"And strive hard in Allah's way with your wealth and your lives..." - (9:41.)

The third question relates to the object of man's life here below, and the means by which those objects may be attained.

Real object

It is needless to say that different men have, on account of their superficial views on narrow mindedness, set before themselves different objects generally limited to a gratification of low desires and pleasures of this world. But the Almighty has declared a higher aim of man's existence:

"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me" - (51:56.)

The real object of man's life according to the Quran is, therefore, a true knowledge and worship of God and a total resignation to His will so that whatever is said or done is for His will only. One thing, at least, is plain: man has no choice in the matter of fixing the aim of life. He is a creature, and the Creator, Who has brought him into existance and bestowed upon him higher and more excellent faculties than upon other animals, has also assigned an object to his existance. A man may or may not understand it, or a hundred different motives may hold him back from achieving it, but the truth is that the grand aim of man's life consists in knowing and worshipping God and living for His sake. The Lord says:

"Lo! religion with Allah is Islam…" - (3 : 18.)

"So set thy face for religion, being upright, the nature made by Allah in which He has created men. There is no altering Allah's creation. That is the right religion…" - (30:30.)

We cannot enter into a detailed commentary on these verses here. Something has already been said in answer to the third part of the first question regarding this point. We may, however, add a few remarks upon the wonderful aptitude of the faculties of man for Islam.

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