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The human being: who are we, and why do we exist at all? Which of us has not asked ourselves this question? What does Allah want from us, and why did He create us if He is the absolutely Self-Sufficient, who needs no one? I thought about this a great deal; I searched and went deeper, until the story of Adam in the Qur'an came to mind, and I paused over it for a long time. The story is deeper than a narration of the events of the beginning of creation and what happened at that time. In this story, which Allah recounts in a few verses of the Qur'an found mainly in Sūrat al-Baqara and Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, He gives us some indications of the purpose of our creation and of what He wants from us, and He also warns us of what may stand between us and that purpose.
This is what I arrived at after researching and examining several sources and analysing all this information myself. I by no means claim to have understood and grasped the purpose of creation; in my view, it is one of the secrets of the unseen that are beyond my capacity. Yet this analysis helped me a little in answering many of the questions that echo in my head every day. In this article, I present a summary of what I reached.
Knowledge journeys on this subject
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The Beauty of Evil
Does evil have a beautiful face? A journey that uncovers the secret of trials and their purposes, inspired by the book *Beyond Evil* (*Mā Warāʾ al-Sharr*) by Shaykh Miṣbāḥ Yazdī. [CHECK: confirm the established English title of the book, if one exists]
Humanity's Vicegerency on Earth
The well-known story begins with Allah informing the angels that He intends to create a khalīfa (vicegerent) on His earth: {وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً} (al-Baqara: 30) “And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I am placing upon the earth a vicegerent.’”
The angels replied: {أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ} (Tafsīr al-Mīzān) “Will You place upon it one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?”
Allah answered them: {إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ} “Indeed, I know what you do not know.”
Then He put them to the test of the names, which they failed, and through it Adam's superiority became clear to them; in this story, Adam effectively represents the human being in general. This superiority lies in Adam's capacity to learn, explore, analyse and create, and in his ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. He is also Allah's vicegerent, and a vicegerent possesses the attributes of the one he succeeds so that he can truly be a vicegerent.
Because we are Allah's vicegerents, we find ourselves drawn to beauty, strength, knowledge, creativity, wisdom, virtues and morals (altruism, truthfulness, fairness…) and other attributes of perfection that we can acquire by our own will. These attributes are Allah's attributes in an absolute way, and because we are from Him and are His vicegerents, we are drawn to them and love to possess them.
Iblīs's Stance and Bigotry
After the test of the names, and the angels' discovery of their weakness before the human being, the second stage of the story began, when Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, and they prostrated, except Iblīs. Although Iblīs was of the jinn, he was with the angels because he was at the same existential rank as they were (Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī). What matters in the story is Iblīs's refusal to prostrate; when he was asked the reason for his refusal, his answer was that he was better than the human being, because the human being was created from clay while he was from fire, and fire is better than clay.
As absurd as this claim is, its danger lies in the fact that it is a bigotry in favour of himself for no reason other than that he is made of fire, relying on a superiority he invented. Exactly as the white man did, or as the people of Quraysh did in the days of the Jāhiliyya (the pre-Islamic age of ignorance), or as anyone from a given creed, group or country does when comparing themselves to the other. Allah warns us here: you, O human being, are distinguished by being My vicegerent and by possessing ability and freedom, but beware of becoming bigoted and attributing your superiority over others to flimsy reasons that have nothing to do with you in the first place. Bigotry, then, is among the most important traits we must guard against.
Iblīs and His Role in the System of Trial
After Iblīs refused to prostrate, Allah recounts to us the dialogue that took place between Him and Iblīs: about his expulsion from the Garden and from his spiritual station, and about his being granted a long life that extends alongside humankind. He also tells us of the oath Iblīs swore to lead astray and seduce the descendants of Adam: {فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ} (al-Aʿrāf: 16) “Because You have led me astray, I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path.”
Here many questions arise: Why did Allah give Iblīs a long life to seduce us? And how can Iblīs seduce us if he has no authority over our minds and our freedom? What I arrived at is that Iblīs is part of the system of trial: he stirs up the impulses of evil and makes the human being incline towards this world and forget the Hereafter, in opposition to the impulses of good, the fiṭra (innate primordial nature) and the teachings of the prophets (al-Mīzān, commentary on al-Aʿrāf).
Fear and Greed in the Story of the Tree
After Iblīs's oath and his being granted respite, Allah settled Adam and Eve in the Garden and permitted them everything except a particular tree. Then Iblīs came to tempt them, saying that this tree grants immortality and a kingdom that never decays: {فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ... فَأَكَلا مِنْهَا} (al-Aʿrāf: 20; Ṭā Hā: 121) “Then Satan whispered to them… and they ate from it.”
Although they possessed everything apart from it, they disobeyed the command out of greed and fear of loss, and because they believed Iblīs without verifying his truthfulness.
Here Allah wants to draw our attention to two dangers: bigotry and greed.
Repentance and Returning to Allah
After this incident, Allah taught Adam and Eve how to repent and return to Him: {فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ} (al-Baqara: 37) “Then Adam received words from his Lord, and He turned to him in forgiveness.”
Then He informed them that the time had come to descend to the earth so that the real trial could begin. Repentance, then, is not an end but a new beginning.
The Station of Vicegerency and Self-Realisation
These verses tell us that the human being has sufficient potential to be Allah's vicegerent; that is, to be knowledgeable, wise, just, merciful… This is why we are innately drawn to these attributes. On the other hand, there is what hinders us: bigotry, greed and heedlessness.
The Creator is absolutely Self-Sufficient: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ} (Fāṭir: 15) “O people, you are the ones in need of Allah.”
Rather, it is we who need this station for our existence to be complete. Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said: «وجدتُ علم الناس كلّه في أربع: أولها أن تعرف ربك...» “I found all the knowledge of people in four things: the first of them is that you know your Lord…” (al-Kāfī).
Conclusion: The Human Being for the Sake of the Human Being
The injustice that has taken place in this world since the dawn of history is a natural result of distancing oneself from the station of vicegerency through greed, bigotry and heedlessness. But true destiny does not lie here; in practice, the oppressor wrongs himself, since he has squandered what is eternal for the sake of what is limited and perishing.
In sum: creation is for the realisation of the human being's humanity and their limitless growth. But heedlessness, and tying our destiny to this world, have narrowed our horizons. We need to redefine ourselves and all strive for our growth and perfection. Through this striving we gain, as individuals and as societies [CHECK: source «نكسب أفرادًا ومجتمعاتٍ» is elliptical; reading taken as gaining both as individuals and societies], and draw near to Allah, with all the absolute power and beauty that nearness to Him holds.
Related Journeys:
The Vicegerent of Allah journey: a Qur'anic journey that interprets the verses on the divine vicegerency of the human being, combining tadabbur (reflective contemplation), comparative exegesis, and responses to intellectual doubts.
Is jihād al-nafs (striving against the self) a harsh struggle or a journey of awareness? Discover how tazkiyah (purification of the soul) brings you back to God through balanced steps.
basira.center/en/journeys/inner-struggle
Nights of Stillness, Days of Giving
Does your sleep affect your soul and your productivity? A journey that uncovers the secrets of night and day, the midday nap (qaylūla), and a sleep programme that will change your life.
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