bad can never be equaland so a purposeful and a purposeless life too can never be equal.God presents a contrast before us:

"The blind and the seeing are not alike; Norare the depths of Darkness and the Light; Norare the (chilly) shade and the (genial) heat ofthe sun; Nor are alike those that are living andthose that are dead. Allah can make any thatHe wills to hear; but thou canst not make thoseto hear who are (buried) in graves."10

God as a Source of a Meaningful Life11

“When I seek you, my God, I am seeking happiness. I willseek you in order for my soul to live, because my body lives from

my soul, and my soul lives from You.”

Saint Augustine, 354-430, theologian and philosopher,Confessions .

“No man is good without God: is anyone capable of risingabove chance unless with God's help? It's Him that prompts us tonoble and exalted endeavors. In each and every good man, asVirgil says, a god (what god we are uncertain) dwells.”

Seneca , Roman philosopher and politician, Letters to Lucilius

“You are the Truth, oh my God, my light, health of my face. Allpeople want this path, the only happy path, the joy that lives intruth.”

Saint Augustine, 354-430, theologian and philosopher,Confessions.

Listen to the words of Pascal, in the seventeenth century:

"When I consider the short duration of my life,swallowed up in the eternity that lies before andafter it, when I consider the little space I fill andI see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spacesof which I am ignorant, and which know me not,I rest frightened, and astonished, for there is noreason why I should be here rather than there.Why now rather than then? Who has put me here?By whose order and direction have this place andtime have been ascribed to me?"

Pensees (Penguin Classics).

Some Quotes Describing Life as a PurposefulCreation12

Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that hemust count just with himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth,

40 41

in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with noother aims than those he sets himself, with no other destiny thanthe one he forges for himself on this earth.

Jean Paul Sartre, 1905-1980, French writer and philosopher,Being and Nothingness.

Life is nothing until it is lived, but it is yours to make sense of;the value of life is nothing other than the sense you choose.

Jean Paul Sartre, 1905-1980, French writer and philosopher,Existentialism is a Humanism .

Man is the artificer of his own happiness.

Henry Thoreau, 1817-1862, American essayist, Journal.

Life has the meaning we give it. It has our richness, ourenthusiasm, our pride. Or our cowardice.

Miguel Torga, 1907-1995, Portuguese writer, Diário.

These then are my last words to you: Be not afraid of life.Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create thefact.

William James, 1842-1910, American philosopher, The Willto Believe.

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problemwhich he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.

Erich Fromm, 1900-1980, American philosopher andpsychologist, Man for Himself.

Ignorant men do not know the excellence of what's in theirhands, until they've flung it away.

Sophocles, 496-406 BC, Greek Poet, Ajax.

Footnotes:[1] Quoted by Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his commentary to the Holy Qur'an,

footnote No. 2950.[2] Holy Qur'an Chapter 23 verse 115.[3] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 55-56.[4] Please refer to the chapter, The Concept of After Life.[5] Islamic Studies Text Book for Class XI by Dr. Farida Khanam p. 36-

38[6] Holy Qur'an Chapter 8 verse 22.[7] Islamic Studies Text Book for Class XI by Dr. Farida Khanam p. 34-

35.[8] Holy Qur'an Chapter 7 verse 179.[9] Bible, Matthew 13:13.[10] Holy Qur'an Chapter 35 verse 19-22.[11] Source: www.meaningsoflife.com[12] Ibid.

42 43

45

THE CONCEPT OF

AFTER LIFE

As mentioned earlier too that life is not an end in itself. Life isvery short and in this brief time, man must realize his true purposeof life and prepare himself for the life to come. The life is a test andthe one who lives it according to the divine will of God will only besuccessful in the life to come as He is the One who gave us this lifeand it should obviously be lived only according to His will. Somepeople claim that there is no after life and this life is an end in itself.But this statement is really illogical. Say for example a child entersa school and then leaves it at a particular stage and same holdstrue for an employee who retires from his office after his tenure isover. So similarly after we die there must be a life to come. Ifthere is no hereafter life and if the world is an end in itself then onemay really say that God has created us for a stupid purpose.

If there is no hereafter then every person will try to acquire asmuch material wealth as possible without caring for others becauseit is actually the concept of hereafter that guides this present lifeand the sense of accountability before God that guides the actionsof the humans in this world. When hereafter is our context thenour life will become hereafter-oriented and this will make us to actaccording to the will of God and we will do every deed to pleaseHim only and to get His good pleasure and this in turn will makeour life fruitful. The commandments of God will act like a tetherthat will restrict our actions and stop us from doing injustice andungodly acts. When our life is hereafter-oriented then we will doevery deed just to please our Lord and not to seek reward frompeople for our deeds. This will inculcate in us the feelings of

compassion and selflessness and these are the qualities that arerequired most for a healthy society to flourish.

It must be noted that many researchers and scientists afterdoing research concluded that there definitely exists an After Life.For instance there is Dr. Raymond A. Moodi of America who is adoctorate in philosophy but he has done extensive research onNDE (Near Death Experiences) in which the doctors mention apatient that he is "Clinically Dead" but after some time the patientcomes back to life again like normal. Dr. Raymond A. Moodimade research and did surveys on many such persons and all ofthem narrated that they had seen some unusual things during thetime those persons were supposed to be dead. Like they sawsouls moving here and they even saw glimpses of the Paradiseand Hell and then a voice appeared and said to them that, "Whatdo you have to show me that you have done with your life". Andall the patients had seen these similar things but they just useddifferent words to express it. Then Dr. Raymond A. Moodi penneddown his research in the form of three books namely:

Life After Life,

The Light Beyond, &

Reflections on Life after Life.

Dr. Moodi's book (Life after Life) was first published in 1975after he made a research of 8 years and interviewed around 150people and then this interesting topic made many other doctors toresearch further on this topic. After this a pediatrician by the nameof Dr. Melvin Morse wrote another book namely 'Closer to theLight' in which he has mentioned that children have also undergonethrough this experience and he himself interviewed such childrenand then put his research in his 236 page book. Then another mannamely Pollster George Gallup did a survey of people in Americaand to his astonishment he found that around 5% of the US peoplegot NDE and then Dr. Raymond A. Moodi continued his research

The True Purpose of Life


further and again interviewed a 1000 people and wrote anotherbook 'The Light Beyond'. So all these facts give us a glimpse ofthe After Life and make us conclude that there really is anotherLife to come and the human reason confirms it too.1

"There are people who commit sins, neglect God and indulgein immoral activities, yet they seem to be "superficially" successfulin business and prosperous in life. And there are virtuous andGod-minded people, yet they seem to be getting less rewards fortheir sincere efforts and more suffering in the present world. Thisis puzzling and incompatible with the Justice of God. If the guiltypeople can escape the mundane law unharmed and, in addition,be more prosperous, what is, then, left for the virtuous people.What will promote the cause of morality and goodness? Theremust be some way to reward goodness and arrest evil. If this isnot done here on this earth - and we know that it is not doneregularly or immediately - it has to be done someday, and that isthe Day of Judgement. This is not to condone injustice or toleratemischief in this world. It is not to sedate the deprived or comforttheir exploiters. Rather, it is to warn the deviants from the RightPath and remind them that the Justice of God shall run its fullcourse sooner or later."2

Dr. Zakir Naik has very logically proved the concept of lifehereafter in his book 'Answers to non-Muslims' common questionsabout Islam'3 and I would like to reproduce that here in order tosatisfy the reader. Though Dr. Zakir Naik has proved it accordingto the Muslim perspective but still the arguments provided arelogical and universal to people belonging to all religions.

Question:— How can you prove the existence ofhereafter, i.e. life after death?

Answer:— 1. Belief in the hereafter is not based on blindfaith.

Many people wonder as to how a person with a scientific andlogical temperament, can lend any credence to the belief of lifeafter death. People assume that anyone believing in the hereafteris doing so on the basis of blind belief. My belief in the hereafter isbased on a logical argument.

2. Hereafter a logical beliefThere are more than a thousand verses in the Glorious Qur'an,

containing scientific facts (refer my book "Qur'an and ModernScience-Compatible or Incompatible?"). Many facts mentionedin the Qur'an have been discovered in the last few centuries. Butscience has not advanced to a level where it can confirm everystatement of the Qur'an. Suppose 80% of all that is mentioned inthe Qur'an has been proved 100% correct. About the remaining20%, science makes no categorical statement, since it has notadvanced to a level, where it can either prove or disprove thesestatements. With the limited knowledge that we have, we cannotsay for sure whether even a single percentage or a single verse ofthe Qur'an from this 20% portion is wrong. Thus when 80% ofthe Qur'an is 100% correct and the remaining 20% is not disproved,logic says that even the 20% portion is correct. The existence ofthe hereafter, which is mentioned in the Qur'an, falls in the 20%ambiguous portion which my logic says is correct.

3. Concept of peace and human values is useless withoutthe concept of hereafter

Is robbing a good or an evil act? A normal balanced personwould say it is evil.

How would a person who does not believe in the hereafterconvince a powerful and influential criminal that robbing is evil?Suppose I am the most powerful and influential criminal in theworld. At the same time I am an intelligent and a logical person. Isay that robbing is good because it helps me lead a luxurious life.Thus robbing is good for me. If anybody can put forward a single



logical argument as to why it is evil for me, I will stop immediately.People usually put forward the following arguments:

a. The person who is robbed will face difficulties

Some may say that the person who is robbed will facedifficulties. I certainly agree that it is bad for the person who isrobbed. But it is good for me. If I rob a thousand dollars, I canenjoy a good meal at a 5 star restaurant.

b. Some one may rob you

Some people argue that someday I may be robbed. No onecan rob me because I am a very powerful criminal and I havehundreds of bodyguards. I can rob anybody but nobody can robme. Robbing may be a risky profession for a common man butnot for an influential person like me.

c. The police may arrest you

Some may say, if you rob, you can be arrested by the police.The police cannot arrest me because I have the police on mypayroll. I have the ministers on my payroll. I agree that if a commonman robs, he will be arrested and it will be bad for him, but I aman extraordinarily influential and powerful criminal. Give me onelogical reason why it is bad for me and I will stop robbing.

d. Its easy moneySome may say its easy money and not hard-earned money. I

agree completely that it is easy money, and that is one of the mainreasons why I rob. If a person has the option of earning moneythe easy as well as the hard way, any logical person would choosethe easy way.

e. It is against humanity

Some may say it is against humanity and that a person shouldcare for other human beings. I counter argue by asking as to whowrote this law called 'humanity' and why should I follow it? Thislaw may be good for the emotional and sentimental people but I

am a logical person and I see no benefit in caring for other humanbeings.

f. It is a selfish act

Some may say that robbing is being selfish. It is true that robbingis a selfish act; but then why should I not be selfish? It helps meenjoy life.

1. No logical reason for robbing being an evil act

Hence all arguments that attempt to prove that robbing is anevil act are futile. These arguments may satisfy a common man butnot a powerful and influential criminal like me. None of thearguments can be defended on the strength of reason and logic. Itis no surprise that there are so many criminals in this world.Similarly raping, cheating etc. can be justified as good for a personlike me and there is no logical argument that can convince me thatthese things are bad.

2. A Muslim can convince a powerful and influentialcriminal

Now let us switch sides. Suppose you are the most powerfuland influential criminal in the world, who has the police and theministers on his payroll. You have army of thugs to protect you. Iam a Muslim who will convince you that robbing, raping, cheating,etc. are evil acts. Even if I put forth the same arguments to provethat robbing is evil the criminal will respond the same way as hedid earlier. I agree that the criminal is being logical and all hisarguments are true only when he is the most powerful and influentialcriminal.

