Before we can even start to examine the subject of Man’s purpose in the Universe, we first need to address an even more basic and fundamental question, namely, the very origin of the Universe and all it contains. So was the Universe created by some intelligent, all-powerful being or did it come into existence randomly through a series of fantastic chance based events?

The question of the origin of existence has been contemplated by every civilisation since the beginning of history. In order to answer this question we will highlight people’s blind faith in everything science tells us, use our common sense, examine the idea of cause and effect, discuss the Big Bang Theory and take a critical look at evolution theory. Finally we shall examine how science can show that an all-knowing all-powerful Creator intelligently designed the Universe.

Nowadays, in this age of science and technology people do not give much thought to actually finding out the purpose of our existence. From birth to death we strive to obtain the material goals that society has set for us. No longer do we have the time to ponder upon questions of life for ourselves. Instead, people tend to trust scientists blindly who claim to know the answers to life and to creation in general.

This might not seem so bad if science had been performed with diligence and care, but in truth, science has been manipulated and has convinced people into thinking that the origin of life, man and the universe were complicated events which only the scientists can find the answers to. In fact anyone possessing common sense could find the answers.

It’s common sense:

Look at the world around you; it calls for the attention of every human being. Why is pure water tasteless, and why does it have such life-giving qualities to plants and animals that no other liquid has? Man has discovered that water boils at 100⁰C, and that the speed of light is 3.0 x 10⁸m/s, but he did not make these laws to be so. Man did not design the earth to be oval nor did he design the universe, as we know it. Man has no power whatsoever to change these laws. The most he can do is tap into these properties and rearrange them to satisfy his needs.

This simple statement is a natural law that holds true for every thing we see around us. Consider, for example, any purpose built product in life, a car for instance. The components that make up the car i.e. steel, rubber etc. are combined in a certain way after careful planning to produce it. No car appears by chance, an intellectual manufacturer has put some form of effort into producing it. If a car could appear because of some random chance event, then Ford, General Motors or BMW would never have existed.

Likewise, a house requires surveyors, architects, builders and interior designers. The house does not appear out of nowhere unless you are watching cartoons. These producers must be completely independent from their product and only they are the best ones to tell us how the house functions, its structure, its limits, and so on. Since this is an established fact of life, true in the case of every product, then why should the universe and its natural contents (e.g. stars, planets etc.) be the exception, seeing that it is the most perfect of all designs. Surely, we cannot attribute this awesome creation to chance alone as some scientists would have us believe.

Gigantic explosions tend to cause chaos and disorder. So have you never wondered how the stars and planets came into being and organised themselves in such perfect order? According to certain scientists everything came into being as a result of some random chance event called ‘The Big Bang’.

Yet how would these same scientists be treated if they ever suggested that the Eiffel tower or the Pyramids were not created but were the result of some fantastic chance event? The theory also leaves many questions unanswered such as; what was before the Big Bang? Where did the matter for the Big Bang come from?  What caused the Big Bang?

Interestingly the Quran gives us a clue as to the gaseous origin of the Universe.

“Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heavens when it was smoke...” [Fussilat 41:11]

And:

“Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then we split them?” [Al-Anbiyaa 21:30]

With the origin of the galaxies, stars and planets explained away through a chance occurrence, scientists then try to convince people of their ideas about the Origins of Life itself. Evolutionists present claims that living things gradually evolved over millions of years step by step from “primitive,” into highly complex organisms by mutation and natural selection. To the ordinary man evolution is portrayed as if it were a proven fact just like the law of gravity. The theory is imposed on the whole world by two important means, the scientists and the media, who present their views as absolute truth.

Various methods are used to persuade the public: These consist of a mixture of science and psychology. Latin names are given to skulls and skeletons. These are arranged in order and depicted in diagrams & imaginary drawings. Palaeontology (study of fossils) is used extensively. The advantage of this is that many fossilised extinct species have existed in the past and these are presented as transitional forms or missing links and are said to be ‘the evidence for evolution’. The overall scientific atmosphere is enough to convince the ‘ordinary man’.

Evolution is logically flawed:

Firstly, important conflicting facts are ignored and said to be ‘experimental error’.  Much of the evidence is logically flawed because circular reasoning is used. The interpretation of the fossil record for example, is not objective as it is influenced by the assumption that evolution has taken place, so everything must be forced to fit the framework. So to presuppose the truth of what you are trying to prove is the illogical practice of ‘begging the question’.

