The True Purpose of Human Existence
A perspective to achieve contentment in Life 🌞
It is no wonder that the human is the creation who gets the most benefit from the planet earth. As humans are not only smart in recognizing or studying the things and its purpose but also have the natural sense of right and wrong( evil and good). A ceiling fan was invented to disperse air, A pen was invented for writing, A sun fulfills its duty of giving light, The stars in the night gives the direction and beauty to the sky, and so on.If everything is created for a purpose then the best of creations “Human” is also created for a purpose. It’s easy to understand that if a computer has a much bigger purpose than the air conditioner then the best of creations “Human” has a far greater purpose than any other creation. If all the computers in the world are manufactured to serve a certain purpose then it can be easily understood that all the humans are created for a certain purpose. Different religions provide different goals and ways to attend happiness in life. Finding happiness is considered a purpose of life by the majority of people. However, Happiness is an emotion that comes and goes. Similarly, Serving and helping humans is also considered the purpose of life. However, If serving and helping others is the purpose of life then why the most generous countries of the world have the highest suicide rates? what about the people who are unable to help and serve other people? Are they born without purpose? Well, as mentioned above every person is created for one major purpose. On the one hand, earning fame is known as the purpose of life yet the majority of singers or other famous people living a miserable and stressful life. On the other hand, History tells many richest people committed suicide So, earning a lot of money is also not a purpose of life. Although money, fame, serving, happiness, etc are important and beneficial factors in the life yet these factors are not the purpose of life, Because they are not the ultimate source of peace rather these are the things that can make a person temporarily happy. Fulfilling the true purpose of life makes a person constantly content and peaceful. Therefore, It is necessary to live with a “Purpose” otherwise, purposeless life can bring a lot of distress in one’s life. A life with an authentic purpose is a peaceful life. In today’s world, people are craving for peace and they are unable to find peace because they are constantly busy fulfilling the needs or wants. The needs or wants of a person changes every day due to which the person stays distressful and unpeaceful. According to a new German study, (published in Psychology of Spirituality and Religion) Muslims are the most satisfied with their lives as compared to other faiths. As the study was based on linking “belief on oneness” with “greater life satisfaction”. Islam is the religion based on “Tawhid” , which means believing in the oneness of God. The only religious book which Muslims follow is the Quran, It mentions the definition of God in chapter 112. It is mentioned
Say: “He is Allah, [who is] One and unique; (112:1)
Allah,Who is in need of none and of whom all are in need; (112:2)
He neither begets nor is born, (112:3)
And there is nothing comparable to Him”. (112:4)
As religion Islam is based on believing the one God “Allah” (‘The only absolute that which is worshiped’). Therefore, The purpose of creation defined by the Allah in the Quran is believed as the purpose given by the Creator to His most sophisticated creation on earth “Human”. According to Quran, the purpose of life is
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (51:56)
One might think that “Worshiping” to Allah means praying and fasting all the life. However, In Arabic, the above verse has a very deep meaning. In Islam worshiping to Allah is not only praying or fasting, but it means to live a life according to the commands of Allah, which means one can earn, eat and enjoy life within the boundary set by the Creator. The boundaries set by Allah are not for depriving humans of benefits but to protect humans from harm. If a machine is operated according to the manual, then it gives the best results. Moreover, A person tries his level best to not operate against the guideline because he knows that violating the guidelines can break the machine. Similarly, The man is a complicated creature and Allah has given guidelines (Quran) to him, to live in a certain way. If a person follows the guideline of Allah, then he will be successful, and if he does not follow the guideline, then he will not only be unsuccessful but also break down emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Allah says, HE is self-sufficient and He does not need human-worship rather human needs, Allah. Allah says in Quran
O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (35:15)
The one who is not knowing scripture may think that following the religion can cause trouble and can make life difficult. However, Lord of the Worlds “Allah” guarantees that guidelines for living life in the best possible way are not given to put a burden on a person, But to lift the burden from a person. Allah mentions in the Quran
“We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed”. (20:1)
“But only as a reminder for those who fear [ Allah ]”. (20:2)
“A revelation from He who created the earth and highest heavens”.(20:3)
“The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established”. (20:4)
“To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on the earth and what is between them and what is under the soil”. (20:5)
“And if you speak aloud — then indeed, He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden”. (20:6)
“Allah — there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names”. (20:7)
Also, living life according to the commands of Allah makes the person successful in the hereafter. Many people believe that there is no life after death. While others believe that there is life after death. Allah mentions in the Quran
“Do you then think that We made you in vain and you are not to return to Us?” (23:115)
If a person knows where he has come from and where he is going to return, then his purpose of life not only broadens but also becomes meaningful for him. Living with this “Purpose” frees the person from shackles of wealth, relations, education, career, beauty, etc which are nothing but the means to attain a higher “Purpose”, and that is successful life and closeness to God. It does not mean that one should stop living a healthy life rather it means living a healthy beautiful life by pleasing Allah. There is a difference between putting Allah at the center of existence and putting person, money, dream, etc at the center of existence. However, one who puts mortal things at the center of existence can never achieve a peaceful and successful life because there is nothing worthy of being at the center of existence except Allah. It is also believed by Muslims that a person is divinely designed in such a way that if he puts any mortal thing at the center of existence then he will break down emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually and will have no peace. This is because Allah created everything on earth for humans to get benefit from it and He created humans to worship Him, not the worldly things (Money, power, Relations, etc). Everything on the earth is the sign from Allah that redirects the person to the ultimate Creator. It is mentioned in the Quran.
“It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, [His being above all creation], and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things”. (2:29)
“Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding”. (3:190)
Therefore, living life according to the commands of Allah is the purpose of life. That is why one of the meanings of Islam is “Submission to the laws of Allah” so that the person prepares himself for eternal joy and in doing so he does not lose the worldly pleasures. So, every human has the right to live well on this earth but at the same time, He is supposed to live according to the commands of Allah. When a person lives according to the commands of Allah then life becomes so much easier, relaxed and so much peaceful that a person not only finds harmony and peace within himself but also finds harmony and peace in the relationships around him.
The human is naturally born with a sense of doing good. The more he does evil, the more he violates his soul. Because Allah designed human beings in a way that he can understand the purpose of life by pondering on the things around him. A person knows naturally that he is created by Allah and there is One God who has created this earth. Allah mentions in the Quran
“So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know”.(30:30)
Hence,This temporary life is beautiful and one can make the most of it by understanding the true purpose of life.