3. Every human being wants justice

Each and every human being desires justice. Even if he doesnot want justice for others he wants justice for himself. Somepeople are intoxicated by power and influence and inflict pain andsuffering on others. The same people, however, would surely

48 49

object if some injustice was done to them. The reason such peoplebecome insensitive to the suffering of others is that they worshippower and influence. Power and influence, they feel, not only allowsthem to inflict injustice on others but also prevents others fromdoing likewise to them.

4. God is Most Powerful and Just

As a Muslim I would convince the criminal about the existenceof Almighty God (refer to answer proving the existence of God).This God is more powerful than you and at the same time is alsojust. The Glorious Qur'an says:

"Allah is never unjust in the least degree"[Al-Qur'an 4:40]

5. Why does God not punish me?

The criminal, being a logical and scientific person, agrees thatGod exists, after being presented with scientific facts from theQur'an. He may argue as to why God, if He is Powerful and Just,does not punish him.

6. The people who do injustice should be punished

Every person who has suffered injustice, irrespective of financialor social status, almost certainly wants the perpetrator of injusticeto be punished. Every normal person would like the robber or therapist to be taught a lesson. Though a large number of criminalsare punished, many even go scot-free. They lead a pleasant,luxurious life, and even enjoy a peaceful existence. If injustice isdone to a powerful and influential person, by someone morepowerful and more influential than he, even such a person wouldwant that person perpetrators of injustice to be punished.

7. This life is a test for the hereafter

This life is a test for the hereafter. The Glorious Qur'an says:

"He who created death and life, that He may

try which of you is best in deed; and He is theExalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving."

[Al-Qur'an 67:2]

8. Final justice on day of judgement

The Glorious Qur'an says:

"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and onlyon the Day of Judgement shall you be paid yourfull recompense. Only he who is saved far fromthe Fire and admitted to the Garden will haveattained the object (of life): for the life of thisworld is but goods and chattels of deception."

[Al-Qur'an 3:185]

Final justice will be meted out on the Day of Judgement. Aftera person dies, he will be resurrected on the Day of Judgementalong with the rest of mankind. It is possible that a person receivespart of his punishment in this world. The final reward andpunishment will only be in the hereafter. God Almighty may notpunish a robber or a rapist in this world but he will surely be heldaccountable on the Day of Judgement and will be punished in thehereafter i.e. life after death.

9. What punishment can the human law give Hitler?

Hitler incinerated six million Jews during his reign of terror.Even if the police had arrested him, what punishment can the humanlaw give Hitler for justice to prevail? The most they can do is tosend Hitler to the gas chamber. But that will only be punishmentfor the killing of one Jew. What about the remaining five million,nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Jews?

10. Allah can burn Hitler more than six million times inhellfire

Allah say in the Glorious Qur'an:

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"Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon castinto the Fire; as often as their skins are roastedthrough, We shall change them for fresh skins,that they may taste the penalty: for Allah isExalted in Power, Wise." [Al-Qur'an 4:56]

If Allah wishes he can incinerate Hitler six million times in thehereafter in the hellfire.

11. No concept of human values are good and bad withoutthe concept of hereafter

It is clear that without convincing a person about the hereafter,i.e. life after death, the concept of human values and the good orevil nature of acts is impossible to prove to any person who isdoing injustice especially when he is influential and powerful.

"It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) atdeath; and those that die not (He takes) duringtheir sleep: those on whom He has passed thedecree of death, He keeps back (from returningto life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies)for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signsfor those who reflect."4

"And they say: "What is there but our life inthis world? We shall die and we live, andnothing but Time can destroy us." But of thatthey have no knowledge: they merely conjecture:And when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed tothem, their argument is nothing but this: theysay, "Bring (back) our forefathers, if what yousay is true!" Say: "It is Allah Who gives youlife, then gives you death; and He will gatheryou together for the Day of Judgment aboutwhich there is no doubt": But most men do notunderstand." 5, 6

Footnotes:[1] For further details, refer to the book, "Dunya ke us Paar" (Urdu) By

Maulana Taqi Usmani.[2] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 36.[3] Answers to non-Muslims' common questions about Islam, Dr. Zakir

Naik, p.37.[4] Holy Qur'an Chapter 39 verse 42.[5] Holy Qur'an Chapter 45 verse 24-26.[6] For further details on this subject, refer to the book, "Life, Death and

the After Life" by Dr. Ahmad Sakr and also refer to the chapter,Arguments for the Life Hereafter from God Arises by MaulanaWahiduddin Khan.


The True Purpose of Life The True Purpose of Life 55

CONCEPT OF LIFE IN

VARIOUS RELIGIONS1

Prior to the expansion of the major universal religions - fromthe first or second centuries BC to the sixth century CE, dependingon the faith - the meaning of life was investigated in terms of humanpotential and the relationship of individuals to the natural world.Devotion to god or gods was an important aspect of sometraditions, but was generally viewed in terms of personaldevelopment (as in the Hindu relationship between Atma andBrahma, or as a social relationship, as in the Jewish covenant).Other traditions relied heavily on reason, discipline, or thedevelopment of other human faculties, either as meaningful in theirown right, or as tools to reach other decisions.

Hinduism

Hinduism is a diverse religion: there are some tenets acceptedby most Hindus, but no doctrines that are universally accepted byall. Most believe that the Atma (spirit, soul) - the person's trueself - is eternal. In part, this stems from Hindu beliefs that spiritualdevelopment occurs across many lifetimes, and goals should matchthe state of development of the individual. There are four possibleaims to human life, known as the purusharthas (ordered from leastto greatest): Kama (love and sensual pleasure), Artha (wealth),Dharma (righteousness, morality), and Moksha (liberation fromthe reincarnation cycle).

In all schools of Hinduism, the meaning of life is tied up in theconcepts of karma, samsara and moksha (causal action, the cycle

of birth and rebirth, and liberation). Existence is conceived as theprogression of the Atma (similar to the western concept of a soul)across numerous lifetimes, and its ultimate progression towardsliberation from karma. Particular goals for life are generallysubsumed under broader yogas (practices) or dharma (correctliving) which are intended to create more favorable reincarnations,though they are generally positive acts in this life as well. Traditionalschools of Hinduism often worship Devas which are manifestationsof Ishvara (a personal or chosen God); these Devas are taken asideal forms to be identified with, as a form of spiritual improvement.

Judaism

Judaism's most important feature is belief in a single, omniscient,omnipotent, omnibenevolent, transcendent God, who created theuniverse and governs it. Per traditional Judaism, God establisheda covenant with the Jewish people, at Mount Sinai, revealing HisLaws and Commandments in the Torah. In Rabbinic Judaism, theTorah comprises the written Pentateuch (Torah) and the oral lawtradition (later transcribed as sacred writing).

In the Judaic world view, the purpose of life is to serveGod and to prepare for the world to come. The "Olam Haba"thought is about elevating oneself spiritually, connecting to God inpreparing for "Olam Haba"; Jewish thought is to use "Olam Hazeh"(this world) to elevate oneself.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on theteachings ascribed to the Prophet Zoroaster, after whom the religionis named. Zoroastrians believe in a universe created by atranscendental God, Ahura Mazda, to whom all worship isultimately directed. Azhura Mazda's creation is asha, truth and

The True Purpose of Life


order, and it is in conflict with its antithesis, druj, falsehood anddisorder. Malevolent force is represented by Angra Mainyu, the"Destructive Principle", while the benevolent is represented throughAhura Mazda's Spenta Mainyu, the instrument or "BounteousPrinciple" of the act of creation.

Since humanity possesses free will, people must beresponsible for their moral choices. By using free will, peoplemust take active role to play in the universal conflict, where goodthoughts, good words and good deeds to ensure happiness andto keep chaos at bay.

Ahura Mazda will ultimately prevail, at which point the universewill undergo a cosmic renovation and time will end (cf: Zoroastrianeschatology). In the final renovation, all of creation - even thesouls of the dead that were initially banished to "darkness" - willbe reunited in Ahura Mazda. At the end of time a savior-figure [aSaoshyant] will bring about a final renovation of the world, and inwhich the dead will be revived.

Jainism

Jainism is a religion originating in ancient India, its ethical systempromotes self-discipline above all else. Through following theascetic teachings of Jina, a human achieves enlightenment (perfectknowledge). Jainism divides the universe into living and non-livingbeings. Only when the non-living become attached to the livingdoes suffering result. Therefore, happiness is the result of self-conquest and freedom from external objects. The meaning oflife may then be said to be to use the physical body to achieveself-realization and bliss.

Jains believe that every human is responsible for his or heractions and all living beings have an eternal soul, Jiva. Jains believeall souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being

liberated and attaining Moksha. The Jain view of karma is thatevery action, every word, every thought produces, besides itsvisible, an invisible, transcendental effect on the soul.

Jainism includes strict adherence to ahimsa (or ahinsa), a formof nonviolence that goes far beyond vegetarianism. Jains refusefood obtained with unnecessary cruelty. Many practice a lifestylesimilar to Veganism due to the violence of modern dairy farms,and others exclude root vegetables from their diets in order topreserve the lives of the plants from which they eat.

Early BuddhismBuddhism is a non-dual religious view, in which subject, object,

and action are all seen as illusory. Buddhists believe that life issuffering. The suffering is caused by attachment to objects materialor non-material. The meaning of life is to end sufferingthrough detaching oneself from cravings and conceptualattachments. Suffering can be overcome through human activity,simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfectingdispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in thestate of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles,complexes, fabrications, and ideas.

Theravada Buddhism is generally considered to be close tothe early Buddhist practice. It promotes the concept ofVibhajjavada (Pali), literally "Teaching of Analysis", which saysthat insight must come from the aspirant's experience, criticalinvestigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith. However,the Theravadin tradition also emphasizes heeding the advice ofthe wise, considering such advice and evaluation of one's ownexperiences to be the two tests by which practices should bejudged. The Theravadin goal is liberation (or freedom) fromsuffering, according to the Four Noble Truths. This is attained inthe achievement of Nibbana, or Unbinding which also ends the

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repeated cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death.

Taoism

The Taoists' cosmogony emphasizes the need for all sentientbeings and all man to return to the primordial or to rejoin with theOneness of the Universe by way of self-correction and selfrealization. It is the objective for all adherents to understand andbe in tune with the ultimate truth.

Within the theology of Taoism, all men were originally a beingcalled yuanling from Taiji and Tao, the meaning in life for theadherents is to realise the temporal nature of the existence,and all adherents are expected to practise, hone and conduct theirmortal lives by way of Xiuzhen and Xiushen, as a preparation forthe spiritual transcendence thereafter. "Only introspection can thenhelp us to find our innermost reasons for living...the simple answeris here within ourselves."

Confucianism

Confucianism recognizes human nature in accordance with theneed for discipline and education. Because mankind is driven byboth positive and negative influences, Confucianists see a goal inachieving the good nature through strong relationships and reasoningas well as minimizing the negative energy. This emphasis on normalliving is seen in the Confucianist scholar Tu Wei-Ming's quote,"we can realize the ultimate meaning of life in ordinary humanexistence."

Christianity

Though Christianity has its roots in Judaism, and shares muchof the latter faith's ontology, its central beliefs derive from theteachings of Jesus Christ, as presented in the New Testament.

Life's purpose in Christianity is to seek divine salvation throughthe grace of God and intercession of Christ. The New Testamentspeaks of God wanting to have a relationship with humans bothin this life and the life to come, which can happen only if one'ssins are forgiven (John 3:16-21, 2 Peter 3:9). In the Christianview humankind is inherently and innately sinful, but Christ's deathand resurrection provide the means for transcending that impurestate (Romans 6:23). The means for doing so varies betweendifferent sects, but all rely on one form or another of subjugationto God's will.

Under the Christian view, the main purpose in life is to live likeChrist did, to give glory to God in all that we do, and to serve andlove Him.