A related logical fallacy is the failure of evolutionists to understand the difference between scientific and historical evidence. If you can mimic a series of events today which you suppose happened in the past - that does not prove it actually happened.  The supposed formation of amino acids or RNA is a good example of this.

Neo-Darwinism’s:

The modern version of Darwin’s theory or new-Darwinian evolution proposes two imaginary mechanisms (i) random genetic mutations -these are said to be the driving force behind evolution. Yet we know that most genetic mutations are almost always harmful to the organism, or at best neutral.  Not surprisingly no useful mutations have been demonstrated to date. (ii) Natural selection - this process is said to help positive characteristics to spread, so things evolve. Why and how natural selection operated even before life existed, remains an unsolved mystery.

Even if life started there are so many unanswered questions: How did life evolve from non-living forms given the chaotic environment of the Earth at the time?  How did the very first cell survive the harsh environment? Genetic material needs a parent cell. Where was the parent?  How did the very complex structures such as DNA or RNA molecule come into being...? What instructed these molecules to replicate? In fact you could ask an endless number of such questions. 

The theory collapses:

So before we even begin to discuss the fossil evidence, and the missing links, or so-called evolution in action such as the bacterial resistance to antibiotics. It is important to realize that evolution theory collapses at the very first hurdle and that is the question of the ‘origin of life itself’.  Scientists can dig up fossils all day long and make long evolutionary diagrams and join each species together with arrows. But the real work of life does not happen at level of whole animal or organ. The most important parts of living things are too small to be seen.  Life is lived in the details, and it is molecules that handle life's details. 

Over the last several decades biochemistry has revealed that the machinery of the living cell is highly sophisticated, finely tuned and enormously complex. The cell can be likened to a huge city with all its needs being controlled and serviced by machines. The machinery of the cell is made of molecules that perform a vast array of functions within the cell. For instance molecular machines carry cargo from one place in the cell to another along highways made of other molecules. Some molecular machines act as cables, ropes, and pulleys to hold the cell together or turn cellular switches on and off. Solar-powered machines capture the energy of protons and store it in chemicals. Nerves have electrical machines that allow the flow of current. Manufacturing machines build other molecular machines.

During Darwin’s time in the nineteenth century it was known that eyes were for seeing, that blood clots, and the body can fight off disease. But the question of how these functions actually work could not be answered. Modern science, however, has now begun to answer all these questions. Nowadays, we can even study the very simplest forms of microscopic life in great detail. By examining the cell, biochemistry has pushed Darwin's theory to the limit. Now that we are beginning to understand how life works, the astonishing complexity of the cell has forced the question - how could all of this have evolved?

Now that biochemists have begun to answer many of these questions, we can realise how apparently simple anatomical structures are biochemically very complex and become impregnable barriers to evolution. Lets take vision for example even at its most basic level of the light sensitive spot, vision is very complex and involves an interaction of numerous independent molecular parts.

For eyes to see, the following molecular structures are involved; 11-cis retinal, rhodopsin, rhodopsin kinase, arrestin, guanylate cyclase, transudin, phosophodiestrase, GTP, CyclicGMP, CA/NA channels. These are just the main players and then you have the molecular nuts and bolts that hold the whole thing in the proper arrangement. A casual glance at a biochemistry textbook will show the complexity of how this system functions. Its important not to get confused by all the scientific names, they should be thought of as molecular machines or even parts of an engine such as gearbox, carburettor, piston and so forth. The most important point is that in much the same way as a car engine, if one piece is missing then vision does not work. So all the molecular parts are required to be in place fully functioning from the onset. For such complex systems to evolve from simple precursor systems- by gradual evolution step by step, it is tantamount to saying that a computer evolved from an abacus step by step through random chance mutation. At first this analogy might seem plausible to some people, but when you start getting into the details – the nuts and bolts of how it works, you find that the abacus is only a theoretical precursor not a physical one.   

Now that vision and many other molecular systems are beginning to be understood it is no longer enough for scientists to explain evolution in terms of gross anatomical structure such as the eye. Even at the most basic level vision is so complex that it makes the complexity of a camera or television set look simple in comparison.

Most important of all is that even the simplest form of vision requires all the parts to be present and function in their proper arrangement from the start. If a system requires several closely matched parts to function then the absence of any one component renders the whole system useless. So we can safely conclude that it was intelligently designed as a complete integrated unit from the beginning and could not have evolved step by step in true Darwinian fashion. 

In conclusion to the above discussion the greatest evidence of the existence of Allah is in His creation. Nature and our study of nature, proclaim the fact that there is One Creator who has created and continues to sustain the Universe. The very existence of the Universe, with its superb organisation is inexplicable except as having being brought into existence by a Creator - a Being with an infinite wisdom and intelligence - rather than a blind force.

