Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about the philosophical questions that all human beings - regardless of their beliefs and creeds - ask at some point in their lives. The most basic of all such questions is about the purpose of one's existence on this planet. My thesis proposes that our creation has not been completed yet, and our presence on earth is part of our creative process. This part of the process is designed for our "spiritual" growth. It turns out that most other questions about life turn out to be simple corollaries of this one basic question. Once this question is resolved, we can answer the other questions relatively easily.
The goal of the book is to propose common sense answers that are acceptable to the majority of people regardless of what creed they belong to. Though I use religious texts to make certain points, the debate is carried out in such a way that someone who does not profess any religion can still agree with the points being made. The scriptures are used not to build the main thesis, but simply as additional supporting documentation that agrees with the arguments I make.
The mix of philosophy, science and religion in the book will help the reader analyze the arguments from various viewpoints. The reader will also learn to view the various positions about "God" - atheistic, agnostic and theistic - from a rational perspective and will perhaps reach the conclusion that the difference between these positions might be due to the rigidity of definitions of such concepts as "God", "Heaven", "Hell", "Predestination" and "Satan". Viewed from a rational perspective all these concepts can be understood in such a way as to accommodate all the different positions about "God".
From the perspective of Muslims, the book is very important as it sheds a different light on the teachings of the Qur'an. Today, the idea of "religion" - especially Islam - is confused to focus on the do's and don'ts, the legalities of governance, intolerance, war and terrorism. Both Muslims as well as non-Muslims have formed a vision of Islam as a legalistic religion which is too focused on establishing political control of the Muslims in the world. Very few people - Muslims or non-Muslims - have been exposed to the teachings of the Qur'an which focus on answering the fundamental questions of life. This book will indirectly expose the readers to a side of Islam that is not visible in the world today. They will start viewing the Qur'an not as a book that dictates ritualistic worship and political governance, but as a book of guidance which provides the reader with answers to the very basic questions: Why do we exist here? Why do we suffer? What is success?
Given the present situation of religious wars and intolerance in the world, it is extremely important that people's focus be shifted to a more spiritual and rational side of Islam, which appeals to reason and commonsense. The book uses the Qur'an (as well as other scriptures, including the Bible and the Buddhist Dhammapada) to help people come together and unite in pursuit of answering the basic questions of life.