Objectives of life why are we here?

1. Objectives of our life – Why are we here?
Our life onearthis onlya primarytestingperiod.We are notsupposedtorelax andenjoyourselves
duringthe test,we shouldnotexpectthatthe testquestionsare clearlyknowninadvance,we
shouldexpect difficultiesduringthe test,andwe will be rewardedaccordingtoourfaith,our
obedience,ourcompassion,andourgooddeeds
Althoughthe wise teacherknowsthe hardworkingstudentswhowill passthe examandthe careless
studentswhowill fail,he preparesregularexamsastestimoniessothatthe studentswouldnotsay
that the teacherhad favouredsome studentsoverthe others.Examsalsourge studentstoget
preparedinorderto succeed
The fair teacherpromisesthe studentsthattheywillbe able tovalidate the testresultsandtheywill
confirmthat the resultsare accurate andfair
AlthoughGodknowswhat’sinour heartsand whateach of us mightdo,he testsusand wantsus to
witnessourowntestresultstoadmitthat we have beenfairlyrewardedaccordingtoour
achievementsasrecordedinthe testresults
Objectives of life according to the teachings of Judaism
God testsyouin thisprimarystage of life –testingperiod –Exodus20:20 – Deuteronomy8:2,
Deuteronomy13:3 to knowwhoobeysandwhodoesnot obey
Accordingto the teachingsof Moses,people are testedandthose whoobeyGodwill be blessed,
while those whorepel will be cursed
I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not (Exodus 16:4)
In Exodus20:20, Mosestaught that God testspeople sothatthe fearof God will be withthemto
keepthemfromsinning
The same teachingisalsofoundin Deuteronomy13:3
God istestingyouto findoutwhetheryoulove himwithall yourheartand withall yoursoul
In Deuteronomy8:2-3,Mosestaught thatGod testspeople inordertoknow what isin theirheart,
whetherornot theywouldkeephiscommands.

2. Deuteronomy4:30 teachesthatin tribulations,people wouldreturntoGodand obeyhisvoice
The teaching‘if you come back to God after testing, He will accept you’ is alsothe objectivesof
testingastaught byJesusinthe parable of the rebelliousson(Luke 15) whenhe wastested,then
repented,he hadbeenaccepted
The same teachingsare confirmedmanytimesinthe holybook
Job23:10 teaches ‘when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold’
Job5:7 teachesthatwe are here fortesting
‘people are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward’
Job5:17 teaches ‘Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of God’
PSALM11:4-5 teaches He watches everyone closely; examining every person on earth.5 God
examines both the righteous and the wicked
Psalm66:10 teaches‘For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined’
PROVERBS17:3 teaches‘The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but God tests
the hearts’
ISAIAH 48:10 teaches ‘I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering’
Jeremiah17:10 teachesthatGod testsus andwill rewardeveryoneaccordingtohisworks
“I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”

3. Objectives of life according to the teachings of Christianity
Jesustaughtthat all of this life isatest;he taughtthat we are ina temporarytestingperiodandwe
are beingpreparedforapermanentlife.He alsotaughtthatthe rewardswill be accordingto our
obedience andourgoodworks
Talkinginparables,JesustaughtthatGod testsusby tribulation,temptation,trials,persecutionand
promisedrewardsinheavenforthose whopassthe testsof persecution, temptation,trials,and
tribulations
Jesushastaught people tostandupfor the truth evenif persecutedbythe badmultitudeswhohate
the truth. He taught that and alsodemonstrateditwhenhe stoodupforthe truth againstthe bad
chief priestswho explainedreligiontotheirbenefits
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven - Matthew5:10
God has setthe worldstage for testing;everydaywe meethungryandpoor;some will helpand
some will refuse tohelp;those are notequallyrewarded
Matthew25:31-45 teachthat whenwe refuse tohelpthe hungry,the stranger,andthe sick,we
refuse tohelpGod
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing
clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did
not do for me.’
In Matthew18:23-35 Jesustaughtus to forgive inorderthatGod forgivesus;he mentionedthat
there are rewardsfor forgivenessandgoodworks
There are muchmore scripture toconfirmthat the objective of thistemporarystage of life onearth
istestingandthat our rewardsinthe eternal lifedependonthe resultsof thattesting;examplesare:

4. Jesustaughtthat there will be testingandsome willfall awayintime of temptationaswrittenin
Luke 8:13 andMark 4:17
Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these
have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Matthew13:21 confirmsthe same message
But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes
because of the word, they quickly fall away
Anotherparable of a testingperiodandthe rewardsis Matthew 25:21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
John18:36 is anotherexample toshow thatlife onearthisnot the target destination
my kingdom is not in earth – but in heaven
That is notjustfor Jesus,buthe taught that we shouldnothave treasuresonearthbut to seekthe
real treasures;the eternal lifeinheaven
Luke 12:16-21 warnthose who store up treasure forthemselves,andare notrich towardGod
John12:25 warn those wholove theirlife inthisworld
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this
world will keep it for eternity. The same is alsoconfirmedinMatthew 10:39
SimilarteachingismentionedinLuke 9:23
Then he saidto themall: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up
their cross daily and follow me”.
The same isalsomentionedinMark8:34

