Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Sunday Guardian | December 22, 2013

In the creation of mankind and the world, there is an underlying purpose and order. If we ponder over creation, we find perfect order and harmony in the universe, thus it is our duty to seek and find out our true purpose in life.

In this perfect world of nature, we find that man's life is full of imperfections. Many of our desires are left unfulfilled. Death stands out as an inevitable fact that each one of us must face.

Perfection is not possible and eternal life cannot be achieved.

If we ponder over this inequality and imperfection in the world, we can only conclude that there must exist another world where perfect justice will be done.

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This is the eternal ideal world of the Hereafter, where all of our desires will be fulfilled. What is the criterion for eligibility to this perfect world?

The reality of death is common and each one of us has been sent to this world only for a brief temporary visit. The purpose for this visit is a profound truth that we all must seek. Without this quest we cannot make our life meaningful.

According to the Quran, "God created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct" (67:2). This implies that this world is but a "testing ground" for mankind- the test to see which one of us will be eligible to inhabit the perfect world of the Hereafter. God in His wisdom, tests each one of us in different ways and circumstances.

Material wealth, success and position are given to man as a means for the test of life and should not be considered as the purpose of his life. This quest for the Hereafter and to be successful in the "test" is the purpose of life.