This World: A Selection Ground for Paradise

“He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct.” (67:2) According to this verse of the Quran, the man was created as an eternal being, and ‘death and life’ represent both the pre-death and post-death periods of human life. So, death and life cover the entire eternal lifespan of human beings. The Creator of man has created him according to a unique plan. His intention is that man must spend a period of trial in this present, imperfect world, and after this, according to his deeds, he will earn the right to inhabit the perfect and eternal world, another name for which is Paradise. According to His will, God created a perfect world called Paradise: a world as per all of our desires as human beings, in that it is free of all limitations and disadvantages, free of fear and pain, and free of all imperfections. It would be an eternal world with neither death nor old age, an ideal world where we could achieve fulfilment. Less-than-perfect beings cannot inhabit a perfect Paradise. So, God created perfection-seeking creatures—human beings. He intended us to spend a period of trial here on Earth. After this, we will earn the right to inhabit the perfect and eternal world according to our deeds. The essence of God’s creation plan is to give a person complete freedom–not simply as a gift, but as a test. This test would enable God to judge who misused his freedom and who put his freedom to the best use. This is the divine scheme of things for man. In the pre-death period of life,