Lesson 1 : The Purpose of Creation
1. Text:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
2. Translation:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” [Qur’an 51:56]
3. Explanation:
Everything in this world is created for a purpose. Everything in this world exists for a purpose. There’s nothing in this world which is out of purpose. We can hold or point to anything in this world and ask, “What’s the purpose of it?” Immediately we get an answer. For example, if we hold a pen in our hand and ask, “What’s the purpose of this pen?” Soon we get an answer, “The purpose is to write.” So the pen is created with some purpose. Similarly you may ask, “What’s the purpose of writing this lesson?” Because this lesson also has a purpose behind it.
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Similarly the sun, moon, mountains, trees, animals etc. everything has a purpose behind it. They are created for some or other reasons.
So if everything has a purpose behind it, then what is the purpose behind the creation of man? Why was man created? What is the reason for it? After all, why do man exist in this world?
People may have different opinions. The opinions may differ from person to person, place to place and time to time. Some may say the purpose is to achieve something. Some may say to rule, to love, to sing, to dance etc. Others may say to eat, to drink, to enjoy, to have sex and so on. So everyone accepts that there is a purpose behind the creation of man.
Let’s come to the Islamic point of view. What’s the purpose behind the creation of man? Why was man created? The answer is: to worship Allah. Allah did not create the jinn and the mankind except they must worship Him. So according to Islam, the purpose of creation is to worship Allah alone.
Worshiping Allah alone means to divert all types of worship (ibadah) only to Allah. If anyone diverts any of the worship to other than Allah, then he has ascribed partners with Allah. He has committed the biggest crime which is shirk. If he dies on the same state without making sincere tawbah (repentance) the reward for him is jahannam (hell) and he will reside there forever and ever. Because Allah, the exalted, says:
“Indeed, he who ascribes partners with Allah – Allah has forbidden him paradise, and his refuge is the fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.” [Qur’an 5:72]
4. Questions:
- What is the purpose behind the creation of man?
- Eating, drinking is necessary for living? Are we created for that?
- Who is a Mushrik? What is his destination?
- What is the rule if a person diverts any one of the following worships to other than Allah?
- [Salat (prayer), Du’a (supplication), Khawf (fear), Zab’h (sacrifice), Tawaf (circumambulation)].
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