ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE
What is Paradise? There is no mystery about Paradise. It is an accepted scientific fact, just like any other scientific fact. In reality, Paradise is a transformation of the earth. The earth was initially an inchoate, molten mass; then, it cooled down to its present state, taking the form of our world as we know it today. Similarly, another transformation will take place in the future, but to a far greater degree: at that time, our non-paradisiacal earth will turn into Paradise.
In this world, many things are brought into existence due to conversion—for example, water results from converting two gases. A tree represents the conversion of the soil’s nutrients. Machines are a conversion of iron from its crude state into complex mechanisms. The industrial world ensures the conversion of inert materials into socially valuable commodities.
In the same way, the conversion will take place on a far grander scale in the future. This, far from the ideal world, will change into a perfect world at that time. It, in terms of religion, would be known as Paradise. This instance of conversion is referred to in the Quran in the following verse: “When the earth shall be changed into another earth…” (14:48)
This process of conversion has repeatedly taken place on earth. On our planet, conversion is a known and natural process. That is, it is a regular occurrence. Believing in Paradise is like believing in the continuance of a predictable series of events. It is just like saying a factory that has produced 999 items, and now the thousandth item is about to be produced.
Paradise is not just a matter of religious belief or dogma. According to the eternal laws of nature, Paradise is a state bound to come into existence. A study of the law governing earthly .systems shows that the present world is undergoing a continuous evolutionary process, of which Paradise, logically, is the ultimate phase. Paradise is the natural culmination of creation with a definite beginning at a particular time.
Astronomical studies show that the Universe is so vast and expanding at such a rate that its total dimensions are yet to be estimated, even with the use of very powerful telescopes. In this immeasurably vast universe, the earth is a highly tiny planet. Our world is smaller than a grain of sand compared to this universe.
Our earth is a rare exception throughout the entire universe because it is the only place where extraordinary things like water, greenery, air and oxygen are present. If life can prevail on this earth, it is because, side by side with it, there are life support systems. On the earth, all those valuable elements exist by utilizing which man can, if he wills, build a civilization. It is the task of human beings to convert this potential into reality.
It is evident that civilization, passing continuously from one stage of its history to another, is moving from its initial stage of development to a higher plateau altogether. (For details, see the United Nations publication: “The History of Mankind”)
The Journey of Civilization
This journey of human civilization has been mentioned in the Quran regarding the changes that occur on earth every day in the alternation of day and night. Similarly, a much bigger event shall take place on earth. As the Quran puts it: “You will progress from stage to stage.” (84:19)
The evolution of history makes it clear that human civilization is continuously advancing along the path of progress and development. The final model of this progress and development will be called “spiritual civilization”, or Paradise.
The history of civilization shows that it has passed through three major phases, and now all the indications are that it is in the fourth and final stage of its journey. The three significant civilisation phases are as follows: 1. The Stone Age; 2. The Agricultural Age; 3. The Industrial Age.
It is a matter of common knowledge that these three phases of civilization have already taken place. However, Alvin Toffler, author of the bestseller, Future Shock, says that the fourth phase, probably the last period of civilization, will occur in the future. This author calls this fourth phase the Super-Industrial Age, which will be less materialistic than the previous stages. Therefore, equating this fourth phase with spiritual civilization would be more appropriate.
Let us take the first period of civilization. It was a time when man could only use whatever material was present in its original form on the earth. The stone was the most readily available and useful of all the materials. Although many other things existed on the planet apart from stone, like wood and animals, and even a simple form of agriculture, stone took pride in place as the most widely used; this phase came to be called the Stone Age. So far as early homo sapiens were concerned, he possessed the same natural qualities as the people of the present day. For example, the latest research has shown that the human brain contained one hundred billion particles during the Stone Age, no less than what is contained in the human brain today. It was only because of a lack of education and knowledge that man could not utilize his hidden potential at that time.
