4 / 32
Page 4
The Islamic Bulletin
Volume XXV No. 29
T
HE
P
URPOSE
O
F
L
IFE
Some people argue that there is no proof of any divine
origin, there is no proof that there’s a God, there’s no proof that
this universe has come about through any divine purpose. They
say that perhaps this world came about by chance. That there
was a big bang and this whole great world with all its orchestra-
tion just came together. And they argue that this life doesn’t have
a definite purpose and that it cannot be proven through logic
or science that there is a God, or purpose, or any divine reason
behind this world.
Here I would like to mention a few verses from the Qu-
ran that address this subject.
o9HULO\ ,Q WKH FUHDWLRQ RI WKH KHDYHQV DQG WKH HDUWK DQG LQ
WKH DOWHUQDWLRQ RI QLJKW DQG GD\ WKHUH DUH LQGHHG VLJQV IRU
PHQ RI XQGHUVWDQGLQJ ZKR UHPHPEHU $OODK VWDQGLQJ VLWWLQJ
DQG O\LQJ GRZQ RQ WKHLU VLGHV DQG FRQWHPSODWH WKH FUHDWLRQ
RI WKH KHDYHQV DQG WKH HDUWK DQG FRQFOXGH o2XU /RUG <RX
KDYH QRW FUHDWHG DOO WKLV ZLWKRXW SXUSRVH JORU\ WR <RX *UDQW
XV VDOYDWLRQ IURP WKH WRUPHQW RI WKH )LUH p
[Quran 3: 190-191]
In the above verses, Allah first draws attention to the
creation of our own being. He (SWT) then draws attention to the
heavens and the alternation of the night and the day. And then
He (SWT) says to us that He has not created all of this for any
foolish purpose! .
My dear respected guests- I ask you one more question.
When you see a bridge, a building, or an automobile, you auto-
matically consider the person or the company that constructed it.
Yet, these are just things that are manufactured by human beings.
What about the human body? Think about the brain—
how it analyzes, stores information, retrieves information,
distinguishes and categorizes information in the millionth of a
second! This is the brain that made the automobile, the rocket
ship, the boats, and so on. Think about the heart-- how it pumps
continuously for sixty or seventy years, taking and discharging
blood throughout the body, and maintaining that steady precision
throughout the life of that person. Who regulates that? Human
beings? No.
What about this universe? The Earth is one planet in
our solar system. And our solar system is one of the systems in
the Milky Way. And the Milky Way is one of the constellations in
that galaxy. And there are millions of galaxies like the Milky Way.
They are not colliding with each other. Did human beings set
that into motion? No! For instance, let’s say you take ten marbles
and number them one to ten. All the marbles are different colors.
Let’s say you put them in a bag and you shake the bag. And then
you close your eyes and reach inside that bag. What if I told you.
“Pull out marble number one. And then pull out marble number
two. And then pull out marble number three , in order.” What is
the chance of your pulling out those marbles in order? Twenty-six
million to one! So what’s the chance of the Heavens and the
Earth being thrown together in a big bang and orchestrated like
they are? What’s the likelihood of that?
Think about the oceans, the fish, the insects, the birds,
the plants, bacteria, the chemical elements that have not been
discovered and cannot be detected even with the most sophis-
ticated instruments. Yet, each one of them has a law which they
follow. Did this happen by chance? No.
The being that is deserving of praise and gratitude is
God. God created all of this and maintains all of this. Therefore,
God deserves praise and gratitude.
Is God not worthy of praise and thanks? Is He not wor-
thy of worship and recognition? My brothers and sisters, that is
the purpose of life.
I’m very honored to have this opportunity to address
you. First of all I want to say that this is not a lecture. I don’t
think that I’m prepared to lecture. But it’s sort of advice for my-
self. Just a little while ago I was where some of you are. Chris-
tian, non-Muslim, whatever - it doesn’t matter. I was not aware
of Islam. And I did not understand the purpose of life!
So I request you to think about what I’m saying as
information and suggestions--not a lecture. It is my responsibil-
ity to address the topic: what is the purpose of our life? And to
ask the question: What do you know about Islam? I mean what
do you really know about Islam. Not what you’ve heard about
Islam. Not what you’ve seen in the action of some Muslims.
But, instead. What do you know about Islam. I would like to
begin by saying that all of us have an equal responsibility. And
that responsibility is to read or listen with an open heart and an
open mind.
In a world filled with prejudice it is very hard to find
people who will think about life objectively and try to arrive at
the truth and the purpose of our lives. Unfortunately, when you
ask most people the question, “What is the purpose of life?”
They will not tell you what they have concluded through obser-
vation or analytical reasoning. Instead, in most cases, they will
tell you what is commonly presumed by others-- their father,
their minister or their teacher.
If I ask anyone about the purpose of eating, “Why do
we eat?,” Most people will answer, in one word or another, “It’s
for nutrition!” If I ask anyone why they work? They will say in
order to support themselves and to provide for the needs of
their family. If I ask anyone why they sleep, why they wash, why
they dress, etc., they will answer, “This is a common necessity
for all human beings.” Why is it, that when I ask the question,
“What is the goal and the purpose of life?,” that I get so many
different answers? That’s because people are confused. And
rather than saying, “I don’t know,” they offer an answer that
they’ve been programmed to answer.
Let’s think about this. Is our purpose in this world sim-
ply to eat, sleep, dress, work, acquire material things and enjoy
ourselves? Is this our purpose? Is this why we were born? Think
about that question!