The ultimate goal of our lives
As human beings, belief in God and worshipping to God are our most important duties. Only belief in God can ensure that we will accomplish our given potentials and get a degree which is above all other creatures. Otherwise, disbelief will take us to a point even below the animals. The ultimate goal of our lives is to seek perfection through knowledge and exhibit our worship to God through prayer and supplication.
A certain proof for this truth is the difference between the way human beings and animals are created and the way they survive. Almost from the very moment of birth, an animal seems to have been trained and perfected its faculties somewhere else. Within a few hours or days (mostly, not months), it can lead its life according to its particular rules and conditions. A bird or a bee is inspired with the skill and ability to integrate into its environment within a matter of 20 days, while it would take a person 20 years or so. This means that an animal’s basic obligation and essential role does not include seeking for knowledge, seeking perfection through learning. They are already equipped with the knowledge that they will need to survive from the moment they born. Their sole purpose is to act within the limits of their given faculties, which is the mode of worship specified for them.
But the situation for humans is much more complicated. As we have some certain features that no other creature has, we seem to be more advanced than the others. We can think, understand the universe around us, we can feel, we can make choices. All these make us unique. Though, as it comes to life and challenges of life, we are much weaker than any other creature. We are born knowing nothing of life and our environment and so must learn everything. As we cannot do this even within 20 years, we must continue to learn until we die. We appear to have been sent here with so much weakness and inability that we might need two years just to learn how to walk. Only after 15 years we can distinguish good and evil. This is why most teenagers at the age of 15 still need advices from their parents. They are still open to make mistakes.
It seems that from the moment we born we are through a continuous learning process and this lasts until the last day of our lives. Thus the essential duty of our existence is to seek perfection through learning and to show our worship to God through prayer and supplication. We should seek answers for: “Through whose compassion is my life so wisely administered? Through whose generosity am I being so kindly trained? Through whose favors and charity am I being nourished?” and other questions. Then we should pray the Provider of Needs in humble awareness of our needs, none of which we can satisfy on our own. This understanding and confession of weakness and poverty will become two wings on which to fly to the highest rank: being a servant of God.
And so our purpose here is to seek perfection through knowledge and prayer. Everything is, by its nature, essentially dependent on knowledge. And the basis and source of all true knowledge is knowledge of God, of which belief is the very foundation.
"..Those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge..." Quran(35,28)
After belief, prayer is our essential duty and the basis of worship, because, despite our infinite weakness, we are exposed to endless difficulties in our lives. And despite our infinite poverty, we suffer limitless need and demands.
Children express their need for something they cannot reach with words or tears. Both are a sort of request or prayer, in word or action, both expressing weakness. Eventually they get what they want. Similarly, we are quite like a beloved child; at the Most Compassionate and Merciful Being’s Court we either will cry or pray (due to our poverty and need) so that our need may be satisfied. In return, we should perform our duty of gratitude and thanksgiving. This is all what it takes to be a servant, be aware of your weakness and God’s greatness and only ask help from Him and be thankful for the things He gives. And don’t forget that everything you have is from God. Those people who claim to have so much intelligence and power over everything that they can meet their own needs, finally will understand that they are not that powerful and there exist things they cannot control.
See original text at http://www.dislam.org/content/view/180/5/1/4/
A certain proof for this truth is the difference between the way human beings and animals are created and the way they survive. Almost from the very moment of birth, an animal seems to have been trained and perfected its faculties somewhere else. Within a few hours or days (mostly, not months), it can lead its life according to its particular rules and conditions. A bird or a bee is inspired with the skill and ability to integrate into its environment within a matter of 20 days, while it would take a person 20 years or so. This means that an animal’s basic obligation and essential role does not include seeking for knowledge, seeking perfection through learning. They are already equipped with the knowledge that they will need to survive from the moment they born. Their sole purpose is to act within the limits of their given faculties, which is the mode of worship specified for them.
But the situation for humans is much more complicated. As we have some certain features that no other creature has, we seem to be more advanced than the others. We can think, understand the universe around us, we can feel, we can make choices. All these make us unique. Though, as it comes to life and challenges of life, we are much weaker than any other creature. We are born knowing nothing of life and our environment and so must learn everything. As we cannot do this even within 20 years, we must continue to learn until we die. We appear to have been sent here with so much weakness and inability that we might need two years just to learn how to walk. Only after 15 years we can distinguish good and evil. This is why most teenagers at the age of 15 still need advices from their parents. They are still open to make mistakes.
It seems that from the moment we born we are through a continuous learning process and this lasts until the last day of our lives. Thus the essential duty of our existence is to seek perfection through learning and to show our worship to God through prayer and supplication. We should seek answers for: “Through whose compassion is my life so wisely administered? Through whose generosity am I being so kindly trained? Through whose favors and charity am I being nourished?” and other questions. Then we should pray the Provider of Needs in humble awareness of our needs, none of which we can satisfy on our own. This understanding and confession of weakness and poverty will become two wings on which to fly to the highest rank: being a servant of God.
And so our purpose here is to seek perfection through knowledge and prayer. Everything is, by its nature, essentially dependent on knowledge. And the basis and source of all true knowledge is knowledge of God, of which belief is the very foundation.
"..Those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge..." Quran(35,28)
After belief, prayer is our essential duty and the basis of worship, because, despite our infinite weakness, we are exposed to endless difficulties in our lives. And despite our infinite poverty, we suffer limitless need and demands.
Children express their need for something they cannot reach with words or tears. Both are a sort of request or prayer, in word or action, both expressing weakness. Eventually they get what they want. Similarly, we are quite like a beloved child; at the Most Compassionate and Merciful Being’s Court we either will cry or pray (due to our poverty and need) so that our need may be satisfied. In return, we should perform our duty of gratitude and thanksgiving. This is all what it takes to be a servant, be aware of your weakness and God’s greatness and only ask help from Him and be thankful for the things He gives. And don’t forget that everything you have is from God. Those people who claim to have so much intelligence and power over everything that they can meet their own needs, finally will understand that they are not that powerful and there exist things they cannot control.
See original text at http://www.dislam.org/content/view/180/5/1/4/
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