Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Spirituality in Islam
According to the Creation Plan of God, human beings are placed in situations where they have to face hardships from time to time at every moment throughout their lives as part of their test. Difficulty, sadness and unfulfilled desires are integral part of the creation plan of the Creator. This arrangement is to remind man of the fact that the present world has not been made as a place of luxury and comfort, but rather as a period of trial and as such as will help determine whether he is eligible or not for the eternal life in Paradise. In fact, it is situations such as these that are the tests for man. Giving negative responses to negative situations leads to failing the test. On the contrary, giving positive responses to such situations leads to passing the test.
In the present world, man finds himself totally free. However, this freedom does not belong to him as a matter of right, but is rather a test paper. The first thing that man has to do to be deserving of Paradise is acknowledge the truth of One God, and surrender to him – not by compulsion, as does the rest of the world, but by his own choice. This surrendering before the truth of One God is without doubt the greatest sacrifice that any man can make. Acknowledging the truth of One God is, like making oneself smaller not only to God but to others as well. But this is the very virtue, which will raise man to the highest position. It will take him to the very entrance of Paradise.
The second important thing that man has to do to be deserving of Paradise is to lead a principled life. It is evident that when a seeker discovers the reality – of the one Universal God and learns the creation plan of his Creator, his life enters a new phase – that of the building of a positive personality according to spiritual principles given by the Creator. Generally what happens is that man’s character is moulded by his emotions – anger, revenge, jealousy, hatred, rivalry, etc. These are the negative feelings that shape man’s personality – thus resulting in the development of a negative personality in a person. But what man ought to do is to become disciplined in such matters. He should not build his character under the influence of external incentives, but by his own decisions he should establish it on the basis of higher principles. He will thus develop his personality on positive lines. This is what is called as divine character.
Therefore, the people of paradise will be those who discovered their Creator when He was yet unseen and living a disciplined life based on the principles laid down by Him, developed positive personalities. Their lives are thus God-oriented – with God as the giver and man merely as the receiver.