Catholics believe that penance is required in earning forgivenessof sin, especially mortal sin. Orthodox Protestants and evangelicalsdo not believe that one's actions, in themselves, have an impactupon one's personal salvation and entry to Heaven; instead, one'sacceptance of Christ as saviour and repentance of sin determineexistential fate.

In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the first question is:What is the chief end of Man?, that is, What is Man's mainpurpose?. The answer is: Man's chief end is to glorify God,and enjoy Him forever. God requires one to obey the revealedmoral law saying: love the Lord our God with all our heart,with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind;and our neighbour as ourselves.[43] The Baltimore Catechismanswers the question "Why did God make you?" by saying "Godmade me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in thisworld, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven."

Mahayana BuddhismMahayana Buddhist schools de-emphasize the traditional view

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(still practiced in Theravada) of the release from individual Suffering(Dukkha) and attainment of Awakening (Nirvana). In Mahayana,the Buddha is seen as an eternal, immutable, inconceivable,omnipresent being. The fundamental principles of Mahayanadoctrine are based around the possibility of universal liberationfrom suffering for all beings, and the existence of the transcendentBuddha-nature, which is the eternal Buddha essence present, buthidden and unrecognised, in all living beings.

Philosophical schools of Mahayana Buddhism, such as Chan/Zen and the Vajrayana Tibetan and Shingon schools, explicitlyteach that Boddhisattvas should refrain from full liberation, allowingthemselves to be reincarnated into the world until all beings achieveenlightenment. Devotional schools such as Pure Land Buddhismseek the aid of celestial Buddhas - individuals who have spentlifetimes accumulating positive karma, and use that accumulationto aid all.

Advaita and Dvaita Hinduism

Hinduism made a resurgence in India in the 7th century CE,after several centuries of Buddhist predominance. While retainingearlier Hindu theosophy, new schools reinterpreted the Vedas tofocus on Brahma, "The One Without a Second", as a centralGod-like figure. The two main schools of the time are the monistAdvaita and the dualist Dvaita. The main distinction between theschools is their understanding of the nature of Atma.

In Advaita, atma is ultimately indistinguishable from Brahma,and the goal of life is to know or realize that one's atma(soul) is identical to Brahma. To the Upanishads, whoeverbecomes fully aware of the atma, as one's core of self, realisesidentity with Brahma, and, thereby, achieves Moksha (liberation,freedom). Brahma is conceived as a divinity without characteristicsor qualities, and moksha is pursued by separating oneself from

the characteristics and qualities inherent in being a living entity.The notion of lila (play) denotes the universe as cosmic game,wherein meaning is a "play of significance". Lila is manifest in theinexhaustible richness of being and event that are the keys to themeaning of life.

Dvaita Vedanta and other bhakti schools have a dualistinterpretation. Brahma is seen as a supreme being with a personalityand manifest qualities. The ãtma depends upon Brahma for itsexistence; the meaning of life is achieving Moksha through loveof God and upon His grace.

Sikhism

The monastic Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev,the term "sikh" means student, which denotes that followers willlead their lives forever learning. This system of religious philosophyand expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literallythe counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. The followers ofSikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus,or enlightened leaders, as well as the Holy Scripture entitled theGurû Granth Sãhib, which includes selected works of manyphilosophers from diverse socio-economic and religiousbackgrounds.

The Sikh Gurus tell us that salvation can be obtained byfollowing various spiritual paths. Therefore, Sikhs do not have amonopoly on salvation: "The Lord dwells in every heart, and everyheart has its own way to reach Him." Sikhs do not consider theyhave an "exclusive" right to salvation. Sikhs believe that all peopleare equally important before God. Sikhs balance their moral andspiritual values with the quest for knowledge, and they aim topromote a life of peace and equality but also of positive action.

A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic

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concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as theUniverse itself (pantheism). Sikhism thus sees life as an opportunityto understand this God as well as to discover the divinity whichlies in each individual. While a full understanding of God is beyondhuman beings, Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable.God is omnipresent (sarav viãpak) in all creation and visibleeverywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that Godmust be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart", of a humanbeing: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment.Nanak emphasized the revelation through meditation, as its rigorousapplication permits the existence of communication between Godand human beings.

According to Sikhism, every creature has a soul. In death, thesoul passes from one body to another until final liberation. Thejourney of the soul is governed by the karma of the deeds andactions we perform during our lives, and depending on thegoodness or wrongdoings committed by a person in their life theywill either be rewarded or punished in their next life. As the spiritof God is found in all life and matter, a soul can be passed ontoother life forms, such as plants and insects - not just human bodies.A person who has evolved to achieve spiritual perfection in hislifetimes attains salvation - union with God and liberation fromrebirth in the material world.

Shinto

Shinto is the native religion of Japan. Shinto means "the path ofthe kami", but more specifically, it can be taken to mean "the divinecrossroad where the kami chooses his way". The 'divine' crossroadsignifies that all the universe is divine spirit. This foundation of freewill, choosing one's way, means that life is a creative process.

Shinto wants life to live, not to die. Shinto sees death as pollutionand regards life as the realm where the divine spirit seeks to purify

itself by rightful self-development. Shinto wants individual humanlife to be prolonged forever on earth as a victory of the divinespirit in preserving its objective personality in its highest forms.The presence of evil in the world, as conceived by Shinto, doesnot stultify the divine nature by imposing on divinity responsibilityfor being able to relieve human suffering while refusing to do so.The sufferings of life are the sufferings of the divine spirit in searchof progress in the objective world.

So that's the concept of life and its purpose in various religionsas mentioned above. But if we analyze carefully the purposes oflife in that various religions offer, we will conclude that they areeither defected or incomplete. The concept of rebirth in Hinduismto get salvation till one is incarnated as Brahma and then the soulgets united with the Paramatma seems so impractical. Thisconcept leads to the division of the society into various classesand then lower class is looked down upon because they had donesins in previous life. The concept of this 'inherited' sin makes thelife ultimately purposeless. And according to this philosophyhumans even get incarnated as animals and low life and Hinduismbelieves that there can exists innumerable ways to God but 'Allways do not lead to Rome' and there is only one straight way toGod and saying that there exists so many ways to God deviatesus as to which path is right.

Then if we turn to Judeo-Christian traditions, the Old Testamentis a mixture of History, Poetry, etc. and it has details of Historicalevents and the rise and fall of kingdoms. But it is almost silent onthe purpose of life. The purpose of creation is mainly defined inthe Book of Genesis or 'creation' that when Adam and Eve werecreated and then their fall, it says that after making universe God'rested' which is absurd. It also says that God regretted after creatingman. Then there is New Testament and most of it has been writtenby St. Paul. His books throughout contradict the gospels and

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theory of original sin which states that sin is inherited which isreally an injustice and it contradicts the Old Testament whileconcept of Trinity further perplexes the mind. Therefore, in Bibleyou will never get a satisfactory answer for the purpose of life.

Then there is Zoroastrianism which was founded by Zarathustra.They believe in a supreme power called Ahura Mazda and an evilforce called Ahriman. According to Zoroastrianism, there is acontinuous struggle going on between the two and in the end formerwill prevail. But the most teachings of Zoroastrianism are basedupon paganism and have no relevance with the current world.Then Jainism & Buddhism lay so much stress on the renouncementof this world and believe in forsaking the worldly pleasure to getsalvation that these religions offer nothing practical. There are justrituals and no practical code.

A religion can never be true unless it fulfils the spiritual andworldly demands of people of all times and gives a code of lifewhich is universal and ever applicable. Religion and life of manare not any separate entities. Islam has only maintained this goldenmean and moderation and Islamic concept of life is straight forward.Islam tells us to do good deeds and teaches high moral values likeother religions do, but in Islam all fundamentals are completelystated in full sense and moreover Islam, unlike other religions, tellsus the solutions too of various problems challenging the mankind.In next coming chapter the concept of life in Islam has beendiscussed.

Footnotes:[1] Adapted from Wikipaedia.

LIFE IN ISLAM-THE

ONLY CHOICE

In the preceding chapter you studied about the concept andpurpose of life according to various world religions. But as statedearlier too that concepts about life in other religions (except Islam)are not perfect in the real sense. Those are just a set of rituals orlay an overwhelming stress upon renouncing the pleasure of theworld. Many of those concepts are impractical and not well definedand they make us conclude that religion and daily life of a man areseparate entities and consequently those concepts render the lifeas purposeless. But only ISLAM is the complete code of life andit guides us minutely in every aspect of our daily lives. Islam followsthe principle of moderation or the 'golden mean'. It doesn't believein renouncing the world to attain salvation nor does it believe thatlife is an end in itself. The concept of life in Islam has been veryclearly defined and Islamic view of life make it highly purposefuland Islam provides guidance to man in every aspect of his life soas to be successful in the world to come.

Allah1 created man according to his own divine plan. Aftercreating man, Allah sent him to earth not because of fall of Adambut according to His own Will in order to test man on earth. Allahhas honoured man by giving him a very high status of His viceroyto manifest His attributes and qualities and to represent Him onthe earth. Man has been put temporarily on earth and then he willbe brought back to Allah. Allah has granted man free will in thisworld in order to test him. Those who lead their lives according toWill of Allah pass the test while the rest fail.

"Man maybe a masterpiece of divine creation, but he must



nevertheless remain subservient to plan of God. Making a fullacknowledgement of these two aspects of the mankind is the keyto human progress.

Man succeeded in building a modern industrial civilization bydiscovering and exploiting the laws of nature. Similarly in the nextworld man will achieve lasting success on a much vaster scale, butonly after striving earnestly to comprehend the God's creationplan for humanity and then adhering unflinchingly to its edicts."2

Allah has created man from moulded clay and then he blew hisspirit into it and He bestowed man with various sublime qualities.The Qur'an mentions:

"From the (earth) did We create you and into itshall We return you and from it shall We bringyou out once again."3

"We created man from sounding clay from mudmolded into shape."4

"Behold! thy Lord said to the angels: "I amabout to create man from sounding clay frommud molded into shape; "When I havefashioned him (in due proportion) and breathedinto him of My spirit fall ye down in obeisanceunto him."5

"Man is a dignified honourable being. His dignity derives fromthe fact that he is infused with the spirit of the Creator. What ismore important is that such dignity is not confined to any specialrace, colour, or class of people. It is the natural right of man,every man, the most honourable being on earth." 6

Adam was the first man to be created by Allah and thedescription of the creation of man and his unique status is verywell defined in the Qur'an:

Behold thy Lord said to the angels:

"I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said:"Wilt thou place therein one who will makemischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we docelebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy(name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."And He taught Adam the nature of all things;then He placed them before the angels and said:"Tell Me the nature of these if ye are right." Theysaid: "Glory to Thee of knowledge we have nonesave that Thou hast taught us: in Truth it is ThouWho art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."Hesaid: "O Adam! tell them their natures." Whenhe had told them Allah said: "Did I not tell youthat I know the secrets of Heaven and Earth andI know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?"Andbehold We said to the angels: "Bow down toAdam"; and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: herefused and was haughty, he was of those whoreject Faith. We said: "O Adam! dwell thou andthy wife in the Garden and eat of the bountifulthings therein as (where and when) ye will butapproach not this tree or ye run into harm andtransgression." Then did Satan make them slipfrom the (garden) and get them out of the state(of felicity) in which they had been. We said:"Get ye down all (ye people) with enmity betweenyourselves. On earth will be your dwelling- placeand your means of livelihood for a time." Thenlearnt Adam from his Lord words (of repentance)and his Lord turned toward him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.7



So man has been created as a vicegerent (Khalifa) on earth. Inother words man is a viceroy of Allah on earth. Allah has indeedgiven a very high rank to man and honoured him by making himHis own representative on earth and created man to manifest Hisattributes and qualities.

