On the Threshold of Paradise

ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE In this world, many things are brought into existence due to conversion—for example, water results from converting two gases. A tree represents the conversion of the soil’s nutrients. Machines are a conversion of iron from its crude state into complex mechanisms. The industrial world ensures the conversion of inert materials into socially valuable commodities. In the same way, the conversion will take place on a far grander scale in the future. From the ideal world, this will change into a perfect world at that time. This instance of conversion is referred to in the Quran in the following verse: “When the earth shall be changed into another earth…” (14:48) This process of conversion has repeatedly taken place on Earth. On our planet, conversion is a known and natural process. That is, it is a regular occurrence. Believing in Paradise is like believing in the continuance of a predictable series of events. It is just like saying about a factory that has produced 999 items, and now it is going to produce the thousandth item.