The purpose of creation is a
topic that puzzles every human being at some point in his or her
lifetime. Everybody, at some time or another, asks themselves the
question: "Why do I exist?" or "For what purpose am I here on earth?"
The variety and complexity of the intricate systems, which constitute
the fabric of both human beings and the world in which they exist,
indicate that there must have been a Supreme Being who created them.
Design indicates a designer. When human beings come across footprints on
a beach, they immediately conclude that a human being had walked by
there some time previously.
No one imagines that the waves from the sea settled in the sand and by
chance produced a depression looking exactly like human footprints. Nor
do humans instinctively conclude that they were brought into existence
without a purpose. Since purposeful action is a natural product of human
intelligence, humans conclude that the Supreme Intelligent Being who
created them must have done so for a specific purpose. Therefore, human
beings need to know the purpose for their existence in order to make
sense of this life and to do what is ultimately beneficial for them.
Throughout the ages, however, there has been a minority among humans who
have denied the existence of God. Matter, in their opinion, is eternal
and mankind is merely a chance product of accidental combinations of its
elements. Consequently, for them there was no answer to the question:
"Why did God create man?" According to them, there simply is no purpose
to existence. However, the vast majority of humankind over the ages have
believed and continue to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being
who created this world with a purpose. For them it was, and still is,
important to know about the Creator and the purpose for which He created
human beings.
Why did God create man?
To answer the question: "Why did God create man?" it
must first be determined from which perspective the question is being
asked. From the point of view of God it would mean: "What caused God to
create human beings?" While from the human point of view it would mean:
"For what purpose did God create humans?" Both points of view represent
aspects of the intriguing question: "Why do I exist?"
In the following pages, both aspects of the question will be explored
based on the clear picture painted by divine revelation. This is not a
topic for human speculation, because human guesswork cannot possibly
produce the whole truth in this matter. How can human beings
intellectually deduce the reality of their existence when they can
hardly understand how their own brain or its higher entity, the mind,
functions?
Consequently, the numerous philosophers who have speculated on this
question through the ages have come up with innumerable answers, all of
which are based on assumptions, which cannot be proven. Questions on
this topic have even led a number of philosophers to claim that we do
not really exist and that the whole world is imaginary.
For example, the Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 CE) argued that the
everyday world of changeable things, which man comes to know by the use
of his senses, is not the primary reality, but is a shadow world of
appearances.
Many others, claimed and continue to claim that there is no purpose for
the creation of humans at all. According to them, human existence is
merely a product of chance. There can be no purpose if life evolved from
non-living matter, which only became animate by pure luck. Humankind's
supposed 'cousins,' the monkeys and apes, are not bothered with
questions of existence, so why should human beings be bothered with
them?!
The necessity of the answer
Although most people put the question of why we are
created aside after occasional brief reflection, it is extremely
critical for human beings to know the answer. Without knowledge of the
correct answer, human beings become indistinguishable from the other
animals around them. The animal needs and desires like eating, drinking
and procreating become the purpose of human existence by default, and
human effort is then focused to this limited sphere.
When material satisfaction develops into the most important goal in
life, human existence becomes even more degraded than that of the lowest
of animals. Human beings will consistently misuse their God-given
intelligence when they lack knowledge of their purpose of existence. The
degraded human mind uses its abilities to create drugs and bombs and
becomes engrossed in fornication, pornography, homosexuality,
fortune-telling etc.
Without knowledge of the purpose of life, human existence loses all
meaning and is consequently wasted, and the reward of an eternal life of
happiness in the hereafter is completely destroyed. Therefore, it is of
the utmost importance that human beings correctly answer the question:
"Why are we here?"
How to know the answer
Humans most often turn to other human beings like
themselves for answers. However, the only place that clear and precise
answers to these questions can be found is in the books of Divine
Revelation. It was necessary that God reveal the purpose to man through
His prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, because human beings are
incapable of arriving at the correct answers by themselves. All of the
prophets of God taught their followers the answers to the question: "Why
did God create man?"
From the perspective of humankind, the question "Why did God create
man?' implies: "For what purpose was man created?" In the final
revelation (i.e. The Holy Quran), this question is answered without any
ambiguity. God informed humans that every human being is born with an
innate consciousness of God.
In Chapter Al-A'raaf, Allaah Says (what means): "[Remember]
when your Lord extracted from the loins of Aadam's children their
descendants and made them testify (saying): 'Am I not your Lord?' They
said: 'Yes, we testify to it.' [This was] in case you say on the Day of
Judgment: 'We were unaware of this.' Or you say: "It was our ancestors
who worshipped others besides God and we are only their descendants.
Will you then destroy us for what those falsifiers did?'"
