INTRODUCING PARADISE
To enter Paradise in the Hereafter, man in his life before death must realise his Creator while He is in the unseen, submit to Him, and develop a Paradisiacal personality in himself.
On a trip to Switzerland, I had a chance to experience a unique ride on a yacht that had two floors. The yacht moved gently on the lake’s waters, the pace suitable for people to view the beautiful scenery. I took this opportunity to prepare some portions of my travelogue.
It is said that on witnessing the beauty of Kashmir, Babur (who was the first Mughal emperor) had exclaimed:
“If there is Paradise on Earth,
It is this; it is this, it is this!”
However, when I witnessed the lovely natural scenes in Switzerland, my heart said that God had placed these beautiful sights in the world, so that man could obtain an initial introduction to Paradise through them. These world sights engender an intense desire for eternal Paradise in man. Their purpose is not that we should consider them to be Paradise itself and then try to build a dream world of happiness amidst them.
During the trip, a person in our group met with a young Swiss man, a 24-year-old student of engineering. He was a Christian. When he mentioned the concept of another world after death in the Christian religion, he was asked what he thought might happen to him after he died, the young man replied, “Jesus Christ has taken all our sins. So, Paradise is assured for all of us. Then why should we worry about it?”
I explained that Paradise is the name of the ideal world, where man will attain complete fulfilment and the company of those people who make his life highly meaningful. Man is a seeker of Paradise. He seeks Paradise in this world. However, this world is only an introduction to Paradise. Efforts to make a Paradise on Earth are futile. Paradise has been kept in the Hereafter after death. According to the Creation Plan, God created an eternal, perfect world called Paradise. Then God created man as an eternal creature and divided his life into two periods. During the temporary phase of man’s life, he has been placed in this imperfect world to be tested. Paradise is not assured for any group. It has to be earned individually. To be found eligible for entry into eternal Paradise, man in his life before death must realise his Creator while He is the unseen, submit to Him, and develop a Paradisiacal personality in himself. Only then will he be found eligible for inhabiting the perfect world of Paradise.
