Shaping the Souls for Eternal Paradise

LIVING IN GOD’S NEIGHBOURHOOD arouses the need in man to find his real habitat. This habitat is Paradise. Only those men and women will find entry into Paradise who qualify as deserving candidates for it. The planet Earth is a selection-ground for this purpose. The Quran tells us about Paradise in these words: “Therein you shall have all that your souls desire, and therein you shall have all that you ask for.” (The Quran, 41:31) The Quran mentions all aspects of Paradise in detail and then guides man in these words: “For the like of this, that all should strive.” (The Quran, 37:61) MAN’S QUEST Paradise is that eternal world of God in which His attributes will appear in all their perfection. It will be free of all the defects we experience in this world. Much as we long for a perfect world, we are compelled to live in an imperfect one. Our happiness is always shortlived, and our every success is, in some way, eventually a failure. The aspirations that we cherish in the early days of our lives are shattered as we begin to age. Human life in this world is marred by disaster, sickness, old age, and eventually death. How beautiful the flowers are, but they blossom only to wither. How delicate the sun’s radiance, but it shines for only