Article appeared Friday, March 17th, 2017 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (468) yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

As a human being, what is it that pleases us most? Is it being a unique human being a human
that has an individual personality, a unique set of skills and has opportunities to derive
satisfaction from doing things? An important question may be asked at this point. Do we like or
love our individual self? If yes, we have the opportunity to spend 100% of our time with
someone we like our self.

In addition, the earth has so many resources that we can learn about and use and to
accomplish the things that we want to do. We can craft paintings like Mona Lisa, reach the top
of mountains like the Everest, build supersonic jets and spacecrafts, design mobile apps as well
as do the seemingly impossible. We can ask questions and find suitable answers and also
come up with new inventions as solutions. Is it important to wonder where such intelligence and
abilities come from? As we have not created our intelligence or ourselves, a relevant question is
where do such intelligent abilities come from?

Do apes share such intelligent capacities? Can such complex and ordered intelligence of each
human being be the result of random chance or of unintelligent evolution from apes? Can you
imagine the love and mercy that God would have to put in to make us unique and make the
opportunities of life match individually? Our intelligent capacities and qualities reflect the Power
and Qualities of God, our Creator just like the quality of the painting Mona Lisa represents the
abilities and qualities of Leonardo.

Should we love and adore God for creating us, making us unique and organizing a life that we
love? The fact of the matter is that some people will adore God while others will not. Some
would feel grateful for the umpteen blessings given by God, while others may feel that they
deserve the blessings given their personal feelings of greatness. The question is should God
differentiate between these two contrasting attitudes towards Him? In the Holy Quran, God
differentiates between these two contrasting attitudes as pure and impure.
In order that God may separate the impure from the pure; and put the impure one on
top of another and heap them together and cast them into hell. They will be the ones to
have lost. [8.37]

Through all the blessings that He has given us, He will test each and every individual. Our
sojourn on earth is not a test of what God can do for us, it is a test of how we react to the
blessings He has given each of us with Loving and Devine Grace. The purpose of prophets and
Holy Scriptures is to warn mankind of this test and trial period. What could be said of those who
despite such warnings do not believe that they will be accountable for their ingratitude and
arrogance? Such people aggrieved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) so much so that God revealed
the following Verse.

18.6 Yet would you would destroy yourself with grief for their sake, should they
not believe in this Message?
Disbelievers are those who are essentially focused on themselves their needs, their image,
their troubles, their wealth, their status, etc. Their inflated ego leads them to believe that they
deserve the blessings that they have. They overlook the fact that God is looking after every
need and brings them out of trouble with every test. For not being grateful to God they come up
with excuses like, God is so great that He wouldnt worry about my ingratitude. The problem is
that the time on earth is a test of our individual character to separate those who are grateful
from those who are not.

18.7 That which is on earth We have made but as a glittering show for the earth
in order that We may test them as to which of them are best in conduct.
It is our individual character and attitude that is under scrutiny. Do we give credit where it is due
and give God the priority that is His right in return for giving us life and all the blessings that
come with it?
Do men think that they will be left alone on saying "We believe" and that they will not be
tested? We did test those before them and Allah will certainly know those who are true
from those who are false. [29.2 29.3]

There are people who say, We believe but call on God only when in trouble or have an
unfulfilled need/desire. The problems that we face or needs that arise are tests to test our
attitude towards the Giver of Blessings. When God relieves them of the trouble or fulfills their
needs, disbelievers are those that neglect to thank Him these are those who fail the test. They
essentially approach God as one would approach medicine take the pill as and when needed.

Life on earth is temporary till our individual death. A believer is one who looks at himself/
herself from the point-of-view of God and comes up with questions regarding himself/herself.
For example, who am I? Why did God make me unique? Is there a purpose? We are given day-
to-day blessings/challenges to test whether we consider how we can please God rather than
please our own self. When we give God importance, it is only then that we become ready to
receive guidance and the meanings of verses in the Holy Scriptures begin to make sense.

18.8 Verily what is on earth We shall make but as dust and dry soil (without
growth or herbage).
The glittering life that we see around us will last only till our death. Everything we see on earth
will perish. In the verse below, the Prophet (pbuh) is being urged to warn,
"O my people! This life of the present is nothing but a temporary convenience: it is the
Hereafter that is the Home that will last. [40.39]

God has created the Hereafter as the permanent place for human beings. As an example of
how the current green earth will become, the following analogy is given.
The likeness of the life of the present is as the rain which We send down from the
skies: by its mingling arises the produce of the earth which provides food for men and
animals: (it grows) till the earth is clad with its golden ornaments and is decked out (in
beauty): the people to whom it belongs think they have all powers of disposal over it:
there reaches it Our command by night or by day and We make it like a harvest clean-
mown as if it had not flourished only the day before! Thus do We explain the Signs in
detail for those who reflect! [10.24]

Allah is the Owner and Lord of both the current world and the world to come in the Hereafter.
He is the living (One): There is no god but He: Call upon Him giving Him sincere
devotion. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! [40.65]