Paradise is for those who have purified themselves. Purification means that man should abandon a life of heedlessness and adopt a life of awareness. He should be strong enough to overcome desires which come in the way of achieving this goal. He should save himself from the things that can deviate him from the Truth. If a matter of expediency comes before him, he should ignore it. If pride or resentment arise, he should bury them inside himself.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
Paradise is a beautiful divine colony. Therefore, only those souls who had subjected themselves to the process of purification in the present world will be admitted. What is the criterion for this?
The first criterion for admission into Paradise is that man attains the realisation of His Creator at the level of maarifah. He should discover the Truth amidst a jungle of thoughts, views, beliefs, and ideologies. He should develop the insight to see those not visible to the physical eye. He should feel those things that cannot be supposed at the physical level. Passing by the tumult of the external world, he should become a traveller of the inner world.
Likewise, a criterion for admission to Paradise is that man bows down before God while retaining the freedom to disobey. Ignoring all incentives of becoming self-centred, he becomes God-centred in the complete sense. He becomes genuinely devoted to God and God alone. Turning his face from innumerable centres of glitter and attraction, he devotes his full attention to God.
Admission to Paradise will be possible only for the person who, amid adverse conditions, always remains established in positive thinking. This person overcomes jealousy, pride, revenge, and other negative feelings. He unilaterally becomes the epitome of compassion and seeks the well-being of others. Even though he can resort to oppression and injustice, he never does so. In every condition and circumstance, he makes himself bound by justice.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
Man is born with total freedom. The only requirement for finding entry into Paradise is that he should use his freedom responsibly and avoid any kind of misuse of this freedom. It is the divine criterion that will decide whose case was one of proper use of freedom and whose was that of misuse. As the Quran 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! What then after this, can make you deny the Last Judgement? Is not God the greatest of the judges?” (The Quran, 4-8)
It means that while man is born as a complete personality, his present abode, planet Earth, is incomplete. Because of this disparity, man’s condition on Earth becomes like that of a fish out of water. The disparity between man’s nature and the inability of the present-world to fulfil all his desires arouses the need in man to find his real habitat. This habitat is Paradise. Only those men and women will find entry into Paradise who qualify as deserving candidates for it. The planet Earth is a selection-ground for this purpose.
The Quran tells us about Paradise in these words: “Therein you shall have all that your souls desire, and therein you shall have all that you ask for.” (The Quran, 41:31)
The Quran mentions all aspects of Paradise in detail and then guides man in these words: “For the like of this, that all should strive.” (The Quran, 37:61)
Source: God’s Creation Plan
God has created this world as a place of trial for man. Salvation, from the Islamic perspective, is for those who prove themselves eligible for settling in the ideal world of Paradise in the Hereafter. God seeks those who manage to see God despite His invisibility, who obey God and devote their lives to Him; who tremble on remembering death; and realize that the present world is the place for action, while the next world is the place for reaping the reward for one's deeds. Those who display such character will be welcomed in Paradise in the Hereafter.
Salvation in the life Hereafter is only for those who prove themselves deserving. But, we should understand that Paradise will not be given to anyone purely based on the quantum of his good deeds. It will be provided, instead, by the mercy of God Almighty. The preferred ones are those unique people who, despite having done every kind of good deed, have attached no value to their actions. They realize that they will gain entry into Paradise only when God's mercy envelopes them.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
If a farmer wants to harvest a crop the day he plants the seeds, he will lose the seeds and be deprived of a harvest. The same is true of both the world of 'today' (this world) and the world of ‘tomorrow' (the Hereafter) after death. The world of 'today' is the place for engaging in action, while the world of 'tomorrow' is the place for receiving the results of one's actions. Therefore, if a person wants to obtain his 'reward' in this world, he will not be able to do the needed activities for a happy life in the world of 'tomorrow'. Thus, he will not only lose this world, but he will also lose his only opportunity to build his next world.
Few people realise this, however. In this world itself, they want to obtain things—such as complete fulfillment or ideal justice and peace—that can be had only in the next world. Because of this, they lose both. Wise is he who earns the world of' tomorrow' through the world of 'today'. He knows that if he gets stuck in the allurements and entanglements of the world of 'today', he will deprive himself of true success in the next world, the world of 'tomorrow'.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
In light of this creation plan, the root of all human problems is that the unenlightened want to make their Paradise in this world before death, whereas under the natural laws, the situation here on earth makes this impossible. Therefore, according to God’s creation plan, man has to be content in this limited world before death, so as to make himself eligible for Paradise in the eternal world after death.
Therefore, the right and proper thing for a man to do is acknowledge and accept this law of creation, and plan his life accordingly. His sole aim in this world should be to make himself acceptable in the eyes of God so that he may be held eligible for admission into Paradise in the eternal world after death. Successful is one who has realized the eternal world of Paradise in this temporary world, who has discovered in the failures of the present world, the secret to eternal success in the next eternal world.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
This life is a journey to Paradise, not Paradise itself. Therefore, we should devote our lives to preparing ourselves for Paradise in the next life. During this limited life on Earth, what we need to do, first and foremost, is to seek out the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and submit to Him voluntarily. Having seen a glimpse of Paradise on this Earth, we should seek it in the core of our being. Intellectually, spiritually, and morally, we should make ourselves deserving of Paradise by developing a divine personality within ourselves.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
This limited world where man finds himself before death has all the necessary ingredients for the ‘trial’. It has man as the perfection-seeking creature in a less-than-perfect world where he has been given complete ‘freedom’. Man, thus, has a ‘choice’ to misuse his freedom by creating havoc, killing people, living a life of leisure, or using his freedom wisely by submitting to an unseen God and living a disciplined life, to qualify for Paradise.
