This world was created on the principle of trial. For this purpose, Allah has employed diversity in every part of the world and developed the highest level of harmony within this diversity.
Everything is different yet carries an element of harmony with other counterparts. The entire universe is a miraculous combination of harmony and diversity. Therefore, when we look around, we find that the universe is replete with colors of diversity and wonders of innovation. Its diversity is an epitome of beauty and grandeur. Its differentiation is a miracle of discipline and sequence. The diversity not only marks the appellation of the universe but also of the existence of humans.
Our face and color are different from other humans. Our sound, cadence, gait, and appearance are also different. The difference is not restricted to our external features but also exists in our inner being.
Differences are clear like broad daylight in our tastes, interests, habits, attitudes, disposition, and moods. All these differences are means of trial. Trial implies that every individual faces the test of maintaining the highest level of purity in his words and actions.
The result of this test will arrive in the Hereafter, and rewards and punishments will be awarded according to the performance in the worldly life.
This is the case with religion. It raises a question in the mind of every rational person, that is, why the opportunities for performance are not equal for all, upon which the reward and punishment of the Hereafter will be imposed? If trial is a test of knowledge and practice, then why have not all human beings been given equal abilities, equal conditions, and equal opportunities in terms of both? Moreover, Allah has opened the way for the knowledge of the heavens on the one hand by appointing some human beings to the position of prophethood and on the other hand has protected their actions by guarding them from the devils. When philosophers ponder over the divine scheme of reward and punishment based on performance in knowledge and practice, they feel disenchanted towards religion. Similarly, when Sufis face the same problem, they find consolation in creating alternative worlds for the attainment of different statuses. The panic persuades philosophers to declare the universe synonymous with God and feel satisfaction in interpreting its changes and actions as coincidences. Sufis target the perfections of prophethood and try to peer through the heavens by resorting to diverse activities, secluded meditations, and mystic exercises to satisfy their increasing desires for direct communication with God.
The response to this action from our traditional religious scholars is that no doubt opportunities for performance vary for people, but the principle is that the harder the test, the better the reward, and the minor the test, the minimum the reward. A simple example of this is that, though the punishment of rejection is harder for the direct addressees of a prophet, obedience also brings the reward through the status of a prophet’s companion. The question is, why did people of other times not get the opportunity to take a big risk to get a big prize? The answer is that the distribution of opportunities in the world and then the reward and punishment accordingly are man’s own choice. Hence, man has no right to object to it. Humans themselves have suggested these testing opportunities for themselves.
Allah Almighty says in Surah al-Kahf (18):
And the Qur’an explains it claiming that man himself chose to carry the burden of this trust. Moreover, it states that each human being existed individually at that time.
Therefore, apparently there is no reason not to believe that every human being was given the right to choose the level of the trial.
We believe that this answer is not satisfactory enough. If we ponder over the book of Allah, the answer we get is that everything that exists on the earth has been created for the sake of this test. In the words of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, our great mentor, “it (the world) is a means of a test. By placing man on this earth, Allah Almighty is seeing whether a man utilizes it to gain recognition of his Creator and resultantly earns success in the Hereafter or loses his way falling prey to its deceptions.
‘The world is a place for a test. In it, we see who seeks success in the Hereafter by using reason, and who pursues his desires by falling in love with this world. As per the requirement of the test, we have put a deceptive cloud of beauty on the face of this world. There is great attraction and charm in wealth and children, in its fields, gardens, and fireplaces, its cars and rooms, its palaces and houses, and its presidencies and ministries. Its pleasures are urgent and quick, and its hardships are hidden. Conversely, the achievements of the Hereafter are distant, and those who seek those achievements have to face a variety of hardships in this world in a regular flow. It is a tough test. It is not easy for any slave of desires. Only those who have such a deep insight that no matter how many different beautiful shapes the world takes
Explaining the above Qur’anic verse, Mawlānā Amin Ahsan Iṣlāḥī writes:
‘Whatever is on the earth, We have made it its adornment so that We test people to see who among them does good deeds.’
before them, they recognize its truth, like an old lady who has seen thousands of husbands. They never fall in love with it to lose the permanent rewards of the Hereafter. As for those who have blinded the eyes of their minds and hearts and embraced slavery to their desires, they will never be ready to lose the immediate bounties for the distant but lasting reward of the Hereafter despite every particle of this world proving it a reality (Tadabbur e Qur’an 4/558).’