By MW Kay
For man, the world in which he presently lives is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a place for him to be tested. God has made this present world as a temporary abode for man, where he could be tested. God made a next world, which comes after this present one, as an eternal abode where, if found eligible after having passed the ‘test’ in this present world, man could spend eternity with joy and comfort.
In this present world, each person is in a state of test. This present world is not a final destination for man. Rather, it is only a path, as it were, to the final destination that one arrives at after death. Those who succeed in passing their test in this present world will find a place of everlasting bliss after death.
Now, what is this test that every person is being put to while they are in this present world? It is a test of the use of human freedom, the freewill that God has given human beings.
In this present world, human beings possess freewill. This freedom is not something that is ours by right, however. Rather, it is our ‘test paper’, as it were. The decision regarding our eternal fate that unfolds after we die depends on how we answer this ‘test paper’. By giving human beings freedom, God wants to see who among us makes proper use of it and who misuses it.
In this regard, what is required of man is to acknowledge his servitude vis-à-vis God and God’s sovereignty over him. Despite possessing the ability to be rebellious and defiant, man should give himself over to God’s suzerainty. One who becomes a God-oriented person in this way experiences a veritable revolution in his life. He begins to relate with God with awe. He seeks to fulfill his responsibilities vis-à-vis others. He becomes a humble person.
The life of an ‘ordinary’ person is a life characterized by love of the fleeting pleasures of this present world. But the life of a person who comes to have firm faith in God becomes a Hereafter-oriented one. An ordinary person lives for himself, while a person who has submitted to God begins to live for God.
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