Page 36 - The Nightmare of Disbelief

Social status, prosperity, children, good standards of liv-
ing as well as poverty and poor living conditions are the means
by which man is tested in this world. One of the verses is as fol-
lows:

It is He (Allah) Who appointed you inheritors of the earth
and raised some of you above others in rank, so that He
could test you regarding what He has given you. Your Lord
is Swift in Retribution; and He is Ever-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. (Surat al-An'am: 165)
That the creation of life and death is but to test man is re-
lated in the following verse:

He created death and life to test which of you acquitted
himself best. He is the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving One.
(Surat al-Mulk: 2)
All good as well as the unfavorable conditions surround-

ing man are created to test him in this world (Surat al-Anbiya':
35). All favors given or taken back from man are a part of this
test:
As for man, when his Lord tests him by honoring him and
favoring him, he says, "My Lord has honored me!" But then
34
when He tests him by restricting his provision, he says,
"My Lord has humiliated me!" (Surat al-Fajr: 15-16)

In this verse, the point of view of an unconscious person
who cannot grasp the nature of this test is explicitly described.
Believers are warned against such an unconscious attitude
and repeatedly reminded about their real purpose in life:

Do not direct your eyes longingly to what We have given
certain of them to enjoy, the splendor of the life of this
world, for We seek only to test them by it. Your Lord's pro-
vision is better and longer lasting. (Surah Ta-Ha: 131)

THE NIGHTMARE OF DISBELIEF