Then came the dawn of the agricultural period, during which man discovered more and more ways of harnessing nature. This period saw the development of irrigation, ploughing, the rearing and breeding of animals, and iron and carts with wheels. This way, leading a better life than the previous age was possible.
The industrial period began at the point when man moved ahead from animal power and invented mechanical power. Now man converted water into steam power and made steam engines. There was a further leap forward when petrol was discovered and used for propulsion. Similarly, modern methods of communication were developed, which converted the whole world into a global village.
In the Industrial Age, by using mechanical power, a man engaged in new enterprises such as the production of fast-moving vehicles, the rapid communication of news, the setting up of paper mills and the building of cities along modern lines.
In this way, a whole new world, beautiful and meaningful, came into existence, with a fresh viewpoint on education and learning, called industrial civilization.
Alvin Toffler called the Super-industrial Age the fourth phase of civilization. In his view, the most distinctive aspect of this age will be complete automation, i.e., the use of electronics will be on such a large scale that most jobs will be performed with the absolute minimum human control or intervention. In a normal situation, a man would, ideally, be able to fulfil all his requirements single-handedly.
The advent of automation is an advance intimation of the joys of Paradise. Indeed, of Paradise, the Quran says: “We are your companions in this life and the Hereafter. Therein you shall have all that your souls desire, and therein you shall have all you ask for as a rich provision from One who is ever forgiving and most merciful.’ (41:31)
From the scientific and academic standpoint, the facts mentioned above make the ideal age of the future—the “spiritual civilization”—understandable in terms of being a super-industrial age.
This fourth phase of civilization is yet to be completed, but in this phase, that ideal world—in religious terms, Paradise—will most probably take shape in the world Hereafter.
Paradise: Final Phase of Man’s Journey
Paradise is the final period of the journey of civilization. By the law of nature, such a world will exist in due course. All limitations and disadvantages will end: there will be no fear or grief, nor will there be any noise or pain. All those potentialities which have been apparent to a man from the very first day will be fulfilled in the world of Paradise.
Moreover, the human personality will also attain new heights of development. It will be the culmination point for man: he will become the perfect man. He will find an eternal life in which old age, accidents, disease, and death are absent. This will be the ideal world where a man can utilize the full potential of his personality, thus experiencing complete fulfilment.
Paradise will be the culminating point of the evolutionary process of human civilization. Paradise will be the dawning of the perfect and ideal world man has always dreamt of. On reaching Paradise, man will be eternally free from all sorrows and hardships. Paradise will be the perfect realm of joy, peace, and eternal happiness.
It should be borne in mind that Paradise is not a place of stagnation. In Paradise, man will make discoveries, and this series of findings will be unending. For this reason, there will be no boredom in Paradise because boredom prevails only where discoveries do not occur. To man, fresh experience is the most significant source of happiness, and in Paradise, the doors of eternal truth will continue to open every day. Therefore, the pure bliss of Paradise will not be fleeting but genuinely eternal.
The making of Paradise is just as possible as the making of the earth and the development of different civilizations. In the ancient Stone Age, a developed agricultural period lay hidden, which emerged later. Similarly, the far more developed industrial period was hidden in the agricultural period and appeared at the proper time. We can say that there lies hidden in this industrial period, a far more developed, refined, and spiritual period, which will appear in time for all to see. In practical terms, the emergence of this spiritual or heavenly period is as possible as that of previous periods of history.
In the industrial period, the earth has once again been beautified. Its construction has been meticulously planned. Developments in science and technology have made the world a far better place to live in. Similarly, with the dawn of the final period, the spiritual age, the earth will improve, becoming an ideal world. There are several verses in the Quran that give clear indications of this. For instance, verse three of the 84th chapter of the Quran speaks of the earth expanding, while another verse (39:74) says: “Praise be to God who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want.” Furthermore, verse 21 of the 57th chapter of the Quran describes Paradise as “…vast as heaven and earth, which has been made ready for those who believe in God and His messengers.”
