What is the reason for the human beings creation in islam? What is the purpose of man’s creation in islam?
Allah, who created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, did not create any living or inanimate being without a purpose. Every being in the universe has a place and value. The mind-boggling laws of motion, attraction, repulsion, and balance, seen in the creation of non-living beings, plants, and animals, and the submission of everything in the earth and sky to the service of the human being are some indications of the wisdom of creation.
Some inanimate creatures, plants, and animals first constitute support, food, and fodder for each other for development, reproduction, and survival. When they reach to a usable form, they become food and sustenance for the human body. A person’s sustenance is what he eats, consumes, and wears throughout his life. Therefore, the material beings in the world and its surroundings are instrumental beings introduced to the service of the human being. Their goal is to serve the people.[1]
When this is the case with other beings, the human being must have been created for far superior purposes. In the Qur’an, it is stated that humans and jinn were created to serve Allah.[2] Humankind has come to earth to be tested for a certain period of time. This requires following a true prophet and a divine religion that is valid in a person’s time. This religion is Islam for the last human nation on earth.
Almighty Allah creates both good and evil for the human being’s will. However, He is content with what is good but not with what is evil. This power of creation and choice that was given to human beings is a natural result of being tested. For the reason that if the human will be forced then there would be no such thing as responsibility. The following verse “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things”[3] indicates that this choice must be made with the free will of the human being.
However, some people think that the human being is created to eat, sleep, have sexual relations, and enjoy the pleasures of this world. They may have spent their entire lives in such an understanding of life. Others think that they were created to dominate other people. Both ways of thinking are the product of a materialist understanding. Because eating and drinking are needed to sustain life while having sexual relations is needed to satisfy the lust and to ensure reproduction. These all also exist in the animal kingdom. A camel eats more food than a human. Sparrows mate more often than humans. How then can a human being be superior to them? Invading countries and towns is done with anger. This trait has been given to predators in a more powerful way. As a result, humans have been given certain features which also exist in animals. In addition, they have also been given another degree of maturity by Almighty Allah. This is the intellect, and with it, they know Allah and understand His creatures. Thus, in consequence of training his inner self, the human being trains the traits that are common with the animals, and all those on earth come under his command due to his intellect. The following is stated in a verse: “And He has made subservient to you, [as a gift] from Himself, all that is in the heavens and on earth…”[4]
The reason for human beings’ existence in this world is clearly stated in the following verse: “He who has created death as well as life, so that He might put you to a test [and thus show] which of you is best in conduct…”[5]
[1] See Āl ʿImrān, 3: 191; al-Hashr, 59: 24; al-Isrā, 17: 44.
[2] Al-Dhariyat, 51: 56.
[3] Al-Baqara, 2: 256.
[4] Al-Jasiyah, 45: 13.
[5] Al-Mulk, 67: 2.
Source: Basic Islamic Principles (ʿilmi ḥāl) According to the Four Sunni Schools With Evidence From The Sources of Islamic Law, Prof. Hamdi Döndüren, Erkam Publications