1. A PRESENTATION BY SALIM YUSUFALI
BECOMING BETTER
MUSLIMS
what’s with the colors?
A PRESENTATION BY SALIM YUSUFALI
al-hasnain youth conference 2002
Asreiman.com

2. How to become a better Muslim
But why
pray more
shelter an orphan
fast more
be good to your parents
go to mosque
go for Hajj
don’t lie
recite lots of qur’an
did we mention stealing?

3. 3rd Annual Al-Hasanain (a) Youth Conference
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
WHY WERE YOU CREATED?
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF LIFE?
B U T W H Y ?
3rd Annual Al-Hasanain (a) Youth Conference
Salim S. Yusufali
September, 2002

4. Mu’min Meets Martin
Adapted from Even Angels Ask by Jeffrey Lang:
Martin:"I don't think that the two major religions in America make much sense.”
"I don't think that ANY religion makes much sense. For example, from your religion's viewpoint, what is the purpose of life? Why did God create us to SUFFER here on earth?”
Mu’min: (Thinking back to Sunday School Lessons): “Umm…I believe He created us to test us."

5. Mu’min is Struggling
Adapted from Even Angels Ask by Jeffrey Lang:
Martin: "So your religion rejects the omniscience (Allah has all knowledge) of God, for otherwise, what could He possibly learn from testing us that He does not already know?”
"No, that’s not quite it…Yes!! We are created to worship Him!"
(With a smile of victory): "Then you must believe that God has needs and weaknesses, for why else would He demand our worship? When a human demands our devotion, we label him a tyrant or a psychopath. Do you hold that God has character flaws?"

6. SORRY. You Lose. Try Again.
Go back to the basics and ask WHY?
Ameer al-Mu’mineen, Imam Ali (a), says:
Allah’s mercy is upon…the one knows:
where he is from,
where he is now,
and where he is going!

7. WHERE ARE WE FROM? Allah (swt) created us for a purpose:
Do you suppose that We have created you in vain? (Qur’an 23:115)
I created jinns and humankind only so that they may worship me. (Qur’an 51:56)
BUT WHY DOES ALLAH WANT OUR WORSHIP?
What is “worship” (`ibadah)?
How do we worship Allah?
Why should we worship Allah?

8. WHERE ARE WE FROM? What is worship?
Worship of Allah involves:
BELIEF: that we are absolutely, % creatures that are grateful and dependent upon a Creator who controls all aspects of our life, but who gave us FREEDOM in this world to fulfill a RESPONSIBILITY
PRACTICE: living our lives in accordance to our beliefs
Belief Practice

9. WHERE ARE WE FROM? How do we worship Allah?
Imam al-Husayn (a) explains the verse
I created jinn and humankind only so that they worship Me (Qur’an 51:56) as
I created jinn and humankind only so that they know and understand Me
 True worship of Allah (swt) = gaining knowledge of Allah (swt)
Knowledge of Allah
6th Imam (a): The most excellent and most necessary obligation incumbent upon man is knowledge of the Lord, and acknowledgement of one's servitude to Him.
what does it mean to gain knowledge of Allah (swt)? one can make an analogy to seeing. suppose that you want to pay attention to something. often times you would bring it closer or you would go close to it so you can observe it better. now here it is seeing not with the eyes but with the heart. that is why the hadith of the prophet says worship your Lord as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then know that He sees you. Or Imam Ali (a) was asked: do you see your Lord? He (a) said: I would not worship a Lord that I could not see.
Slide 9: aside from the definition of ibadah given in Fiqh and Fuqaha (I sent you the link to this list time), ibadah can also be defined as Taa`ah (obedience to Allah) + Tasleem (surrender to the will of Allah). if you love someone or something, you will obey it and surrender your will to it. for example, if there is a person who is in love with something of this world (you can choose a good example), you'll find that he obeys it (meaning that he follows it and uses it as a guide to make decisions on what to do and how to do things) and surrenders it (he lets it dominate his thinking). If there is someone who loves Allah (swt) because of the gratitude he has to Him for all that He has given, and he loves Allah (swt) because He is the source of all perfection, then he will obey him and surrender his will to Him.

