The Necessity of Revelation

I. The Imperative of Divine Guidance

At some point in life, every human being must confront the fundamental existential questions: "Why was I created? What am I doing in this world?" The simple, common necessities of life—the instinct to eat, sleep, and work—are universally understood, yet the purpose of existence itself remains shrouded in confusion for many.

When people attempt to answer this ultimate question through human speculation alone, they produce varied and contradictory philosophies. This confusion leads to the belief that human existence is without inherent purpose, a mere product of evolution and natural forces, which undermines the very foundation of morality and accountability in society.

For the believer, human speculation has no bounds and offers no certainty. The reality of our creation, therefore, must be derived solely from Divine Revelation—the guidance found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions). It is the Creator alone who knows and reveals the purpose of His creation, as we can hardly understand our own essence, much less the essence of the cosmos.

II. The Deeper Question: Why Does God Create?

Before asking "Why create man?", we must address the preliminary, profound question: "Why did God create?" Man is not the greatest of God's acts of creation, as the Qur'an states: "The creation of the Heavens and the Earth is indeed greater then the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not." (Surah Ghafir, verse 57).

Fundamentally, creation is a natural manifestation of the attribute of the Creator. Just as the perfection of a painter lies in his paintings, the quality of Allah as the Creator is manifest in the existence of creation itself. The act of creation, however, is utterly unique to Allah alone, as He creates from nothing (ex nihilo). This is unlike human creation, which is merely manipulation of elements that already exist.

This concept demands a clear distinction between the Creator and the creation. Allah affirms His absolute uniqueness: "There is nothing like him, and he is the hearer and seer of all." (Surah Ash-Shuraa, verse 11).

The failure to grasp this uniqueness leads to the dangerous path of shirk (associating partners with God), such as claiming that God is literally inside His creation, or that man can become one with the Universal Soul. These delusions arise from comparing the Divine act of creation to human manipulation. The correct understanding, which was clear to the early generations of righteous scholars, is that Allah is the Creator, and everything besides Him is His creation; it is not Him, nor is He it. Allah created all things, and He is the agent upon which all things depend (Surah Az-Zumar, verse 62).

III. The Ultimate Purpose: Worship and Spiritual Growth

Relative to humankind, Allah has explicitly stated the singular purpose of our existence in the Holy Qur'an:

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." (Surah Adh-Dhariyyat, Ayah 56)

This mandate is centered on the realization of God. When asked why Allah commands worship, the answer must be that we need to worship Him, not that He needs our worship. A famous Hadith Qudsi clarifies this: if all of humankind and jinn were to worship like the most righteous among them, it would not increase the dominion of Allah in any way, shape, or form.

Worship is fundamentally established for the spiritual growth of man. This growth is achieved through the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), which fosters a consciousness of God. It is only in remembrance that we attain the state suitable for salvation, as forgetting Allah leads to sin. This life is a test, which provides the conditions—like the variation in wealth and fortune—necessary to bring out higher spiritual qualities such as generosity, contentment, and patience.

Furthermore, we are all born with an innate consciousness of God's Oneness, known as fitrah. This internal recognition, coupled with revelation, confirms that our purpose is to recognize the Creator, be grateful to Him, surrender to Him, and obey His laws.

IV. The Manifestation of Divine Attributes

From the perspective of Allah, the creation of humankind manifests several of His Divine Attributes, providing the framework for our accountability and hope:

1. Sovereignty and Trust: The principle that Allah created all things underscores that all good and evil that occurs does so only by His permission. Therefore, the required response is to depend and put our trust in Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) affirmed this: "If the whole of mankind gathered to do some thing to help us, they could not help in anything which Allah had not already prescribed for us. And if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm us, then they would not be able to harm with anything which Allah had not already prescribed against you.".
2. Mercy and Grace: The creation allows for the manifestation of Allah's immense mercy and forgiveness. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that Allah made an obligation upon Himself, recorded in a document, that "My mercy precedes my wrath.". His grace is profoundly manifest in the multiplication of good deeds, where one good deed is valued as ten like it, while an evil deed is punished with only one like it (Surah Al-An'am, verse 160). This grace is essential, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) explicitly warned: "none of you will enter Paradise only because of his deeds.".
3. Justice and Choice: The fact that Allah recorded the destiny of every person before creation does not remove human choice. When the companions asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) why they should bother doing good deeds if their fate was decided, he responded: "Carry on doing (good deeds) for everybody will find it easy to do such deeds as will lead him to his destined place for which he has been created.". This life is the ultimate test, ensuring that when judgment comes, those who enter Hell will know without a shadow of a doubt that they chose that path and that Allah's judgment is perfectly just.

In summary, this life is a field of testing where the fundamental purpose is the worship and remembrance of Allah. It is through this remembrance that we develop the spiritual qualities required to return to the paradise for which we were ultimately created.