Man’s trial rests on discovering God, Who is in the Unseen. Before seeing Him, man should voluntarily surrender himself before God. He should be so desirous of Paradise that this world appears meaningless. He should adopt divine ethics without any external pressure to do so. He should develop his intellectual and spiritual being to such an extent that he produces in himself the ability to inhabit the refined world of Paradise. Paradise is a heavenly colony where peace, love, and noble character prevail. Of this world's inhabitants, only those who have succeeded in maintaining a high moral character will find a place in Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
A question that is often asked is: ‘is our life governed by destiny or free will’? Maulana Wahiduddin’s answer to the question was that matter is a case of 50-50. Destiny plays a 50 percent role, as man cannot change the infrastructure provided to him. Free will plays the remaining 50 percent role, as man is completely free to respond to situations the way he likes. The fact of the matter is that God has provided the infrastructure to man in the form of a life support system and the different situations that present themselves to man. This is the destiny part of the matter. Man is, however, free to respond to all these different situations, as he likes. That is his free will or his freedom of choice. In this aspect, he is completely free.
This freedom has opened doors of two kinds for man, one leading to success and the other to failure. If on receiving freedom an individual becomes arrogant and insolent, it will mean that he has failed to pass the test. But if on the other hand, he remains modest and humble, bowing to his Lord’s will on all occasions, he will have made the right use of this God-given freedom: he will, without any compulsion, have bound himself by divine principles. One who chooses this course will succeed in the test of freedom. He will be handsomely rewarded by God as no other creature. Held to be the chosen servant of God, he will remain in an everlasting state of blissfulness and blessedness in the eternal world of paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
Human beings enjoy freedom for the purpose of testing them so they can make decisions about the actions of their own free will. Now the question arises as to how to use our freedom properly to keep on the right course and consistently remain disciplined in his behaviour. This can only through belief in God. By believing in God man finds in a guardian who is aware of all his activities and has unlimited power to chastise him. Man cannot escape God’s chastisement. Belief in God compels man to faithfully adopt a proper attitude in all situations, privately and publicly. Only then can he save himself from the wrath of God. Belief in God makes man accountable to God. Accountability is the realization that we will have to give an account of our speech and actions to God on the Day of Judgment.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Paradise is the ultimate answer to the human quest. It is a vast, zero-defect, evil-free universe, complete in itself. Certainty prevails all over the universe, but the human world is marred by uncertainty. Fear is unheard of in the universe, but man continually suffers from fear and apprehension. The rest of the universe is in a state of equilibrium as it receives everything that it needs, while human beings are in a state of imbalance as they are the only creatures in the world to suffer from the painful thought that they have not received what they wanted. Moreover, the rest of the universe is evil-free, while human beings continually suffer from the problem of evil.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
According to the creation plan, God created an ideal world that was perfect in all respects. He ordained that this ultimate world be inhabited by impeccable ideal human beings. To achieve this target, God first settled man on Earth giving him complete freedom. The present world is a selection ground for this grand project. Here, it is being observed who makes proper use of his freedom and who misuses it. At the end of human history, those who have abused their freedom will be rejected, and those who may have exercised their freedom judiciously will be selected by God and settled in Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
The creation plan of God as revealed to all His Prophet is that this world is a testing ground, where man’s virtue is being placed on trial. It is in accordance with the records of this period of trial that man’s eternal fate will be decreed. Therefore, the present world has been created as a testing ground for man. Here, man is engaged in a continuous test. If he passes this test, he will obtain a place in the ideal world, Paradise, in eternal life after death. On the other hand, if he fails this test, he will live in a state of eternal deprivation. To be eligible to enter Paradise, there are two things that man needs to do while on Earth. One is to discover God acknowledge while He is in the Unseen, and the other is to lead a principled life based on the creation plan of God.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The God-oriented life begins with the discovery of God. When individuals, whether men or women, discover God, it means that they have found the truth. And this truth pervades their whole being. This feeling of having discovered the truth becomes such a thrilling experience that it fills them with everlasting conviction. This everlasting conviction removes all frustrations from their lives. Therefore, losses are no longer such, for, in spite of them, they never lose the feeling that their greatest asset, i.e. God, is still with them.
Man experiences this realization by pondering upon God’s creations. The truth is that the present universe is an expression of God’s attributes. In this respect, the present universe is a complete introduction to God. God is visible in His creations, just as a human being sees his own reflection in the mirror, without having any doubts about it.
