CREATION OF MAN
As Described in the Quran
MAN is God’s servant. Man has been created by God with a plan, that is, to place him temporarily on earth in order to test him. Then those who pass this test will be rewarded, while those who fail will be rejected.
For the purposes of this test, man has been granted freedom in this world. Whatever man receives in this world is not as a matter of right but only as a matter of trial. Every situation here is a test, and in all situations, man must give a proper performance as is required of him by God.
The proper attitude for man is not to take to the paths of his desires, but to try to understand the divine plan of creation and then after being convinced of its ineluctability, he should build his life accordingly. Man may deviate from the divine plan by misusing the freedom given to him by God, but he cannot save himself from the consequences of this deviation.
In such a state of affairs, it is in the interest of man himself that he remain extremely cautious in determining the course of his life. Instead of being guided by his own will and desires, he should make God’s will his guide. Instead of pursuing his own ambitions, he should lead a life in conformance with the commands of God.
Man may be a masterpiece of divine creation, but he must nevertheless remain subservient to the plan of God. Making a full acknowledgement of these two aspects of the existence of humankind is the key to human progress.
Man succeeded in building a modern industrial civilization by discovering and exploiting the laws of nature. Similarly, in the next world man will achieve lasting success on a much vaster scale, but only after striving earnestly to comprehend God’s creation plan for humanity and then adhering unflinchingly to its edicts.
Man’s True Purpose in Life
Man attains his highest distinction only when he leads a purposeful
life. Such a life characterizes the most advanced stage of human
development. This does not mean that, by taking up just any task which
is ostensibly significant, man’s life becomes truly purposeful. A really purposeful life is one in which man discovers his supreme status as
a moral being. It is a life in which his personality makes manifest the
unique and distinctive ability to make moral choices. An animal strives
to obtain food; a bird flies in search of a better country when the season
changes; a wasp busies itself building up its home from tiny particles of
earth; a herd of deer takes measures to protect itself from wild beasts
of prey. All of these appear to be purposeful actions. But when the
phrase ‘a purposeful life’ is applied to man, it does not refer to practical
efforts of this nature. Without doubt arranging for food, clothes and
shelter are some of the tasks that man has to perform in this world;
but this is a level of purposefulness at which men and animals, being
concerned only with bare survival, are equal.
Its true application in relation to man can only be that in which he appears in all his dignity: when it goes beyond common animalism and takes the form of superior humanism.
God’s creations in this world fall into two categories: animate and inanimate. Obviously, animate objects enjoy a certain superiority over inanimate objects. The former can be divided into three classes: the vegetable, the animal and the human. Modern scientific research has shown that plants also possess life, in that they nourish themselves, they grow and they have feelings.
Modern biologists have come to the conclusion that it is man’s capacity for conceptual thought, which distinguishes him from other life forms. Animals lack this quality, whereas man is conscious of the fact that he is thinking
But animals and men surely represent a higher form of life. In what way does man excel animals? Many theories have been advanced in answer to this question over the ages, and great minds are still studying it. But modern biologists have come to the conclusion that it is man’s capacity for conceptual thought, which distinguishes him from other life forms. Animals lack this quality, whereas man is conscious of the fact that he is thinking. He consciously forms all plans of action in his mind. In his everyday life, his actions are determined by him. Whereas this is not the case with animals. Though many of their actions appear to be like those of men, these actions are not the result of thought; they all stem from pure instinct. Animals are simply led intuitively in a certain direction by their desires and their needs. Their actions are governed by environmental stresses from without and physical pressures from within.
It is from this unique capacity of man to conceptualize that we can conceive of what his higher purpose in life should be: one which in no way results from the pressures of desire or of immediate exigencies. It must emanate from his own urge to worship God.
Man’s true purpose in life can only be one which reflects the nobler side of his character; one which represents him as the superior being that he is.
If one pauses at this stage to take note of what the Quran has to say, one will find that it gives us clear guidance in this matter. Man’s purpose in life has been explained in the Quran in the following words:
I created the jinn and humankind only so that they might worship Me: I seek no sustenance from them, nor do I want them to feed Me—it is God who is the great Sustainer, the Mighty One, the Invincible. (51: 56-58)
These verses specify man’s purpose in life as worship. This is a purpose that highlights man’s uniqueness in its ultimate form. It raises man to a much higher plane than that of the animals. Not a trace of animalism contributes to the achievement of such a goal. God does not, as the verse states, demand of you a livelihood, rather He himself is responsible for your livelihood. This means worship of God is a purpose, which is motivated neither by inward desires nor outward influences but comes into being through conscious thought alone. Only when a person goes beyond self and his environment can he understand that there is a higher purpose on which he should focus his life. The motivating force towards the fulfillment of this purpose is not the urge to satisfy one’s needs or those of others. The worshipper seeks neither to gratify his own desires nor those of the Being he worships. It is a purpose which sets before man a goal far above all these things—a goal which does not follow internal needs or external pressures, but results purely from conceptual thought.
Only when a person goes beyond self and his environment can he understand that there is a higher purpose on which he should focus his life.
When a person works, makes money, builds a house, and makes an effort to improve his standard of living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be called a purposeful life, for these activities do not demonstrate man’s unique status. It might seem as if they are the result of deliberation, but if one looks at the matter in-depth, one will see that in actuality the motivating force behind these actions is the same urge that motivates an animal in various ways, i.e. its concern for its own survival. It is the driving force of one’s desires, the pressure of one’s needs, and the wish to fulfill the demands of one’s self that underlie such a life. These are the considerations which, in fact, guide a person in his search for his livelihood.