10. WHERE ARE WE FROM? How do we worship Allah?
How to gain knowledge of Allah (swt):
Reflect upon His most perfect Names
Following the guidance (Qur’an, Prophet, Ahlul -Bayt) He has given us and understand where we are (more later)
Practice those acts of worship which he has prescribed that will help us to believe in Him
the goal of the obligations we have for doing certain actions is to "make our lives confirm with our beliefs" (Doctrines of Shi'i Islam, 3) - The substance of the message delivered by God's Prophets can be summarize under two headings, belief and action - human being has free will...the gateway to the transcendent path of right guidance leading back to God is always open to man; it is only at the moment of death that it closes, that is when repentance is no longer accepted (Doctrines 10)
Slide 10: gaining knowledge of Allah (swt) - another way of saying this is that you gain awareness of the presence of Allah (swt) in all matters of place and time. In du`a 1 of Sahifa Imam al-Sajjad (a) refers to this type of knowledge and awareness of Allah (swt): Praise belongs to God, for,            had He withheld from His servants the knowledge to praise Him                      for the uninterrupted kindnesses                                with which He has tried them                      and the manifest favours                                which He has lavished upon them,            they would have moved about in His kindnesses                      without praising Him,            and spread themselves out in His provision                      without thanking Him.            Had such been the case,                      they would have left the bounds of humanity                                for that of beastliness                      and become as He has described in the firm text of His Book:                      They are but as the cattle—nay, but they are further astray from the way!

11. WHERE ARE WE FROM? Why do we worship Allah?
Worship does not benefit Him.
Allah (swt) tells us in the Qur’an:
He who PURIFIES his soul/spirit/self is SUCCESSFUL (Surat al-Shams)
(The one who is successful) remembers the name of his Lord and says his prayers. (Surat al-A`ala)
Worshipping Allah (swt) leads us to:
Self purification,
Success,
Fulfilling the GOAL OF LIFE (more later)
worship does not benefit Him since He is from need because if He was in need then He would be imperfect.
- in general, when you do something you want to do it successfully. so let us see if the way that Allah (swt) has defined success involves worshipping Allah (swt). in adhan/iqama we say "hayya al-falah" which is hasten towards success. means that salaat is a form of success. then in the qur'an we see that success is tied towards purification of the soul, salaat, and remembering the name of Allah.
as far as the tazkiyaat al-nafs is concerned (purification of soul), this has to do with ethics. the other two (salaat +  remembrance) have to do with ibadah. to understand basics of ethics,
- example of name of Allah is al-tawwab (you have commentary for this). Or al-salaam. People in america are looking everywhere for peace after 9/11: rock concerts, candlelight vigils, memorial services, curtailing personal freedom, cracking down on immigrants, fingerprinting Muslims, having your neighbors spy on you. but they do so without any sense of spirituality, while the true source of peace is al-Salaam. Quran 59;23 this name of Allah is given along with other names of Allah.

12. THE WHOLE works No picking, no choosing Belief in Allah
Belief in the oneness of Allah
Belief in the Qur’an and its rules
Belief in Prophet and Imams
Pray, fast, give charity etc
Be a good person

13. At least 10 times a day, we say to Allah:
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
At least 10 times a day, we say to Allah:
GUIDE us to/along the straight path: AL-SIRAT AL-MUSTAQEEM (Surat al-Fatiha)
QUESTIONS:
What is Al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem?
What forms of guidance of Allah (swt) can we enjoy?
If we are free to walk along the Path, what is our responsibility?
What is the eventual destination of the Straight Path (that is, WHERE ARE WE GOING?)

