To what is your life dedicated?

I have given our sermon today the above title based on the realization that nothing, and I repeat, nothing in our world is without a purpose –  a rain droplet, a leaf that drops from the tree, the earthquake that occurred in Turkey that led to more than three thousand fatalities, that single sperm that succeeds, […]

I have given our sermon today the above title based on the realization that nothing, and I repeat, nothing in our world is without a purpose –  a rain droplet, a leaf that drops from the tree, the earthquake that occurred in Turkey that led to more than three thousand fatalities, that single sperm that succeeds, from among millions, in fertilizing the egg in the woman’ uterus, the victory of the victorious and the loss of the vanquished- none of these events and billions of others could be happenstances. None of them could ever happen by themselves. God does not play dice, so says Albert Einstein. If, however, you desire to know or chance upon the wisdom behind these events in the phenomena then you must first of all become god. But you and I know that there can be no other god but God.

The above title also becomes germane for yet another reason – nothing in the phenomena lives or is created for itself.  In other words, if indeed it is true that everything in nature has a purpose, it is only logical that that purpose should be beyond the created itself; that all entities in nature are created to serve purposes far above and beyond themselves. For example, rivers do not drink their own waters; the trees do not eat their own fruits, the fragrance from the beautiful flowers are useful not for the latter but for other entities and elements in nature including humanity.

In human physiology, there are evidences in support of the above. All our organs are contrived to serve purposes beyond themselves. Our sensory organs, our genitals, and in fact the whole human body are designed by the Fashioner, the Creator, the Almighty, for more solemn, subtle and profound purposes – to recognize and affirm His existence: and to worship Him preparatory to eternal life.  He says: “Do you then think that We created you only for sport and that you would not be returned to Us?”. He therefore commands as follows; ‘Say:  “My Prayer, and all my (other) acts and forms of devotion and worship, and my living and my dying are for God alone, the Lord of the worlds: (Quran 6: 162).

Now if the above perspectives are valid, therefore it should become axiomatic that the world, our world, is in the abyss of conflicts and crises today simply because humanity has lost or forgotten the purpose of its creation and existence on earth. I am equally confident of this argument that aside from leadership deficits and inadequate capacities on the part of those superintending the affairs of our nation today, the disruptions and difficulties we are facing as a nation have resulted from the assumption on our part that we are actually in life to live for ourselves only, not to worship the Almighty and never for the promotion of the welfare of others. We have consequently constituted ourselves as ends, the pleasure of which everything in creation must be dedicated.

In other words, not a few amongst us hold the belief that life on earth is for this earth; that life of and in this world is for this world. This materialist view of life and existence, while sourcing its foundation in the self actually manifests and has wider-cum-global implications. The materialist conception of earthly life sees the world as immanent, not transcendent. It considers earthly life not any way more dignifying than that of the animals in whose world life and living finds no other value other than that of eating, drinking, copulation and the indulgence in vacuous pursuits of other sensual pleasures. Humans who hold beliefs like this are usually at the periphery of life. Their similitude is like that of the thirsty man who seeks satiation of his thirst in waters of the ocean. Such men and women would never find contentment. The Quran also refers to them as those while thirsty take mirages for water-fountains.

The Prophet of the Almighty, upon him be peace, says that which have been destined for you and me shall be ours without much toil and labor on our part; that which has not been written for us shall never be ours no matter how frenetic we are in our efforts to obtain them.

Therefore, dear brother and sister, ask yourself this question- exactly, to what is your life dedicated? Is it to the ephemeral and the chimerical? Or is your focus in life the attainment of eternal life? It is indeed very instructive to note that no matter whatever your concerns in life may be, it should be concerning that the clock is counting down, not up.