THE ROAD TO PARADISE
Beset by Challenges
THE world of nature is a zero defect world. In it, there are all kinds of activities, but they do not produce any noise pollution. It has ‘factories’ operating round the clock but they do not produce any smog. There are many great industries, but they do not sully the water. For millions and millions of years, the world of nature has been functioning, but without causing any deterioration. All its parts are active, but we do not find anywhere that they have such a thing as a labour problem. The world of nature, although ephemeral, is nevertheless a complete world.
Of the numerous things in this world, everything has taken its ultimate shape. We cannot think of any other colour for the sky except blue. Neither can we think of any other colour for light and water. We cannot think of any other form which the grass or the trees could have had. Nor can we think of any other colour for the vegetation but green. Even our greatest artists could not produce any other model for the ants or the tiger, for the deer or the elephant or the birds. It is a fact that everything in this world has been cast in its final mould. We just cannot think of a better model for anything that exists in this world of nature.
The present world, in actual fact, makes Paradise understandable to us. It is not Paradise. But man often mistakes it for his destination, and his life thus becomes one of missed opportunities.
Sometimes things happen which appear to be undesirable, for instance, landslides, floods, droughts, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, etc. Therefore, the opinion of some is that, the world of nature is not evil-free. But such remarks are the result of misunderstanding. In fact, such apparently unwanted occurrences are either to maintain a balance in the world of nature, or are aimed at giving man a lesson—to cut him down to size. Such events, therefore, are desirable so that the natural state of the world may be maintained.
In contrast to the above, the human world is beset by many flaws and all kinds of defects and shortcomings, as a result of which man is continually faced with a state of unrest. Our human world is marked by the recurrence of the many unpleasant events. Here, there is suffering, old age, accidents and death. Life is marked with all kinds of misery and fear. Even when there does not appear to be any problem, there is boredom and tension which in themselves are unbearable. The human story is one of continual effort to overcome this state of discontent. Everyone cherishes a dream of a perfect world for himself.
When we look at the human world in comparison to the world of nature and are aware of the fact that man dreams of a perfect world, we get to the question—is there a perfect world? In answer to this the beautiful world of nature in itself can be understood as a possibility of the existence of a perfect world. But, why is our human world full of imperfections?
The reason is the world of nature is governed by fixed laws and one can predict their pattern; an example to understand this would be the fact that man is able to predict the eclipses of the sun and the moon with precision and prepare calendars for the years ahead. In contrast to the above, as man is bestowed with freedom one cannot predict consistent behaviour. The whole history of mankind is full of incidents of man’s misuse of freedom and unpredictable behaviour.
The only exception being a few individuals who have lived a God oriented life by surrendering themselves to God and living a life without misusing their freedom. Such precious people will get their desire fulfilled in a perfect world in the kingdom of God, which is Paradise.
The Creator of the universe made another world besides the present one, in accordance with the desires of human beings. That world is free of all kinds of limitations and disadvantages, including fear and pain.
Paradise puts an end to the contradiction. The Creator of the universe made another world besides the present one, in accordance with the desires of human beings. That world is free of all kinds of limitations and disadvantages, including fear and pain. There, man will have every opportunity to live to his full capacity. His being will have its fulfillment.
It is moreover an eternal world, where one shall remain young forever, and old age will not afflict one any longer. One shall not fall victim to any decline or decay. Paradise signifies a perfect world of eternal comforts and pleasures for man, a world invested with a meaning far greater even than that immanent in the natural world. Paradise is an eternal abode: a perfect place for all kinds of happiness and comforts. It is the realization of human dreams of finding an ideal world. If the present world is a ‘thorn,’ then the world of Paradise is the ‘rose’. Paradise is a heavenly colony where peace, love and noble character prevail.
Perhaps it is this divine plan which has thus been alluded to by Jesus Christ in these words:
Pray to God in these words: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (MATTHEW 6: 9-10)
The present world is just an introduction to Paradise. It is not Paradise in itself. The present world is a passageway and not the destination. It is the place for preparation, and not for reaping the harvest. The present world is full of limitations. It does not have the means to fulfill the unlimited desires of man. It has all the means of subsistence at the animal level, but does not have the spiritual necessities of the higher level for man.
In this world everyone suffers frustration and failure. The reason is that everyone wants to find his desired world here itself, whereas the present limited and ephemeral world is not created for this purpose. That is why, despite all efforts, one fails to find one’s dream world in this life. The present world, in fact, makes Paradise understandable to us. It is not Paradise. But man often mistakes it for his destination, and his life thus becomes one of missed opportunities.
A paradisiacal person, that is, one fit to inhabit Paradise, is such an ardent seeker of Paradise that he begins to feel as if he is living in Paradise while remaining physically in this world.
