A fool lives to eat whereas a wise man eats to live. But this leaves an unanswered question,  for what purpose? Simply living is not the end itself, there must be a purpose to live for.

To a non-believer the human existence can seem ironic, we have one instinct which is to survive and there’s only one guarantee in life…we won’t.

To those who read the Quran and try to understand they will get clarity, guidance and purpose. For instance, in the Quran, Surah Imran ayat 185:

“Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.”

It becomes very clear, this life should be spent living righteously. The Quran and hadith give us complete guidance, a blueprint which shows us how we should conduct our life. It gives insight as to the type of moral character we should embody if we want to achieve paradise. It teaches us to care, to love, to give charity to the poor, to pray, to fast, to be humble, and grateful.

This world was not created by accident and we were not sent without a purpose and so this rabbana dua was revealed.

 

Rabbana ma khalaqta haza bathila full dua with translation:

رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Rabbana ma khalaqa haza bathila subhanaka faqina adhaban-Naar
Meaning: Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. Glory to You! Save us, then, from the chastisement of the Fire.
Surah Imran 191

The full translation of the Imran ayah 191 is:

[1] Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], [2] “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; [3] then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

[1] Allah mentions a person who is constantly remembering Him in everything he does. Whether he is standing, sitting or on their side (meaning laying down). Standing could be reference to remembering Allah when travelling to work, to school, when your on the go. When you finally get the chance to rest by sitting you’re still remembering Allah, and finally when the day is over before falling asleep you remember Allah.

This ayah shows the kind of person where everything becomes a reminder of Allah. If you do take a minute and pause, look out the window into the sky, see the clouds, look at nature and you can’t help but be amazed. Look at civilization and the complexity of our society, everything becomes a reminder to worship Allah. 

[2] With all these signs of the creator you can arrive at the truth. Just being an observer you can recognize there must be something greater. The phenomenon of the universe could not be without a God.

[3] Once a person sees the order of the universe, they come to realization that the creator would not have endowed man and women with wisdom, moral conscience, and free will and let them roam freely without any repercussions for their actions. This deep reflection will make them realize they will be answerable for their deeds in an afterlife. This conviction leads them to seek refuge in Allah to receive protection from ‘the punishment of the fire’.