The
purpose of creation of humanity may be summarized:-
Worship
of God: Allah is the source and centre of all power and all goodness. The
human progress depends upon putting themselves into accord with His Will using
their freedom of choice, granted by Allah while rejecting the path of
evil. This is the worship or service
which Allah demands from men and jinn: “I have not created jinns and mankind
except to worship (serve) Me. I require no sustenance from them, nor do I ask
that they should feed Me. Surely it is Allah Who is the giver of all
sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Invincible.” (Qur’an;51:56-58).To understand
why human beings need to worship Allah, one must first understand what is meant
by words ‘yabudun’ (worship,
service) it is derived from word ‘abud’’
means ‘slave’ who surrenders to the command of his master. The English term
‘worship’ comes from the Old English “weorthscipe” meaning ‘honor.’
Consequently, worship is defined as ‘the performance of devotional acts in
honor of a deity: According to this meaning, man is instructed to show
gratitude to Allah by glorifying Him, In the Qur’an, Allah says; “Glorify the
praises of your Lord”(Qur’an;2:185). Worshipping (serving) Allah does not mean
that people spend their entire lives in constant seclusion and absolute
meditation. The true service (worship) to Allah is to live in this world according
to His commands, and not to run away from it. Worship (service) is to obey what
He desires and refrain from what He forbids as evident from the Tradition (Hadith) narrated by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi,
and Ibn Jarir: Once Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was reciting the
Verse: “They (Jews and Christians) have taken their rabbis and their monks-as
well as the Christ, son of Mary-for their lords beside God, although they had
been bidden to worship none but the One God, save whom there is no deity: the
One who is utterly remote, in His limitless glory, from anything to which they
may ascribe a share in His divinity!””(Qur’an;9:31). Adi bin Hatim, (who had reverted from Christianity)
said; “O Allah’s Prophet! They (Jews and Christians) do not worship them (rabbis
and monks)” Allah’s Messenger said, “They certainly do. They (i.e. Rabbis
and monks) made legal things illegal, and illegal things legal, and they
(i.e. Jews and Christians) followed them; and by doing so they really
worshipped them.”(Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol.10, Page No. 114).
Hence
worship means complete obedience, to God not mere rituals. Allah says: “It is
not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards east or West; but it is
righteousness- to believe In Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the
Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for
your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and
for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast In prayer, and practice regular
charity; to fulfill the covenant which ye have made; and to be firm and
patient, In pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of
panic. such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”(Qur’an;2:177). Worship
(service) is to know Him, to love Him, to obey His commands, like an obedient
servant follows the commands of his master. To
implement His laws in every aspect of life, to serve His cause by doing
right and shunning evil and to be just to Him, to own self and to the fellow
human beings. Thus; “Thee (alone) we worship; Thee alone we ask for
help.”(Qur’an;2:5).
Therefore the purpose of human life is; ‘Willingly
Obedience to Allah’. However, the Almighty is not in need of human worship. “.. to Him belongs all that is in the
heavens and in the earth; all are obedient to Him.”(Qur’an;2:116). The numerous angels all the
time are busy in praising and glorifying Allah (Qur’an;39:75, 41:38,37:166),
but there is difference, the angels are aware of the some of the mysteries of
‘Unseen World’ being part of that world,
they are aware of the presence of God and have no choice, they are
programmed to obey Allah only. On the other hand the human are not aware of ‘Unseen World’
(metaphysical), they have been granted the choice of good and evil, hence as
vicegerent of God on earth, they are entitled to reward for worship and
obedience while punishment for transgression. Allah did not create human beings
out of a need on His part If not a single human worship Allah, it would not
diminish His glory in any way, and if all of humankind worship Him, it would
not increase His glory in any way. Allah is perfect. He alone exists without
any needs. All created beings have needs, consequently, it is humankind that
needs to worship Allah. Islam is the Din, complete code of life, hence
the complete obedience to Allah makes every action performed by a Muslim
according to His will as ‘worship’, be it doing honest business, performing
duties, looking after destitute, speaking truth, be kind to parents, neighbors
and fellow human being etcetera.