According to the Islamic tradition, the earth was in charge of the Jinns in its beginning. Then it was handed over to human beings. Later, a period will ensue when the earth will be entirely under the domination of the Angels. At that time, tremendous changes will be made to the planet, an ideal and perfect world in the most total sense of expression. This evolutionary period of the earth has been referred to this in the Quran:
“The earth will shine with the light of its Lord.” (39:69)
Today our world is potentially a Paradise. Tomorrow this potential will become a reality, and then the earth will become a place of eternal happiness and joy.
Events have shown that the present state of the earth is not ideal, even though nature’s life support system exists in its perfect form on the planet earth. This system may be at its best on the planet, but there is one thing in all this that is far from ideal. Here, good and bad people exist alongside each other. The presence of seriously flawed individuals everywhere is the source of evil. However, when the final phase of civilization approaches, all the wrong people will be separated from the good. The bad people will be deprived of all the earth's resources, and the earth will be entrusted solely to the good people. It is the truth that has been mentioned in the following verse: “And indeed We have written in Az-Zabur, (Psalms) that My righteous slaves shall inherit the land” (i.e. the land of Paradise). (21:105) This statement made in the Quran is recorded in detail in the Book of Psalms in the Bible: “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” (Psalms, 37:29)
Studies show that our earth is a rare exception in this vast universe. In the vastness of space, massive stars in such multitudes outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore. However, many of these stars are only balls of fire. It is a known fact that these stars have remained in the same condition for the last thirteen billion years. Only our earth is constantly changing and renewing itself in this stagnant universe. Exceptionally, an evolutionary process is at work, for the earth continues to witness one stage after another. Ten billion years ago, the earth was just a fireball. However, then it cooled down to become a temperate planet. Subsequently, a phase of heavy rains led to vegetation growth. Then came the animals. Lastly, the humans appeared. After the appearance of human beings, the process of civilization set in on the earth. In the first phase, man could only build a primitive world. However, he became increasingly successful at constructing a highly developed world later. This human success goes hand in hand with a continuous evolutionary process. Moreover, it is natural to believe that one more stage is in the offing—that of a perfect world—eternal Paradise in the Hereafter.
Paradise is not something mysterious: it is the final stage of the known evolutionary process. So far as animals are concerned, organic evolution is a baseless assumption. However, the periodic evolution of the non-living world is generally accepted. According to this natural law, the advent of Paradise is entirely understandable. Studies show that our earth was a ball of fire approximately ten billion years ago before it became the fantastic planet we live on today. Then, when man first came to inhabit the earth, there was a period of what we would now call under-development. After this came another evolutionary phase in the wake of the industrial revolution—a development period.
According to the evolutionary law, the earth is heading towards a superior stage. This will be the last evolutionary stage of the planet, which we call the perfect world. In this ideal world, all types of limitations will end. By Divine arrangement, justice will prevail in its most perfect form. The wicked will be removed from the earth, and only the virtuous will enter this ideal world, where there will be no pollution. Calamities will cease, and all disadvantages such as disease, accidents, old age and death will be eradicated forever.
All tasks are performed by hard work in the present world: hardship and success are inseparable. Such a state of affairs will no longer prevail in Paradise, for such refined changes will occur that each activity will be enjoyable. As it is said in the Quran: “The people of Paradise shall be happily occupied on that Day.” (36:55)
In Paradise, there will be no need for special arrangements for human diversion, for all activities will be a source of entertainment and enjoyment.
In response to his natural urges, the world that man has been searching for thousands of years will find in a state of perfection. He will find a life of joy, peace, and happiness forever in this world. There will be no necessity for physical labour; pleasant intellectual activities will suffice to achieve all desired goals. Paradise is the final phase of the journey of human civilization. Today we stand on the threshold of Paradise. In the world, Hereafter, Paradise will be a reality.