"Man enjoys an especially high-ranking status in the hierarchy ofall known creatures. He occupies this distinguished position becausehe alone is gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations aswell as powers of action. But the more his rank excels, the more hisresponsibility grows. He occupies the position of God's viceroy onearth. The person who is appointed by God to be His active agent,must necessarily have some power and authority, and be, atleastpotentially, endowed with honour and integrity. And this is the statusof man in Islam; not a condemned race from birth to death, but adignified being potentially capable of good and noble achievements.The fact that God chose His messengers from the human race showsthat man is trustworthy and capable, and that he can acquire immensetreasures of goodness." 8

"Man also is created by God and is commissioned to be God'sviceroy on earth. He is so chosen to cultivate the land and enrichlife with knowledge, virtue, purpose and meaning. And to achievethis goal, everything in the earth and the heavens is created for himand is made subservient to him. Life on this planet is not a prisonfor man; his coming into the world was not an arbitrary punishmentfor previously committed sins. Nor was he expelled from anotherworld and cast out into this one. His existence was no mere chanceor undersigned occurrence.

Knowledge is the unique faculty of man and is an integral partof his personality and his being. It is knowledge that qualifies manto be the viceroy of his Creator and entitles him to command therespect and allegiance even of the angels of God."9

As Allah has created man as a ruler on earth and endowed him

with various qualities just in order to test him that how he will usethe authority and power bestowed by Allah upon him.

As mentioned in the earlier verses that Allah ordered all thejinns and the angels to prostrate before Adam. All did it exceptthe Iblis (Satan) and afterwards he was expelled from the kingdomof Allah. So after that Allah placed Adam and the Eve in the paradiseand told them to enjoy all its pleasures but He just forbade themfrom approaching to a tree. Allah told them that they will perish ifthey tasted its fruit. But Satan by his deceit persuaded both ofthem to taste that fruit and they did so and it consequently broughtabout their fall:

"But Satan whispered evil to him: he said "OAdam! shall I lead thee to Tree of Eternity andto a kingdom that never decays?" In the resultthey both ate of the tree and so their nakednessappeared to them: they began to sew together,for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thusdid Adam disobey his Lord and allow himselfto be seduced. But his Lord chose him (for HisGrace): He turned to him and gave himguidance. He said: "Get ye down, both of you,all together, from the Garden with enmity oneto another; but if, as is sure, there comes to youGuidance from Me, whosoever follows MyGuidance, will not lose his way, nor fall intomisery." 10

"So by deceit he brought about their fall: whenthey tasted of the tree, their shame becamemanifest to them and they began to sew togetherthe leaves of the garden over their bodies. Andtheir Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbidyou that tree and tell you that Satan was an

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avowed enemy unto you?" 11

But then both of them realized their mistake and repented beforeAllah and He accepted their repentance:

They said: "Our Lord! we have wronged ourown souls: if Thou forgive us not and bestownot upon us Thy mercy, we shall certainly belost." (Allah) said: "Get ye down with enmitybetween yourselves. On earth will be yourdwelling-place and your means of livelihood fora time."He said: "Therein shall ye live andtherein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be takenout (at last)." 12

After that Allah sent Adam and Eve to earth but it was not aspunishment as their repentance was already accepted by Allah. Itwas rather according to divine plan of Allah to send man on earth.Otherwise after accepting their repentance, Allah could have againadmitted them into paradise. But it must be noted that if Allahwould have retained Adam and Eve in paradise then there wouldhave been no test of life and no distinction between the worthyand unworthy people. And then again if Allah would have sent usto earth as a punishment then our life would have been futile andpurposeless having a blot of sin upon it that would never let uslead a purposeful life. So both the cases render the life aspurposeless. That's why Allah sent man to earth as an honouredbeing and not as sinful.

"The first phase of life on earth began not in sin or rebellionagainst the Creator. The "Fall" from the garden of Eden and whatfollowed thereafter - the remorse of Adam and Eve, theirrepentance, God's forgiveness of and compassion for them, theenmity between man and Satan - all this was no surprise to theCreator. Nor was it an accident in the course of events. It was toomeaningful to be accidental. Rather, it seems to have been designed

to discipline the first man, to give him actual experience of fall andrise, moral defeat and triumph, straying from and reconciliationwith the Creator. In this way, man would become better preparedfor life and more enlightened to face its uncertainties and tryingmoments." 13

It must be mentioned here that after creating Adam, Allahextracted all his descendants to be born until the last day, fromhim and took covenant from them all and made them bear witnessthat He was their Lord. The Qur'an mentions:

"When thy Lord drew forth from the Children ofAdam-from their loins-their descendants and madethem testify concerning themselves, (saying): "AmI not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?"They said: "Yea! We do testify!" (This), lest yeshould say on the Day of Judgment: "Of this wewere never mindful." Or lest ye should say: "Ourfathers before us may have taken false gods but weare (their) descendants after them: wilt Thou thendestroy us because of the deeds of men who werefutile?"14

"The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)explained that when Allah created Adam, He took from him acovenant at a place called Na'maan on the 9th day of the 12thmonth. He then extracted from Adam all of his descendants whowould be born until the end of the world, generation aftergeneration, and spread them out before Him to take a covenantfrom them also. He spoke to them, face to face, making thembear witness that He was their Lord. Consequently, every humanbeing is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on eachand every soul."15

According to Islam, man has been created to worship Allah asHe is the Only Creator and Sustainer. And creation of Allah is not

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futile. It has been definitely created for some serious purpose.The Qur'an mentions:

"I have only created jinns and men, that theymay worship Me."16

Now let's first understand the meaning of the word worship.The Arabic word for 'worship' is 'Ibadah' and it comes from theroot word 'Abd' meaning 'slave'. It means that in every case andin every aspect of our lives, we must surrender to the Will of Allahas in the same way a slave obeys his master. As Islam is thecomplete code of life, so whenever you do any act according tothe commandment of Allah, you are worshipping Him. So thisunique worship is beyond ritualism.

"God's creation is meaningful and that life has a sublime purposebeyond the physical needs and material activities of man. Thepurpose of life is to worship God. This does not simply mean thatwe have to spend our entire lives in constant seclusion and absolutemeditation. To worship God is to know Him; to love Him; toobey His commandments; to enforce His law in every aspect oflife; to serve His cause by doing the right and shunning the evil;and to be just to Him, to ourselves, and to our fellow humanbeings. To worship God is to "live" life not to run away from it. Inbrief, to worship God is to imbue ourselves with His SupremeAttributes. This is by no means a simple statement, nor is it anoversimplification of the matter. It is most comprehensive andconclusive. So if life has a purpose and man is created to servethat purpose, then he cannot escape the responsibility. He cannotdeny his existence or ignore the vital role he has to play. WhenGod charges him with any responsibility, He provides him withthe required assistance. He endows him with intelligence and powerto choose his course of conduct. Man, thus, is strongly commendedby God to exert his utmost to fully serve the purpose of hisexistence. Should he fail to do that, or misuse his life or neglect his

duties, he shall be responsible to God for his wrong deeds."17

Even the message of all the Prophets to people was to worshipOne Supreme God. Obedience to Allah in all matters of life isworship in Islam. Allah is our sole Creator and Cherisher and onlyHe deserves our worship. As He is the Supreme Power, so ourlife can get a direction and become purposeful only when wesurrender according to His Will.

According to Islam life is a test for man and man has been sentto earth for test by Allah. The Qur'an mentions:

"He Who created Death and Life, that He maytry which of you is best in deed: and He is theExalted in Might Oft-Forgiving."18

"That which is on earth We have made but as aglittering show for the earth in order that Wemay test them—as to which of them are best inconduct."19

On this earth, Allah has given authority and free will to man.Now Allah wants to test humans that how they will use the authoritybestowed to them. This world is a trial for the man. If we use ourauthority according to the divine Will of Allah then only will wesucceed in the life after to come, otherwise, we will perish. Thisworld is a step for the next to come. Here the man will be tested,then he will be rewarded according to his deeds done in the world.This world maybe likened to a field where we have to sow and inthe hereafter we will reap as per our deeds. So the more hard wework in the field, the better our life hereafter will be. And thevirtuous will succeed while the evil doers will be doomed to hellforever.

"Truly he succeeds that purifies it, And he failsthat corrupts it! "20

"But those will prosper who purify

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themselves."21

When Allah sends man to earth, it is indeed according to aplan and not futile. Allah with His infinite knowledge knows ourneeds in this life and consequently Allah has provided us with allthose qualities required by humans to inherit this earth. Allah thegood and lawful things have been created by Allah for the serviceand benefit of mankind. The Qur'an mentions:

"Allah is the one Who created the heavens andthe earth and sends down rain from the sky andwith it brings out fruits for your provision. Hehas put ships in your service, sailing throughthe sea by His Command; and likewise He hasput the rivers in your service. He has also putthe sun and moon in their orbits to be of serviceto you; and He made the night and day in yourservice."22

"[It is He] who causes the daybreak, makes thenight for rest, and the sun and moon forcalculating [time]. That is the determination ofthe All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. It is He whohas made the stars for your guidance in thedarkness on land and at sea. We have explainedin detail these Signs for people who know."23

Allah has put various facilities for the service and ease ofmankind. Islam encourages scientific enquiry and science andtechnology. Allah asks man at many places in the Qur'an to ponderand observe the signs in the universe. Islam also encourages manto excel on every front be it religion, science, social work, justice,equality, fraternity, universalism, economy, etc. Islam has providedbasic guidelines and injunctions to us in every sphere of life.24

(Read Living Islam). So life in Islam is not purposeless but ratherIslam makes the life highly meaningful and creative by giving man

a dignified status. But man on the other hand, must always bear inmind that he is temporarily in this world and one day he has to beaccountable for his deeds. So the man always prepare himself forthe life to come and take every step according to divine Will ofAllah and surrender to Him always and mould his life according tothe commandments of Allah.

Allah, the Most High, says in the Qur'an:

"We have indeed created man in the best ofmoulds."25

It means that Allah has created man in the best stature, formand nature and it is an obligation upon man to preserve the fitrah(nature) on which Allah created him. It is this nature that exalts thehumans even higher than the angels. The next verses continuesand says:

"Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest ofthe low."26

This verse implies that when man doesn't recognize his statusand position and lives his life blindly, then he goes even lower thanthe animals. Allah has sent humans to earth as His viceroys inorder to manifest His qualities and Attributes. The Qualities andAttributes that Allah exhibits on divine plane, man has to establishthe same on physical plane. Allah is Compassionate and Forgiving,so man has to be same to his fellow beings. God is Loving andPeace, so a similar attitude has to be adopted by man in his lifeand he has to represent the various qualities of Allah. But often wedo opposite to this by spreading hatred and mischief on the earthwhich in turn makes us the representatives of the Satan. But wemust realize that being Allah's representative on earth is a veryhigh honour and we have to protect and maintain this honour anddignity. And when we do so Allah makes us the Best of all Creation:

"Surely, those who believe and do righteous

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deeds, are the best of creation." 27

"It is He who hath made you (His) agents,inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you inranks, some above others: that He may try youin the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord isquick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." 28

"Allah has promised to those among you whobelieve and work righteous deeds that He will,of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance(of power), as He granted it to those beforethem."29

Footnotes:[1] Allah is the Proper term for God in Islam.[2] Islamic Studies Text Book for Class XI by Dr. Farida Khanam p. 36.[3] Holy Qur'an Chapter 20 verse 55.[4] Holy Qur'an Chapter 15 verse 26.[5] Holy Qur'an Chapter 15 verse 28-29.[6] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 91.[7] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 30-37.[8] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 39.[9] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 88-89.[10] Holy Qur'an Chapter 20 verse 120-123.[11] Holy Qur'an Chapter 7 verse 22.[12] Holy Qur'an Chapter 7 verse 23-25.[13] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 89.[14] Holy Qur'an Chapter 7 verse 172-173.[15] Dr. Bilal Philips. Source: www.purposeofcreation.com[16] Holy Qur'an Chapter 51 verse 56.[17] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 38.[18] Holy Qur'an Chapter 67 verse 2.[19] Holy Qur'an Chapter 18 verse 7.[20] Holy Qur'an Chapter 91 verse 9-10.[21] Holy Qur'an Chapter 87 verse 14.

