The Age of the Quran
The message of the Quran is the Creation plan of God. That is, to tell man why God created this world, the purpose of settling man on it, what is required from man in his pre-death life span, and what he will confront after death. According to the Creation Plan of God, man is born as an eternal creature, and his life span has been divided into two periods, the pre-death period, which is a time of trial, and the post-death period, which is the time for receiving the rewards or punishment merited by one’s actions during one’s lifetime. God has given man complete freedom in this world. This freedom has been given to man, not as a matter of right but as a trial. On the outcome of this test rests the eternal fate of man. These take the form of eternal paradise or eternal hell. The Quran makes man aware of this reality.
Man is a seeker by birth. The Quran is the answer to man’s quest. According to the Quran, the present world is the testing ground, and whatever man has been endowed with in his pre-death period is all a part of the test. The Hereafter is the place where the result of the test will be taken into account by the Almighty, and whatever man receives in the life after death, by way of reward or punishment, will be commensurate with his deeds in this world. Therefore, the secret to man’s success in this life is to discover God while He is unseen, understand His creation plan and map out his life accordingly.