The sun is nature’s laboratory, in which atomic reaction converts into light. Cows are a living laboratory in which grass converts into milk. Trees are also a laboratory of nature, which take in water, minerals and gases and convert them into blossoms and fruits.
God requires man to undergo the same process of conversion as sun, trees and animals undergo with such perfection. But there is one difference: in other things, conversion is an instinctive process, whereas in man it is a conscious one; in other things conversion occurs on a material plane, whereas in man it occurs on a spiritual plane.
Normally, we just observe the outside world, but we should do more than just observe. The Creator of the universe requires us to see His reflection in the mirror of His creation. Facts may enter our minds as information, but we should convert this information into knowledge of God. When we are successful in this world, we should attribute our success wholly to God. When we fail we should, through our failure, see how helpless man is. When we have cause for complaint against anybody, our inner mechanism should convert resentment into forgiveness and pardon.
Land, which converts earth into trees, is fertile land; land, which does not do this, is sterile. So it is with man. Whoever is able to awaken his inner mechanism, in such a way that it begins to convert raw matter into sublime matter, is a true believer. One whose inner mechanism is unable to do this is a disbeliever. The former can look forward to heaven when he comes before God, whereas the latter can look forward to nothing but hellfire.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is an Islamic spiritual scholar who has authored over 200 books on Islam, spirituality, and peaceful coexistence in a multi-ethnic society.