5. Matthew 13:44 teachesthat people shoulddoeverythingtowinGod’srewardsforthe righteous,to
winthe kingdomof heaven
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in
his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field
For that objective,he taughtthatpeople shouldpayeverythingtobuythe eternal life inheaven;he
taught thatwe shouldsell ourlife inthisworldinordertoget the eternal life inheaven
We have the choice to enjoyourlife onearthand treasure moneyignoringtofeedthe hungryorto
sell thislife andspendourmoneyandeffortstohelpthe hungry,the persecuted,andthose who
needhelp.The secondchoice wasJesusrecommendationtowinthe eternal one;the kingdomof
heaven
Jesustaughtthat testingandsufferinghelptoreturna persontohis senses;Luke 15:17 teachesthat
the son came to hissenses,afterhavingundergonesuffering
Jameshas taughtthat testingisa chance for us to grow,developpatience,andmature inGod
James1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete
James1:12 teachesthat people will be testedbytemptationsandurgesustoendure the
temptations
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the
crown of life that God has promised to those who love him
Objectives of life according to the teachings of Islam
Whenwe analyse the versesof Quran,we findthatit isthe same message revealedbythe same
God, we alsofindinQuran that life isatestingperiodandthatpeople will be rewardedaccordingto
theirobedienceandaccordingtotheirgood deeds
Quran verse 47:31 clarifiesthatwe are here for testing

6. And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of
God] and the patient, and We will test your affairs
Verse 29:2-3 confirmsthatwe are here fortesting
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?
But We have certainly tried those before them, and God will surely make evident those who are
truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.
Similarteachingsare foundin67:2, 18:7 and 76:2
[He is] The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which
of you is best in deeds: He is the All-Mighty, the All-Forgiving
Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as
to] which of them is best in deed.
Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him
hearing and seeing
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives
and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient
5:48 and6:165 teach that we are ina testingstage andwe are supposedtocompete ingooddeeds
to pass the testand earnour salvation
If God wanted He could have made all of you a single nation. But He willed otherwise in order to
test you in what He has given you; therefore try to compete in good deeds. Ultimately you all
shall return to God; then He will show you the truth of those matters in which you dispute.
6:165 He is the One Who has made you the inheritors of the earth and raised some of you in
ranks over others so that He may test you in what He has given you. Surely God is swift in
retribution; yet He is also very Forgiving, Merciful.
5:71 teachesthatthose whoignore thatthe objectivesof life istestingare blindanddeaf

7. They thought there would be no trial (or punishment); so they became blind and deaf: yet God
(in mercy) turned to them: yet again many of them became blind and deaf. But God sees well all
that they do
3:179 teachesthatGod distinguishesthe wickedfromthe good,peopleare notsupposedtoknow
everythingtopassthattest,but theyare askedto follow the Prophets
God will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the
wicked from the good. Nor will God disclose to you the secrets of the unseen, but God chooses
of His Messengers whom He pleases. So believe in God and His Messengers. And if you believe
and fear God, then for you there is a great reward
Whenthe religionteachersignore thatfact,theycannotprovide logical answertothe most
importantpeople’squestion‘whyamIhere?’
People have the righttoask ‘Before youtell me whattodo,tell me firstwhyam I here and whatare
the objective of mylife onearth?WhydidGod create me?’
If the Jewishscholarsignore thatthe objective of lifeistestingandteachthatthe Jewsare the
chosenpeople of Godandtheyare promisedthe blessingsbecauseof the faithof theirfather
Ibrahim,thenpeople will rejectsuchanswersbecause the scriptureteachesthatGodisnot biased
and that everypersonwillbe judgedaccordingtotheirdeeds;notaccordingtotheirfathersfaith
If the Christianscholarsignore thatthe objectiveof life isatestingperiodandteachthatthe
objective istoacceptJesusas a saviourbecause we are bornsinnersandwe cannot earnour
salvationbygoodworks,people will refertothe teachingsof Jesushimself whotaughtthatlife isfor
testingandthat people canearntheirsalvationbyobedience andbygoodworks
If the Muslimscholarsignore thatthe objectivesof lifeisatestingenvironmentandteachthat the
objective of lifeistoworshipGod,people wouldreplythatGoddoesnotneedourprayers
Whenscientistsandphilosophersignore the factthatour life onearthisonlya primarytestingand
preparationperiod,theycannotprovidelogical answertothe mostimportantquestion‘whyare we
here?,whydoesGodallowsuffering?’

8. Extractedfrommy AmazonBook‘Towardsa BetterLife’
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Towards-better-life-Objectives-
Measures/dp/1515185648/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456426110&sr=1-
4&keywords=sabry+shaheen