PURPOSE OF LIFE

By Dr. Rashid A Z Shah

2/30. And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You." He (Allah) said: "I know that which you do not know.

31. And He taught Adam all the names (of everything), then He showed them to the angels and said, "Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful." 32. They (angels) said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise." 33. He said: "O Adam! Inform them of their names," and when he had informed them of their names, He said: "Did I not tell you that I know the Ghaib(unseen) in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been concealing?"

34. And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam.". And they prostrated except Iblis(Satan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah). 35. And We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimun(wrong-doers)." 36. Then the Shaitan (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time." 37. Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful. 38. We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve

39. But those who disbelieve and belie Our Ayat(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) such are the dwellers of the Fire, they shall abide therein forever. 40. O Children of Israel! Remember My Favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill (your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfill (My Obligations to) your covenant (with Me), and fear none but Me. 41. And believe in what I have sent down (this Qur'an), confirming that which is with you, [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], and be not the first to disbelieve therein, and buy not with My Verses [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] a small price (i.e. getting a small gain by selling My Verses), and fear Me and Me Alone. 32/5. He arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth, then it (affair) will go up to Him, in one Day, the space whereof is a thousand years of your reckoning (i.e. reckoning of our present world's time). 6.That is He, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful. 7. Who made everything He has created good, and He began the creation of man from clay. 8. Then He made his offspring from semen of worthless water (male and female sexual discharge). 9. Then He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him the soul (created by Allah for that person), and He gave you hearing (ears), sight (eyes) and hearts. Little is the thanks you give! 10. And they say: "When we are (dead and become) lost in the earth, shall we indeed be recreated anew?" Nay, but they deny the Meeting with their Lord! 22/5. O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily! We have created you (i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah (mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge i.e. offspring of Adam), then from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump of flesh, some formed and some unformed (miscarriage), that We may make (it) clear to you (i.e. to show you Our Power and Ability to do what We will). And We cause whom We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term, then We bring you out as infants, then (give you growth) that you may reach your age of full strength. And among you there is he who dies (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth). 6.That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things. 45. O Prophet (MuhammadSAW )! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner,

46. And as one who invites to Allah [Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah (Alone)] by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through your instructions from the Qur'an and the Sunnah the legal ways of the Prophet ). 47. And announce to the believers (in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad ) the glad tidings, that they will have from Allah a Great Bounty. 48. And obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and harm them not (till you are ordered). And put your trust in Allah, and Sufficient is Allah as a Wakil (Trustee, or Disposer of affairs). 35/1. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the (only) Originator [or the (only) Creator] of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, - two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things. 2. Whatever of mercy (i.e.of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. 3. O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? La ilahaillaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)? 4. And if they belie you (O Muhammad ), so were Messengers belied before you. And to Allah return all matters (for decision). 5. O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah. 6. Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire. 7. Those who disbelieve, theirs will be a severe torment; and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. 24. Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them. 35/25.And if they belie you, those before them also belied. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs, and with the Scriptures, and the book giving light. 26. Then I took hold of those who disbelieved, and how terrible was My denial (punishment)! Paradise). 39/6. He created you (all) from a single person (Adam); then made from him his wife [Hawwa' (Eve)]. And He has sent down for you of cattle eight pairs (of the sheep, two, male and female; of the goats, two, male and female; of the oxen, two, male and female; and of the camels, two, male and female). He

Behold! We said to angels "Bow down to Adam" they bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of His Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrong doers!18:50.

creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation in three veils of darkness, such is Allah your Lord. His is the kingdom, La ilahaillaHuwa(none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turned away? 39/7.If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, so He will inform you what you used to do. Verily, He is the All-Knower of that which is in (men's) breasts. 8. And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord (Allah Alone), turning to Him in repentance, but when He bestows a favour upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before, and he sets up rivals to Allah, in order to mislead others from His Path. Say: "Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!" 9. Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses). 10. Say (O Muhammad ): "O My slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), be afraid of your Lord (Allah) and keep your duty to Him. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allah's earth is spacious (so if you cannot worship Allah at a place, then go to another)! Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning." 84/1. When the heaven is split asunder, 2. And listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so; 3. And when the earth is stretched forth, 4. And has cast out all that was in it and became empty, 5. And listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so; 6. O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, so you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did). 7. Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, 8. He surely will receive an easy reckoning, 9. And will return to his family in joy! 10. But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, 11. He will invoke (his) destruction, 12. And shall enter a blazing Fire, and made to taste its burning. 13. Verily, he was among his people in joy! 14. Verily, he thought that he would never come back (to Us)! 15. Yes! Verily, his Lord has been ever beholding him! 16. So I swear by the afterglow of sunset; 17. And by the night and whatever it gathers in its darkness; 18. And by the moon when it is at the full, 19. You shall certainly travel from stage to stage (in this life and in the Hereafter). 20. What is the matter with them that they believe not? 21. And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they fall not prostrate, 22. Nay, (on the contrary), those who disbelieve, belie (Prophet Muhammad () and whatever he brought, i.e. this Qur'an and Islamic Monotheism, etc.). 23. And Allah knows best what they gather (of good and bad deeds), 24. So announce to them a painful torment. 25. Save those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them is a reward that will never come to an end (i.e. Paradise). 67/1. Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things. 2. Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving; 3. Who has created the seven heavens one above another, you can see no fault in the creations of the Most Beneficent. Then look again: "Can you see any rifts?" 4. Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out. 5. And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin (devils), and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire. 6. And for those who disbelieve in their Lord (Allah) is the torment of Hell, and worst indeed is that destination. 7. When they are cast therein, they will hear the (terrible) drawing in of its breath as it blazes forth.

