How Do Muslims View the Nature of Man, the Purpose of Life and the Life Hereafter?

In the Holy Qur'aan, Allaah teaches human beings that they were created in order to

glorify and worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness. All of

Allaah's creatures worship him naturally and only the humans have the free will to worship

Allaah their Creator or to reject Him. This is a great test, but also a great honor. Since the

teachings of Islaam encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is

encouraged in all human affairs. Islaam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship

if they are done for God alone and in accordance to His Divine Scripture and Law. As such,

worship in Islaam is not limited to religious rituals, and for this reason it is more properly

known as ‘way of life’ than a religion. The teachings of Islaam act as a mercy and a healing

for the human soul, and qualities such as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly

encouraged. Additionally, Islaam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Almighty God

is the only judge of human righteousness.

The Islaamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and well-balanced in that human

beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are seen as equally capable of both good

and evil; it is their choice. Islaam teaches that faith and action go hand-in-hand. God has

given people free-will, and the measure of one's faith is their deeds and actions. However,

since human beings have also been created innately weak and regularly fall into sin, they are

in need of continually seeking guidance and repentance, which is, in itself , also a form of

worship loved by Allaah. The nature of the human being as created by God in His Majesty

and Wisdom, is not inherently ‘corrupt’ or in need of repair. The avenue of repentance is

always open to all. Almighty God knew that humans were going to make mistakes, so the real

test is whether they seek repentance for their sins and try to avoid them, or if they prefer a

life of heedlessness and sin, knowing well that it is not pleasing to God. The true balance of

an Islaamic life is established by having a healthy fear of Allaah's rightful punishment for

crimes and sins, as well as a sincere belief that Allaah, in His infinite Mercy, takes pleasure in

bestowing His reward for our good deeds and sincere worship to Him. A life without fear of

Allaah leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that we have sinned so much that God

will not possibly forgive us only leads to despair. In the light of this fact, Islaam teaches that

only the misguided despair of the Mercy of their Lord, and only wicked criminals are devoid of

the fear of Allaah their Creator and Judge. The Holy Qur'aan as revealed to the Prophet

Muhammad, peace be upon him, also contains a great deal of teachings about life in the

hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that all human beings will ultimately be