It is a waiting room and not the final destination of the journey. The question, “Who am I?” is asked by everyone, consciously or unconsciously. The answer is: "I am a traveller to Paradise". This world is a pathway and Paradise is its final destination. Man has come here to tread this path while on his way to eternal bliss.
The animals have no consciousness of tomorrow. They live only in their ‘today’ and die in their ‘today’. Whereas, man has a sense of tomorrow. Man cherishes a very pleasant consciousness of tomorrow, an aspiration towards a better day, or the fulfillment of his dreams. All human beings strive hard to make their tomorrow better and better. But they do not find this ‘tomorrow’. The reason being that this ‘tomorrow’ is not to materialize in this world, but will come into existence in the eternal life to come, i.e. in the Hereafter.
However, the entry to the Paradise of the next world is not open to all, being on a selective basis. It is only those who, in their life before death, come up to the standard of the citizenship of Paradise, who will be granted an abode in this perfect world. Entry to this world of Paradise has been restricted. It will be given only to those pure souls who have brought with them the necessary qualification.
What is the necessary qualification and who are the pure souls? The qualifying factor is for man to discover God who is in the unseen and voluntarily surrender himself before Him. He should adopt divine ethics without any external pressure to do so. He should develop his intellectual and spiritual being to such an extent that he produces in himself, the ability to inhabit the refined world of Paradise. Of the inhabitants of this world, only those will find a place, who have succeeded in maintaining a high moral character.
The qualifying factor is for man to discover God who is in the unseen and voluntarily surrender himself before Him.
One who is able to discover Paradise, begins his life in Paradise from this world itself. Here, he will have the pleasure of its intellectual discovery; and after death he will have the pleasure of actually experiencing it. Today, he is blessed with peace of mind; tomorrow he will experience this peaceful life in his external world also. Today he has the full satisfaction of conviction at the intellectual level, tomorrow he will find an opportunity to live in the pleasures and comforts of practical life. Today he is living in a world of limitations, tomorrow he will find an unlimited world in which to live forever, in total freedom. Today he finds Paradise in the intellectual sense, tomorrow he will find it in the practical sense. Indeed, there is nothing greater than this for man.
Such are the souls who have discovered God, and whose greatest concern is the Almighty. They worship only the one God, and devote their lives to improving their intellectual and spiritual abilities to a high degree. They have shunned the life of falsehood and adhered steadfastly to the way of truth, staying away from hypocrisy and remaining resolutely on the path of sincerity. They have adopted the path of honesty throughout their lives; and have of their own imposed the divine discipline upon their words and deeds. They reserve their feelings of love and fear exclusively for God. Their life and death is for truth. They do not live their lives for anything less than the higher cause.
Their activities are Hereafter-oriented rather than world-oriented. They succeed in steering clear of all negative feelings such as hatred, jealousy, prejudice, selfishness and other such shallow thinking, and raise themselves to the highest moral level. They associate themselves with people for the sake of truth and distance themselves likewise for the sake of truth. They give and take for God alone. Their lips open for the truth alone. They follow the way of forgiveness and not of revenge in this world and do not embroil themselves in the attractions of the world, but fix their gaze on the Hereafter in all situations.
A paradisiacal person, that is, one fit to inhabit Paradise, is such an ardent seeker of Paradise that he begins to feel as if he is living in Paradise while remaining physically in this world. If he has found Paradise in terms of such a feeling, in the next world he will physically become a resident of Paradise.
When this paradisiacal personality develops in human beings, their intellectual plane reaches such heights that everything becomes immaterial. They do not find any fulfillment in the material things of the world. Owing to their heightened consciousness, they realize that the present world is not the place that they have been created for. Their hearts cry out to God: “O God! Bestow on us, the Paradise of the Hereafter. Give us a place in the world of Your neighbourhood.”
God’s angels will welcome those men and women, who reach the Hereafter with all the above qualities. The angels will come forward and say: “Congratulations, O Blessed Souls! Enter God’s heaven by divine decree. Here, there is no death and no parting from this joyous world.
The eternal life has been given to you for all eternity.” The Quran says:
O Soul at peace! Come to your Lord well pleased, and He will also be well pleased with you. So enter among My chosen servants. And enter My Garden. (89: 27-30)
For one who has no concept of Paradise, total satisfaction in this present world will turn out to be a lifelong quest, that will end in failure. People expend all their energy in its pursuit, but they fail to construct this dream world for themselves.
According to the Quran, after death everyone will discover that ‘tomorrow’. Those who have prepared for it will meet with all kinds of success there, while those who have not made the necessary preparations will be doomed. In the world of the Hereafter, all evil people will be separated from the good. They will be denied all the good things of that life.