Allah has mentioned this life in many places as an accepted fact...

Allah has mentioned this life in many places as an accepted fact: Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death (29:17); And among His signs is this, that you see the earth still, but when We send down on it the water, it stirs and swells; most surely He who gives it life is the Giver of life to the dead (41:39); Neither are the living and the dead alike (35:22); We have made of water every thing living (21:30).

These verses describe all three kinds of living things, the vegetable, the animal and the human being. Likewise, Allah describes various types of life; . . . and are pleased with the world's life and are content with it . . . (10:7); They shall say: "Our Lord! twice didst Thou make us subject to death and twice hast Thou given us life. . .

" (40:11), The two lives referred to in this verse are the life of al-barzakh = the period after death in this world and before the Day of Resurrection) and the life on the Day of Resurrection. Thus, there are various types of life, as there are various types of living things. Although Allah mentions the life of this world as an accepted fact, in various other verses of the Qur'an He describes it as an unsound, imperfect and insignificant thing, as He says: . . .

this world's life is nothing compared with hereafter but (only a) means (13:26); . . . coveting the (transitory) goods of this world's life . . . (4:94); . . . desiring the adornments of this world's life . . . (18:28) ; And this world's life is naught but a play and an idle sport . . . (6:32); . . . and this world's life is naught but means of deception (57:20). So these are the attributes used for this world's life.

It is a means, and a means is sought to obtain an end and to reach a goal, it is not an end in itself. It is a transitory thing, and transitory things go away soon. It is an adornment, and an adornment is used to attract eyes towards the things adorned: in other words, what catches the eyes is not the real thing, and the real thing does not attract the eyes. It is a play, and a play keeps you oblivious of the really important responsibilities.

It is a vain sport, and a vain sport is indulged in for imaginary, not real, reasons. And it is a means of deception, and such a thing deceives man. A comprehensive verse, which also explains the above­mentioned ones, is the following:­ And this life of the world is nothing but a sport and a play; and as for the next abode, the most surely is the life - did they but know! (29:64).