Adornments-Gift
of God:
The Muslims are
balanced community, Allah says;“Thus have We made of you (Muslims) justly
balanced, moderate community (Ummah Wasat)..”(Qur’an;2:143)”
There is no merit merely in abstention or asceticism, though the humility or
unselfishness that may go with asceticism may have its value. Allah says: “Say:
Who has forbidden the beautiful (gifts, zenah) of Allah which He hath produced for his
servants and the things clean and pure (which He hath provided) for sustenance?
Say: they are in the life of this world for those who believe (and) purely for
them on the Day of Judgment. Thus do We explain the signs in detail for those
who understand. Say: The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are:
shameful deeds whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or
reason; assigning of partners to God for which he hath given no authority; and
saying things about God of which you have no knowledge.”(Qur’an;7:32-33).
Asceticism often means the negation of art and beauty, it has no necessary
sanctity attached to it. The beautiful and good things of life are really meant
for, and should be the privilege of those with faith in Allah. If they do not
always have them in this life, and if there is sometimes the semblance of others
having them who do not deserve them, let it be remembered that this is a test
from Allah. In the life to come they will be purely for the faithful believers.
Use Allah’s gifts of all kinds with gratitude, but excess are not approved of
by Allah. Christian monks are praised for particular virtues, though the
monasticism is disapproved of, Allah says: “…But the monasticism which they
invented for themselves We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the
seeking for the Good pleasure of Allah;…(Qur’an;57:27). Allah certainly
requires that men shall renounce the idle pleasures of this world, and turn to
the path which leads to Allah’s Good pleasure. But that does not mean
asceticism. Allah’s service is done through pure lives in the turmoil of this
world, hence the prayer: “Our Lord! Give unto us in the world that which is
good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and guard us from the doom of
Fire.”(Qur’an;2:201).
Balance
in Resistance to Worldly Motives:
While
enjoying the legitimate adornments provided by God, man should resist all excessive appeals to
worldly motives, by not making them the sole objective of this life. The
balance must be maintained, because this world’s attractions; power, glory,
wealth, children, status and all that men scramble for, are but a fleeting show
and a trial; thus he should stand firm to His Message of eternal Unity: “Let
neither their (non believer’s) wealth nor their children dazzle you. Through
these Allah wants to punish them in this world and let their souls depart while
they are still disbelievers.”(Qur’an;9:85); “Let not the Unbelievers think that
Our granting of respite is good for their souls. We grant them respite so that
they may add more to their sins. They shall have a disgraceful
punishment.”(Qur’an;3:178); “You should know that your wealth and your children
are, in fact, a test for you, and that Allah is He with Whom is your mighty
reward.”(Qur’an;8:28). The
possession or want of worldly attractions does not indicate a man’s real value
or position in the coming world, the world which is to endure. Allah says: “We
have adorned the earth with all kinds of ornaments to test the people and to
see which of them do the best deeds.”(Qur’an;18:7). Yet they have their uses:
“It is He Who has made the earth manageable for you so traverse ye through its
tracts and enjoy of the Sustenance which He furnishes: but unto Him is the
Resurrection.”(Qur’an;67:15).
The worldly attractions are also a test a man’s
sterling quality. He who becomes their slave loses rank in the next world. He
who uses them if he gets them, and does not fall into despair if he does not
get them, shows his true mettle and quality. His conduct proclaims him. In
describing Allah’s gifts and mercies and watchful care in this temporary
sojourn of human on this earth, it is made clear that the ultimate end is the
Hereafter. The real Beyond, which is the goal, is the life after the
‘Resurrection’. If people feel safe on land, it is because Allah has made this
earth amenable, manageable and serviceable to them. It may be kept in view that
while most of the things are conveniently understandable some may not be. God’s ways are beyond full comprehension of
the human intellect, rational understanding of every aspect thereof may not be
always possible. According to a not very authentic Hadith, Allah is attributed
to have said that: “I was a hidden treasure, and I loved that I be known,
so I created the world”.