[22] Holy Qur'an Chapter 14 verse 32-33.[23] Holy Qur'an Chapter 6 verse 96-97.[24] For details please read the Chapter "Living Islam" from the Book.[25] Holy Qur'an Chapter 95 verse 4.[26] Holy Qur'an Chapter 95 verse 5.[27] Holy Qur'an Chapter 98 verse 7.[28] Holy Qur'an Chapter 6 verse 165.[29] Holy Qur'an Chapter 24 verse 55.



ISLAM

THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION

Islam is derived from the two fold word, 'salaam' and 'silm'meaning 'Peace' and 'Submission' respectively. It also means purity.So Islam means peaceful submission to God. It means that onesubmits to Him peacefully without resisting or denying His divineWill and commands. And it's only by submitting to God that wecan achieve real happiness and experience the peace and purity inour lives. Islam unlike other religions is not named after any religiouspersonality or leader like Christianity has been named after theJesus Christ, Buddhism after Buddha, Zoroastrianism after theZoroaster and Confucianism after Confucius, etc. But the 'Islam'has been chosen by God Himself in His Holy Book to make it aUniversal religion:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you,completed My favour upon you, and have chosenfor you Islam as your religion."1

"The Islamic concept of religion is unique in the broadest senseof the word. It is true that genuine religion must come from Godfor the right guidance of man. And it is equally true that humannature and major needs are basically same at all times. Thisconception leads to one conclusion, and that is: There is only onetrue religion coming from the One and Same God, to deal with theoutstanding human problems of all times. This religion is ISLAM.But it should be borne in mind that Islam was not taught by ProphetMuhammad alone. On the contrary, Islam had been taught by allthe Prophets before Muhammad, and the true followers ofAbraham and Moses as well as those of Jesus and the rest were

all called MUSLIMS. So Islam has been, and will continue to be,the true universal religion of God, because God is One andChangeless, and because human nature and major human needsare fundamentally the same, irrespective of time and place, ofrace and age. And of any other considerations."2

Most of the people have the misconception that Islam is a'new' religion and it was founded by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)in Arabia almost 1400 years ago. That's why many people in thewestern countries call Islam as Mohammedanism and Muslims asMohammedans. But these are big misnomers. Islam was foundedby God Himself to guide the humanity according to His Will and itcame into existence when Adam put his foot on the earth. Afterthat he was followed by a series of Prophets who came to theirrespective nations and all of them were Muslims and they submittedto One Supreme God. And whenever the humans strayed fromthe path of God, Allah sent down Messengers to guide them andshow them the right path. God says:

"Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian;but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will toAllah's (which is Islam), and he did not joingods with Allah."3

"To every people (was sent) a Messenger: whentheir Messenger comes (before them), the matterwill be judged between them with justice, andthey will not be wronged".4

"Verily We have sent you in Truth, as a bearerof Glad Tidings, and as a warner: and therenever was be people, without a warner livedamong them (in the past)."5

"The same Religion He has established for youas that which He enjoined on Noah - the which



We have sent by inspiration to you - and thatwhich We enjoined on Abraham, Moses andJesus: namely, that you should remain steadfastin Religion, and make no divisions therein: tothose who worship other things than Allah,hard is the (way) to which you call them. Allahchooses to Himself those whom He pleases, andguides to Himself those who turn (to Him)."6

So all the earlier Prophets like Moses, Noah, Abraham, etc.were all Muslims. "Muslims do not believe that Islam was foundedby Muhammad, although it was restored by him in the last stageof religious evolution."7 Muslims make no discrimination betweenvarious Prophets. The Qur'an mentions:

"We believe in Allah, and the revelation givento us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, andthe Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus,and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord:We make no difference between one and anotherof them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."8

Islam is the religion of whole mankind and not just of Arabs orany particular tribe or nation. The teachings of Islam are universalin nature. The earlier Prophets came for their respective nationsand spread the teachings to only those places to which they weresent. But this was not the case with Muhammad (pbuh). He was auniversal Messenger sent to the whole humanity without anydiscrimination and he was the last Prophet of God. The Qur'anmentions:

"Muhammad is not the father of any of yourmen, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, andthe Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has fullknowledge of all things."9

A document is sealed when it is complete and similarly Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh) completed the chain of Prophets and the Houseof Islam got completed and now anyone can enter it without anydiscrimination. He was not only the Prophet of the Muslims butthe Prophet for all humankind.

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"My similitude in comparison with the otherProphets is that of a man who has built a housecompletely and excellently except for a place ofone brick. When the people enter the house, theyadmire its beauty and say: 'But for the place ofthis brick (how splendid the house will be)!' "10

Further Muhammad (pbuh) said,

"My similitude in comparison with the otherProphets before me, is that of a man who hasbuilt a house nicely and beautifully, except for aplace of one brick in a corner. The people go aboutit and wonder at its beauty, but say: 'Would thatthis brick be put in its place!' So I am that brick,and I am the last of the Prophets."11

The Qur'an mentions:

"We sent you not, but as a Mercy for allcreatures."12

"We have not sent you but as a (Messenger) toall mankind, giving them Glad Tidings, andwarning them (against sin), but most men donot understand ."13

But most of the people including Muslims are unaware of thisfact unfortunately. And it is really sad to know that Muslims thinkthat Qur'an is only their book i.e. It is a book for Muslims only butit is totally wrong. Nowhere the Qur'an mentions that it is meantfor Muslims only but its Message is universal and is directed

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towards all people and times. It is mentioned in Qur'an no lessthan seven times that its Message is universal and for all humankind.

"This is no less than a Message to (all) theWorlds."14

"But it is nothing less than a Message to allthe worlds."15

"Verily this is no less than a Message to (all)the Worlds."16

"A Book which We have revealed to you, inorder that you may lead mankind out of thedepths of darkness into light - by the leave ofyour Lord - to the Way of (Him) the Exalted inPower, worthy of all praise."17

"Here is a Message for mankind: Let them takewarning therefrom, and let them know that Heis (no other than) One God (Allah): let men ofunderstanding take heed."18

Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sentdown the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, alsoclear (Signs) for guidance and judgment(between right and wrong).19

Verily We have revealed the Book to you inTruth, for (instructing) mankind…20

"We do not invite people to a 'new' religion; we invite themto the oldest religion, indeed to their 'own' religion, the religionof living in total surrender to their Creator, in accordance withthe guidance brought by all His Messengers. Indeed, if I am notmisunderstood, we may be bold enough to say that we do notinvite anyone to change his 'religion', to transfer his allegiance toa rival religion. For, by our own admission, Islam is not a new orrival religion among the many competing for human allegiance; it

is the natural and primordial religion. All nature lives in submissionto its Creator; all Messengers Adam to Muhammad brought thesame religion.

This does not mean any change in the basic position of Islam.It does not mean that all religions, as they are, are equally true.One will still be invited to follow the Prophet Muhammad, blessingsand peace be on him, because he is the last Messenger, and toaccept the Qur'an as the last revelation from God."21

So the truth about Islam's Universality must be hopefully clearto you now. And always refer to authentic scriptures to know thetruth about Islam. Don't look at the actions of Muslims. Theteaching is pure. The people may not be pure. Islam is your ownand natural religion. The Prophet Muhammad reported thatAllah said, "I created my servants in the right religion, butdevils made them go astray." The Prophet also said, "Eachchild is born in a state of Fitrah. Then his parents make him aJew, Christian or a Zoroastrian."22 That's why you don't haveto 'convert' but to 'revert' to Islam as Islam is your own religion.

You just have to come back to the right path of God that willlead you to salvation. So it's an open invitation to you to ponderupon the truth and then revert to your own path i.e. ISLAM. It'snever too late to mend. Come back and return to your Lord andhe is always there to accept you.23 But there is a great dangerawaiting if we still after coming of the truth don't accept it.

The Qur'an says:

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam(submission to God), never will it be acceptedof him."24

Furthermore Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"Whoever among the Christians and Jews hearsof me but does not affirm his belief in what I

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brought and dies in this state will be amongthe inhabitants of hell."25

Footnotes:[1] Holy Qur'an Chapter 5 verse 3.[2] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 57-58.[3] Holy Qur'an Chapter 3 verse 67.[4] Holy Qur'an Chapter 10 verse 47.[5] Holy Qur'an Chapter 35 verse 24.[6] Holy Qur'an Chapter 42 verse 13.[7] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 27.[8] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 136.[9] Holy Qur'an Chapter 33 verse 40.[10] Sahih Bukhari, Vol 4 Hadith 734.[11] Sahih Bukhari, Vol 4 Hadith 735.[12] Holy Qur'an Chapter 21 verse 107.[13] Holy Qur'an Chapter 34 verse 28.[14] Holy Qur'an Chapter 38 verse 87.[15] Holy Qur'an Chapter 68 verse 52.[16] Holy Qur'an Chapter 81 verse 27.[17] Holy Qur'an Chapter 14 verse 1.[18] Holy Qur'an Chapter 14 verse 52.[19] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 185.[20] Holy Qur'an Chapter 39 verse 41.[21] Dawah among Non- Muslims in the West, Khurram Murad. Source:

Online Library, www.youngmuslims.ca.[22] Bukhari and Muslim.[23] Refer to the chapter, "Return to your Lord".[24] Holy Qur'an Chapter 3 verse 85.[25] Sahih Muslim [English Translation], Vol.1 P.91 No. 284

BENEFITS AND UNIQUE

FEATURES OF ISLAM

I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimationbecause of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, whichappears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changingphases of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. Ihave studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far frombeing an Antichrist, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. Ibelieve that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship ofthe modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in away that would bring it much needed peace and happiness. I haveprophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would beacceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to beacceptable to the Europe of today lauds Geroge Bernard Shaw.1

BENEFITS OF ISLAM

Islam is the complete code of life. It guides us in all the spheresof life. Islam has its own social, political, economic, moral andjudicial system and thus Islam fills all the necessities of the societiesand the world as a whole. Islam follows the principle of moderationand there is a perfect balance mentioned in different matters andthis golden mean is one of the basic characteristics of Islam.Practicability is another characteristic of Islam. Like other religions,Islam is not a set of rituals but it is a complete code of life. All theteachings of Islam are well preserved till now and are applicableto all times as Islam is a Universal Religion. Islam encouragesresearch and Science & Technology and tells us to use our intellect

84 The True Purpose of Life


to discover the mysteries of nature. Whatever is good for mankindis considered good in Islam too. Below mentioned are in detailsome of the Benefits and Unique features of Islam.

Real Happiness and Inner Peace2

Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to thecommands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world. Godhas said in the Qur'an:

Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest.3

On the other hand, the one who turns away from Qur'an willhave a life of hardship in this world. God has said:

But whoever turns away from Qur'an, he willhave a hard life, and We will raise him up blindon the Day of Judgment.4

This may explain why some people commit suicide while theyenjoy the material comfort money can buy. For example, look atCat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singerwho used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night. Afterhe converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, whichhe had not found in material success.

