Purpose in life

[TashaN]

So, The Truth, the purpose of life is to serve Allah?

How? What will you be doing throughout your life to serve Allah?
The same question is posed to Christians who have posted here as well. How will you be serving God throughout your life - and how can you be sure that you're actually serving Him?

Serving Allah is not just words we believe in and that's all.

first of all, we have to believe in God truly and don't worship anything beside him because God said in Quran that the most unforgivable thing is to worship others with God.

Then, i have to apply Islam as a system for my life and to be nice to my parents and to other people on earth... etc.

 

[Snowbear]

Yes; the purpose of life is one's own happiness and pleasure.

Huh. If that's the case, my life has no purpose

If you break down any human action you will see that people have only two reasons for doing anything--the avoidance of pain or the gain of pleasure. Even altruism is subject to this--people do apparently "selfless" acts because of the feelings they get for themselves. It pleases them to help another, and if they didn't help, they might feel the pain of guilt.

Maybe so. But I disagree with the "all actions" statement. It's my job to help others. It's seldom I actually gain pleasure from it... I just do the task assigned. As for avoiding guilt ~ I suppose by doing the assigned tasks, I'm avoiding getting fired If you are thinking I do it for the money - well, yes that's gain, but gaining money is not a source of pleasure. It's just a living. It's not avoiding guilt, either. I could survive just fine if I did a job I hate or had no job at all.

How about posting on RF? I actually rarely find any pleasure or happiness or avoidance of guilt by posting here. Sometimes (often?) it's actually frustrating. Even just reading some of the posts offends me deeply.... when that's the case I just close the post and move on. So why an I here? I actually came here 'cause I thought it was a 'safe' place to learn more about and discuss my newfound Faith. Turns out it far less 'safe' than I thought it would be. So why do I stick around? I dunno. just stewpid I guess

To be honest, there are a few things I do that bring me great pleasure, but they are by no means the purpose of my existance.....

 

[ayani]

To be honest, there are a few things I do that bring me great pleasure, but they are by no means the purpose of my existance.....

hmm... but are pleasure and purposefulness the same thing?

if you ask me, not at all in many cases.

 

[Snowbear]

hmm... but are pleasure and purposefulness the same thing?

Nope. They are not. Which was the point of my post

 

[TashaN]

hmm... but are pleasure and purposefulness the same thing?

if you ask me, not at all in many cases.

when you gain pleasure so that would make you feel happy inside your heart and that will increase your faith but it's not the purpose of life or existance.

I know many succeful managers for example, have girls as much as they want, money, postion but they still lack for the peaceful inner soul's pleasure for themselves then some of them get rid of thier lives and they just suicide once they get bored or once they lose thier jobs or thier girls.

 

[Yerda]

Is there a purpose in life?

I don't see purpose in anything.

 

[michel]

Huh. If that's the case, my life has no purpose
Maybe so. But I disagree with the "all actions" statement. It's my job to help others. It's seldom I actually gain pleasure from it... I just do the task assigned. As for avoiding guilt ~ I suppose by doing the assigned tasks, I'm avoiding getting fired If you are thinking I do it for the money - well, yes that's gain, but gaining money is not a source of pleasure. It's just a living. It's not avoiding guilt, either. I could survive just fine if I did a job I hate or had no job at all.

How about posting on RF? I actually rarely find any pleasure or happiness or avoidance of guilt by posting here. Sometimes (often?) it's actually frustrating. Even just reading some of the posts offends me deeply.... when that's the case I just close the post and move on. So why an I here? I actually came here 'cause I thought it was a 'safe' place to learn more about and discuss my newfound Faith. Turns out it far less 'safe' than I thought it would be. So why do I stick around? I dunno. just stewpid I guess

To be honest, there are a few things I do that bring me great pleasure, but they are by no means the purpose of my existance.....

That all sounds 'sad', but there is a lot there with which I can identify. I tend to spend my life doing 'that which needs to be done, before that which I'd like to do', and it hasn't done me much good. Now that I am retired, there is very little 'fun' as I suppose there ought to be.

I just feel at a loose end, and not fit enough to take on new hobbies....There's a lesson in there somewhere, for you younger members.:shout

 

[Snowbear]

I just feel at a loose end...

It's hard to find what you're searching for when you don't know what it is you're seeking, eh.

... not fit enough to take on new hobbies....

Getting fit can be a hobby in itself. Excersize also does wonders to ease emotional stress.
The hardest part is drumming up the motivation to start, though. The next hardest part is finding something (walking, swimming, hiking, indoor machines, gym) that you like enough to stick with it.

