Conclusion
Without knowledge of the purpose of creation, human beings wander aimlessly through life, like ships at sea without rudders. Their goals are either wrong due to incorrect religious teachings, or materialistic and thus confined to this world. It is, therefore, essential for their own well being that they know why God created them.
Fundamentally, Allaah created in order to manifest His attributes. Consequently, creation is the consequence of His being the Creator, paradise manifests His Mercy and Grace, hell His Justice, humankind’s errors His Forgiveness, living and non-living beings His Generosity, etc. The significance of knowing that creation is a means by which Allaah manifests His attributes is that human beings can then correctly recognize God and accept His decree and their destiny.
However, it is of even greater importance that human beings know the purpose for which they were created. The final Revelation teaches that it is to worship God because humankind must worship Him in order to attain righteousness and the spiritual status necessary to enter paradise. The significance of this knowledge is that human beings understand that worship is as much a necessity as eating and breathing and that it is not a favor they are doing for God.
It is also essential that human beings grasp the importance of this world’s bounties and trials. Without knowledge of the purpose behind their creation, humans tend to look at this world as being hostile to them. However, God created it primarily for their benefit. The tests of good and evil are designed to bring out the higher spiritual qualities of the human being.
However, humans are not able to benefit from the tests unless they put complete trust in God and have patience in what He has destined for them. For those who reject God, the trials of this world become a punishment for them in this life prior to the eternal punishment in the next world.
Knowledge of the purpose of the world also makes the believer environmentally conscious. Humankind is responsible to utilize the bounties of this life justly.
The creatures of the earth and seas, the vegetation, and the atmosphere have been put in his care. Consequently, humans should take great care to preserve the environment and the living creatures within it as a means of giving thanks to God.
With such a comprehensive consciousness of purpose, human beings become whole. They are transformed into guides for humankind showing the way to righteousness. Consequently, Allaah describes them as the best of mankind in the final revelation:
{ كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللهِ }
“You are the best people chosen for mankind because you command righteousness, forbid evil and believe in Allaah.”
Qur’aan, 3:110