8. It almost bursts up with fury. Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask: "Did no warner come to you?" 9. They will say: "Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: 'Allah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error.'" 10. And they will say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!" 11. Then they will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the blazing Fire. 12. Verily! Those who fear their Lord unseen (i.e. they do not see Him, nor His Punishment in the Hereafter, etc.), theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise). 50/1.Qaf. [These letters (Qaf, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Qur'an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].By the Glorious Qur'an. 2. Nay, they wonder that there has come to them a warner (Muhammad ) from among themselves. So the disbelievers say: "This is a strange thing! 3. "When we are dead and have become dust (shall we be resurrected?) That is a far return." 4. We know that which the earth takes of them (their dead bodies), and with Us is a Book preserved (i.e. the Book of Decrees). 5. Nay, but they have denied the truth (this Qur'an) when it has come to them, so they are in a confused state (can not differentiate between right and wrong). 6. Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it? 7. And the earth! We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and have produced therein every kind of lovely growth (plants). 8. An insight and a Reminder for every slave turning to Allah (i.e. the one who believes in Allah and performs deeds of His obedience, and always begs His pardon). 9. And We send down blessed water (rain) from the sky, then We produce therewith gardens and grain (every kind of harvests) that are reaped. 10. And tall date-palms, with ranged clusters; 11. A provision for (Allah's) slaves. And We give life therewith to a dead land. Thus will be the resurrection (of the dead).

12. Denied before them (i.e. these pagans of Makkah who denied you, O Muhammad ) the people of Nuh (Noah), and the dwellers of Rass, and the Thamud, 13. And 'Ad, and Fir'aun (Pharaoh), and the brethren of Lout (Lot), 14. And the dwellers of the Wood, and the people of Tubba'; everyone of them denied (their) Messengers, so My Threat took effect. 15. Were We then tired with the first creation? Nay, They are in confused doubt about a new creation (i.e. Resurrection)? 16. And indeed We have created man, and We know what his ownself whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). 17. (Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being after he or she has attained the age of puberty), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions) . 18. Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it). 19. And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!" 20. And the Trumpet will be blown, that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). 21. And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness. 22. (It will be said to the sinners): "Indeed you were heedless of this, now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!" 23. And his companion (angel) will say: "Here is (this Record) ready with me!" 24. (And it will be said): "Both of you throw (Order from Allah to the two angels) into Hell, every stubborn disbeliever (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messengers, etc.). 25. "Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter, 26. "Who set up another ilah (god) with Allah, then (both of you) cast him in the severe torment." 27. His companion (Satan devil)] will say: "Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds) but he was himself in error far astray." 28. Allah will say: "Dispute not in front of Me, I had already, in advance, sent you the threat. 29. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves." 30. On the Day when We will say to Hell: "Are you filled?" It will say: "Are there any more (to come)?" 31. And Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqun (pious - see V.2:2) not far off. 32. (It will be said): "This is what you were promised, - (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered, and worship none but Allah Alone, i.e. follow Allah's Religion, Islamic Monotheism). 33. "Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allah) in the Ghaib (unseen): (i.e. in this worldly life before seeing and meeting Him), and brought a heart turned in repentance (to Him - and absolutely free from each and every kind of polytheism), 34. "Enter you therein in peace and security; this is a Day of eternal life!" 35. There they will have all that they desire, and We have more (for them, i.e. a glance at the All-Mighty, All-Majestic ÌáÌáÇáå ). 36. And how many a generation We have destroyed before them, who were stronger in power than them, and (when Our Torment came) they ran for a refuge in the land! Could they find any place of refuge (for them to save themselves from destruction)? 37. Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful. 38. And indeed We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in six Days and nothing of fatigue touched Us. 39. So bear with patience (O Muhammad ) all that they say, and glorify the Praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting (i.e. the Fajr, Zuhr, and 'Asr prayers) . 40. And during a part of the night (also), glorify His praises (i.e. Maghrib and 'Isha prayers), and (so likewise) after the prayers [As-Sunnah, Nawafil optional and additional prayers, and also glorify, praise and magnify Allah - Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu-Akbar]. 41. And listen on the Day when the caller will call from a near place, 42. The Day when they will hear As-Saihah (shout, etc.) in truth, that will be the Day of coming out (from the graves i.e. the Day of Resurrection). 43. Verily, We it is Who give life and cause death; and to Us is the final return, 44. On the Day when the earth shall be cleft, from off them, (they will come out) hastening forth. That will be a gathering, quite easy for Us. 45. We know of best what they say; and you (O Muhammad ) are not a tyrant over them (to force them to Belief). But warn by the Qur'an, him who fears My Threat. 98/1. Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them Clear Evidence,- (cont'd..)