“And Allah has created every animal from water; Of them there are some that creep on their bellies; Some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four; Allah creates what He wills For verily Allah is able to do all things.” [An-Nur 24:45]

Why did Allah (عز و جل) create mankind?

As we have discussed above, the reality rationally points to the decisive fact that there must have been an intelligent Creator i.e. Allah(عز و جل).  Once we have established the fact that there is Allah(عز و جل), a series of questions may occur in the mind; Who and where is Allah(عز و جل)? What does Allah look like(عز و جل)? Why did Allah(عز و جل) create us? What does Allah(عز و جل) want us to do? Has Allah(عز و جل) left mankind any instructions? How can we know Allah(عز و جل)? Does Allah(عز و جل) communicate with mankind?

The question of ‘For what purpose did Allah create us?’ is the next most important and fundamental issue that needs to be addressed because if we know our aim in life then we will be able to work towards it and reach it inshaAllah. The science of human physiology totally refutes the idea that man was created for no purpose. It is universally agreed that every part of the human body was created for a purpose i.e. the hands touch, the eyes see, the nose smells and so forth. The natural conclusion is that what must be true for the part must apply to the whole as well. In other words the purpose of the creation of the whole body must be closely linked with the creation of every part of it. Hence, the creation of man as a whole must have a wisdom and purpose behind it.

A pair of shoes:

For atheist and others who do not understand or deliberately choose not to follow this argument, then a simple question can be asked of them. Is there a purpose for a pair of shoes? In answer they would reply: Yes.  Most will then have difficulty in answering the next question: Is there a purpose for your own existence. If they answer yes, then Alhamdulillah they are thinking.  However, if they say No or worse don’t know.  Then it seems that their own existence is of lesser value and purpose than a pair of shoes.

So, it is apparent that man was created for a purpose, but for what purpose? If Allah (عز و جل) had created us to earn money, then we would only need to work, eat, sleep, enjoy life and not worry about anything but as we all know this is not the case, for Allah (عز و جل) says in the Quran:

“And I created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [Ad-Dhariyaat 51:56]

Thus, to Worship Allah is man’s sole purpose in life. This is the reason why he has been created. We also need to consider that mankind is not, in fact, the greatest creation. We know this because Allah (عز و جل) says in the Quran:

“Indeed, the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not.” [Ghafir 40:57]

The composition of human beings is far less complex than the composition of the universe in which they exist. However, very few people reflect on this reality. Because of the apparent supremacy of human beings over the other creatures on earth (i.e. Disupted as to wheather man has journeyed into space and the continual advancement of their technology and knowledge) humans become increasingly arrogant and consider themselves the greatest thing in the world. The fact that the majority of mankind’s amazing discoveries are not concerning the human being, but are based upon his surroundings is totally disregarded. Thus, human efforts tend to be focused on the material world rather than upon themselves.

In the above Ayah Allah (عز و جل) reminds mankind of their actual status in this world. The human being is merely a small part of the existence, which resulted from the miraculous act of Divine Creation. Thus, in order to understand why Allah (عز و جل) created mankind, one must first understand why Allah (عز و جل) creates things.

Allah has many attributes such as the Merciful, the Loving, the Most High, to name but a few. And Creation is fundamentally a consequence of the divine attribute of being the Creator. A creator who does not create is something of a contradiction in terms. Allah (عز و جل) describes Himself as the Creator in a variety of verses throughout the Quran to emphasise to mankind that everything belongs to Him Alone. For example Allah (عز و جل) says:

“There is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearer, All-Seer.” [Ash-Shura 42:11]

And:

“Allah created all things and He is the Wakil (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian) over all things.” [Az-Zumar 39:62]

Allah (عز و جل) also says:

“And Allah has created you all and whatever you do.” [As-Saffat 37:96]

Man needs to realise, accept and believe that nothing takes place in this universe without the permission of Allah (عز و جل). To seek protection from evil or to try and acquire good from any source other than Allah (عز و جل) is a major sin and unforgivable. In the Quran Allah (عز و جل) informs mankind to seek refuge in Allah from evil:

“Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, from the evil of what He has created.” [Al-Falaq 113:1-2]

Allah (عز و جل) - The Almighty, is not evil; He is good, High and Glorified. He created the world in which evil or those to whom he gave this ability exist. However, no good or evil can take place without His permission. This is why it is futile to turn to others besides Allah (عز و جل) for help and protection. As Allah (عز و جل) said:

