Purpose of creation of Human Beings

 

 

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

My Dear Readers,

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See Note below)

Purpose of creation of Human Beings
 

Rāghib al‑Iṣfahānī states the Qur’anic “reasons/purposes” for the creation of the human being most explicitly in his ethical work:

Book: al‑Dharīʿah ilā Makārim al‑Sharīʿah (الذَّرِيعَةُ إِلَىٰ مَكَارِمِ الشَّرِيعَةِ), Chapter 1 (الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ: فِي أَحْوَالِ الْإِنْسَانِ ), subsection titled “مَا لِأَجْلِهِ أُوجِدَ الْإِنْسَانُ” (“What the human being was brought into existence for”).  
 

In the common printed edition referenced by later writers (Dār al‑Salām, 2007), it is around pp. 82–83. 

What he says the human being was created for (summary)

In that subsection, al‑Iṣfahānī argues that every created thing has a defining purpose/function, and then he says the distinct human function is “three things” (الْفِعْلُ الْمُخْتَصُّ بِالْإِنْسَانِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ). 

1) ʿImārat al‑Arḍ — Building/cultivating the earth (عِمَارَةُ الْأَرْضِ)

• He anchors this in the verse “He produced you from the earth and settled you in it / made you cultivate it” (Qur’an 11:61, wa‑staʿmarakum fīhā). 

• He glosses it as securing and sustaining livelihood—not just for oneself but also for others (i.e., constructive life‑building and benefit). 

In plain terms: Humans are meant to responsibly develop life on earth—work that supports society, not فَسَادٌ/ruin.

2) ʿIbādah — Worship/servitude to God (عِبَادَتُهُ)

• He anchors this in Qur’an 51:56 (“I did not create jinn and humans except that they worship Me”).

• And he defines this worship in a broad, practical way as living by God’s guidance: “compliance with the Creator in His commands and prohibitions” (الِامْتِثَالُ … فِي أَوَامِرِهِ وَنَوَاهِيهِ). 

In plain terms: Worship is not only ritual—it's a whole posture of obedience and alignment with God’s moral order.

3) Khilāfah — Vicegerency/stewardship (خِلَافَتُهُ)

• He anchors this in verses about God making people successors on earth, citing Qur’an 7:129 (and “other verses”). 

• He explains “khilāfah” as acting as God’s steward on earth within human capacity, especially in siyāsah (governance/ordering collective life), by living out the “noble virtues” of the Sharīʿah. 

• He even lists examples of those virtues: wisdom, justice among people, forbearance, benevolence, and excellence/graciousness (الْحِكْمَةُ، الْعَدَالَةُ، الْحِلْمُ، الْإِحْسَانُ، الْفَضْلُ). 

In plain terms: Stewardship means making human society reflect divine moral qualities—starting with justice and wisdom—rather than domination or ego.

He adds a warning 

Al‑Iṣfahānī doesn’t present these as “nice extras.” He argues that a thing’s honor is tied to fulfilling what it was made for (he gives analogies like a horse made for running, a sword for cutting). Then he says:

• If someone is not fit for God’s vicegerency, nor His worship, nor cultivating His earth, then “an animal is better than him”—and he supports this with Qur’anic blame of those who fall beneath their human calling (he cites verses including the “like cattle” theme). 

How his three purposes fit together

My read of his framing: he’s not giving three unrelated “life goals.” He’s giving a single human vocation viewed from three angles:

• Worship (ʿibādah) = the inner orientation (obedience to God),

• Cultivation (ʿimārah) = the outer constructive work (benefit on earth),

• Stewardship (khilāfah) = the social-moral responsibility (justice/wisdom in collective life).

That makes his view deeply practical: true spirituality should produce justice and constructive contribution, not withdrawal or mere slogans.

 

How to read the Qur'an?

 

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

My Dear Readers,

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See Note below)

How to read the Qur'an?

Most people who read the Qur'an, or recite it know that the way we do it is called tilawah(تِلَاوَةٌ), or recitation.  According to any specialist of this field (مُجَوِّدٌ) this would mean:

التَّجْوِيدُ هُوَ إِخْرَاجُ كُلِّ حَرْفٍ مِنْ مَخْرَجِهِ، وَإِعْطَاؤُهُ حَقَّهُ وَمُسْتَحَقَّهُ مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ وَالأَحْكَامِ.

