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Spirit of Islam Issue 35 November 2015
Paradise is the
natural culmination
of creation which
at a certain point of
time had a definite
beginning.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE
Towards a Spiritual Civilization
P
ARADISE is no mystery. As we know, the earth was initially an
inchoate, molten mass. Over time the surface of the earth cooled
and became the crust, eventually taking the form of our world
as we know it today. In a similar way, another transformation will take
place in the future—but to a far greater extent—at that time, our earth
will be turned into Paradise.
In this world, many things are brought into existence as a result of
conversion. For example, rain results from the conversion of water
vapour in the atmosphere into liquid water. A tree represents the
conversion of a seed, using the soil’s nutrients. Machines are a
conversion of raw materials such as iron and steel into complex
mechanisms. The industrial world ensures the conversion of inert
materials into socially-useful commodities.
Likewise, in future, a conversion shall take place on a far grander scale,
changing this far from ideal world into an ideal one. This in religious
terms would be Paradise. This instance of conversion is referred to, in
the Quran in the following verse:
When the earth is changed into another earth.
(THE QURAN 14: 48)
On our earth, conversion from one form or
state into another is a repeated, continuous,
known natural process—a normal, everyday
occurrence. This being so, believing in Paradise
is the same as believing in the continuance
of a predictable series of events. It is just
like saying that the thousandth product is
being delivered from a manufacturing plant
that has already produced nine hundred and
ninety nine of the same.
Paradise is not just a matter of religious belief or dogma. According to
the eternal laws of nature, Paradise is a state that is bound to come into
existence. A study of the laws governing earthly systems shows that
the present world is under a continuous evolutionary process, of which
Paradise, is the ultimate phase. Paradise is the natural culmination of a
creation which at a certain point in time had a definite beginning.
Astronomical studies show that the universe is incredibly vast. It is