Islamic Perspective: Life Purpose
Islam is the response to humanity’s search for meaning. The purpose of creation for all men and women for all times has been one: To know and worship Allah.
According to Islam, what is the purpose of life?
You might be amazed to learn, that Islam is providing clear and concise answers to these questions.
The purpose of Islam is the peaceful coexistence of human beings in a way that they collectively develop systems to make the earth a better place, as the man was created by Allah as vice-regent, someone who inherits authority from Allah, on earth:
˹Remember˺ when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to place a successive ˹human˺ authority on earth.” They asked ˹Allah˺, “Will You place in it someone who will spread corruption there and shed blood while we glorify Your praises and proclaim Your holiness?” Allah responded, “I know what you do not know.”
[Quran 2:30]
Islam is the most perfect and the last message of Allah for guiding mankind. Islam presents the best way of life for mankind, the best relationship between mankind and Allah, mankind among themselves, and mankind with nature. the best way of life guarantees prosperity, tranquillity, and happiness for mankind in this world, and salvation, eternal blissful life, and divine pleasure and infinite mercy in the afterlife.
According to Islam, Paradise is the goal of every Muslim. And the purpose of life is to make yourself a deserving candidate for Paradise. There are two different phases of life according to Islam;
The first phase of life is temporary and its purpose is to provide an opportunity to every Muslim to demonstrate how good he can be in the pursuit of personal excellence and how much he contributes to justice, excellence, and the well-being of his society, in submission to his Creator. The second phase of life will be permanent and everlasting where those who performed well will enjoy pleasures and bounties forever, while others will be imprisoned in hell for misusing their freedom and rebelling against their Creator.
Muslims believe that Almighty Allah is the only creator of this world and all other things which are present in this world. and we acknowledged Him, we all know that He created us (humankind) to serve Him. Now the question comes to mind that How we can serve Him? There is a reason behind the creation of this world and humankind.
To Allah ˹alone˺ belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Most Capable of everything.
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and night there are signs for people of reason.
˹They are˺ those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth ˹and pray˺, “Our Lord! You have not created ˹all of˺ this without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire.
[Quran 3:189–191]
So, from the above verse of the Holy Quran, we came to know that Allah has created this world and humankind for His worship and we should always remember Allah Almighty because He is the one Who created day and night, heavens and earth and all other things that we see in this world.
Islam addresses the reason of what and why of human existence. The point of view that Islam gives refers to human existence is quite different from other religions wherein some there is no purpose for human existence, or if there is any, it is beyond human intelligence. Allah Almighty created man to serve Him, meaning that men should believe in the One Lord and do well. This is the main objective of human life.
“I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.” [Quran 51:56]
This life is a preparation for the Hereafter the ‘Eternal Home’ that will not be going to an end to which all human beings ultimately go. So, Muslims are required to observe righteousness in their daily life, based on Quranic teachings, like eating halal food, wearing modest clothing, performing prayers, giving alms, etc, because of the fact that they live for Allah alone. And to those who aim to attain nearness to Him, Almighty Allah sees to it.
The reason for knowing and understanding the creation of this world and human existence by Muslims is due to the fact that Allah Almighty has given us the book Quran which contains all the guidance related to the life of this world and the Hereafter too. If we want to know about the existence of this world and humankind then we have to understand it through Holy Quran because all the answers are present in Holy Quran.
Purpose of Life According to Quranic Verses:
In Quran; it is clear that when Allah Almighty made the souls of all the humans, the first thing He did was to take an oath from the entire human race in which they testified to His Lordship. This oath shows the fact that all the humans were made aware of the fact that Allah is their Lord and they need to remember it. What this ayah and the acts of people in during the oath and when they come to this earth gives the prime purpose of human existence in Islam i.e. knowing the Lord or identifying Him is the primary objective of human existence.
And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding themselves. ˹Allah asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” They replied, “Yes, You are! We testify.” ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on Judgment Day, ‘We were not aware of this.’
