Why Were We Created?

 “I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.” (Adh-Dhariyat, 56)

Allah (jalla jalaluhu) created angels before human beings. Angels always remember their Rabb, obey, and worship Him. Eating, drinking, and similar desires originating from having a nafs do not exist in their creation. They just do as He commands.

“And (mention, O Muhammad), when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive (human) authority. They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." (Al-Baqarah, 30)

Thus, He created man and revealed the way he should live in this world through the prophets and divine texts. But he granted mankind free will and left the choice to them. Each person would decide for themself which path to take, whether they would be a person of humility and gratitude or someone mired in arrogance and denial. The Lord of All the Worlds has given mankind the material and spiritual tools and abilities that will both make them free and enable them to make the right choice.

The first step for humanity to continue its journey of life in peace and conclude with salvation is to realize that it has been created. All creations have a beginning and are therefore in need of a creator who brings them into being. When one understands this, they realize that they have a creator and that a highly capable being such as themselves can have responsibilities.

The 56th ayah of surah Adh-Dhariyat, which we have explained in the introduction, answers the question, "what is the responsibility of man?": Worship Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds...

Whose Purpose?

Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (rahmatullahi alayh), the imam of the Maturidi sect, says the following in the interpretation of this holy verse: "Allah has created man in such a way that he can know good and evil, and distinguish between what should be done and what should be avoided. He did not create the man and leave him unattended; He has tested him with worship and whether he will be grateful for the various blessings he has given.

The holy verse can have two meanings. The first is, ‘I have created humans and jinn to be commanded by my worship.’ The second is, ‘I have created jinn and humans so that they serve me; let them not worship anyone other than me." (Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, Ta'wilatu’l-Ahlu’s-Sunnah, 9/394)

 Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anh) explained the expression "ya'budun" in the holy verse, which means to worship, as "marifah,” that is, to know, to recognize.

İsmail Hakkı Bursevi (rahmatullahi alayh) also deepens this meaning: “Acceptable marifah is that which is obtained through worship. Being busy with things other than Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and worshipping Him, is a veil that prevents marifah.” (Ismail Hakkı Bursevî, Ruhu'l-Beyan 1/409)

In order to understand the holy verse correctly, it is necessary to touch upon a fundamental theological issue. The meaning of "Allah has created people for the purpose of worship" should definitely not be deduced from this verse. All the works of Allah the All-Knowing are with hikmah. However, it is unfavorable to attribute expressions such as aim, purpose, or goal to Him because this approach leads to the search for a cause-effect relationship in the act of creation and, therefore, to the conclusion that His act of creation took place due to a factor and that in the absence of that motive, Allah's act cannot take place. That is never true. He has the power and will to do whatever he wishes.

The servant must know that he is doing all the worship he does for himself. Allah is not in need of a servant's worship or any other thing. However, the servant is obliged to fulfill the responsibility given due to the hikmah of creation and test. Fulfilling the duties is in his favor, and not fulfilling them is against him.

The Two Foundations of Servitude

Fakhruddin Razi (radiyallahu anh) says there are two basic acts of worship that man must do. These are obeying Allah's orders and decrees and showing compassion to His creations. These two aspects are present in the shari'ah of all prophets. However, practical matters, such as the time and provisions of fasting, may differ according to ummahs. (Fakhraddin Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb, 28/191)

As a manifestation of the freedom of will given to man, there are those who believe in Allah and serve Him by following the hikmah of creation, and there are also those who rebel and live in an opposite manner. A person who refuses to serve has broken his eternal covenant. He rebelled against his Lord, to whom he professed his Lordship by saying, “Yes, you are our Lord, we testify” when Allah asked, "Am I not your Lord?" when he created souls (Surah Al-Araf 172), and cast a shadow over his servitude. Worship requires obedience.

 When human beings forget the purpose of their existence and fall for the deception of the world, they lose their way and lose sight of the hikmah in their creation. They see the life of this world as a medium for the pleasures of the nafs and forget who they are. Of course, this shifted outlook has heavy consequences on worldly life, such as loss of meaning, dissatisfaction, and restlessness.

In order not to fall into this situation, Allah Almighty warns humanity with shocking expressions. The verses, “We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything in between for play and amusement,” (Al-Anbiya 16; Ad-Dukhan 38) exemplify these warnings. When a true believer makes a mistake in the turmoil of life, he should be able to pause for a moment and say, “I was not created for this!” As soon as he says this, he takes the first step towards hauling up his nafs and turning away from wrongdoing. Thus, he remembers who he is, why he came to this world, and what is asked of him.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır says the following on this issue: “As for the essence of the duty that needs to be remembered... 'I created jinn and humans only so that they can worship and serve me.' This is the duty that needs to be reminded. The hikmah behind the creation of the jinn and the human race is to know Allah and worship and serve Him. Apart from this, the lives and deeds consumed for other things will be wasted, and they deserve torment.” (Hak Dini Kuran Dili, tafsir of the 56th verse of Surah Adh-Dhariyat)

Marifah Without Worship

The great wali Najmaddin Dayah (quddise sirruhu) had a remarkable assessment. In summary, he said:

Knowing Allah (marifatullah) is hidden in servitude and worship. To know Him is to know His two attributes. These are the attributes "jamal" and "jalal." There are different places where these two attributes manifest themselves. Servitude is a manifestation point for both. For, if a person tries to serve Allah as he should and consents to His decree, the jamal attribute of Allah will appear in that servant. If a person opposes his Lord with rebellion and arrogance, the jalal attribute of Allah the Exalted appears in him. (Ruh al-Bayan 9/179)

