Heavenly Personality
The Quran (95:4-6) tells us:
We have indeed created man in the best of mould, then We cast him down as the lowest of the low, except for those who believe and do good deeds—theirs shall be an unending reward!
God has made Man with a heavenly personality. Then, He placed him in this world, where conditions are such that they tend to give rise to a personality which is opposite to a heavenly personality. Now, he who while living amidst ‘the lowest of the low’ takes himself to the level of ‘the best of mould’ will be blessed by God after death.
This world is a testing-ground. That is why it has been made in such a way that conditions repeatedly arise that serve a test or trial for people. Here, one is faced with issues of profit and loss and situations that stoke emotions such as greed and selfishness. There are superficial attractions here that lure people towards lust, addiction and worldly delight. Here, people compete with each other, leading to selfishness and egotism. Here, there are constant clashes of interest, which stir emotions such as anger, hatred and depravity.
This is ‘the lowest of the low’ of this world. The task before man is to lift himself above this and take himself to the level of what the Quran calls ‘the best of mould’—which, in terms of his true nature, is his real or authentic level.
Whether a fruit is good or bad can be decided when it is cut open and its inside is seen. The same is true with people. This reality of people can be discovered when they are ‘cut open’—that is, when they are faced with difficult or unfavourable situations, which is when their real or inner reality is expressed. The way people react at such times indicates what their mindset is—whether or not it is according to the noble society of Paradise. When people start fighting over money and property, when people who think differently start quarrelling about their respective views, when people start squabbling over a job that they each want to grab—these are the sorts of occasion when their reality can be discovered. On such occasions, if people express hatred, selfishness, injustice and egotism, they prove by their actions that their mindset is counter to that of those who will inhabit the society of Paradise. On the other hand, people who respond in such situations with love, unselfishness, justice, and humility prove that their mindset is heavenly and that they are close to God and the angels.