The God-oriented life for man starts by his remembering God. He begins to feel the presence of God. Everything serves to remind him of God. God’s remembrance is never absent from his heart and mind. His mornings and evenings should be spent as if he is living in God’s neighbourhood. Just as rain replenishes the crops, so does he remain ever immersed in the remembrance of God.
Source: In Search of God
Realization of God, called maarifah in Islam is the essence of faith. When a man consciously seeks out and finds God, and thereby has access to divine realities that is what constitutes faith.
This discovery is no simple matter. God is the Creator and Owner of all things. He will award or punish all, according to their deeds; none is free from His grip. The discovery of such a God shakes to the core of the whole life of man. His thinking is revolutionized, for God becomes the centre of all His emotions.
With God as the principal focus of his attention, man becomes God’s servant in the fullest sense of the word. He becomes a man whose living and dying is all for God.
Such a faith ultimately results in all of man’s behaviour and his dealings taking on the hue of God. When the believer speaks, he is conscious of the fact that God is listening to him. When he walks, he does so with modesty so that his gait may not be displeasing to God. When he deals with people, he is always worried lest he deal unjustly and be punished by God in the next life.
The impact of this degree of faith makes the entire life of man akhirat-oriented. In all matters his eyes are focused on the Hereafter. Instead of immediate gain he makes gain in the next life his goal. Whenever there are two aspects of any matter, one pertaining to this world and the other to the next world, he always prefers the latter.
Faith, another name for the recognition of the Supreme God, becomes for the believer a fountainhead of limitless confidence in his Creator. When this recognition takes root in an individual’s heart and soul, his whole personality becomes regenerated. Knowing that in all circumstances he may depend upon God, he becomes a new man.
Source: Discovering God
Belief in the Oneness of God means to believe that all power lies in the hand of one God alone and that He alone deserves to be worshipped. It is God alone who fulfils all our needs. It is God alone who is behind the functioning of the entire universe. Superiority is the prerogative of the one and only God. No one enjoys real superiority in this world.
Belief in one God means we must express reverence for the true God, the Creator, a Being who truly deserves to be held in awe. We must accord the supreme status to the one and only God. We must ask Him alone to meet our needs. We must do obeisance before Him; we must trust Him implicitly, and above all others, we must reserve for Him the supreme status in all respects. Worship is the ultimate stage in any relationship: that is why, whatever its form, it must have God as its object.
When an individual makes God the object of his worship, he bows before an entity which really exists. God’s worshippers are graced with eternal blessings; the worshippers of things other than God can expect nothing but lasting deprivation.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
The answer to this question is in what the French philosopher Rene Descartes had said, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ To prove God’s existence, I extend this logic to say, ‘If I am, therefore, God is.’ This is because a human being is like a mini-god, one who possesses all divine qualities in a smaller magnitude. If a mini-god’s existence is possible, the Almighty God’s existence is possible too. The choice before us is not between ‘a universe with God’ and ‘a universe without God’, the real choice instead is between ‘a universe with God’ and ‘no universe at all’. The rationale is that when there is no option for you, the available option becomes the only choice.
Creation cannot be traced back endlessly. At some point, we will have to agree that there is someone who has brought creation into existence. If we do not accept this, the phenomenon of creation would be rendered endless and hence non-workable. Somewhere, we will have to put a full-stop, and agree that there is one all-powerful Creator.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The strongest human feeling or emotion is that of love. When man makes something his foremost concern, it naturally happens that a feeling of love becomes associated with that thing. In religious terminology, this is called "deification". The thing one loves the most is one's deity or the object of one’s worship, whether or not one utters this word.
Faith in God is for man to discover God to the extent of loving Him more than anything else. The Quran says that "those who believe love God most." (2:165) This means that one who loves God the most has made God his object of worship.
Genuine love for God will find expression in many ways. Even uttering such words as praise, thanksgiving, and remembrance, as we find in the Quran, also expresses our love for God. It would be right to say that Alhamdulillah, Praise be to God, signifies love for God. Praising God means loving God. Gratitude to God also means loving God. Remembering God also indicates a strong love and affection for Him.
Source: Love of God
We can discover God at two levels. The first is to discover God at the level of common sense and, the second is to discover one’s Creator at the level of scientific knowledge and understanding. Since past thousands of years it was required of man to discover God by putting to use his basic level of reasoning and awakening his inherent nature. If a person is truly sincere, his common sense alone would be instrumental in making him reach God.
God gave human beings a rational way of thinking so that they could themselves discover the hidden wisdom of the Creator in His creation. Modern science is the other name for unfolding of the hidden wisdom and truths of the universe.
The second level of discovery of God is through study of science. This involves gaining knowledge about the signs of God hidden in the universe and arriving at a rational discovery of God by increasing one’s learning of natural phenomena. For such kind of comprehension the supporting data provided by scientific research is crucial for study and reflection.
Source: Spirit of Islam, February 2020
You should become a true seeker but the most difficult job is to become a true seeker. People live in conditioning of different kinds and therefore are not able to make themselves a true seeker. Truth gives man the conviction to talk about it. The way I speak is because I have found the truth. Had I not found it, I would not have had the conviction to speak in this manner. Man discovers truth himself and not by way of someone else telling him about it.
Source: Spirit of Islam, February 2020