Tajwīd is articulating each letter from its proper point of articulation and giving it its due and what it is entitled to (in terms of its characteristics and rules), without affectation or forcing in pronunciation.
 

This is most certainly true, and there are merits in it. But tilawah(تِلَاوَةٌ)carries the meaning of following closely:

 

 وَالْقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰىهَاۖ

 And the moon, as it follows. QS 91:2.

 

 

Hence, for the fuqaha (الفُقَهَاءُ), the jurists; scholars of Islamic law (fiqh), those deeply learned in legal understanding and interpretation as well as for the broader Muslim ummah (الأُمَّةُ) (the community; a collective bound together by faith, purpose, and shared moral responsibility—often referring to the global Muslim community), this means much more, and here we postulate an inspired definition:

 

 بَلْ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ تِلَاوَةٌ بِاللِّسَانِ، وَتَعَقُّلٌ وَتَدَبُّرٌ بِالْجَنَانِ، وَعَمَلٌ بِالْجَوَارِحِ وَالْأَرْكَانِ

 

Rather, one should know that the Qur’an is recitation with the tongue, understanding and contemplative reflection with the heart, and practice through the limbs and the bodily faculties.

 

May Allah guide us, and help us be on the right path.

وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ

 
  Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)

Note:

This post starts with the well known opening lines of at least one of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ sermon. Al-Nisaa’i (May Allah have mercy on him) reported in his Sunan al-Nisaa’i: Kitaab al-Jumu’ah (Click Here) that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammadﷺ taught us the Khutbah Haajah .

On Seeking Protection

 

 

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

My Dear Readers,

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See Note below)

On seeking protection when reading the Qur'an

 

 

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ

 

Al-Quran Surat, An-Nahl (16) ayat 98  

 

Now whenever you happen to read this Qur'an, seek refuge with God from Satan, the accursed

 

The wisdom behind it: 

ٱلْمُعِيذُ ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ لَنَا، ٱلْمَعَاذُ وَٱلْمَلْجَأُ، قَدْ عَوَّذَنَا بِٱلْعَوَاذِي، وَعَلَّمَنَا ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ بِٱلْعُوذَاتِ، وَفَتَحَ لَنَا أَبْوَابَ ٱلْعِيَاذِ وَٱلْمَعَاذَةِ، وَنَعُوذُ  بِهِ مُعْتَصِمِينَ، وَنَتَعَوَّذَ بِهِ مُسْتَمِيتِينَ، وَنَتَثَبَّتَ فِي مُعَوِّذَاتِهِ، وَنَلْزَمَ مُعَوَّذَهُ، فَيُعِيذَنَا مِمَّا نَسْتَعِيذُ مِنْهُ، وَيُعَاذِينَا مِمَّا نَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْهُ، حَتَّى نَكُونَ فِي مَعَاذٍ لَا يُخْرِجُنَا، وَعِيَاذٍ لَا يَفْنَى، وَمُعَاذَةٍ أَبَدِيَّةٍ فِي حَيَاةٍ لَا زَوَالَ لَهَا.

Explanation:

ٱلْمُعِيذُ، ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ لِعِبَادِهِ، ٱلْمَعَاذُ لِكُلِّ مُسْتَعِيذٍ
 

The Grantor of refuge—the One who offers sanctuary to His servants, the safe haven for all who seek protection

• ٱلْمُعِيذُ: Active participle from أَعَاذَ — the One who grants refuge, protects from harm, and delivers from peril.

• ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ: An intensified form—He not only gives protection but teaches and repeats the act of refuge; the one through whom refuge becomes habitual, recited, lived.

• ٱلْمَعَاذُ: The very essence of protection—the source, place, and time of divine shelter. A verbal noun used to express a reality greater than a location: an eternal sanctuary.

 

يُعَوِّذُنَا بِٱلْمُعَوِّذَاتِ، وَيُعَلِّمُنَا ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ فِي ٱلْعُوذَاتِ
 

He grants us protection through the protecting words, and teaches us to seek it through revealed supplications

• يُعَوِّذُنَا: He continually shelters us—places us under layers of divine protection, like a parent shielding a child.

• ٱلْمُعَوِّذَاتِ: The two sūrahs of protection (al-Falaq and al-Nās), but also all means—verses, invocations, or practices—through which one is shielded.

• ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ: The act of actively seeking protection—performing the turning to God as a conscious retreat.

• ٱلْعُوذَاتِ: Plural of ʿūdha—spiritual charms or protective utterances, but more deeply, expressions of clinging to God against the invisible.

