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The most important
questions in life are those that deal with the meaning and
purpose of man's existence. The Quran explains that the
human being has been placed on this earth to utilise his
enormous potential to conduct himself in a manner which
will fulfill his purpose in life.
It is He who has
created death and life that He may test which of you is
best in deed [al-Mulk 67: 2].
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The Quran further
explains that man's role on earth is to live as his Creator
desires him to live: in surrender and worship to Him alone.
This is not because Allah in any way needs his worship, but
because man needs to worship only his Creator and none else
so that his own nature is not perverted and corrupted, and
so that he does not live in opposition to his intrinsic
character.
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Only by so living
will his earthly life be set on the right path and prosper,
bringing him peace and happiness. I have not created
jinn and men except to serve Me. I desire of them no
provision; neither do I desire that they should feed Me.
Surely God is the All-provider; the Possessor of Strength,
the Eternal. [adh-Dhariyat 51: 56-58]
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Man, with no
'mentionable' history before birth, has been given the
faculties of hearing and seeing, [ad-Dahr 76: 2] two eyes
and a tongue, and a pair of lips, [al-Balad 90: 8-9] as
well as the capacity to reason and discern between right
and wrong in using his freedom of will.
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Given freedom of
will, judgment is inevitable. The human being must give an
account of his conduct and must face the consequences of
how he lives his life. Obviously, to be judged fairly, this
judgment must be made only after his earthly life has come
to an end, and only by the One who gave this life, who
knows everything, and who is All-powerful and All-just.
Only then can he be judged fairly, and duly rewarded and
punished, for everything-from his innermost thoughts to the
consequences of his conduct that extend far and wide, and
beyond his life for generations to come.
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What, did you think that We created
you in mere idle play, and that you would not be returned
to Us? But, high exalted is God, the King; the True! There
is no god but He, the Lord of the Noble Throne. [al-Muminun
23: 115-116]
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A person's ultimate
destiny, therefore, lies in the Life to Come, in the Akhira
Everyone will be judged there by due process of justice,
fairly and equitably, mercifully and kindly. No one will be
wronged or dealt with unjustly even by an atom's weight.
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Surely God shall
not wrong so much as an atom's weight.
[an-Nisa 4: 40] This as only what you had sent forth,
you are being recompensed only for what you had done
before. [al-Kahf 18: 49]
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Thus, everything in
our lives is being recorded. Even the smallest of incidents
will be replayed before our eyes on the Day of Judgment.
That Judgment will be final and one from which there will
be no escape. Paradise will be the reward for excellence in
doing good, while Hell-fire will be the penalty for those
who were ungrateful and indulged in evil:
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The parable of
the Paradise promised to those who are conscious of God [is
that of a Garden] through which running waters flow: [but,
unlike an earthly garden,] its fruits will be everlasting,
and [so will be] its shade. Such will be the destiny of
those who remain conscious of God - just as the destiny of
those who deny the truth will be the fire. [ar-Rad 13:
35]
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The delights and pleasures of the
Hereafter, as well as, the penalty for those who condemn
themselves to darkness and the wrath of Allah are described
in such great detail in the Quran that almost one quarter
of it is related to the Akhira. This is what the Prophet
came to convey and this is what instills meaning and
purpose to our lives!