Islam and the aim of life
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From: Islamic Education Foundation
What is the purpose of life?
People answer these questions in different ways. Some people believe the
purpose of life is getting wealthy. However, what will be the purpose of
their life after collecting millions of dollars? If the purpose of life is
to become wealthy, there will be no purpose after becoming wealthy.
In fact, here lies the problem of some people in the last stages of their
lives. After they have collected the money which they dreamt of, their life
loses its purpose and they live in tension, restlessness and suffer from the
panic of nothingness.
Can attaining wealth be an aim?
We often hear of wealthy people committing suicide; sometimes, it is not the
wealthy person himself but members of his family - his wife or children. The
question is: Can aiming for wealth bring happiness to the individual? In
most cases, the answer is 'No'. Is the purpose of collecting wealth a
long-standing purpose?
As we know, a five-year-old child does not look for wealth: he prefers a toy
to a million dollars. An 18-year-old adolescent does not dream of wealth
because he is busy with things that are more important. A 90-year-old does
not care for money; he is more worried about his health. This proves that
wealth cannot be a long-standing purpose in all the stages of an
individual's life.
Wealth can do a little to bring happiness to a disbeliever, because he is
not sure about his end or his fate. A disbeliever does not know the purpose
of life, and if he has a purpose, this purpose is doomed to be temporary or
self-destructive.
What is the use of wealth to a disbeliever if he feels scared of the end and
skeptical of everything? A disbeliever may gain a lot of money, but surely
loses himself.
Worshipping Allaah as an aim:
On the other hand, faith in Allaah gives the believer the purpose of life he
needs. In Islam, the purpose of life is to worship Allaah. The term
"worship" covers all acts of obedience to Allaah. The Islamic purpose of
life can withstand the test of time. The true Muslim sticks to this purpose
through all the stages of his life, whether he is a child, adolescent, adult
or an old man.
Worshipping Allaah makes life purposeful and meaningful, especially within
the framework of Islam. According to Islam, this worldly life is just a
short stage of our lives. After this, there is the other life -- the
Hereafter. The position of the person in the Hereafter depends on his deeds
in this first life. At the end of the death, stage comes the Day of
Judgment. On this day, Allaah will reward or punish people according to
their deeds.
The first life as an examination:
Hence, Islam looks at the first life as an examination or a test of man. The
Day of Judgment is similar to the day of announcing the results of the
examinees. The second life (the Hereafter) is the time when each examinee
enjoys or suffers from the outcome of his behavior during the test period.
In Islam, the line of life is clear, simple and logical: the first life,
death then the Day of Judgment, and then the second life. With this clear
line of life, a Muslim has a clear purpose in life.
A Muslim knows that he has been created by Allaah. He also knows that he is
going to spend some years in this first life, during which he has to obey
Allaah, because Allaah will question him and hold him responsible for his
public and private deeds, because Allaah knows all deeds of all people. A
Muslim knows that his deeds in this life will determine his second life. He
knows that his life is a very short one -- a hundred years, more or less,
whereas the second life is eternal.
The eternity of the second life:
This concept of eternal nature of the second life has a tremendous effect on
the Muslim during his first life, because the Muslim believes that his first
life determines the shape of his second life. In addition, this will be
decided through the Judgment of Allaah, the Just and Almighty.
With this belief in the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment, a Muslim's life
becomes as purposeful and meaningful as possible. A Muslim's long-standing
purpose is to go to Paradise by pleasing his Creator.
In other words, a Muslim's continuous purpose is to obey Allaah, to submit
to Him, to carry out His orders, and to keep in continuous touch with Him
through prayer (five times a day), through fasting (one month a year),
through charity (either obligatory or voluntary as often as possible), and
through pilgrimage (once in one's life if he is able).
The need for a permanent purpose:
People have different purposes at different stages in their lives such as
collecting money and property, indulging in sex, eating and dancing.
However, all these purposes are temporary, they come and go. Money comes and
goes. Health comes and goes. Sexual activities cannot continue forever. All
these lusts for money, food and sex cannot answer the individual's question
to himself: what next?
Then what?
However, Islam saves those who follow it sincerely from the troubling
question: what is the aim of life? Islam makes it clear to the Muslim, from
the very beginning, that the permanent purpose of life is to worship Allaah.
We should know that the only way for our salvation in this life and in the
Hereafter is to know the Lord who created us, believe in Him, and worship
Him alone.
What is the purpose of my life? What is the purpose of your life? What is
the purpose of our lives?
Such questions occur frequently to thinking people.
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=134339
Muslim Online
From: Islamic Education Foundation
Then what?
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