14. WHERE ARE WE NOW? What is the Straight Path?
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. (Your math teacher & Common Sense)
Al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem is that particular way of life that makes the most sense and that takes us most directly from where we came and where we are going
As we walk upon it, our belief and practice get stronger and stronger UNTIL…
Took a wrong turn? Al-Tawbah is the solution.
tawba literally means "turning (back) to Allah (swt)", so it fits really well with the idea of going back to the straight path picture is worth 1000 words, so let's demonstrate al-sirat al-mustaqeem with a few pictures. picture 1: the straight path can be pictured literally as a straight path. the Light at the end of the path is what you are striving towards picture 2: some people are on a path that is not straight. their goal in life is the material goal. read about the comparison between Muawiyah and Imam Ali (a) in Chapter 4 of for this example. choose a contemporary example for this. their idea is that this world is about gaining the maximum material benefit, whether it be good looks, good money, good position. if they choose that al-sirat then they are attaching themselves to transitory things that will all vanish when they get to the end of where they are now and they will be left with nothing. picture 3: some people don't even realize that they are on a sirat. they are so occupied with things of this world like cell phones, chatting on the internet, school, job, that they forget why they are here in the first place, and they forget that there is a larger purpose in life and this life itself is transitory. picture 4: there are actually two types of sirat. a hadith: - "I asked Abu Abdullah (Imam al-Sadiq [as]) about the Sirat, and he said, 'It is the Path to knowing Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great, and there are two such paths: one in the life of this world, and one in the life hereafter. The Sirat in this life is the Imam whose obedience is incumbent; whoever knows him in this life and follows his guidance will be able to pass on the (other) Sirat which is a path over hell in the hereafter, and whoever does not know him in this life, his feet will slip away from the Sirat in the hereafter so he falls into the fire of hell."' This is recorded on pp of Ma'ani al Akhbar and also on p. 66, Vol. 8, of Bihar al Anwar. It is when you come to that Sirat that you will find out how well you performed your fast in the life of this world. Each and every soul has to pass over al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem, the straight path over hell, a fire more intense in heat than boiling molten brass, with seven bridges over it the length of each one of which is three thousand years: one thousand to vertically ascend, one thousand to horizontally cross, and one thousand to descend. It is thinner than a human hair, more sharp than the sharpest sword, and darker than the darkest night inside a tunnel. see what Imam Khumayni (qs) told his son in Appendix II, THE TASK IS VERY DIFFICULT, picture 5: you can use the help of someone else in putting you back on straight path. in this case husband and wife help each other in matters of faith. for example hadith in sunni and I believe shia sources is that The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, and awakens his wife; if she refuses, he should sprinkle water on her face. May Allah have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays (salat al-layl/namaz-e-shab), and awakens her husband; if he refuses, she would sprinkle water on his face. so many other examples of this.
picture 6: some people at times realize where they are and that at other times that reality fades away. this is human nature to get occupied with other things. for example, if you ever participate in the ghusl of a mayyit, or the kafan or the dafan of the mayyit, death is a very real thing to you at that time. if you hear a lecture about death and the adhaab of the qabr then you become scared and suddenly you realize your vulnerability and you seek refuge in Allah (swt) and realize where you are. if you hear a good lecture and feel this spiritual sense overwhelm you in jum'ah namaz or eid namaz then at that time you want nothing but to be a good worshipper of Allah (swt) and secure His favor on you. but then when you get caught up in other things you forget this. for example if you took someone in the middle of watching a movie and were able to look inside of their thoughts, the reality of where they are now would be just dim recollections and their mind would be obsessed by the matters of the movie.

15. WHERE ARE WE NOW? What is Guidance?
Allah (swt) has answered and will answer our prayer from within and without:
Inner guidance: aql (intellect): ability to think and come to conclusions
Outer guidance: Guides and examples in the form of prophets and Imams (a)
Imam Ali (a) says:
I am al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem.
Reasoning
slide 15:
Allah (swt) could have put us in this world and set us along the path without any signposts to tell us where we are going and how to reach the eventual destination in the correct way. but in His mercy he gave us two forms of guidance. the inner (the guidance within) is our aql. the outer (the guidance without) is in the form of good parents, friends, prophets (s), imam (a), qur'an. as for inner guidance, man has a God-seeking nature. See for example God and His Attributes and The Philosophy of Islam (both are online on Al-Islam.org). See also the verse of the Qur'an 41:53.
I say enjoy because one can receive this guidance with joy, indifference, or loathing. clearly the one who realizes where he is will receive this guidance with joy.
When Imam Ali (a) says that he is al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem, he doesn't mean that if you (God forbid) worship him (a) you will be fine and okay. He means that having love and obedience of him (a) and the Ahlul Bayt (a) will lead you to al-sirat al-mustaqeem because they are the best examples of those who have gone before us on al-sirat al-mustaqeem.

