The Purpose of Creating Man

The Purpose of Creating Man

- Why did Allah create me?
- What distinguishes me from other creatures?
- What is my goal in life?

Introduction

Ever since man came to life, he has been searching for the aim that he should reach and the final destiny he must get to. In general, he knows that Allah has not created him in jest or just for fun. On the contrary, Allah has created man for a wise purpose dedicated for him only as the Holy Verse states, ﴾Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?﴿1

Why did Allah create us and what is the purpose that he is aspiring us to reach?

Necessity of the Purpose

At the beginning, we must assure that all things existing all around the universe were created for a purpose and each has a function to perform. The earth, the moon, the sun and all other planets and stars play a specific role in the outstanding universe. The same goes with what the earth includes: sand, water, air, plants, animals, humans and all other creatures. Each of them has a major and important role in the regularity and continuity of life, human life in particular.

This prominent universal order attributes its existence and creation to Allah, the Wise Almighty, who has created and ordered them with His Knowledge, ﴾…It is He who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions.﴿2 ﴾… (such is) the artistry of Allah, who disposes of all things in perfect order…﴿3

Distinction of Man

Although it is true that man shares this origin with all creatures, Allah has dedicated him with a special feature which is reason, and honored him with the grace of knowledge and fathoming. Reason is a great divine blessing that gives us consciousness and perception, as well as the ability to select goals and choose what we deem proper among these goals.

Our trait, which distinguishes us from all other creatures, as humans is that we do comprehend the goals that we want to reach and achieve and that we can select and accept them willingly and contently if we think of them with our minds and reason their consequences soundly. Man may starve but not eat due to a life-related interest, if he is sick, or due to a hereafter-related interest, if he is fasting the obligatory dues. Thus, man can control his traits and instincts through his mind.

This is why many hadith talked about the high position of mind and that Allah has not created anything He likes more than mind and that He gives it in perfect manner only to whom He loves. Also, many anecdotes urged people to use this mind by contemplating that even Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, “A one-hour contemplating session betters a sixty-year worship interval.”4

If it is so, have we ever thought of what we want to achieve in life? Where should we reach and what should we make out of our lives?

Determining the Goal

Man would not do any action, no matter how small it is, unless he wants to achieve a certain goal. He would not eat unless he wants to meet his hunger or satisfy a need. He sleeps to get rest, works and spares money to get his daily bread and the necessities of life, studies to succeed and even plays around and has fun to entertain himself and recharge his forces and powers to go on with his life.

The problem, however, is when his mind goes deeply into the details of his daily life although it would be better for him to work his mind and answer the central question: what is the general goal that I want to achieve in my life?

When man opens a commercial business, for instance, the daily business movement such as buying and selling, taking care of the employees’ affairs and organizing the same are not important in themselves as much as they lead to the general profit of the establishment. The same thing applies to the detailed objectives of man’s daily activities: they spring out from the importance and the eminence of the general goal of his life.

Happiness is the Goal

Some may consider being a doctor or an engineer as their goals; others endeavor to become owners of enterprises or decent professionals; others would aspire to become members of the parliament, leaders or high profile figures in the society; quite a portion may be interested in guiding people and showing them the right way in life as in the Hereafter. People have many various, distinct purposes, but are they so?

Should we ask the doctor why he has chosen medicine, he would say to treat and cure myself and others from illnesses. Why is it so? So that we could lead healthy lives. Why all of that? To feel comfort and happiness comes the answer. Why are you after happiness and comfort? The answer comes: Loving comfort and happiness is an instinctive feeling and it is sought for itself, not for something else.

The rest are the same: the engineer, the trader, a high profile figure in the society, and even an ascetic or a cleric, who sacrifices for guiding and reforming people are all after happiness and exert their best of efforts and hard work to be happy and feel comfort and felicity. This is the purpose Allah has created us for and wants us to reach and achieve. He, Praise to Him, the Elevated and the Most Powerful, Owner of the Best of Names, the Arrogant and Lord of Favors, He Who needs nothing, has created us not to benefit from us, since he is the richest of the rich who shall never become poor, but so that we could reach perfection, comfort and happiness.

Therefore, man’s objective from life is happiness.

* Path of Knowledge. Islamic Cultural Knowledge Organization. Knowledge Center for Islamic Studies and Researches.

^{1- (Al-Mumenoon [The Believers]) 114.
2- (Al-Furqan [The Criterion, The Standard] 025.002).
3- (An-Naml [The Ant, The Ants] 027.088).
4- Nour Al Barahin, V.66, P.331.}