Forgiveness for All Previous Sins5

When someone converts to Islam, God forgives all of hisprevious sins and evil deeds. A man called Amr came to theProphet Muhammad (pbuh) and said: "Give me your righthand so that I may give you my pledge of loyalty." The Prophet(pbuh) stretched out his right hand. Amr withdrew his hand.The Prophet (pbuh) said: What has happened to you, O Amr?He replied: "I intend to lay down a condition." The Prophet(pbuh) asked: What condition do you intend to put forward?Amr said: "That God forgive my sins." The Prophet (pbuh)

said: Didn't you know that converting to Islam erases allprevious sins?6

After converting to Islam, the person will be rewarded for hisor her good and bad deeds according to the following saying ofthe Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): Your Lord, Who is Blessed andExalted, is Most Merciful. If someone intends to do a gooddeed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him.And if he does do it, (a reward of) ten to seven hundred ormany more times (the reward of the good deed), will berecorded for him. And if someone intends to do a bad deedbut does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. Andif he does do it, a bad deed will be recorded against him orGod will wipe it out.7

Below mentioned are the unique features of Islam and thesecan be also termed as the Benefits of Islam apart from being itsunique features.

The concept of accountability is a basic and very importantconcept in Islam. It rules man's life on earth and determines hisfate in the Hereafter. That is because according to Islamic viewpointman is not born in this world only to make money and die afterspending here a hundred years or so. The real truth is that humanlife is an eternal life and we live in this world for a small fraction ofour real lives only. The actual and eternal life is to be lived in thenext world. The present mundane world is made merely for humantrial. The consequences of our good or bad deeds will be reapedin the life, in the next, eternal world. It is to gather this harvest thatwe strive.

This way of understanding life makes life an extremely seriousbusiness. It produces a strong incentive in a man to take even thesmallest matters of life very seriously. A person therefore shouldbe alert at every moment.

86 87The True Purpose of Life The True Purpose of Life


UNIQUE FEATURES OF ISLAM8

Uniqueness of the Name

The name for the religion of Islam is much more than just aname because it expresses a deep spiritual meaning as well as anoverall outlook on life and concept of worship. The word "Islam"is an Arabic word which means "complete submission to theWill of Almighty God". Other religions are named after theirfounders, such as Christianity and Buddhism; after a tribe or ethnicgroup, such as Judaism; or after a specific geographical region,such as Hinduism.

Universality & Continuity of the Message

The command to worship none other than Almighty God andto submit to His will has been revealed by God to all of HisProphets throughout mankind's long history. The pure essence ofthe beliefs and teachings that were revealed by God to the ProphetMuhammad are the same as God taught to Abraham, who wasone of the earliest and greatest Prophets. So actually, Muhammadis the final Prophet of Islam -- not the first. From the very beginningof the mission of Prophet Muhammad, his followers came from awide spectrum of individuals -- there was Bilal, the African slave;Suhaib, the Byzantine Roman; Ibn Salam, the Jewish Rabbi; andSalman, the Persian. Since religious truth is eternal and unchanging,and mankind is one universal brotherhood, God's revelations toman have always been consistent and universal. Submission tothe Will of God, and worshipping Him alone without intermediaries,has always been the only religion acceptable to Almighty God.

A Straightforward Concept of GodUnique among the religions of the world, the concept of God in

Islam is completely based upon Divine Revelation. Not only is theconcept of God in Islam characterized by purity and clarity, but it isalso not marred by myths, superstitions or man-made philosophicalideas. Islam's concept of God can be called pure and straightforwardbecause there is a clear distinction made between the Creator andthe created. As such, there is no ambiguity in divinity — it is madeclear that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshippedexcept for Almighty God. In Islam, calling someone other thanAlmighty God "Lord" or "Savior" is completely prohibited becausesuch terms compromise God's uniqueness and because all of ourtrust should be put in Almighty God.

Direct Relationship with GodIn other religions, even the ones which claim belief in "One

God", people often approach God through an intermediary, suchas a saint, an angel, the Virgin Mary or Jesus. However, it is onlyin Islam that a person is required only to pray to God. Additionally,in Islam there are no priests or clergy -- each worshipper, man orwoman, has a direct relationship with their Merciful Creator --Almighty God. Since God is the Owner and Sustainer of everything,as well as the only one who can provide true and completeforgiveness, it is completely futile to try to approach Him throughanyone else.

Unique Concept of Worship

According to the teachings of Islam, everything that a humanbeing does with the pure intention of pleasing God is an act ofworship. Due to this, Islam has an all encompassing concept ofworship unlike any other religion. Like other religions, Islam hasrequired acts of worship, however worship in Islam is not limitedto rituals. Since Islam is an all-encompassing religion with guidancefor all aspects of life, almost every action in a Muslim's life becomes

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an act of worship if it is done to build a better relationship withGod.

Based on Authentic Sources

The preservation of the scripture of Islam -- the Holy Qur'an -- is unique among world religions. No other religion has a scripturewhich is both as old and as well-preserved as the one possessedby Muslims today. Even scholars who are hostile to Islam admitthat the Qur'an that exists today is exactly the same as the one thatexisted in the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

An Eternal Message

Islam has just as much meaning and is just as applicable topeople living in today's "modern world" as it did for people living1400 years ago. Since the message of Islam is eternally true it isalso very robust, and as such still has a strong spiritual impact onmillions of people living in the world today. The Pure Monotheismof Islam, as well as its universal brotherhood, strong morals andpositive outlook on life, is still very relevant and meaningful tomodern man.

A Complete Way of Life

Islam not just a "religion" in the traditional sense, because it isnot just confined to acts of worship, morality and other aspects ofpersonal piety. The Prophet Muhammad's mission encompassednot only spiritual and religious teachings, but also included guidancefor such things as social reform, economics, politics, warfare andfamily life. Thus due to the diversity and success of Muhammad'smission, Muslims have clear guidance from God and His FinalProphet on all aspects of life. This goes hand-in-hand with theIslamic belief that Almighty God does not leave human beings

without guidance in their daily lives -- thus His guidance is allencompassing.

Moderation

The teachings of Islam, since they are divinely revealed, arebalanced in all of their aspects. Even though Islam is an all-encompassing way of life, it preaches moderation and rejectsextremism. On the one hand, Islam does not preach completerejection of all worldly pleasures in view of the life hereafter; andon the other hand it does not teach that earthly life is just forpleasure and enjoyment. In Islam, wealth and worldly pleasurescan be partaken of in this life as long as they are enjoyed in a waythat is in obedience to God.

A Positive Outlook

Most people will agree that having a strong self-esteem and apositive outlook on life is conducive to achieving happiness andsuccess. Unique among the religions of the world, Islam's view ofboth the nature of the human being and the purpose of life areextremely positive. Islam's view of the nature of the human beingis balanced. On the one hand they are not viewed as beinginherently evil, but on the other they are not considered to beperfect - nor are they expected to be so. According to the teachingsof Islam, every human being, man or woman, is born with a cleanslate and is equally capable of both good and evil. Since God hasbestowed limited free-will on human beings, they will ultimatelybe held responsible for their actions. Believing that "salvation" isbased on "faith alone" reduces human life to a near meaninglessand fatalistic existence. The teachings of Islam make it clear thathuman beings, since their nature is basically good, are capable ofpositive action in this life, and that the best way to achieve abalanced, happy and fulfilled life is complete submission to AlmightyGod. Certainly, no person can completely submit to God by simply

wanting to do so, but by first realizing that none has a right to beworshipped and obeyed except for Almighty God, and then makinga reasonable effort to follow God's commands, all human beingscan fulfill their reason for existence - which is to worship Godalone. The Holy Qur'an tells us that "man was created weak"and thus falls into sin often. On the other hand, man is not to thinkof himself as so evil and corrupt as to despair of God's mercy. Asa recourse to this, and since Islam condemns self-righteousness, apious life can only be lived by trusting in God -- since there is nopower or strength except through God. As such, spiritual felicityis achieved by a combination of both faith and action. As such, themost righteous person is not one who thinks that repentance isunnecessary, but the one who admits and realizes his mistakes -and then repents. According to the word of Almighty God asrevealed in the Holy Qur'an, mankind is God's trustee on earth;and as such the life of this world is a test, not a punishment. Evenbefore God created the first man, He knew that he would sin,however God created man in spite of this. According to the Qur'an,God has bestowed on human beings a great trust and given themdignity. It is only by worshipping Almighty God, directly and withoutintermediaries, that a human being can fulfil their true innate natureand purpose of existence. In short, Islam is realistic. It portrayshuman beings just as they are and the life of the world just as it is.Since the outlook of Islam is divinely revealed, is not based onwishful or negative thinking, but simply on reality. Islam also has apositive view of mankind in general, since it teaches that the bestperson in the sight of God is the one who is most God-conscious.In this way the truth of Islam and the universality of God's messagetranscends all of the barriers of race, nationality, ethnic group andeconomic status.

Simplicity, Rationality and Practicality9

Islam is a religion without any mythology. Its teachings aresimple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrationalbeliefs. The oneness of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad,and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its faith.They are based on reason and sound logic. All of the teachings ofIslam flow from those basic beliefs and are simple andstraightforward. There is no hierarchy of priests, no farfetchedabstractions, no complicated rites or rituals. Everybody mayapproach the Qur'an directly and translate its dictates into practice.Islam awakens in man the faculty of reason and exhorts him to usehis intellect. It enjoins him to see things in the light of reality. TheQur'an advises him to seek knowledge and invoke Allah to expandhis awareness.

Footnotes:[1] George Bernard Shaw, The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8,

1936. Quoted by Khurshid Ahmad in "Islam: Basic Principles &Characteristics".

[2] A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, I.A. Ibrahim p. 43.[3] Holy Qur'an Chapter 13 verse 28.[4] Holy Qur'an Chapter 20 verse 124.[5] A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, I.A. Ibrahim p. 44.[6] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #121, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17357.[7] Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #2515, and Saheeh Muslim, #131.[8] Unique Features of Islam, Article (Abridged) by Daniel Masters,

Isma'il Kaka and Abdur Rahman R. Squires[9] Islam: Basic Principles & Characteristics, Khurshid Ahmad, p.12.


RETURN TO YOUR LORD,

THE MOST LOVING

As stated earlier also, that Islam is a universal religion belongingto all humanity. Islam doesn't believe in the concept of OriginalSin that the sin is inherited or the human nature is wicked.According to Islam man is born sinless and every child is innocent.It frees a man's soul from the blot of sin. And Islamic concept tellsus that there is much good in man than evil. Islam is the religion ofMercy. Allah is always Most Loving & Most Merciful. Allah'slove for His creation is beyond limits. Muslims greet each otherby saying Assalaamu Alikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhumeaning "May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you".Each chapter of the Qur'an begins with the words BismillahirRahmaanir Raheem meaning “In the Name of Allah, MostGracious, Most Merciful”. There are so many verses of The Qur'anwhich say Allah is Oft-Loving, Most Merciful. One of the Allah'sattribute is Rahman meaning 'Compassionate'. Allah is not onlysomething to be afraid of but Allah is very loving and He is theOne to be Loved more than anything. Muhammad (pbuh) saidthat when Allah started to initiate the creation, he inscribed thesewords on his throne (Arsh):

"Verily My Mercy shall prevail over my wrath" 1

Allah says:

"Your Lord is Most Forgiving, full of Mercy"2

"My Mercy extends to all things"3

Some war prisoners, children and woman were broughtbefore the Prophet and a woman amongst them was milking

her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongstthe captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she hadlost her child but later she found him). The Prophet said tous, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in thefire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (inthe fire)." The Prophet then said, "Allah is more merciful toHis slaves than this lady to her son."4

"I heard Allah's Apostle saying, Allah divided Mercy intoone-hundred parts and He kept its ninety-nine parts with Himand sent down its one part on the earth, and because of that,its one single part, His creations are Merciful to each other, sothat even the mare lifts up its hoofs away from its baby animal,lest it should trample on it."5

We can never pay back Allah for his favours that He hasbestowed upon us:

"And He gives you all of that you ask for. But ifyou count the favours of Allah, never will yoube able to count them."6

Allah knows that it's natural for man to commit sins because toerr is human. But Allah loves those who after committing sins turnback to Him in repentance because it's only Allah who can forgiveour sins and we must always turn only to Him to get our sinswashed off.