16. WHERE ARE WE NOW? What are our responsibilities?
Allah (swt) says:
Surely we have guided human being to the path. It is up to him whether he will be grateful or disbelieving (Qur’an 76:3).
With freedom comes responsibilities:
Fulfilling the purpose of our existence
Fulfilling the trust put on us
Establishing justice
Working towards the perfection of this society
To be human
Be grateful to God and serve Him
Slide 16:
Allah (swt) gave us freedom and power to do things. human being is such a powerful creature that he can dominate all other forms of life in plants and animals and he can even come to dominate over other human beings. one who realizes where he is will come to the conclusion that this freedom does not come unrestricted but rather we are to apply this freedom and power in order to fulfill certain responsibilities and duties. this makes sense since whenever someone gives you something there is an obligation you have towards the one who gave and that which you were given. these responsibilities are in the form of worship of Allah (swt) and also in relation to ourselves, our family, and our society. duties for example come in the form of Islamic laws as interpreted by mujtahids. Others come in the form of rights that people have on you (like in treatise of rights by 4th Imam (a).

17. Everyone shall have a taste of death. (Qur’an 3:185)
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
The average life span in the United States in 1990 was about 75 years (National Institute on Aging).
Everyone shall have a taste of death. (Qur’an 3:185)
The hereafter (al-aakhirah) is a REALITY that has already been created. Allah (swt) has described two extremes:
JAHANNAM (Hell)
AL-JANNAT (Garden of Heaven)
What is the goal of life?
slide 17: these are realities already created. we know that from ahadeeth that describe what hell and heaven look like right now. also i believe that during mi'raaj prophet (s) saw them but i am not sure.
since we know there are two outcomes in terms of the hereafter, the question is, is getting heaven the goal of life? is avoiding hell the goal of life? what is the goal of life?

18. WHERE ARE WE GOING? Jahannam (Hell) (Allah forbid!)
…As for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads. With it shall be melted what is in their bellies as well as their skin. And for them are whips of iron. Every time they wish to run away in anguish, they will be forced back in, being told, "Taste the doom of burning!" (Qur’an 22:20-22)
Eventual destination of one who steps off of al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem in this life. Al-Rahman gives what is requested…
Inspires fear and a longing to escape from such a punishment – enough fear to prevent one from doing certain things in life, even if one would otherwise want those things
Is the purpose of life to ESCAPE from Jahannam?
slide 18: the key ayat in the qur'anic passage is the last line, verse 22. imagine that the hell will be such a miserable place that people will want to run away from it out of sheer despair, but every time they will try to do so they will be forced back. try to ponder over this verse, especially at a time of spirituality, such as when you are fasting, when you wake up to say namaz-e-shab, or jum'ah namaz. you will realize what a miserable place this hell is. there is a hadith that jibreel (a) was witness to when the fires of hell were made ready. before that point the prophet (s) would always see him with a smile on his face. after that point the hadith says that he didn't see him smile (as much). and when jibreel (a) described hell to the prophet, both he and prophet (s) wept out of anguish.
anyway the point is that this is a very very scary place. scary enough so that if someone were able to wake up and think clearly, he would say no way do i wanna go there. and so he would do everything possible to secure his absence from hell. so you look at things like hijab. you know that if you don't observe proper hijab when you have full knowledge of its obligations on you (or you have the ability to perform research and find out what the obligations are) then there is a certan punishment decreed for you. you are scared of that punishment and so you wear hijab, EVEN though there are many times where you wish that maybe you could put it aside here and there for various reasons.
important point: this is not a bad state to be in. even if you live your whole life in the fear of hell and you don't do bad stuff because of the fear, you WILL attain heaven. most people fall either into this category or the next one. it is perfectly natural that this fear is what brings you closesr to God. it is the rare saint who can fall into the third category that will be described. however it is by the fear of hell and fear of God and hope for His mercy and his heaven that you can attain the third stage.
a friend of mine described that sometimes he feels like he's not really into religious stuff, like namaz or dua or quran. at that time it is the fear of hell that brings him back closer to Allah. And once he is close it is the hope of His mercy and kindness that draws him even closer to Allah (swt).

