What is the Purpose of Life?
So what does the Creator, Allah, tell us about our purpose in life? Allah states in the Quran that He created man to be His Khalefah, His trustee on earth (Quran 2:30). Mankind�s basic trust, our responsibility, is to believe in and worship Allah:
And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me� (Quran, 51:56-58)
Very simple! The purpose for man�s creation is to worship the Creator. The essence of Allah�s message through all of the prophets also was: O mankind, worship Allah, you have no deity other than Him. (Quran, 7:59,65,73,85; Also 11:50,61,84; and 23:23,32). Allah further states that He made this life in order to test man so that every person may be recompensed after death for what he has earned:
[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving. (Quran, 67:2)
But in order to worship Him, we have to know Him well (strong faith) otherwise we may form a distorted concept of Him and then go astray. In the Quran Allah tells mankind what He is and what He is not. For example, in response to a question about Allah that was posed to the Prophet Muhammad , Allah instructs Muhammad to give the following reply:
Say (O Muhammad): He is Allah [Who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent. (Quran, 112)
Also, Allah tells us that the belief has to be tested. It must be tried and tested in the real turmoil of life. The test will be applied to all kinds of circumstances, in individual life and in relation to the environment around us to see whether we can strive constantly and put Allah above self. Much pain, sorrow and self-sacrifice may be necessary, not because they are good in themselves, but because they will purify us:
�Alim, Laam-Mim. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: 'We believe', and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test).�
[Soorah al-Ankaboot (29): 1-3]
And Allah swt tells us that those who are successful and those are the losers:
"And all that we relate unto thee of the stories of the messengers is in order that thereby We may make the heart firm, And herein hath come unto thee the Truth and an exhortation and a reminder for believers." (XI: 120)
�And the first to lead the way (in accepting Islam) of the Muhajirun
(those who migrated from Makkah to Madinah)
and the Ansar (the citizens of Madinah)
and those who followed them exactly (in Faith).
Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him and He hath made ready for them Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph .�
[Soorah at-Tawbah (9): 100]
Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) has praised the Sahabah and expressed His pleasure with them. Similarly, the books of Ahadith are full of their virtues Rasulullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam) "Follow Abu Bakr and Umar when I am no more with you."
In a nutshell, I am created to establish perfect faith in my heart and practise complete Islam in my life by following the footstep of the companions of the last prophet Muhammad saw.