Nor say, ‘It was our forefathers who had associated others ˹with Allah in worship˺ and we, as their descendants, followed in their footsteps. Will you then destroy us for the falsehood they invented?’” [Quran 7:172–173]
we can conclude, we were indeed created for a purpose beyond that of simply play and enjoyment in this life. We have the purpose of life that we should know and have to live life according to that purpose.
“Did you then think that We had created you without purpose, and that you would never be returned to Us?” [Quran 23:115]
Allah states that the reality of this life is one of deception and we should not fall for its temporary enjoyments.
“Know that this worldly life is no more than play, amusement, luxury, mutual boasting, and competition in wealth and children. This is like rain that causes plants to grow, to the delight of the planters. But later the plants dry up and you see them wither, then they are reduced to chaff. And in the Hereafter there will be either severe punishment or forgiveness and pleasure of Allah, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment” [Quran 57:20]
In short, Almighty Allah has guided people to the purpose of life that is worshipping Him and seeking His pleasure. The Holy Quran in this regard is one of the best ways of knowing the ways in which a person can fulfill this purpose of pleasing Almighty Allah and give meaning to his or her life. The main reason for our creation is worship. We should fulfill this purpose of our life by following Allah’s commands given in Quran.
Why is this life a test according to Islam?
In Islam, this life is a test. The purpose of life is to pass the test. We believe in Allah. Allah did not create this great creation for anything.
It is difficult to answer a complex topic such as this comprehensively in a short article, but three verses from the Qur’an quickly give a sketch of the Islamic understanding of the purpose of life:
People from different schools of thought always ask themselves about the purpose of life. Islam has also provided an answer to the philosophy of creation. Some people believe that the purpose of life was to acquire wealth, but if the purpose of life is to become wealthy, there would be no purpose after becoming wealthy.
According to the perspective of Islam, the main purpose of the creation of death and life is to test who is the best indeed as Allah says in the Quran.
“˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.” [Quran 67:2]
Islam rejects wealth and welfare as the main purpose for the life and creation of humans and believes that worshiping Allah is the main purpose of life as Allah has emphasized in the Quran:
“I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.”
[Quran 51:56]
“I seek no provision from them, nor do I need them to feed Me.”
[Quran 51:57]
“We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything in between for sport.”
[Quran 21:16]
He explained to us in the Quran and through His messenger (s) what the purpose of this life is. The purpose of this life is to worship Allah. This is a very simple test. If we follow this order, we will be rewarded.
“We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything in between for sport.”
[Quran 44:38]
That reward will be the time when we can just relax and enjoy. As for the time in this world, we are simply travelers passing through on our way to our destination.
“We only created them for a purpose, but most of these ˹pagans˺ do not know.”
[Quran 40:39]
Allah is the One Who has created mankind and He knows best the wisdom behind His creation.
How we can pass this test?
Synthesizing the meaning of above these verses: life is a test to see what our actions are. If we choose to follow the way that Allah has taught us to live (this is what worship means in Islam), then we have fulfilled the purpose of life. If instead, we spend our time entirely on idle entertainments, or worse, on actions of destruction, then we have not grasped the purpose of life.
So, You pass the test by being the best person you can be, more specifically the best Muslim you can be. That means doing as many good deeds as you can while doing a few bad deeds as you can and obeying Allah’s (SWT) command.
The purpose of life is to make Allah think he has a purpose. He created us to fulfill his needs and not for ours. If we follow these simple directions as best we can, we will get something much better than relaxing in this temporary life.
Why is belief in life after death important?
Knowing that there is a life after death gives perspective on a life that will soon come to an end when we die. Whilst it is natural and understandable for us to strive for a better standard of living, live a comfortable life, and earn more money, belief in life after death takes our focus beyond that: our focus in this life is striving to please God so that we achieve the best possible afterlife.
And since Muslims know that God is pleased with those who follow His guidance and display good morals and manners to those around them, we try to become the most humble, kind, fair, and honest people we can be. We endeavor to treat our family, friends, and neighbors whether Muslim on non-Muslim in the best way possible. And we strive to build good relations amongst communities so that our cities and towns become the best and happiest place to live that they can possibly be.
source: Raja Muhammed Mustansar javaid (Medium)