19. WHERE ARE WE GOING? Al-Jannat (Garden of Heaven) (insha’Allah!)
Allah will admit those who believe and do good deeds to Gardens beneath which rivers flow. There, they shall be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments there will be of silk. (Qur’an 22:23)
Eventual destination of one who walks along al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem in this life. The reward given by Al-Raheem.
Inspires desire to gain such pleasures – the more worship we do, the better the rewards
Enough to prevent one from doing certain things in life, even if one would otherwise want those things
Is the purpose of life to gain ENTRANCE into Al-Jannat?
slide 19:
so many beautiful qur'anic ayah describe the bounties of heaven. any pleasure that you can imagine on this earth is available there in plentiful amounts. whatever lust or desire you have will be satisfied. This could easily be your guiding principle in life. for example you see that you can get to the top of the company by going to company parties, joking with the big boys, shaving your beard and dressing like them. you can get power and prestige like that. however you know that even more prestige and power can be gotten in heaven, so out of hope of heaven you avoid doing bad things here. or you see a beautiful blonde girl. you know that it would be pleasurable to date her but you know in heaven there will be houris, so you keep yourself chaste. you say an extra salawat or do an extra fast or extra a'amaal on big nights because you know it will help give you some extra gifts in heaven or eliminate your bad deeds so you can go to heaven. again, this is perfectly natural and a legitimate way of getting into heaven.
note that both of these two approaches described in slide 18 and 19 are not unique to Islam. they have been taught throughout history by the prophets and religious scholars who believe in heaven and hell. however what follows is something unique to Islam and qur'anic approach towards the purpose of life.

20. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The Purpose of Life
Worship of the elite is done not solely out of fear of hell or desire for heaven
Allah is worshipped because He deserves to be worshipped – whatever is with Allah is BETTER than what we can get anywhere else
Imam Ali (a) said:
I have not seen anything except that I saw Allah with it, before it, and in it.
slide 20:
worship of the elite. this is what imam ali (a) has referred to in his famous hadith of the three times of worshippers. this is reserved for those awliyaa' (saints) who have achieved a high level, but it is a level that is accessible if we only try hard enough. and besides, understanding it is very important since understanding is the first step.
now take something like power/status. a lot of people in this world would like to have power and the reigns of leadership. they see other people who have power or status and envy that person's position in society. they can console themselves however knowing that they will be rewarded in the hereafter with delights beyond imagination. however, the true awliyaa' will look at the type of power/status that is in the hands of people and they will want nothing from it, because they realize that what is with Allah (swt) is better. and in fact they realize that true power lies in the hands of Allah (swt) and it is that which Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an:
[3:26] Say: "O Allah! Lord of Power (And Rule), Thou givest power to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off power from whom Thou pleasest: Thou enduest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power.
[28:83] (As for) that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves in the earth nor to make mischief and the good end is for those who guard (against evil)
these are people who like Imam Ali (a) see only Allah (swt) because he is the provider of all their needs and desires.

21. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The Purpose of Life
Peace of paradise not restricted from those who live in this world
Allah (swt) says:
The one who is among those who are near to Allah (al-muqarrabeen) is happiness, bounty, and a garden of delight (Qur’an 56:88)
Indeed in the remembrance of Allah lies the tranquility of the heart (Qur’an 13:28)
Imam Ali (a) says of the Ahl al-Bayt (a):
Our bodies are in this world, but our hearts are in the gardens.
Story of Prophet (s) and companions who feared being hypocrites
slide 21:
for these people, pleasure of heaven and escape from hell cannot be their only goal in life. in fact in this world they have access to both of these. for example the qur'an says that those who are near are "happiness, bounty, and a garden of delight". qur'an doesn't say that eventually they will get these things, but rather it says that they are these things right now. and for someone who is occupied with Allah (swt) and knows that what is with Allah (swt) is better than anything you can find elsewhere, it is this person that has tranquility of the heart. this tranquility is what people around the world are searching everywhere for -- they escape on vacations, take world tours, do drugs, etc. to find this tranquility but they are looking in the wrong places. quote of Imam Ali (a) shows that they have access to jannah even in this world.
the theme in this slide is that when you have complete reliance on Allah (swt), things of heaven become accessible to you *in this world*. you don't have to wait til the hereafter. a couple of stories that show this point:
- Imam Ali, in a conversation with Kumayl-bin-Ziad, declares that there is no one to whom he may divulge the secret of his heart. But he says there are some individuals in the world who have attained the point of perfect certainty in knowledge and feel that there is no space to separate them from the spirit of certitude. That thing, namely livelihood, which is difficult for men of pleasure and materialists to achieve is tame and easy for them, and what is the source of terror for the former, namely privacy with God, is the means of companionship for the latter. They go along with people but their spirits soar high, and while they are here they are also simultaneously in the next world going through the mystic and devotional pains and communions that Ali had.  (quoted from Perfect Man, available on Al-Islam) 
- It is narrated that one day the companions of the holy Apostle said to him: "We fear to be hypocrites." They were true believers and yet they felt this anxiety. The Prophet asked the reason. They said: "When we come before you, and you preach of God, resurrection and sin, we have a deep feeling of penitence that is so pleasant. But when we leave you and go back to our family, we find ourselves as we had been before. Is this not hypocrisy" The Prophet answered: "No, this is not hypocrisy which is the act of being double-faced. What you describe about is about two conditions of the mind, when it is downcast." Then he continued: "If you remain in the same state as when you are with me, then the angels will shake hands with you, and if it becomes a habit with you, you can walk on water without being drowned."  (Perfect Man)
- sometime after karbala 4th imam (a) was put in prison in damascus. a companion came to him and the companion was sad (or crying) because of the state of the imam (a). imam (a) told him not to cry for his state, because the imam (a) was not suffering. the imam (a) put his hand over the companion's face to show him what the Imam (a) was experiencing at that time, and the companion was able to see jannah.
- Imam Ali (a) explains in Nahj al-Balagha about those who are true mutaqeen Nahj al-Balagha sermon 193: "The greatness of the Creator is seated in their heart, and, so, everything else appears small in their eyes. Thus to them Paradise is as though they see it and are enjoying its favours. To them, Hell is also as if they see it and are suffering punishment in it." <-- this is extremely important. it proves without a doubt that paradise/hell can't be the goal of life since awliyaa' can experience these in this world.

22. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The Purpose of Life
What does the Qur’an say?
Surely we belong to Allah, and to Him is our return.(Qur’an 2:156)
And to Allah is your eventual destination (Qur’an 35:18)…
O’ human being, it is to your Lord that all your efforts are directed, and you will meet Him (Qur’an 84:6).
 The goal of life is ALLAH (swt).
slide 22:
qur'anic verses clearly establish that the goal of life is Allah (swt). and since reaching Allah (swt) is impossible (because we are created and He is Creator), you can say that the goal of life is getting near to Allah (swt). this is in fact why our niyyah in performing ibadah should always be "qurbatan illallaah", to obtain nearness to Allah (swt). du'a kumayl to see the same point, for example near the beginning we say "allahumma innee ataqarrabu ilaykha bi dhikrika" (O Allah, indeed I am trying to get closer to you by remembering you and thinking of you), "ya ghaayata amaalil aarifeen", O' (Thou who art) the last hope and resort of those who acknowledge Thee.

23. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The Purpose of Life
What does human nature (Fitrah) tell us?
Human being always craves MORE.
More beauty
More power
More knowledge
What is the extent of this search and desire? PERFECTION.
Where can the Ultimate Perfection be found?
 The goal of life is ALLAH (swt).
slide 23:
Read section 7 of Soaring to the only Beloved (al-islam.org/soarbeloved) and section 1 (Man's love of perfection) of Hadith 11 in forty hadith. these are excellent introductions to the idea of perfection. you can say that as a byproduct of seeking Allah (swt), a human being will seek to perfect himselves, or in other words be the best human being he could possibly be. but a question arises: if Allah (swt) is Perfect, and we want to attain perfection, are we saying that we want to be God? the difference is illustrated in this bit of poetry quoted by Mutahhari from a Persian ruler: first line was "No one has ever seen beauty like Yusuf's," and the second line was the following: "But He who created Yusuf (Joseph) has the true beauty." shows that a human being like the Prophet (s) can achieve the greatest perfection but this is a different sort of perfection than that of the Creator.

24. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The Purpose of Life
Since Allah is the goal of life:
Increasing Belief/Faith + Practice is what we do along the way
Gain a perfect understanding of Tawheed and put that understanding into practice
We work towards human perfection by yearning towards the Most Perfect, and attaining all that the soul can aspire to
Perfect balance of powers and instincts – individual justice
When we ask, Allah will help us attain this goal
slide 24:
since goal is Allah (swt), it all comes back to where we started out from, which is Allah (swt) and knowing Allah. this is exactly what Tawheed is all about -- not a theoretical sort of tawheed that you just read about and never put into practice, but a tawheed where you really understand who Allah (swt) is and how He is the source of all perfection and your eventual goal.
the line about perfect balance of powers and instincts -- this is to say if you choose to travel on the path of Tawheed, there are well known steps that the ulamaa' have described for being a "wayfarer" on this path (books like Self Building explain this in detail). one of the main things you have to do is to achieve self purification, and a quick way of understanding this is to say that if human being has all these different "malakah" or senses, like the animal sense, the sense of lust, the sense of imagination, etc., the perfect human being is the one who is able to regulate all these senses with complete and absolute justice over him/herself. for example if you prevent yourself from going out w/ your friends to watch a haram movie, your animal senses tell you you should go because it will be fun and having fun is pleasurable which is a good thing for all animals. but your sense of self justice will realize that this act of yours will have an immediate negative spiritual reaction that will be painful and harmful to your spirit, and throw you on a detour from the path to Allah (swt) from which you may never recover. therefore if you let your self justice always prevail you will be successful.
when we ask Allah (swt) to help us attain this goal He will help us. this is the idea of "lutf". quick definition from Doctrines of Shi'i Islam: the purpose of creation is to attain all that the human soul can aspire to, doing so by means of the graces realized through devotion to God. Once you are a) aware of this purpose and b) pledge yourself to undertake the first steps towards its realization, Allah will Himself help you with his loving-kindness (lutf).

25. Remember Allah during salat Read and reflect on the Qur’an
OKAY…SO, What’s next?
Remember Allah during salat
Read and reflect on the Qur’an
Fast, and be a guest of Allah
Give charity and be purified
we started out saying that you can "be a good muslim" by doing all these acts of praying and fasting etc. we end up at the same place and with the same answer, but the difference is that now we are doing these acts with a purpose and we understand what is the eventual goal and why we are doing what we are doing. so for example when you fast it's not about starving yourself, it's about being a guest of Allah (swt) and attain nearness to Him. when you pray to Allah (swt), always thank him and acknowledge all of the blessings He has given you, and ask Him whatever good things your heart desires, for if you do neither of these, your salat may be thrown back on your face. when you give charity, understand that the root of the word in arabic (zakaat) is purification, and that by giving of your money you give away your love of worldly things and you become closer to Allah. etc.
Establish a just society
Become better Muslims!