[Quran 7: 172-3]
The Prophet Muhammad 
explained that when Allaah created Aadam (Adam) 
He took from him a covenant at a place called Na'maan on the 9th day of the 12th month. He then extracted from Aadam
all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world,
generation after generation, and spread them out before Him to take a
covenant from them. He spoke to them, making them bear witness that He
was their Lord.
Consequently, every human being is responsible for belief in God, which
is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this inborn belief
that Allaah defined the purpose of humankind's creation in Chapter
Ath-Thaariyaat (which means): "I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship." [Quran 51: 56]
We are here to worship God
Thus, the essential purpose for which humankind was
created is the worship of God. However, the Almighty is not in need of
human worship. He did not create human beings out of a need on His part.
If not a single human worshipped God, it would not diminish His Glory
in any way, and if all of mankind worshipped Him, it would not increase
His Glory in any way. God is Perfect. He alone exists without any needs.
All created beings have needs. Consequently, it is humankind that needs
to worship God.
The variety and complexity of the intricate systems, which constitute the fabric of both human beings and the world in which they exist, indicate that there must have been a Supreme Being who created them. Design indicates a designer. When human beings come across footprints on a beach, they immediately conclude that a human being had walked by there some time previously.
No one imagines that the waves from the sea settled in the sand and by chance produced a depression looking exactly like human footprints. Nor do humans instinctively conclude that they were brought into existence without a purpose. Since purposeful action is a natural product of human intelligence, humans conclude that the Supreme Intelligent Being who created them must have done so for a specific purpose. Therefore, human beings need to know the purpose for their existence in order to make sense of this life and to do what is ultimately beneficial for them.
Throughout the ages, however, there has been a minority among humans who have denied the existence of God. Matter, in their opinion, is eternal and mankind is merely a chance product of accidental combinations of its elements. Consequently, for them there was no answer to the question: "Why did God create man?" According to them, there simply is no purpose to existence. However, the vast majority of humankind over the ages have believed and continue to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being who created this world with a purpose. For them it was, and still is, important to know about the Creator and the purpose for which He created human beings.
Why did God create man?
In the following pages, both aspects of the question will be explored based on the clear picture painted by divine revelation. This is not a topic for human speculation, because human guesswork cannot possibly produce the whole truth in this matter. How can human beings intellectually deduce the reality of their existence when they can hardly understand how their own brain or its higher entity, the mind, functions?
Consequently, the numerous philosophers who have speculated on this question through the ages have come up with innumerable answers, all of which are based on assumptions, which cannot be proven. Questions on this topic have even led a number of philosophers to claim that we do not really exist and that the whole world is imaginary.
For example, the Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 CE) argued that the everyday world of changeable things, which man comes to know by the use of his senses, is not the primary reality, but is a shadow world of appearances.
Many others, claimed and continue to claim that there is no purpose for the creation of humans at all. According to them, human existence is merely a product of chance. There can be no purpose if life evolved from non-living matter, which only became animate by pure luck. Humankind's supposed 'cousins,' the monkeys and apes, are not bothered with questions of existence, so why should human beings be bothered with them?!
The necessity of the answer
When material satisfaction develops into the most important goal in life, human existence becomes even more degraded than that of the lowest of animals. Human beings will consistently misuse their God-given intelligence when they lack knowledge of their purpose of existence. The degraded human mind uses its abilities to create drugs and bombs and becomes engrossed in fornication, pornography, homosexuality, fortune-telling etc.
Without knowledge of the purpose of life, human existence loses all meaning and is consequently wasted, and the reward of an eternal life of happiness in the hereafter is completely destroyed. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that human beings correctly answer the question: "Why are we here?"
How to know the answer
From the perspective of humankind, the question "Why did God create man?' implies: "For what purpose was man created?" In the final revelation (i.e. The Holy Quran), this question is answered without any ambiguity. God informed humans that every human being is born with an innate consciousness of God.
In Chapter Al-A'raaf, Allaah Says (what means): "[Remember] when your Lord extracted from the loins of Aadam's children their descendants and made them testify (saying): 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yes, we testify to it.' [This was] in case you say on the Day of Judgment: 'We were unaware of this.' Or you say: "It was our ancestors who worshipped others besides God and we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those falsifiers did?'"
[Quran 7: 172-3]
The Prophet Muhammad
explained that when Allaah created Aadam (Adam) He took from him a covenant at a place called Na'maan on the 9th day of the 12th month. He then extracted from Aadam
all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world,
generation after generation, and spread them out before Him to take a
covenant from them. He spoke to them, making them bear witness that He
was their Lord. Consequently, every human being is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this inborn belief that Allaah defined the purpose of humankind's creation in Chapter Ath-Thaariyaat (which means): "I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship." [Quran 51: 56]
We are here to worship God
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