Page 34 - Islam: The Religion of Ease

ISLAM: THE RELIGION OF EASE

purpose of humans is solely to serve Allah. The purpose in the
Creation of the universe is for it to serve as a testing ground,
where the status of human beings in the Hereafter is deter-
mined. Allah informs us of this reality in the Qur'an:
He created death and life to test which of you is best in
action. He is the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving. (Surat al-
Mulk: 2)
Allah has given numerous proofs for people to understand
the ephemeral quality of this world and that their real abode
where they will live forever is the Hereafter.
For example, there are hundreds of different types of ill-
nesses; there is the microscopic virus's ability to threaten the life
of a human being who is millions of times bigger than itself;
there is the need for a person to constantly keep clean, eat, rest
and sleep; the life of an individual is very short, on an average
60-70 years, time has a very wearying effect on a person, and
every human being's end is death without exception; one has to
leave behind all loved ones and all the wealth, property, and es-
teem one has acquired throughout one's life; last but not least,
the human body enters a stage of decay when dead and buried.
These and many other similar reasons are all enough for people
to comprehend that their lives are short-lived, and full of imper-
fections, and as such, can never satisfy the human soul. All these
are very important realities that will deter people from being at-
tached to this world. In the Qur'an, Allah tells us that the world
was not created aimlessly; it was made for a specific reason:
We did not create heaven and earth and everything in be-
tween them as a game. If We had desired to have some
amusement, We could have found it near at hand. (Surat
al-Anbiya’: 16-17)

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