What Is This Life?

Even today you will have people wondering (just like an English poet) as to “what is this life full of care? / there is no time to stand and stare!”
I came across a social scientist so to say telling that a successful man should answer three questions correctly: 1) what you want in your life?; 2) how you go about it?; and, 3) how the outcome is measured? In my opinion no other system other than Islam (the final version of Divine Guidance meant for the entire humanity) provides the most appropriate answers to these three questions and more.
As per Islam, one Almighty created man as the best of creations, whom the Satan (Iblis) refused to prostrate even under His order, out of arrogance that he was created out of smokeless fire while the former (Adam) out of clay, where upon he became one of accursed (by Allah).
“Then Satan said, ‘because You have put me in the wrong, I will lie in ambush for them (the  progeny of Adam) on Your straight path: then surely I will come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, (from all directions) and then You will find most of them ungrateful”(Qur’ān – 7:16-17).
Thus Satan has asked for respite till the Day of Judgement to mislead mankind, which Allah the High has granted saying that he can’t mislead the sincere among His servants.
Now the word ‘Islam’ has the Arabic letters ‘seen’,’ meem’,  and ‘laam’ in the root and has two meanings: 1) Peace, and 2) Submission (to the will of one Almighty).
Islamic Shari’ah consists of two main parts: the Qur’ān (the final divine scripture) and traditions (sayings and practices) of the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of Allah be to him). Islam has been practised both at the individual as well as national levels at least during the reign of four Rightly Guided Caliphs Abu Bakr Siddique, Umar Farooq, Usman Ghani, and Ali. One who studies Islam and its principles and practices without prejudice will conclude, just as Mahatma Gandhi did, that it is the highest ideal for us.
To conclude answers to the three questions, a Muslim wants 1) to achieve success in both the worlds, here and hereafter; 2) by devoting his time for acquisition of knowledge and practice of Shari’ah in all walks of his life; and, 3) the result is left to Allah the High who says, ”whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it; and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil shall see it”.
To have an idea of high standards of tolerance, pluralism, and democracy that is expected in an Islamic state, see the following verses of the Qur’ān, which speak for themselves:
“There is no compulsion in religion”(2:256); and “Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.”(109:6).