Purposeful Creation : God's Vision for Mankind

The society of Paradise will be a collection of the best individuals from the whole of human history. Every member of this society will possess the fine qualities of positive thinking, peaceful behaviour, sublime character, truthfulness, sincerity and amiable personality, idealist in thought and perfectionist in behaviour. Those who have developed this kind of personality in the present world are competent members of such a society. Only those persons will find entry into Paradise who have qualified themselves in the present world, as mentioned in the Quran, thus: “[In the Hereafter] man shall have only that for which he strives.” (53:39) Paradise is not anyone’s birthright, nor will one receive entry into it through recommendation or wishful thinking. Only such a person who qualifies for it will find entry into Paradise. Entry into Paradise is totally a matter of selection, and this selection will be made by none other than God Almighty in the world Hereafter. LIVING IN GOD’S NEIGHBOURHOOD Paradise, God’s neighbourhood, is like a universal garden where only those who have made God their supreme concern in the life of this world will find a place in the Hereafter. Paradise is another name for eternal life in the neighbourhood of God (Quran, 66:11). In the world before death, man lives