 

لِنَكُونَ عُوَّذًا فِي مَعَاذٍ، وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ  فِي عِيَاذٍ لَا يَبِيدُ

So we may become those sheltered in His refuge, clinging to Him in a protection that never ends

• عُوَّذًا: A hyperbolic plural—those who have sought protection and become identified by it. The soul becomes marked by its nearness to refuge.

• فِي مَعَاذٍ: Within an eternal sanctuary—not just a place, but a state of divine nearness. 

• وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ:  an intimate, trusting clinging to divine nearness, a devotional attachment in times of vulnerability and seeking refuge

• فِي عِيَاذٍ: In a sheltering that is both intimate and complete—ʿiyādh implies proximity and immediacy in the act of seeking protection.

• لَا يَبِيدُ: Never perishing—eternal, unbreakable protection that extends into the life that knows no end.

Allah’s Names closely related in meaning (but not from the same triliteral root):

Though no standard Name of Allah among the 99 commonly listed names is derived from ع–و–ذ several names are functionally or semantically related to the meanings of refuge, protection, and safety:

Name	Arabic	Meaning
Al-Ḥafīẓ	ٱلْحَفِيظ	The Preserver, the One who guards and protects all things
Al-Māniʿ	ٱلْمَانِع	The Withholder, the Preventer of harm
Al-Wakīl	ٱلْوَكِيل	The Trustee, the One who is relied upon for protection and management
Al-Walī	ٱلْوَلِيّ	The Protective Friend, the One who lovingly supports and shields His own
Al-Muʿīn	ٱلْمُعِين	The Helper—the One who aids, protects, and strengthens
Al-Ghaffār / Al-Ghafūr	ٱلْغَفَّار / ٱلْغَفُور	The Forgiving—often paired with refuge-seeking in the Qur’anic language

Not among Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā:

Words like al-Muʿīdh (ٱلْمُعِيذ), al-Maʿādh (ٱلْمَعَاذ), or al-ʿĀʾiḏ (ٱلْعَائِذ) are grammatically possible divine names or descriptors, and they do appear in classical duʿāʾ and ḥadīth literature, but they are not canonically counted among the 99 Names of Allah as per the major compilations (like those of al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Ḥibbān, or al-Ghazālī).

For example:

• The Prophet ﷺ said to the woman who sought refuge with Allah from him:
  "قدْ عُذْتِ بمَعاذٍ" — “You have sought refuge in One who grants refuge.”
   

  Thus "Maʿādh" (مَعَاذ) is clearly a divine reference, though not a formal Divine Name.

Wisdom behind it as taken from the verb form and the etymology:

 

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْغَضْبَانُ ٱلْخَسْرَانُ، يُضِلُّ ٱلْإِنسَانَ، وَيَصُدُّهُ عَنِ ٱلْقُرْآنِ بِسَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ وَنُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ، لِكَيْ لَا يَصِلَ إِلَى ٱلْغُفْرَانِ، وَلَا يَرْجُو ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ، وَلَا يَدْخُلَ جَنَّاتِ ٱلْجَنَّانِ 

 

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْغَضْبَانُ ٱلْخَسْرَانُ 

The Shayṭān—burning in rage, immersed in loss

• غَضْبَان: Fiery, inflamed

• خَسْرَان: Totally ruined, lost—spiritually bankrupt.

يُضِلُّ ٱلْإِنسَانَ، وَيَصُدُّهُ عَنِ ٱلْقُرْآنِ

He misleads the human and blocks him from the Qur’an

• Evokes the Qur’anic verb يَصُدُّ: to bar or divert

بِسَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ وَنُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ

By cutting off the path of Iḥsān and the light of Īmān

• سَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ The experiential, soulful relationship with the Qur’an.

• نُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ: The internal light of faith necessary for understanding and transformation.