“No calamity strikes except by the permission of Allah.” [At-Taghabun 64:11]

It has been narrated by ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

“Be aware that if the whole of mankind gathered together to do something to help you, they would only be able to do something for you which Allah had already written for you. Likewise, if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm you, they would only be able to do something to harm you which Allah had already written to happen to you.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

Mankind created for the Worship of Allah

In the Quran, the reason for mankind’s creation is given clearly and without any ambiguity. Humans are first informed by Allah (عز و جل) that every human being is born with full consciousness of their Creator ‘Allah’. As He (عز و جل) has said in the Quran:

“And (Remember) when your Lord extracted from, the loins of Adam’s children their descendants and made them testify against themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes, we testify to it.’ (This was) in case you say on the Day of Ressurection: ‘We were unaware of this,’ Or you say: ‘It was our ancestors who worshipped others besides Allah and we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?” [Al-A’raf 7:172-173]

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

“When Allah created Adam, He took from him a covenant at a place called Na’maan on the 9^th day of the 12^th month (Known as the day of Arafaat). He then extracted from Adam 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 also. He spoke to them, face to face, making them bear witness that He is their Lord.” (Collected by Ahmad and authenticated in Silsilah al-Ahadeeth as-Saheehah)

Consequently, each human in his personal capacity is responsible for belief in Allah (عز و جل), which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based upon this inborn belief that Allah (عز و جل) defined the purpose of the creation of mankind in the Noble Quran:

“And I created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [Ad-Dhariyaat 51:56]

Thus, the ultimate purpose for which mankind was created is that - they worship Allah (عز و جل). However, the Almighty is not in need of human worship. He did not create mankind out of a need on His part. If not a single human worshipped Him, 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. Allah (عز و جل) is Perfect. He Alone exists without any needs. All created beings have needs and as a result it is mankind that needs to worship Allah (عز و جل).

To understand why mankind needs to worship Allah (عز و جل), one must first find out what is meant by the term ‘worship’. Worship in the English language is defined as ‘the performance of devotional acts in honour of a deity’. According to this meaning, man is instructed to show gratitude to Allah (عز و جل) by glorifying Him. In the Quran, Allah (عز و جل) says:

“So Glorify the Praises of your Lord.” [An-Nasr 110:3]

In glorifying Allah (عز و جل), one chooses to be in harmony with the rest of creation, which naturally glorifies its Creator. Allah (عز و جل) addresses this phenomenon in many Surahs of the Quran. For example in one Surah, Allah (عز و جل) states:

“The seven heavens and the earth and whatever in them glorify Him and there is nothing which does not glorify His praise. However, you do not understand their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.” [Al-Isra 17:44]

In Arabic, worship is called ‘ibadah’- which is closely related to the noun ‘abd’, meaning ‘a worshipper, a man or a slave’. An ‘Abd’ is one who is expected to do whatever his master wills and commands. Consequently, worship in Islam means ‘obedient submission to the Will of Allah.’ So an abd is a true worshipper of his creator – Allah (عز و جل) - This was the common message of all the Prophets sent by Allah (عز و جل) to mankind. Therefore, obedience to Divine Law is the foundation of worship. In this sense, glorification and praise also become worship when people choose to obey Allah (عز و جل)’s instructions regarding His glorification and praise.

Why does mankind need to worship and glorify Allah (عز و جل) by obeying the Divinely revealed Laws (Shari’ah)?

The first human beings Adam (aalysalam) and his wife Hawa (aalysalam), were placed in paradise and then expelled from it for disobeying the Divine Law. This highlights the fact that obedience to Divine Law is the key to success in this life and the life of the hereafter. The only way for mankind to return to paradise is by submission and obedience to the Law’s of Allah (عز و جل).

Divine Laws, are the complete guidance for mankind in all walks of life. They define right and wrong for them and offer people a complete system governing all of their affairs. The Creator Alone knows what is beneficial for His creation and what is not. The Divine Laws command and prohibit various acts and substances to protect the human spirit, the human body and human society from harm. In order for mankind to fulfil their potential by living righteous lives, they need to worship Allah (عز و جل) through obedience to His commandments.  

