Do you just exist? Or are you alive?

This is a very important question for every human being. Every human being must ask himself, Do I just merely exist, or am I alive? First of all, I would like to explain the true meaning and the difference between exist and alive. If you eat, drink, marry, and have children without any aim or goal, then you simply just exist, like any animals or insects, which have no goal or aim. When you do not care about your religion; when you are living without any target, practically, you are then a walking and talking dead person, who hasn't lost his soul yet. As Allah says in the holy Quran Suwrah 20, But he who turned away from remembrance of Me will have a tight and difficult life, and We shall bring him back blind to the assembly on the day of resurrection, and he will say, O Allah! Why did you resurrect me blind when I was able to see? He will respond, So must it be, because our revelations came unto you, but you forgot them. In the same manner, you are forgotten on this day." But you as a human being should never live without a purpose or goal. As Allah says in the holy Quran Suwrah 23, "Did you think that we had created you in vain, without any purpose, and that you would not be brought back to us?" And as Allah says in Suwrah 75, "Does man think that he will be left neglected without being punished or rewarded for the duties demanded from Allah?" The aim of our life Allah tells us that He had created us to worship Him alone; it means that we have to obey Allah by following all of His orders and His messenger, to live in happiness in this world and in the day after. As Allah says in Suwrah 51, "And I did not create jinn and mankind, except to worship Me alone." Worship means to establish the religion of Allah (Islam), which means to direct all of our life in accordance with our religion, in all our activities and deeds. As Allah says in Suwrah 30, "So, O Muhammed, direct all of your life towards the religion (Islam Monotheism) and worship none other than Allah alone." And also in the same Suwrah Allah says, "O Muhammed, direct all of your life to the straight and right religion (Islam Monotheism) before there comes a day from Allah which none can avoid. On that day, men shall be divided in two groups, a group in paradise, and a group in hellfire." And as Allah says in Suwrah 42, Allah has ordained for you the same religion which He has ordained for Noah and that which we have revealed to you O Muhammed, and that which we ordained for Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying you together should establish religion, and make no deviations from it."

So, you as a Muslim should work toward establishing your religion, making it your purpose and goal. If you do it, you will be alive and not just existing, and you will be in welfare and enjoyment in this life, and in bliss in the last day. As Allah says in Suwrah 6, "Is the one who was dead, meaning without faith, after we give him life and set for him a light of belief whereby he can walk amongst men on the straight way, like the one who is in the darkness from which he can never come out?" And as Allah says in Suwrah 8, O you who believe heed the call of Allah by obeying Him and His messenger, when he calls you to that which will give you life." And as Allah says in Suwrah 6, "Say, O Muhammed, verily, my pray, my rituals, my living, my dying, are all for Allah, the lord of the universe. He has no partner, and on this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslim." And as our prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him and upon all messengers of Allah before him) said in a sound Hadith reported by Albokhary, "The example of one who remembers Allah and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead." The word of dead in this Hadith does not mean the man who does not remember Allah is physically dead, rather it means that he is just existing but only like any animal or insect without any aim. Unlike them, the true human being who remembers Allah is alive, not just existing. How can we establish the religion of Allah? We can establish our religion of Allah when we worship Him. We should know that worship is a term which includes all revealed and concealed good speeches and deeds which Allah loves and is satisfied with. Allah has revealed to all His messengers to order all the people to worship Him alone, because He alone has the power to create and the authority to order, as Allah says in Suwrah 2, O mankind, worship your lord Allah alone, who created you and those before you, so that you may become the pious. And as Allah says in Suwrah 39, Verily We have sent down the book to you, O Muhammed, in truth. So worship Allah alone by doing religious deeds sincerely, for the sake of Allah only. And as Allah says in Suwrah 39, Say, O Muhammed, to disbelievers, Do you order me to worship other than Allah? O you ignorance. And indeed it has been revealed to you, O Muhammed, and to those before you all messengers of Allah, if you associate others in worship with Allah, then surely all your deeds will be wasted, and you will definitely be among the losers. Worship Allah alone and be among the grateful. How can we worship Allah? We can worship Allah by obeying His orders, which means that we should do three things: Listen to the instructions of Allah and His prophet Muhammed. Understand and comprehend the orders of Allah.

 Obey and follow what Allah has ordered us to do. As Allah says in Suwrah 24, The only word from the faithful when they hear the commands of Allah is, O our Lord, we shall follow and obey. Because Allah has created us to obey, once Allah or His prophet decrees any matter, there is no option for a true believer (man or women) but obey. Allah promised to reward us for obeying Him, as He says in Suwrah 4, Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger Muhammed has indeed attained a great success. On the other hand, Allah promised punishment for those who disobeyed Him and His messenger Muhammed, as Allah says in Suwrah71, Whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger, indeed, will have eternal life in hellfire. If you want to be alive, not just existing, as Allah has instructed us to be, you should use all the blessings and bounties which Allah has granted to you, such as wealth, children, spouse, health and job, and then make all of that available to establish your religion. As Allah says in Suwrah 28, "But seek, with (wealth) which Allah has blessed you, the home of the hereafter, and do not forget your share of lawful enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land, verily, Allah does not like the transgressors (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief makers, corrupters, evil doers). So, the blessings that Allah has given us are not the goals in themselves. We do not live for them, and they do not last with us; because when we die, we will leave without any belongings; because we came to this life with nothing, and we will depart with nothing also. So the goal is beyond the children, beyond the spouses, and beyond the wealth. The goal is the religion itself, and everything else should be used for the sake of this religion and to establish it.