The final Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)informed his followers of this reality, saying, "If you did notcommit sins and turn to Allah, seeking His forgiveness, Hewould have replaced you with another people who would sin,ask Allah's forgiveness and He would forgive them."7

The Qur'an mentions:

"For Allah loves those who turn to Himconstantly and He loves those who keep


themselves pure and clean."8

Say: "O My servants who have transgressedagainst their souls! Do not despair of the Mercyof Allah: For Allah forgives all sins: for He isOft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. You turn to yourLord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will),before the penalty comes on you: after that youshall not be helped. 9

"And O you Believers! You turn all togethertoward Allah, that you may attain Bliss."10

"Tell My servants that I am indeed the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."11

"When My servants ask you concerning Me, Iam indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayerof every supplicant when he calls on Me: letthem also, with a will, listen to My call, andbelieve in Me: that they may walk in the rightway."12

Further Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"If a person embraces Islam sincerely, then Allahshall forgive all his past sins, and after that startsthe settlement of accounts, the reward of his gooddeeds will be ten times to seven hundred timesfor each good deed and an evil deed will berecorded as it is unless Allah forgives it" 13

It's true that man is weak and has a natural tendency towardssins but man must repent to Allah for his sins and Allah strengthensthe man by His scriptures and He sent many Prophets to guidemankind. We may forget or ignore Allah but He never leaves usand He always responds to our pleas. We must always be hopefulof Allah's Mercy and never loose hope in Allah. He says:

"And never give up hope of Allah's soothingMercy: truly no one despairs of Allah's soothingMercy, except those who have no Faith."14

And we must always put our trust in Allah only.

"And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficientis (Allah) for him."15

"The decision rests only with Allah. I put mytrust in Him alone, and all who trust shouldtrust only in Him."16

So if you have now realized the true purpose of your life, thenplease don't wait more or else it will be too late. Just turn to Allahand enjoy His ever lasting Mercy and good pleasure. Come backto Islam - Path of peace.17 In the next chapter you will learn howto become a Muslim and return back to your native Islam.

"Our Lord! In You do we trust, and to You dowe turn in repentance: to You is (our) finaldestination."18

Footnotes:[1] Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim.[2] Holy Qur'an Chapter 18 verse 58.[3] Holy Qur'an Chapter 7 verse 156.[4] Sahih Bukhari Vol 8 Hadith 28.[5] Sahih Bukhari Vol 8 Hadith 29.[6] Holy Qur'an Chapter 14 verse 34.[7] Quoted by Dr. Bilal Philips in his "Purpose of Creation". Source:

www.purposeofcreation.com[8] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 222.[9] Holy Qur'an Chapter 39 verse 53-54.[10] Holy Qur'an Chapter 24 verse 31.[11] Holy Qur'an Chapter 15 verse 49.[12] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 186.[13] Sahih Bukhari vol. 1 Book 2 Hadith 40.[14] Holy Qur'an Chapter 12 verse 87.


[15] Holy Qur'an Chapter 65 verse 3.[16] Holy Qur'an Chapter 12 verse 67.[17] Holy Qur'an Chapter 5 verse 16.[18] Holy Qur'an Chapter 60 verse 4. HOW DOES ONE

BECOME A MUSLIM?

A Muslim is a person who submits his will to God by acceptingIslam as the complete way of life. Becoming a Muslim is veryeasy. One just has to pronounce with conviction the words, "Lailaha illallah, Muhammadur rasoolullah," meaning, "There isno true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger(Prophet) of God", one reverts to Islam and becomes a Muslimand comes back to his own religion ISLAM. Then he enjoys allthe rights bestowed by God upon him.

"The first part, "There is no true god but God," means thatnone has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that Godhas neither partner nor son. To be a Muslim, one should also:

• Believe that the Holy Qur'an is the literal word of God,revealed by Him.

• Believe that the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection)is true and will come, as God promised in the Qur'an.

• Accept Islam as his or her religion.

• Not worship anything nor anyone except God."1

Footnotes:[1] A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, I.A. Ibrahim p.

52-53.


LIVING ISLAM

It's a truth that facts about Islam in the current age are beingdistorted by the media and other agencies before the commonmasses in order to defame the Muslims globally and that naturallyadds to the growth of misconceptions about a peaceful religion ofIslam. But thanks to Allah that with His grace there are still somany people that are spreading the peaceful message of Islam inits purest form to the world to remove the hate and to promote atrue understanding of Islam. But it is my request to the readersthat don't believe and draw conclusions based on heresy but studyIslam yourself from the authentic sources (Qur'an and Hadith)and then only truth will be clear to you. Don't ask Angelina Jolieor the western media that What Islam is? Don't ask the westernwomen what Hijab is but rather ask it to that Muslim girl whoobserves it. Ask the concerned people and the practicing Muslimsthat what Islam gave them. There are so many examples of peoplewho reverted to Islam in the west. One such example is YusufIslam (formerly pop singer Cat Stevens) who accepted Islam andbecame a peace activist. "He used to earn sometimes more than$150,000 a night. After he converted to Islam, he found truehappiness and peace, which he had not found in material success."1

We definitely have to change our context regarding Islam. Ourcontext regarding Islam comes from the biased western mediaand those people who have never experienced Islam and this inturn leads us to draw wrong conclusions about Islam. I would liketo quote an example here. Suppose a man is sitting alone in a traincompartment in a calm and peaceful manner. Suddenly then anotherman comes along with his little children in the same compartment.

This man takes out a newspaper and starts to read it. By this timehis children start playing making lots of noise in the compartment.The first man gets angry but he sees that the father of these childrenis not bothered and is still reading the newspaper. Then he goesangrier and finally he tells the man to make his children silent. Theman puts the newspaper down and replies that I am just returningfrom the hospital and the mother of these children has just died.Then suddenly the expressions of the first man change and hebegins to feel pity and starts loving those children with whom hewas much angry before.2 And this happened only when he cameacross the truth and accordingly changed his context of mind. Justswitch the context and bring it from authentic Islamic scripturesand surely all your hate for Islam will vanish and your perceptionsand approaches to Islam will change. You will feel that Islam istotally different from the one portrayed in the media. Our contextfor Islam must first come from Qur'an then other sources.

Coming to Islam is actually not a mere conversion but a'Complete Intellectual Transformation'.3 It makes a man responsibleto God and his own fellows. Islamic view of life is really worthliving. It gives an inner joy and peace that is too difficult to expressin words. And it must be noted that Islam is the most practicedreligion of the world. It is the religion of peace and mercy. "Inshort when a person adopts Islam first of all it is his thinking,which comes under Islam, then his desires, his feelings, his interests,his relations, his loves and his hatred. All are coloured by hisobedience to God.

When man comes under God's command in his daily life, hisbehaviour with people, his dealings, all are moulded by thedemands of Islam. Faith prepares him to lead a worthy life amongthe people adopting an attitude of modesty, sympathy and good-will in all his dealings. In short, faith perfects man's relation withGod as well as with other human beings."4



After faith in God, when you offer Salah (Muslim prayer whichis obligatory five times a day), you are directly communicating toyour Lord. In Islam there exists a direct relationship between manand God without any priesthood or any intermediates. The Salahis a programming towards righteousness5. "When we analyze theIslamic prayer and study its unique nature, it will reveal to us thatit is not merely a physical motion or a void recital of the HolyBook. It is a matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectualmediation and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physicalexercise, all combined. It is an exclusively Islamic experience whereevery muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the worshipand glory of God."6. When you will enter the Masjid (Mosque)for prayer you will see that the people will greet you withAssalaamu Alikum (May Allah's peace be upon you) and youwill feel so much love and brotherhood for others. Every personin Salah stands shoulder by shoulder irrespective or any creed,status or colour which will inculcate in you qualities of equalityand brotherhood along with humility. When you will be called forSalah by Adhaan (Muslim Call to Prayer), you will feel sosplendid and there are many people who accepted Islam afterhearing Adhaan and you will get acquainted with the Islamicculture of architechture and minarets of Masjids and Salah willalso make you punctual and disciplined.

Then Sawm (Fasting) is another pillar of Islam. It teaches youself-control and it makes you feel pity for the poor sections of thesociety and it develops in you the qualities of patience, disciplineand selflessness and fasting is considered to be a great worship inIslam and usually during Ramadhan (The Islamic month of fasting)you will see a different Islamic environment in Masjids and homeand you will be more devoted towards Ibadah (Worship). "Thepurpose of fasting in other religions and philosophies is invariablypartial. It is either for spiritual aims, or for physical needs, or for

intellectual cultivations; never for all combined. But in Islam it isfor all these gains and many other purposes, social and economic,moral and humanitarian, private and public, personal and common,inner and outer, local and national-all combined together7. "Throughthe experience of fasting in Islam, you will be able to have self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline, self-education, self-evaluation,and self-obedience to Allah the Creator. You undoubtedly will beable to improve health, personality, character, and behaviour."8

After fasting there is one more pillar of Islam namely Zakaator charity that is paid annually to the poor and needy. Zakaatmeans purity. It will not only purify your money but also yourheart from greed, selfishness & miserliness. If everyone among uswill give Zakaat then no one on the face of earth will die ofstarvation. Zakaat stablizes the various sections of the societyand when you will spend for others you will feel so much joy inyour heart and you will exalted before your Lord.

Then the last pillar of Islam is Haj or the pilgrimage to Makkahthat is done annually and it's obligatory on every Muslim who canafford so to do Haj atleast once in a lifetime. It's the largestgathering of the people in the whole world and a great sign ofIslam's universality. Everyone is clad in the same white clothesand everyone stands shoulder to shoulder and you will come acrosspeople from all parts of the world. You will feel love, peace andbrotherhood and you will get acquainted to the environment inwhich Muhammad (pbuh) lived and you will get committed toIslam and your faith will subsequently increase. "By performingpilgrimage to Makkah, you will transcend yourself from beingnationalistic, sectarian, or denominational into being universal. Youwill be part and an essential constituent of the rainbow of Islam.You will be also part of the brotherhood of Islam with those whoalready submitted themselves to the Creator. At the same time,you will get rid of any inferiority or superiority complexes. You



will also find yourself in synchrony and harmony with all theProphets and messengers of Allah since the creation of Adam andEve until the last final messenger to mankind, Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). While in Makkah, you will be able to visit the places ofrevelation of the Qur’an as well as the places visited by ProphetAbraham and members of his family such as Hagar and Ishmael.You will visit the place where the first astronauts, Adam and Evelanded on earth."9

Then Islam encourages you to excel in this world and itencourages you to acquire knowledge and seeking knowledge isobligatory for every man and women according to Islam.Muhammad (pbuh) said:

Acquire knowledge, it enables its possessor to distinguishright from wrong; it lights our way to heaven. It is our friendin the desert, our company in the solitude and companionwhen friendless, it guides us to happiness, it sustains us inmisery, it is an ornament among friends and armour againstenemies. (Hadith)10

Apart from it, Islam teaches you very high moral values liketruthfulness, humility, dealing justly, treating women kindly, honesty,etc.11 and also provides you the solutions of the problems likeAIDS, pre-marital and extra-marital relations, moral degradationetc. that are today confronting the humanity12. In Islam wheneveryou do a good deed it’s reward gets multiplied ten times or evenmuch more than that depending upon the devotion and intentionit's done. The Qur'an says:

"Whoever brings a good deed, will have [thevalue of] ten like it, and whoever brings an evildeed will only be punished with one like it, andthey will not be wronged." 13

And Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"Your Lord, Who is blessed and exalted, is mostmerciful. If someone intends to do a good deedbut does not do it, a good deed will be recordedfor him. And if he does do it, (a reward of) ten toseven hundred or many more times (the rewardof the good deed), will be recorded for him. Andif someone intends to do a bad deed but does notdo it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And ifhe does do it, a bad deed will be recorded againsthim or God will wipe it out."14

So Islam encourages you to do good deeds and encouragespositive attitude and optimism and it discourages pessimism.