Trial
Through Willful Obedience of God:
In brief the purpose of creation is to test
the human during limited life span on earth, those who obey Him by their free
will and live according to His guidance, will be rewarded and those who
disobey, will be punished in hereafter. It is evident from these verses in
Qur’an; “The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to
find out which of you is best in deeds: He is the All-Mighty, the
All-Forgiving.”(Qur’an;67:2); “We shall
surely test your steadfastness with fear and famine, with loss of
property, life and produce. Give good news to those who endure with patience;
who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “We belong to Allah and to Him we shall
return.” Such are the people on whom there are blessings and Mercy from Allah;
and they are the ones that are rightly guided.”(Qur’an;2:155-157).
Keeping
First Individual Covenant of Man with God:
As each individual in the posterity of Adam had a separate
existence from the time of Adam, and a Covenant was taken from all of them,
which is binding accordingly on each individual descendants of the Children of
Adam(all humanity), born or unborn, without any limit of time. On their first
creation, the humanity affirmed, Allah as the only Lord, which is ingrained in
the human conscious. (Qur’an;7:172). Adam’s seed carries on the existence of
Adam and succeeds to his spiritual heritage. Hence even those who do not
receive the message, their instincts indicate the existence of one God, so he
should avoid evil and perform good deeds. Worship of One God by some primitive
African and Australian tribes is due to this nature. Humanity has been given by
Allah certain powers and faculties (Qur’an;67:23). This creates special
spiritual obligations which must be discharged faithfully. These obligations
may from a legal point of view be considered as arising from implied Covenant,
that man must acknowledge that Allah is the Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer:
therefore man acknowledge his duty to Him: When he so testify concerning himself, the obligation
is as it were assumed by him; for it follows from his very nature when it is pure and uncorrupted.
The latent faculties in man are enough to teach him the distinction between
good and evil, to warn him of the dangers that beset his life (Qur’an;91:7-10). But to awaken and stimulate them, a personal
appeal is made to each individual through the “still small voice” within him.
This in its uncorrupted state acknowledges the truth and, as it were, swears
its Covenant with Allah. There is, therefore, no excuse for any individual to
say, either (1) that he was unmindful, or (2) that he should not be punished
for the sins of his fathers whom he followed blindly, because his punishment
(if any) comes from his personal responsibility, because he was granted
conscious, wisdom, freedom of choice and guidance through scriptures and messengers
of Allah, but he chose to reject the faith and the higher spiritual influences.
However those people (of all times and
places), who could not receive the guidance through messengers of God or His
scriptures, are not expected to be judged for the Law (Shari’a) but upon the natural belief in one God and performance of
good deeds.
Sincerity
of Faith:
Faith is a matter of personal conviction, and does not depend on
worldly motives. Worship should depend on pure and sincere Faith: “Say: “My
Lord hath commanded justice; and that ye set your whole
selves (to him) at every time and place of prayer and call upon him making your
devotion sincere as in his sight: such as he created you in the beginning so
shall ye return.”(Qur’an;7:29).
However worship often does not conform to achieve the desired level. There
are motives of worldly gains, ancestral
custom, social conventions, imitative instincts, or a lethargic instinct to
shirk from enquiring Into the real significance of solemn acts and the motives
behind them, reduce a great deal of the world’s worship to sin, selfishness, or
futility. Symbolic idols may themselves be merely instruments for safeguarding
the privileges of a selfish priestly class, or the ambitions, greed, or lust of
private individuals. Hence Islam insist on the pure service which include
worship and obedience of the One True Allah alone not through any one else.
