Paradise: The Final Phase of Human Civilization
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Translated by Prof. Farida Khanam
Reviewed by Nigar Ataulla
A few days ago, I was in a little village very close to the sea. I had the golden opportunity to just walk down from the room where I was staying to a beach in a matter of a few minutes. The cool sea breeze, the mighty waves rushing towards the shore, the pretty boats in the distance, the flocks of birds flying overhead, the beautiful sunrises and the magnificent sunsets, parrots, mynahs, crows, barbets, hoopoes and all chirping around—all of this was sheer bliss. Life here seemed relatively stress-free. I noticed the village folk going about their daily chores in a slow, peaceful manner, and there were hardly any big vehicles around…a bit like Paradise on Earth, one could say.
A few days later, I left for the city, where I faced the realities of urban life—noise, pollution, traffic jams, people rushing about here and there, and what not! As I entered the apartment where I am presently staying, to my delight I discovered a big box full of books sent by the Center for Peace and Spirituality. Tucked away amidst many other books was a pretty-looking little book with a lovely floral design titled, Paradise, The Final Phase of Human Civilization. Its author was the late Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Says the Maulana: “There is no mystery about Paradise. It is an accepted scientific fact just like any other scientific fact […] Paradise is the natural culmination of a creation which at a certain point in time had a definite beginning”.
According to God’s creation plan, human beings have been given freewill. Life on Earth is a test, which is based on how we use our God-given freewill. The Almighty keeps a record of how each one of us lives out our life here. This determines our eternal future in the afterlife—whether we go to Paradise or not when we depart from Earth.
Paradise is not anyone’s birthright, the book indicates, nor will anyone receive entry into it through recommendation or wishful thinking. Only such a person will find entry into Paradise who qualifies for it. Entry into Paradise is totally a matter of selection, and this selection will be done by none other than God Almighty in the Hereafter.
I loved the concluding part in the book in which it says that those souls will qualify for Paradise who, in their life in this world come up to the standard for becoming denizens of Paradise, a perfect world of eternal comfort and joy, a world which holds far greater meaning than this one.
This little book helps one reflect more deeply on the spiritual aspects of Paradise. Through this book, we are reminded of the fact that there is something that can be called eligibility for entry into Paradise—which is, leading truly a God-oriented life during our sojourn on Earth.