There's a lesson in there somewhere, for you younger members.

Yeah. I'm currently building my own house. Every injury I've ever had is coming back to haunt me

:shout

Yep.

 

[Fatmop]

Serving Allah is not just words we believe in and that's all.

first of all, we have to believe in God truly and don't worship anything beside him because God said in Quran that the most unforgivable thing is to worship others with God.

Then, i have to apply Islam as a system for my life and to be nice to my parents and to other people on earth... etc.

So just to set me straight, worshipping Allah is the most important thing in your life - being nice to your parents and other people on Earth is not as important?

I know many succeful managers for example, have girls as much as they want, money, postion but they still lack for the peaceful inner soul's pleasure for themselves then some of them get rid of thier lives and they just suicide once they get bored or once they lose thier jobs or thier girls.

You 'know' them? Do tell! Do you have any actual stories to back that up, or is it simply something you read from a website and thought that broad stereotypes like that tended to help you increase your faith and call all those rich jerks for what they are?

 

[dan]

So just to set me straight, worshipping Allah is the most important thing in your life - being nice to your parents and other people on Earth is not as important?

Well, that is how you serve/glorify God.

You 'know' them? Do tell! Do you have any actual stories to back that up, or is it simply something you read from a website and thought that broad stereotypes like that tended to help you increase your faith and call all those rich jerks for what they are?

Well, I spent many years seeking the pleasures of life and then found out what really berings happiness. Would you like to hear some stories or would that just make me a jerk?

 

[ayani]

maybe a less volatile question would focus less on ultimate answers and ask the individual what brings purpose into their lives. asking folks about ultimates tends to divide rather than unite, i find. why not share what we have in common instead?

 

[Fatmop]

Well, that is how you serve/glorify God.

I prefer to think of it as serving humanity. Why worry about whether or not God is watching you help a little old lady across the street? The true measure of integrity is not what we do when others are watching, but what we do when we feel we are out of sight. I find a compassionate atheist to have much more integrity than a compassionate Christian.

On the other hand, I don't mind that others believe that serving humanity glorifies God/Allah, so long as they don't preach to me. After all, their actions could hardly be identified as 'immoral.'

Well, I spent many years seeking the pleasures of life and then found out what really berings happiness. Would you like to hear some stories or would that just make me a jerk?

We all seek happiness, and would I would love to hear your story, provided it is not of a proselytizing nature. Simply because you happened to find happiness in things other than wealth doesn't mean that all wealthy businessmen are materialists with no purpose in their lives. To draw a generalization from "I used to be a materialist, but I was never happy" to "all materialists are unhappy" is quite a stretch.

 

[Darkdale]

I find a compassionate atheist to have much more integrity than a compassionate Christian.

I take it you are a philosophical "rationalist" along the lines of Kant? eh? It is the "intent" that makes something moral? All I have to say to that is *yuck*.

We all seek happiness, and would I would love to hear your story, provided it is not of a proselytizing nature. Simply because you happened to find happiness in things other than wealth doesn't mean that all wealthy businessmen are materialists with no purpose in their lives. To draw a generalization from "I used to be a materialist, but I was never happy" to "all materialists are unhappy" is quite a stretch.

Excellent points.

 

[dan]

I prefer to think of it as serving humanity. Why worry about whether or not God is watching you help a little old lady across the street? The true measure of integrity is not what we do when others are watching, but what we do when we feel we are out of sight. I find a compassionate atheist to have much more integrity than a compassionate Christian.

A real Christian does not have those motivations you mention.

We all seek happiness, and would I would love to hear your story, provided it is not of a proselytizing nature. Simply because you happened to find happiness in things other than wealth doesn't mean that all wealthy businessmen are materialists with no purpose in their lives. To draw a generalization from "I used to be a materialist, but I was never happy" to "all materialists are unhappy" is quite a stretch.

I feel that prosperity is a part of hapiness, but I feel seeking the happiness of humanity is a sign of more integrity. If we gain wealth and do good with it it cannot be wrong, but if we seek wealth at the expense of integrity we do no good.

 

[TashaN]

So just to set me straight, worshipping Allah is the most important thing in your life - being nice to your parents and other people on Earth is not as important?

The answer is by dan.

I feel that prosperity is a part of hapiness, but I feel seeking the happiness of humanity is a sign of more integrity. If we gain wealth and do good with it it cannot be wrong, but if we seek wealth at the expense of integrity we do no good.