ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE

W HAT is Paradise? There is no mystery about Paradise. It is an accepted scientific fact just like any other scientific fact. In reality, it is a transformation of the earth. As, we know, the earth was initially an inchoate, molten mass, then it cooled down to its present state, taking the form of our world as we know it today. In a similar way, another transformation will take place in the future, but to a far greater degree: at that time, our non-paradisiacal earth will turn into Paradise. In this present world, many things are brought into existence as a result of conversion. For example, water results from the conversion of two gases. A tree represents the conversion of the soil’s nutrients. Machines are a conversion of crude iron into complex mechanisms. The industrial world ensures the conversion of inert materials into socially useful commodities. In the same way, in the future, conversion shall take place on a far grander scale. At that time, this far from ideal world will change into an ideal world. This in terms of religion would be known as Paradise. 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 earth, conversion is a known natural process. That is, it is a normal occurrence. This being so, believing in Paradise is just like believing in the continuance of a predictable series of events. It is just like saying of a factory that it has produced 999 items and now the thousandth item is about to be produced. Paradise is not just a matter of religious belief or dogma. According to the eternal laws of nature, it is a state which is bound to come into existence. A study of the law governing earthly systems shows that the present world is undergoing a continuous evolutionary process, of which, Paradise, logically, is the ultimate phase. Paradise is the natural culmination of a creation which at a certain point in time had a definite beginning. Astronomical studies show that the universe is so extremely vast, and expanding at such a rate that, even with the use of very powerful telescopes, its total dimensions have yet to be estimated. In this immeasurably vast universe, the earth is an extremely tiny planet. In ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE The Final Phase of Human Civilization