Have you ever wondered why we are here in this world? With everyone seemed to be racing to achieve the epitome of success (whatever that is) in this world, very few of us really give serious thought about our very existence, the purpose of our lives. Having listened to numerous islamic lectures, I subscribe to the believe that life is but a test and that whatever happens is pre-determined by the Almighty Allah as a form of trial for us to exercise our blessed gift of free choice.
I remember attending a public lecture by Dr Jeffrey Lang, an American revert to Islam, on 10 May 2008 at HDB Hub Auditorium on a topic Struggling to Surrender : A Journey to Islam. Dr Lang described his childhood experience, growing up with his siblings under the care of a very loving mother and sometimes abusive father. He also related his growing up period from being a Christian to become an Atheist and ultimately a Muslim. This was a backdrop of his lecture to give an idea how he travelled his life journey in search of the true peace he never had before he reverted to Islam. It was very interesting to note his insights from reading the Quran. He highlighted 3 main themes which he noted are repeatedly emphasised in the Quran: Intelligence, Choice and Sufferings. He said that Allah has bestowed upon human the intelligence so that they can think in order to make choices and sufferings are Allah's creation which are necessary in order for choices to be made. He also shared his understanding of Allah's many attributes such as merciful, compassionate, beneficient, gracious, protector, peaceful etc.. "breathed' into the souls of every human during pregnancy (as narrated in the Quran) which form a basis for human character development. As human grow, the choices they made will feed their natural attributes to grow either negatively or positively, developing the individual character. Thus, Islam has provided him a better understanding of the purpose of life.
I agree with Dr Lang's view on the purpose of life which he articulated so well. I am sure we are not programmed like the angels (as implied in the Quran surah Al-Baqarah verse 30) to effortlessly obey Allah's every command, but we are required to obey all His commands by using the blessed gift of intelligence to make the right choices in order to stay on the right path as we travel the journey in our lives towards the hereafter to be rewarded or punished for our deeds on earth.
My Doa
I seek Allah's guidance to show me the right path and that I will make the right choices with all that are presented to me. I seek Allah's mercy and blessings to increase my patience (steadfastness) in coping with every impasse. I pray that Allah will not put me to a test that I cannot bear.
Ameen.
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