لِكَيْ لَا يَصِلَ إِلَى ٱلْغُفْرَانِ

So that he does not reach Divine forgiveness

وَلَا يَرْجُو ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ

Nor place his hope in the Most Merciful

وَلَا يَدْخُلَ جَنَّاتِ ٱلْجَنَّان

Nor enter the gardens of Paradise and Divine Presence

 

 In Hebrew, ha-ssatan  הַשָּׂטָן. The satan (ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ)and sometimes as satans/devils 

 Allah explains:

إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا۟ حِزْبَهُۥ لِيَكُونُوا۟ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Al-Fatir 6

Behold, Satan is an enemy (shades of opposing, preventing, hindering, transgressing) unto you: so treat him as an enemy. He but calls on his followers to the end that they might find themselves among such as are des­tined for the blazing flame

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ طَبْعًا، ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ خُلُقًا، يُشْطَنُ شَطْنًا إِلَى مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ، وَيَشُطُّنُنَا فِي بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ مُعْوَجَّةٍ، وَيَشُدُّنَا بِشَطَنَيْنِ مِنَ ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ، حَتَّى نَشْطُنَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّهِ، فَنُشْطَنُ مُشْطَنِين، وَيُشَيِّطِنُنَا وَيُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ، فَنُصْبِحُ شُطْرًا مَذْمُومِينَ.

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ طَبْعًا، ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ خُلُقًا

The shayṭān—formed of shayṭanic essence, inflamed in disposition

• ٱلشَّيْطَانُ: The devil, as known in Qur'anic usage.

• ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ: A passive participle meaning made into a devil. This indicates his very nature is twisted or marked by شَيْطَنَة.

• ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ: From شَاطَ يَشِيطُ, meaning to blaze or burn (especially in anger). This gives the sense that he is inflamed in character, not merely “created from fire” but raging with inner combustion—an embodiment of destructiveness.

 يُشْطَنُ شَطْنًا إِلَى مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ

He is cast far away to a remote place

• يُشْطَنُ: Passive form—he is distanced, cast off (from the core meaning of شَطَنَ).

• شَطْنًا: Verbal noun, emphasizing the intensity and deliberateness of that casting

• مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ: A remote, twisted, and unreachable place—“shatūn” is a descriptor for something distant and deformed (like crooked wells or arduous journeys)

وَيَشُطُّنُنَا فِي بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ مُعْوَجَّةٍ

And he drags us into a deep, crooked well

• يَشُطُّنُنَا: He causes us to be far-off—he alienates us

• بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ: A deep, difficult, and twisted well—used metaphorically for spiritual or moral descen

• مُعْوَجَّةٍ: Crooked, aligning with the imagery of a warped, misguiding path

 

وَيَشُدُّنَا بِشَطَنَيْنِ مِنَ ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ

He binds us with two ropes: denial and despair

• يَشُدُّنَا: He ties us—recalling the image of the rebellious horse tied with two ropes.

• بِشَطَنَيْنِ: With two strong, twisted ropes (شَطَن being a thick rope).

• ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ: Rejection and hopelessness—two key tools of the shayṭān to cut the human soul off from God. (You initially said "denial and arrogance/hopelessness"; here, I selected denial and despair—since both imply distance and spiritual paralysis.

 

حَتَّى نَشْطُنَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّه

Until we become distant from ourselves and from Allah

• نَشْطُنَ: We become distanced or removed—same root as شَطَنَ

• عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّهِ: We lose touch with both our essential self and our connection to God—this is the ultimate effect of shayṭanic influence.

فَنُشْطَنُ مُشْطَنِين

So we are cast away, made to be of the cast-off ones

• نُشْطَنُ: We are actively cast off

• مُشْطَنِين: Describing our state—we become those who have been distanced, cut off, expelled.

فَيُشَيِّطِنُنَا وَيُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ

So he devils (makes us like that) us and devils (makes our state like that state) our state, just as he was appointed in that state

• يُشَيِّطِنُنَا: He turns us into shayāṭīn—i.e., makes us act as he does.

• يُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا: He corrupts and distorts our moral and spiritual standing.

• كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ: Just as he himself was made into a devil—invoking the transformation of Iblīs through his pride and rebellion.

فَنُصْبِحُ شُطْرًا مَذْمُومِينَ

And we become cast-offs, reviled

• شُطْرًا: Playing on the word شَطَرَ—to cut off or separate; here meaning detached from the source, or reduced to an outcast fragment.

• مَذْمُومِينَ: Reviled, despised—just as the Qur’an describes shayṭān’s own final state (e.g., {وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ لَعْنَتِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ}).

May Allah guide us, and help us be on the right path.

 والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)

Note:

This post starts with the well known opening lines of at least one of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ sermon. Al-Nisaa’i (May Allah have mercy on him) reported in his Sunan al-Nisaa’i: Kitaab al-Jumu’ah (Click Here) that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammadﷺ taught us the Khutbah Haajah .