Conclusion
From these sources, everything was created with truth and for a real purpose, not as play. Jinn and humans were created to worship Allah alone, and life and death are a test of who does best, which ends in a just reckoning. The rest of creation serves that purpose as signs that lead a thinking person to remember Allah and affirm His oneness.
Reflection & guidance
- Meaning
Al-Jalalayn explains 'not aimlessly' in 23:115 this way: people were created to be tested with commands and prohibitions, then returned to Allah to be repaid. Q3T3
- Guidance from the Qur'an
The wise remember Allah standing, sitting and lying down, and reflect on creation until they say, 'You have not created all this in vain.' Maarif-ul-Quran says the right conclusion of that reflection is to live knowing, obeying and remembering Allah. Q5T5
- Guidance from the Sunnah
The Prophet made worship without shirk (associating partners with Allah) the core of Allah's right over people, and valued dhikr and seeking knowledge above everything else in this world. H1H11
- Guidance from the scholars
Ibn Hajar says Allah's decrees hold wisdoms and hidden benefits, by His will and without any obligation on Him. Where people are not shown the reason, the mind should stop and not object. Al-Tibi links being created for worship with Allah's mercy, which comes before His anger. C4C3
Qur'an & Tafsir
Summary
The Qur'an says Allah created jinn and humans only to worship Him. He created life and death to test who does best, and made the heavens and the earth with truth, so that every soul is repaid for what it earned. Q1T1Q2Q6
Key points
- Maarif-ul-Quran explains that Allah commanded everyone to worship and gave them free will. Some use their inborn capacity for worship well and others waste it. T1
- Life and death are named as the arena of the test: which of you is better in deeds. Q2
- Creation has a just purpose that ends in recompense, and no one will be wronged. Q6
References
- Q1Adh-Dhariyat 51:56 · The Winnowing Winds
- Q2Al-Mulk 67:2 · The Sovereignty
- Q6Al-Jathiyah 45:22 · The Crouching
- T1Maarif-ul-Quran on 51:56
Sunnah
Summary
The Prophet taught that Allah's right over His servants is that they worship Him without associating anything with Him. Those who do have a right from Him not to be punished in the Fire. H1
Key points
- In a hadith graded hasan, the world and what is in it are called cursed, except remembrance of Allah (dhikr), what leads to it, and the scholar and the student. H11
References
- H1Sahih Muslim 143 · The Book of FaithAuthenticity
- Sahih — the whole collection is accepted as authentic (Sahih Muslim)
- H11Jami At Tirmidhi 2322 · Chapters On ZuhdAuthenticity
- Hasan Ahmad Muhammad Shakir
- Hasan Al-Albani
- Hasan Bashar Awad Maarouf
- Isnaad Hasan Zubair Ali Zai
Our Narratives
Summary
Our Narratives argue that tawhid (belief in Allah's oneness) anchors every human pursuit. They say worship covers the whole of ethical life, and that a materialist view leaves purpose a mere accident. N4N2
Key points
- Our Narratives present, from Nazir Khan, 'ibadah (worship) as the whole ethical life and khilafa (stewardship) as a duty of justice and building civilisation. Citing Mujahid, they read 'worship' as 'to know', and treat suffering as a trial that shows Allah's attributes. N4
- Our Narratives propose belief in God as a basic 'hinge' belief that grounds purpose, morality and reason. They contrast this with materialism, where these are illusion, convention and accident. N2
References
- N2Axiomatic Morality · Belief
- N4Soul vs Narcissism · Spirituality & Character
Hadith Commentaries
Summary
Ibn Hajar reports two readings of 'only to worship Me'. In the first, it refers to the people of felicity alone. In the second, it covers everyone, in the sense that all were created fit for worship and charged with it. C5C6
Key points
References