ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE

God—the Creator of man, has created man according to His Plan. To become acquainted with this Plan it is necessary for man to have a thorough understanding of himself—just as the workings of a machine can only be understood when we study the drawings of the engineer who made it. Besides the mind of the engineer, there is no other thing that can clarify what the machine is meant for. The case of man is the same. The existence of man is such a unique phenomenon that no other such example can be found throughout the vastness of the cosmos. Man is rightly called the ‘best of all creations,’ which means the best and most meaningful ‘being’ among all the things created. Such a ‘meaningful being’ cannot have been created without a purpose. The Creator of man has created him according to a special Plan. The Quran, the preserved religious scripture, sheds light on this Plan. Enthroned above the waters, it was He who created the heavens and the earth in six Days [periods], in order to test which of you is best in conduct. (11: 7) We have adorned the earth with attractive things, so that We may test humankind as to which one is best in conduct. (18: 7) He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct. (67: 2) o USA Centre for Peace and Spirituality 2665 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020 kkaleemuddin@gmail.com ? If you encounter any issue regarding the presentation of content on the Spirit of Islam website (www.spiritofislam.co.in), please mail in your suggestions or questions to usman_888@yahoo.com.