Faith
and Deeds for Salvation:
Faith is perquisite for reward for good deeds. The
Allah says: “ (O Muhammad) tell them: “Should we tell you the worst kind of losers relating to their deeds? Those whose all efforts in this worldly life
had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion
that they were doing good deeds; they are the ones who are disregarding the revelations of their
Lord and the fact that they will meet Him for accountability
of their deeds in the Hereafter,
so their deeds will become null and will not carry any weight on the Day of
Judgment. Thus the reward of such people will be Hell; because they had no faith and because they made My messages and My apostles a target of their mockery.
However, those who believe and do good deeds, they will be entertained with the
Gardens of Paradise to live therein for ever and they will never desire to go
anywhere else.”(Qur’an;18:103-108).
Hence humanity should endeavor to combine ‘faith’ with ‘good deeds’ to attain
salvation in hereafter, through His mercy.
Conclusion:
The universe
comprises, the whole cosmic system, which include the galaxies and
a lot of haze. Earth’s Sun is one star among the billions of stars in the Milky
Way Galaxy. With all the advancement, the scientists have
not yet been able to resolve the mystery of Creation. The
most popular theory of creation, closer to the scientific evidence is the Big
Bang theory. While even the expanse of universe still
remains a mystery, the thinkers and theologians have evolved their own
concepts, doctrine and myths of creation of universe based on their
imagination, knowledge and superstition. The cosmogonic myth tells the story of
the creation of the world like Self Emergence, World Parents, Cosmic Egg and
Earth Divers but Creation by the Supreme Creator remains a popular doctrine
among many cultures, especially among the Abrahamic faiths. The ‘logos’ of Greek
philosophy provided the inspiration for the Christian
philosophical theology to call logos
(Word) as “the first-begotten Son of God” (against the teachings of
Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and Bible) describing the role of
Jesus as the principle of God active in the creation and ordering of the cosmos
and in the revelation of the divine plan of salvation.
The
story of Adam and Eve narrated in Qur’an and Bible, is in reality an allegory
of human destiny. The role of Satan (Iblis) in Qur’an specifically deals with
the existence of evil, with enhanced role, without compromising on Supremacy of
God, which the other philosophies could not resolve with in monotheism. In his earlier state of virtuousness man was
unaware of the existence of evil and, therefore, of the ever-present necessity
of making a choice between the many possibilities of action and behaviour. The
growth of his consciousness-symbolized by the willful act of disobedience to
God’s command-changed all this. It transformed him from a purely instinctive
being into a full-fledged human entity known. A human being capable of
discriminating between right and wrong and thus of choosing his way of life. In
this deeper sense, the allegory of the Fall does not describe a retrogressive happening
but, rather, a new stage of human development: an opening of doors to moral
considerations. By forbidding him to “approach this tree”, God made it possible
for man to act wrongly-and, therefore, to act rightly as well: and so man
became endowed with that ‘moral free will’ which distinguishes him from all
other conscious beings. Every human is born free of sin, pure in nature, thus
the purpose of human creation is;
Service (worship) i.e. ‘Willing Obedience to Allah’. The worship rituals are just a part of broader concept of total
obedience to God in all spheres of life. The theory of evolution has been
opposed by most Christian and Muslim theologians. The theory having “missing
links”, cannot be proven in a scientifically acceptable way. How did Allah
breathe His spirit into Adam whom He made of clay and when did all this happen,
He has chosen not to disclose. Had such information been of benefit to humanity
in this regard, it would not have been withheld. In Islam the creation of the
universe and humanity may be understood as a part of ‘Grand Design’ of God,
which is based upon trial, balance, Justice and Mercy. God has granted freedom
of choice to the human through guidance, intellect and reason, resulting in
individual responsibility and accountability. However He accepts repentance of
sinners and forgive them but those who die in
state of rebellion will be entitled to punishment in Hereafter. Humanity should endeavor to combine ‘faith’
with ‘good deeds’ to attain salvation in the hereafter.
