By Saiful Islam
From the dawn of thought, humans have asked one stubborn question: Why am I here? Science explains how the world works, philosophy wonders why it matters, and revelation declares what it is for. But does the very act of asking prove that we were born to seek something beyond ourselves?
The Restless Inquiry of the Human Heart
Civilizations rise and fall. Empires carve their names in stone only to crumble into dust. But one question has survived them all: What is the purpose of my life?
This question is not a passing curiosity; it is the pulse of the human spirit. We bury it in work, pleasure, and distraction, yet it keeps returning—like the tide drawn by a hidden moon.
The Qur’an answers this restlessness with piercing clarity:
“And to thy Lord is the final goal.” (53:43)
Our endless questioning itself is proof. Just as hunger points to food and thirst to water, the ache for meaning points to a Meaning-Giver.
If There Is a Creator, What Purpose Would Be Worthy of Him?
If creation springs from a Perfect and Wise Creator, its purpose cannot be trivial. A flawless Being does not create out of boredom or by accident.
The Qur’an dismisses such notions:
“We created not the heavens and the earth and what is between them in play.” (21:17)
So, what purpose could befit Divine Majesty? It must be lofty enough to match the grandeur of the cosmos and intimate enough to stir the human heart.
The Qur’an unfolds this purpose in three dimensions:
1. Recognition and Worship: “I have not created jinn and men but that they may worship Me.” (51:57)
Worship, here, is not mere ritual; it is recognition, love, and loyalty to the Source of life.
2. Moral Growth: “He Who created death and life that He might try you—which of you is best in conduct.” (67:3)
Life is a field where character blossoms through choices, trials, and tests.
3. Signs to Discover: “We shall show them Our Signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth.” (41:54)
The universe is not a closed prison but an open text—written for discovery.
In short, the purpose is to know God, love Him, and reflect His attributes in our limited measure.
The Proof Written Inside Us
Why do we ask at all? The very wiring of our souls points outward.
The Qur’an refers to this as fitrat-Allah—the Divine imprint stamped on every soul:
“Set thy face to the religion, in uprightness—the nature made by Allah in which He has created mankind.” (30:31)
– Conscience: an inner judge that convicts us when we wrong and soothes us when we do right.
– Reason: a restless tool that seeks order, coherence, and cause.
– Awe and Love: emotions that transcend survival, pointing to beauty and meaning.
If man were made merely from dust, why this ceaseless longing for the eternal?
The Universe as Witness
The question is not answered by man alone. The world around us joins the testimony.
– Cosmic Law: From the atom to the galaxy, order reigns. Accident breeds chaos, not precision.
– Mind and Universe in Harmony: Mathematics born in human thought somehow governs distant stars. This fit is too exact to be a coincidence.
– The Voice of Beauty and Morality: Mountains, music, sacrifice, and compassion—all pull us upward, not downward.
Science reveals the how of creation. But in every law, every equation, and every constant lies the whisper of a Law-Giver.
Why Trial? Why Suffering?
Yet a skeptic may protest: If this is the purpose, why is there so much pain?
The Qur’an addresses this:
“Do men think they will be left alone because they say, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tried?” (29:3)
Gold is purified in fire. Muscles grow only under strain. A seed must break before it becomes a tree. Trial is not contradiction; it is the furnace where purpose takes shape. Without resistance, the soul would remain stunted.
Revelation: The Guiding Mercy
If a Creator truly intended us to reach Him, He would not leave us unguided. Hence, there are Prophets—men who walk among us yet mirror eternity.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is the perfect model of that purpose lived: a ruler who slept on mats, a warrior who wept in prayer, and a teacher who reformed nations through mercy. In him, humanity sees what it was meant to become.
The Answer Lived
The answer to our deepest question is not a sentence—it is a life.
Man was created to know God, to love Him, to become a vessel of His attributes, and to spread His mercy upon the earth.
The world is a school. The syllabus is trial. The teacher is a revelation. The final graduation is nearness to God.
Our endless quest for understanding leads us ultimately home.
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