All of the various acts of worship contained in the Divine Laws are designed to help mankind remember Allah (عز و جل). It is natural for human beings to sometimes forget even the most important things. Humans often become so engrossed in fulfilling their material needs that they totally forget their spiritual needs. Regular prayer is ordained to organise the day of the true believer around the remembrance of Allah (عز و جل). It interweaves spiritual needs with material needs on a daily basis. The regular daily needs to eat, work and sleep are linked to the daily need to renew man’s connection with Allah (عز و جل). With regard to regular salah(prayer), Allah(عز و جل) says in the Quran:

“Verily, Indeed I am Allah, there is no ilah but I, so worship Me and establish regular salah for My remembrance.” [Ta-Ha 20:14]

Regarding fasting, Allah (عز و جل) says:

“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may have taqwa (piety).” [Al-Baqarah 2:183]

Muslims are encouraged to remember Allah (عز و جل) as much as possible. Although, moderation in all spheres of life, whether material or spiritual, is generally encouraged, an exception is made regarding the remembrance of Allah (عز و جل). It is virtually impossible to remember Allah (عز و جل) too much. Consequently, in the Quran Allah (عز و جل) encourages the believers to remember Him as often as possible:

“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.” [Al-Ahzab 33:41]

Remembrance of Allah (عز و جل) has been made compulsory because sin is generally committed when Allah (عز و جل) is forgotten. The forces of evil operate most freely when remembrance of Allah (عز و جل) is lost. The satanic forces are then able to occupy people’s minds with irrelevant thoughts and desires to make them forget Allah (عز و جل). The Lord Almighty, addresses this phenomenon by saying:

“Satan got the better of them and caused them to forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the party of Satan. Truly the party of Satan are the real losers.” [Al-Mujadilah 58:19]

Allah (عز و جل) also says:

“Shaitan’s plan is to incite enmity and hatred among you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and regular salah. So will you not then abstain?” [Al-Ma’idah 5:91]

Consequently, mankind needs to remember Allah (عز و جل) for their own salvation and growth. All humans have times of weakness in which they commit sins. If they have no means of remembering Allah (عز و جل), they sink deeper and deeper into corruption with every sin. However, those who follow the Divine Laws (Shari’ah) will be constantly reminded of Allah (عز و جل), which will give them a chance to repent and correct themselves. The Quran accurately describes this process:

“And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (any sin openly) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and immediately ask forgiveness for their sins; and none can forgive sins but Allah - and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.” [Al-Imran 3:135]

The Best of Creation are those who believe in Allah (عز و جل) Alone, without associating any partners or offspring’s with Him, and do righteous deeds (according to the Sunnah (example) of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)). That is, although mankind is not the greatest creation of Allah (عز و جل), they have the potential to become the best of His creation. Allah (عز و جل) states this fact as follows in the Quran:

“Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation.” [Al-Baiyinah 98:7]

Why Did Allah(عز و جل) place Mankind on Earth?

The question concerning the purpose of mankind’s creation may be expanded to include the world in which we live. The question would then be, “Why did Allah (عز و جل) create human beings and send them to this earth?” Again, the answer to this question can easily be found in the Quran where Allah (عز و جل) says:

“[It is He] who has created death and life to test which of you are the best in deed; and He is the Al-Mighty, the Forgiving.” [Al-Mulk 67:2]

Allah (عز و جل) also says:

“Verily, We have created all that is on earth as its adorments that I may test which of them is best in deeds.” [Al-Kahf 18:7]

Thus, the purpose for the creation of mankind in this world is to test their conduct (deed). This world of life and death, wealth and poverty, sickness and health was created to sift out the righteous souls from the evil ones. Human conduct in this world is the measure of faith. It should be noted, however, that the tests of conduct (deed) are not to inform Allah (عز و جل) about mankind, for He knew everything there was to know about them before He created them. The tests serve to confirm on the Day of Judgement that those going to Hellfire deserve it and those going to Al-Jannah (Paradise) only got there by Allah (الله عز و جل)‘s Grace and Mercy.

The tests of this world are primarily for the spiritual growth of mankind. Just as an intense fire separates pure gold from the rough ore to which it is bound in nature, tests purify the moral character of the believers. They force the believers to choose their higher spiritual qualities over their lower desires. Although not every test is passed, even in failure the believer grows by learning spiritual lessons to help him in future tests.

In all human societies the qualities of generosity and contentment are considered among the noblest characteristics. However, neither of these traits could develop if everyone had the same amount of wealth. Generosity can only be acquired when the human soul is aware that sharing with the needy is good, and struggles against its desire to hoard its possessions. On the other hand, contentment is produced when the soul defeats the evils of envy and greed. The Creator wisely sets the stage for these spiritual struggles by unequally distributing wealth in this world. In the Quran Allah (عز و جل) says: