Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I September 21, 2014

O God Almighty created the universe. In its vast space there are stars, galaxies, planets, the solar system, countless other particles and so on.

All these items of creation have adopted a culture of worship, which is total surrender to God, without the slightest deviation. It is this surrender to God that makes our universe a zero-defect universe. This fact is mentioned in the Quran in these words:

"God created seven heavens one above the other in layers. You will not find any flaw in the creation of the Gracious One. Then look once again: can you see any flaw?" (67:3)

However, there was a "missing link" in this universe. The universe, with all its vastness, has surrendered to God under compulsion. Now there was a vacant room for a creature that surrenders to God by choice.

Paradise is the perfect place, and only those individuals will find entry to Paradise who prove that they possess this perfect quality.

God Almighty created man to fill in this gap. Man was given total freedom. At the same time, he was given a thinking mind.

It was required that man utilises this mind and surrenders before God as a reality rather than as a matter of compulsion.

When such a human being surrenders to God this way, it is as if he is saying, "O God, You are great and I am not great. I am accepting this fact as a reality, without the slightest compulsion."

This is the speciality of man. It is this speciality that makes man a deserving candidate for paradise. Paradise will not be granted on a mass scale. It will be given to those fortunate persons who are able to stand on this highly complex test.

Paradise is the perfect place, and only those individuals will find entry to Paradise who prove that they possess this perfect quality.

It is this missing link of the universe that is called man.