The Test Of This World
God has created this universe to test human beings. In order for this test to take place, He has decided to send human beings to this world through the process of procreation. The institution of family has been established in order for life to sustain on earth. Families form societies, and we have to live in these societies in order for our test to take place. It is very important to understand the scheme of God so that we have the right perspective in approaching His message. The entire content of religion can be categorized into ‘al-hikmah’ (the wisdom) and ‘al-kitab’ (the law). Al-Hikmah can be further categorized into ‘imaniyat’ and ‘ikhlaqiyat’. Imaniyat are the matters of creed, however ikhlaqiyat contains wisdom about matters related to our relationship with God as well as other people. Al-kitab on the other hand contains worship rituals, but a large majority of it consists of laws relating to other people. For example, laws about nikah, tallaq, state and political matters, economic matters, inviting others towards Islam, rules of jihad, etc. are all part of al-kitab. Once we understand God’s scheme and His message in the framework of His scheme, it’s very clear that it’s not His intent for people to go through their tests in seclusion. We must remain in the examination room in order for the examination to take place.