Principles of Islam
57. Trial
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57. TRIAL
Man is free in this world. God has not placed any
curbs on him. But this freedom is for the purpose of
putting man to the test, and is not meant to
encourage him to lead a life of permissiveness, like
the animals and then just pass away one day.
Rather its purpose is that man should lead a
morally upright life
of his own free will,
thus
demonstrating that he is of the highest moral
character.
One who conducts himself in this manner should be
reckoned as God’s special servant who, without any
apparent compulsion, chose to be a man of
principle; who, without being subjected to any
external force, did of his own free will, what his
Lord would have desired. This liberty accorded to
man gives him the opportunity to gain credit for
being the most superior of all God’s creatures.
All the things in this world are God’s subjects. The
stars and satellites rotate in space entirely at their
Lord’s bidding. Trees, rivers, mountains, and all
other such natural phenomena are functioning
