ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE

Today man stands on the threshold of Paradise. The present transitional period is a condition which may be called Paradise-in-themaking. comparison to this universe, our earth is even smaller than a grain of sand. Throughout the entire universe, our earth is a very rare exception, in that it is the only place where exceptional things like water, greenery, air and oxygen are present. If life can prevail on this earth, it is because side by side with it there are life-support systems. On the earth, there exist all those valuable elements by utilizing which man can, if he wills, build a civilization. It is the task of human beings to convert this potential into reality. It is quite evident that civilization, passing continuously from one stage of its history to another, is moving on from its initial stage of development to a higher plateau altogether. (For details of this journey of civilization, see the United Nations publication: The History of Mankind). This journey of human civilization has been mentioned in the Quran in terms of the changes that take place on earth from daytime to the night time. In a similar way, a much bigger event shall take place on earth. As the Quran puts it: “You will progress from stage to stage.” (84: 19) The evolution of history makes it clear that human civilization is continuously advancing along the path of progress and development. The final model of this progress and development will be that which is called “spiritual civilization”, or Paradise. The history of civilization shows that it has passed through 3 major phases and now all the indications are that it is in the fourth and final stage of its journey. The 3 major phases of civilization are as follows: 1. The Stone Age 2. The Agricultural Age 3. The Industrial Age It is a matter of common knowledge that these 3 phases of civilization have already taken place. However, Alvin Toffler, author of the bestseller, Future Shock says that the fourth phase or probably the last period of civilization will take place in the not too distant future. This author calls this fourth phase the Super-Industrial Age, which, as compared to the previous phases, will be less materialistic. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to equate this fourth phase with spiritual civilization.