Some scholars say there are three levels of servitude. The first is that a person serves Allah, hoping for reward and fearing punishment. This person turns away from the world and his pleasures, preferring solitude, and is called a zahid. The name of this station is “worship,” and it is the lower level. The second is that a person serves his Lord in order to be honored by worship or by keeping all his orders and prohibitions high above everything, which is the middle level, and the name of this station is "ubudiyah.” The third is that the servant worships only Allah, the Almighty, without seeking any other reason, with the understanding that only He is worthy of worship. This is the highest of levels, and its name is “ubudah.” (Shabuddin Mahmud al-Alusi, Ruhu'l-Maani 1/89)

A person who realizes the power and majesty of his Lord realizes that He is worthy of all kinds of worship and obedience. While being a servant to the Lord of All the Worlds, one cannot be a servant to his own pleasures, money, or power. The Qur'an speaks of those who take their nafs as their god. (Al-Furqan, 43; Al-Ghashiyah, 23)

 When We Break Away From Our Purpose

Imam al-Ghazali (rahmatullahi alayh) describes the situation of such people as follows: “A person unwary of the grandness, jalal, and hikmah of the Supreme Creator is busy with his hunger and lust. He does not know anything about his nafs apart from what it has in common with animals, such as the satisfying of urges when hungry, fulfilling desires whenever they emerge, giving into anger, and, as a result, picking fights and having unnecessary confrontations. What is characteristic of human beings but not possessed by animals is marifatullah. With this qualification, man can be included in the same class as muqarabbun angels. He is resurrected with the prophets and siddiqs, who are close to Allah. There is no such degree for animals and those who are content with animalistic pleasures. In fact, such people are lower than animals. Because Allah has given them the characteristics that He did not give to animals. They, on the other hand, spoiled it, destroyed it, and were ungrateful for Allah's blessing. They are even lower than animals.” (Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulumi'd-Din 4/439, 440)

 For the tafsir of the holy verse, “And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, with no deviation and to establish salah and pay zakat. That is the way of the straight religion.” (Surah Al-Bayyinah, 5), Fakhruddin Razi (rahmetullahi alayh) mentions the following: Worships are not made obligatory in order to obtain rewards that will bring them to Jannah or to keep them away from the torment of Jahannam according to Ahlu’s-Sunnah. It has been made obligatory because you are a servant, and Allah (jalla jalaluhu) is a Lord. However, if there were no rewards and punishments in religion, and if Allah had ordered worship, it would still be fard just for the sake of servitude. There is a sign here that those who worship to obtain rewards or to get rid of torment are actually worshiping rewards or getting rid of torment, and Allah is only seen as a means.” (Mafatih al-Gayb 32/242)

The Pinnacle of Servitude

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is the best example for us as a servant and as the pinnacle of servitude. What could be a clearer proof than seeing how to serve the Lord of All the Worlds from him and from the lives of the great personalities who follow him? It is known that our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), who is a mercy to the worlds, was a servant who reached the holy presence of Allah the Exalted in his worldly life and was honored with His jamal. When he ascended to this level, he had a servant's dress on him. The meaning of the first verse of the surah Al-Isra, in which the Isra-Miraj miracle is narrated, is as follows: “Exalted is He who took His Servant (the Prophet Muhammad) by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” 

The great Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam Ebussuud Efendi, makes the following observations regarding the mention of the Messenger of Allah with the word “servant” in this holy verse:

"The fact that the Prophet's attribute of a servant is preferred over the attributes of a prophet in the holy verse indicates that he has dedicated himself to the servitude of his Lord. And on this path, it shows that he has reached the highest point, the last stage that can be reached. As the beginning and ending points of the Isra incident indicate..." (Ebu's-Suud Efendi, Irshad Aql-i Salim ila Mazaayaa Quran al-Karim 4/115)

The Isra incident started on earth and reached the border of Sidrat al-Muntaha. In servitude, we can take a lesson from this. Even though we cannot physically cover such a distance, we can begin our journey of servitude at a base level and spiritually ascend to a level that corresponds to the distance between the Earth and Sidrat al-Muntaha. Even if one can’t reach the highest station in this spiritual journey, one has to make constant effort to move forward.

Some Sufi scholars have also commented on this subject. According to them, this subtlety indicates the following: Surely, every person who has attained perfection in servitude has a share of the Isra incident. The difference is that the physical journey is only for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Walis, on the other hand, experience this spiritually, not physically, and according to the degree of purification of their nafs.

As a result, no human being is left without guidance, supervision, or direction in this worldly life; we have responsibilities. The biggest is the duty of servitude to our Lord. Worldly duties are transitory and temporary; servitude is continuous. It is true that we are commanded to worship until our last breath. Worship, which is the mark of servanthood, is time-based. For example, prayer becomes fard five times a day when the time comes. Fasting is obligatory in Ramadan and Hajj in Dhu’l-Hijjah. But servitude is not specific to a time. A person is always a servant from the moment he is born until the moment he dies. Even if he loses all his qualifications, the fact that he is a servant does not change.

So, let's not forget that we are servants of the Lord of All the Worlds and were created for worship. And let's take this divine commandment as a guide for our entire lives: "And worship your Lord until comes to you that which is certain (death).” (Al-Hijr, 99)

Allah the Most High knows best.

Abdüssamed Aslım