Islam As It Is
The Hereafter
~ 73 ~
that they were people who struggled on earth in the
path of God.
Man is being tested in this world to see what
response he offers in certain given situations. It is
man and man alone who is being tested in this way.
An inanimate object, such as a stone or a piece of
wood, would not find itself required to give
responses to varying sets of circumstances. Man, on
the other hand, is an aware, sensate being, who is
stirred by the situations he faces in life, and who
reacts to them mentally and physically, in word and
in deed. God has given man freedom of thought
and action in this world, and herein lies man’s real
test, for God has given man this freedom to see how
he uses it—whether, for example, he returns abuse
for abuse, malice for malice, or whether he suffers
these things, yet offering only prayers and goodwill
in return.
Man’s response to the situations he faces in life can
take one of two forms: the infernal or the heavenly.
An infernal response is one which is categorically
opposed to the will of God, while a heavenly
response is one which humbly conforms to His will.
