This is a sound and easy way to understand the purposes of life and the meaning of life
There is an all encompassing supplication that was most beloved to the Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him. It is about seeking the goodness and excellence of everything in this dunya and also seeking the goodness and excellence of the hereafter. Many muslims most of them are familiar with this supplication because it is spoken from the heart within the end of every prayer.
The meaning of seeking the goodness and excellence in this dunya concerns every material request of well-being, so from the physical, emotional and spiritual aspect of a person it provides the means to well-being. Also for a spacious dwelling meaning providing enough or comfortable place within the home for a person to reside within harmony and bring peace to that dwelling.
Then there is the aspect of pleasing mates, in other words a spouse that is living with respect and love and devotion towards Allah SWT, the messenger peace be upon him and with each other, also included in this is having good company of righteous friends, that look after each other and remind one another of Allah SWT and the way or path taken of Islam.
Having enough sufficient provision to make ends meet, in other words clothing, food and drink and the ability to gain benefit from them within the aspect of necessary monetary wealth to achieve ones needs. Also the ability and potential to seek beneficial knowledge having the understanding and capability to apply the knowledge to seek closeness to Allah SWT.
This requires a person to have an honest living to acquire the means to build on the above and other aspects of required devotion and the various purposes of living within shariah. This means the ability and potential to seek a persons provision through a honest profession or trade and having the comfortable means of transportation and worthy of good praise the aspects and belongings of a person rather than dooming a person by praising themselves or others directly.
These aspects and much more within the entire dunya that us travelers are journeying towards the direction that everyone is headed towards the grave and from there to Allah SWT. All of these are but a part of the good that is sought in this life.
For the goodness and excellence of the hereafter, the best of this includes acquiring Paradise, which also means acquiring safety from the greatest horror at the gathering place on the day of Qiyama. It also refers to being questioned lightly and the other favors in the Hereafter, by having an easy accounting and reckoning and being safe from a day where everyone will be afraid except those that Allah wills, there will be fear however there will be no fear upon them. Also with regards to being safe from Allah’s punishment within the grave, the day of Judgement and also the severest punishment of all the hellfire. This means that everything a person is directed to what leads to a good end in this world, such as avoiding the prohibitions, sins of all kinds and doubtful matters.
A wise scholar Al-Qasim bin `Abdur-Rahman said, “Whoever is gifted with a grateful heart, a remembering tongue and a patient body, will have been endowed with a good deed in this life, a good deed in the Hereafter and saved from the torment of the Fire.”
Allah SWT also makes mention of how he gifted Prophet Dawood or David peace be upon him with the ability to make chain mail with his bare hands being able to mold and fashion iron without the need for applying fire to the iron to mold it. This strength and power that was given to him was the excellence of being able to apply knowledge that was granted by Allah to perfectly make the chain mail in other words through a balance of profession with excellence in work.
This requires working with the ability of righteousness the proper moderate and balanced way of carrying out a persons profession through excellence in work, that would provide that which is beneficial and creates an armor in other words that which defends a persons belief, words and actions just like a martial art, a writing trade, a educational teaching or coaching methodology, as this was to taught by Dawood peace be upon him to the people. And Allah sees all and is watching so every word and act has to be for the sake of seeking the face of Allah. These all above qualities will bring a person to excellence in this dunya and the hereafter.