"A man asked Muhammad (pbuh) about evils.He replied: don't ask me regarding evils but askme regarding good (he repeated it thrice)."15

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said,

"Leave aside whatever causes you doubts ormisgivings in favour of what does not cause youdoubts and misgivings. For truth is peace of mindwhile falsehood is mental disquiet." 16

To conclude, Allah says in the Qur'an:

"It is not righteousness that you turn your facestoward East or West; but it is righteousness - tobelieve in Allah and the Last day, and theAngels, and the Book, and the Messengers, tospend of your substance, out of love for Him,for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for thewayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransomof slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practiceregular charity; to fulfil the contracts which youhave made; and to be firm and patient, in pain

104 105

(or suffering) and adversity and throughout allperiods of panic. Such are the people of Truth,those who fear Allah." 17

So Islam is not a mere lip service but every aspect of Islam ispractical and applicable. Faith without action is futile and uselessand vice versa.

So come to Islam and see the REAL life and TRUTH yourself.Stop surviving and start LIVING ISLAM. Come and a new worldis awaiting for you. And remember isolation and confrontation isnot any solution but communication is!

Footnotes:[1] A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, I. A. Ibrahim p.

43. The present mailing address of Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), in caseyou would like to ask him about his feelings after he converted toIslam, is: 2 Digswell Street, London N7 8JX, United Kingdom.

[2] This example was quoted by A.W. Sadatullah Khan in his 3 dayworkshop, "Discover Yourself" and that really inspired me to write achapter by name of "Living Islam" in my book.

[3] For further details, please refer to the book, "Conversion: AnIntellectual Transformation" by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.

[4] Islamic Studies Text Book for Class XI by Dr. Farida Khanam p. 80[5] For further information, please watch the video tape of Dr. Zakir Naik

by name, "Salah: A Programming towards Righteousness".[6] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 96.[7] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 143.[8] Benefits of becoming Muslim, Article by Dr. Ahmad Sakr.[9] Ibid.[10] Quoted by Kaleem Ullah Khan in his book, "Islam: The Source of

Universal Peace" p. 90.[11] For further details, please refer to the book, "The Moral values of

The Qur'an" by Harun Yahya.[12] For further details, please refer to the book, "Solution the values of

The Qur'an" by Harun Yahya.[13] Holy Qur'an Chapter 6 verse 160.[14] Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #2515, and Saheeh Muslim, #131.

[15] Mishkat Ul Masabih 5:90, Quoted by Kaleem Ullah Khan in hisbook, "Islam: The Source of Universal Peace" p. 73

[16] Ibid.[17] Holy Qur'an Chapter 2 verse 177.

106 107

CONCLUSION

Life is really a precious asset and a trust from God. Life isreally worth living only we realize its real purpose and our ownself in this universe. Without knowing the purpose of life, lifebecomes aimless without any final goal. "The contemporary worldis clearly baffled by numerous problems. But it is equally baffledby the conflicting diagnoses and prescriptions to cope with theseproblems. Some people sing along with the popular lyric, "Whatthe world needs today is love…etc." Some call for a human rebirth.Others turn to Marxism, Humanism, Satanism, or Scientism asthe ultimate solution. Still more are awaiting the arrival of somefuture Savior. Yet this long list does not even include the indifferent,the hopeless, and the apathetic who may in fact outnumber theoptimist clubs combined. But it seems that the greatest need todayis the pressing need for "understanding". What man needs most ofall is to understand himself and his nature, his potentials andlimitations, his place in the universe and relationships with itselements.1

And if man will realize his potentials and recognize himself,then he can surely bring about a revolution in his life and in theworld too. Then only he can draw out best from his life and becomesuccessful in the after life.

There are so many existing definitions and philosophies of lifeas already mentioned and each way tries to justify its features andclaims to be true and genuine. It can often create confusion in themind of a common man as to what way and philosophy of life heshould follow. But there is a simple answer to this question.Muhammad (pbuh) the Messenger of God said:

Abdullah ibn Masoud relates that Allah's Messenger (pbuh)drew a line for them one day and then said "This is Allah's path",then he drew several lines (branching off) to the right and to theleft and said, "These are the paths (of Misguidance) on each ofwhich is a devil inviting people to follow it" and then he recited(the verse) "Verily this is My Path, leading straight, so follow it.And do not follow the (other) paths for they will scatter you aboutfrom (Allah's) path. This is His Command to you in order that youmay be conscious of Allah.”2, 3

So there is only one path and only one way that will lead us tosuccess both in this world and the hereafter and will lead us toeternal success. And that's the path of ISLAM. Rest are deviationsas already mentioned. Life is a highly purposeful creation and weare in this world for some significant purpose and life becomespurposeful only when it is lead according to the Divine Will ofGod. It's only after that we can taste the sublime flavour of life.And we must realize this before it is too late. Except Islam, in allother religions and philosophies, the purpose of life is incomplete,or defected, or impractical or not moderate. You must have realizedthat only Islam has a very practical and straightforward purposeof life. Only Islam provides the complete code of life and onlyIslam is the universal religion belonging to all humanity.

The question now is how can Islam help man to understandhimself, unclog his mind, and clear his blurred vision? To try ananswer to this question, it will be necessary to keep in mind thebasic concepts of Islam which have been discussed and toelaborate further some elements of its value system. This analysiswill hopefully show how they may relate to modern man in hiscontemporary predicament, and how they may help him to findhis way through.

The principle of "moderation" is most characteristic of Islam.It is probably best expressed in the way Islam views human nature,


the meaning of life, and the idea of God. Islam does not subscribeto the one-sided "humanistic" philosophy, which almost defies manand recognizes nothing beyond. Neither does Islam endorse theequally one-sided verdict that human nature is inherently vicious,wicked, or sinful, Islam rejects the idea that life is nasty, brutal,short and miserable. But it equally rejects the idea that life is anend in itself, pleasurable, and carefree. Islam does give life apositive meaning, a purpose. It would devalue life on earth onlyrelative to the Hereafter. It is not concerned exclusively with thehere and now, the instant hedonism, and the immediate pleasures.Nor does it completely bypass the here and now in pursuit of afuture paradise in the hereafter. It addresses itself to both the humancondition here on earth and the human destiny in the Hereafter.Such concern is, of course, proportionate; it values each phase ofexistence according to its relative effect on the general well-beingof man."4

And we just realize our purpose in life, our status gets exaltedtill Allah mentions us as the best evolved people:

"You are the best of peoples, evolved formankind, enjoining what is right, forbiddingwhat is wrong, and believing in Allah."5

Footnotes[1] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 87.[2] Holy Qur'an Chapter 6 verse 153.[3] Authenticated by Ahmad Shaakir in al-Musnad vol.6 #4142.[4] Islam in Focus, Hammudah Abdalati p. 87-88.[5] Holy Qur'an Chapter 3 verse 110.

AFTERWORD

After reading the whole book, the true purpose of life wouldbe hopefully clear to you now and you must certainly have drawnsome conclusion in your mind about your true purpose of life.And when you discover it, it will drastically change your outlookand views about yourself and the external world and will stabilizeyour mind and make you more creative.

It should be noted that the barbaric Arabs who used to burytheir daughters alive and did so much evils, after accepting Islambecame the leaders of the world. Europe got developed just afterrenaissance. But the Arabs were far superior to them in scienceand technology while Europe was still in dark ages. Europeanshad believed in many false concepts but the Arabs didn't. It wasonly because when they accepted Islam and started to live theirlives according to it, it stabilized their minds and broughtbrotherhood and many other features along with giving a directionto their life and Islam made their lives purposeful and then onlythey employed themselves to other field after getting a definite aimin life.

The history repeats itself. The world is in distress and the currentorder has no ultimate solution to offer. Science has failed to yield.Only Islam is the solution to all problems confronting the humanity.The west has begun to realize this fact. That's why Islam is thefastest growing religion there as it provides them with solutions totheir problems. Many big personalities of the west like Yusuf Islam,Micheal Jackson, Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Sheik Yusuf Estes, etc.have accepted Islam after knowing the truth about it. Only ifeveryone among us will realize the real purpose of life, then this


world will truly become a better place to live in. But to achievethis we have to take the initiative and transform ourselves and armourselves with the true purpose of life. And unless we changeourselves nothing is going to change. The Qur'an mentions:

"Verily never will Allah change the conditionof a people until they change it themselves."1

And Benjamin Disraeli has rightly said:

"Men are not a creation of circumstances butcircumstances are a creation of men.”

Islam provides you answers to all your perplexing questionsabout life and the universe. So what are you waiting for? Don'tWAIT, just ACT!

"I only desire reform to the best of my power;and my success (in the task) can only come fromGod. In Him I trust, and unto Him I look."2

And lastly, I hope that the book must have served you thepurpose for which it has been written.

Footnotes:[1] Holy Qur'an Chapter 13 verse 11.[2] Holy Qur'an Chapter 11 verse 88.

FOR FURTHER READING:

God Arises by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Existence of God by Harun Yahya

The True Religion of God by Dr. Bilal Philips

Islam in Focus by Hammudah Abdalati

A brief illustrated guide to understand Islam by I.A. Ibrahim

The Purpose of Creation by Dr. Bilal Philips

Life, Death and the After Life by Dr. Ahmad Sakr

Towards Understanding Islam by Maulana Maududi

Did God become Man by Dr. Bilal Philips

Islam: Basic Principles and Characteristics

by Khurshid Ahmed

Websites:

www.turntoislam.com

www.islam-guide.com

www.purposeofcreation.com

www.shareislam.com

www.thetruecall.com


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Khan, Kaleem - Ullah, Islam: The Source of UniversalPeace, Goodword Books, (New Delhi - 2004).

Ahmad, Khurshid, Islam: Basic Principles andCharacteristics, Crescent Publishing Company, (New Delhi -1996).

Philips, Dr. A.B., Did God Become Man, Darul Islam,(2004).

Khan, Wahiduddin, God Arises, The Islamic Centre, (NewDelhi - 1991).

Yusuf Ali, Abdullah, The Holy Quran, Goodword Books,(New Delhi - 2005).

Ibrahim, I.A., A Brief Illustrated Guide to UnderstandingIslam, Darrusalam, (Houston).

Abdalati, Hammudah, Islam in Focus, Adam Publishers &Distributors, (New Delhi - 2006).

Khanam, Dr. Farida, Islamic Studies Class XI (textbook),Devra Books, (New Delhi - 2007).

The Holy Bible, The New Revised Standard Version,Theological Publications in India.

The Holy Quran - English Translation of the meanings andcommentary, The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques KingFahd Complex.

Murad, Khurram, Dawah among Non-Muslims in West,Online Library, www.youngmuslims.ca

Muhsin Khan, Dr. M., Summarized Sahih Al Bukhari,Darrusalam, (Riyadh - 1994).

Muhsin Khan, Dr. M., The Noble Quran, Darrusalam,(Riyadh - 1996).

Yahya, Harun, The Existence of God, www.harunyahya.com.

Naik, Dr. Zakir, The Concept of God in Major Religions,Islamic Research Foundation, www.irf.net.

Naik, Dr. Zakir, Answers to Non-Muslims' CommonQuestions About Islam, Islamic Research Foundation,www.irf.net.

The Great Questions of Life, International CorrespondenceInstitute, (New Delhi).


SOFTWARES:

• Alim for Windows, Version 4.5, ISL Software Corporation,1996.

• The Hadith Software, Version 1.0, Islamasoft Solutions.

Websites:

• www.purposeofcreation.com

• www.islam-guide.com

• www.irf.net

• www.harunyahya.com

• www.jannah.org

• www.meaningsoflife.com

• www.wikipedia.org

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