When man grows up, he realizes that there are certain material necessities without which he cannot live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he requires a reliable source of income to sustain him throughout his life. He is forced by these considerations to obtain these things. Then he sees that those who have an abundance of these material things enjoy respect and apparently possess every form of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus, he is driven on to do more than just seek a livelihood; he desires to earn to a degree greatly in excess of his actual requirements.
In bustling markets, grandiose offices, and opulent buildings, he is not really guided by deliberate thought. Rather, he is being guided by inflated ideas of his own needs, desires, longings, and ambitions to achieve fame and high status in this world. For this reason, these activities cannot be considered as being directed towards the purpose, which sets man apart from the animals and lends him a higher distinction.
When man seeks the pleasure of his Lord, his human qualities are fully realized. This is a purpose loftier than the one towards which an animal directs its energies.
Man’s greater dignity cannot be based only on a purpose which emanates from inner desires and pressures of the environment. Man’s true purpose in life can only be to seek the pleasure of God. When man seeks the pleasure of his Lord, his human qualities are fully realized. This is a purpose loftier than the one towards which an animal directs its energies. It distinguishes man from the animals. It is the ultimate station of human dignity.
To determine the purpose of life is, in short, to strive to make life meaningful. It must surely, therefore, be one which is in accordance with man’s unique status; it must be one which leads man on the path to success and progress in terms of his true nature.
Man as a Finite Being
Man is placed on earth only for a very short time. There, he will be
trained, tested, and then passed over to the Hereafter where he will stay forever. The possessions and blessings of this world, although
created in a way similar to their originals in Heaven, actually possess
many defects and weaknesses. For they are only intended to make
man remember the Hereafter.
God describes how the world is a temporary place full of deception: “Never forget that the life of this world is only a game and a passing delight, a show, and mutual boasting and trying to outrival each other in riches and children. It is like the growth of vegetation after the rain, which delights the planter, but which then withers away, turns yellow and becomes worthless stubble. In the life to come there will be a terrible punishment, or God’s forgiveness and approval: the life of this world is nothing but a means of deception.” (57: 20)
Death is not the end of a person’s life. It is only the beginning of the next stage of life. Death is that interim stage when man leaves this temporary world of today for the eternal world of tomorrow.
Just as it is stated in the Quran, all of the ignorant people live only for a few objectives such as riches and children and other things about which they can boast. In another verse, the goods and chattels of deception in the world are described thus:
The satisfaction of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and pedigreed horses, and cattle and lands is attractive to people. All this is the provision of the worldly life; but the most excellent abode is with God. Say, ‘Shall I tell you of something better than all of these? For the God-fearing, there are Gardens in nearness to their God with rivers flowing through them where they shall live forever with pure spouses and the goodwill of God. God is watching His servants. (3: 14-15)
The life of this world is extremely rudimentary and lacking in worth when compared to the eternal life in the Hereafter. To express this, the original Arabic word for the “world” has the connotation of a “scanty, crowded, dirty place”. People consider that their 60-70 year long life on this earth will be a long and satisfying one. Yet, in a very short time death comes and all are buried in their graves. As a matter of fact, as death comes closer, one realizes how short a time he has stayed in this world. On the Day of Resurrection, God will question the people.
He will ask, ‘How many years did you stay on earth?’ They will say, ‘We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask those who have kept count.’ He will say, ‘You only stayed for a little while, if only you knew. ‘Do you imagine that We created you without any purpose and that you would not be brought back to Us?’ (23: 112-115)
Denying God and disregarding the Hereafter in the lifelong pursuit of worldly attainments will result in eternal punishment in Hell-fire. Those who conduct themselves in this way are described in the Quran as “people who buy the life of this world for the price of the Hereafter”. For them God decrees: “Their penalty shall not be lightened, nor shall they be helped.” (2: 86)
Another verse states:
Those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, but are
pleased and satisfied with the life of the present and those who
heed not Our Signs; their abode is the Fire, because of the evil
they earned. (10: 7-8)
Those who forget that this world is only a temporary place of trial and who are not mindful of God’s signs, but are quite satisfied with worldly play and the amusements of this life, assuming them to be their own, and even deifying them, will surely deserve the most grievous penalty.
The Quran describes the status of such people:
Anyone who has acted arrogantly, and prefers the life of this
world, will find himself in Hell. (79: 37-39)
God has made His Heaven full of all kinds of blessings in the world of the Hereafter. Those who prove to be God-fearing and pious in this world will enter that world to find the gates of Heaven eternally open for them. But those who are oblivious of God in this present world will be deprived of the blessings of the Hereafter.
God is invisible in this present world, and will appear in all His power and majesty only in the world of the Hereafter. Then all human beings will bow low before Him. But at that time, surrendering will be of no avail. Surrendering before God after seeing Him in the Hereafter will not benefit anyone.
Death is not the end of a person’s life. It is only the beginning of the next stage of life. Death is that interim stage when man leaves this temporary world of today for the eternal world of tomorrow. He goes out of the temporary accommodation of the world to enter the eternal resting place of the Hereafter. The coming of this stage in the Hereafter is the greatest certainty in one’s life. No one can save himself from this fate in the Hereafter.