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The path of knowing Allah and His onenessLesson 1 of 10

Why were we created?

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Beginner level8-minute readLinked sourcesIts sources are linked and open to review

The path of knowing Allah and His oneness ← Lesson 1

Why were we created?

The Qur'an made clear that Allah created jinn and mankind to worship Him alone, and that He, Glorified, is free of need of them and guarantees their provision. This lesson begins with the answer and the evidence, then clarifies the meaning of worship so that it is not understood as limited rites only.

Status of the materialThe foundations of this lesson were gathered from the Noble Qur'an, the two Sahihs, and specific materials from the official sources of Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on them both. Every quotation from a scholar is linked to its original material, and direct references are provided to return to the original texts and explanations.
01

The question that sets the path

Why do we begin with this question?

Because when a person knows the purpose for which he was created, he understands the place of prayer, fasting, supplication and character in his life. These deeds are not scattered pieces of information; they are parts of worshipping Allah and obeying Him. Knowing the purpose precedes the details of rulings, and prevents religion from turning into habits performed without understanding.

02

The answer in less than a minute

Allah created us to worship Him alone

We were not created because Allah needs us; He is the Self-Sufficient, the Provider. He created us to worship Him, to declare His oneness, to obey Him in what He commanded, to avoid what He forbade, and to follow His Messenger ﷺ. Worship includes the deeds of the heart, tongue and limbs, and is not limited to prayer and fasting.

03

The answer is built on evidence

The evidence from the Qur'an

﴿ وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ۝ مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ ۝ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ ﴾“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, it is Allah who is the Provider, the firm possessor of strength.”
Surat al-Dhariyat, verses 56–58
The purpose

The verses made clear that the purpose of creating jinn and mankind is the worship of Allah.

Allah's self-sufficiency

Allah denied that He is in need of the creation's provision or feeding Him, and affirmed that He is the Provider.

﴿ وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ ﴾“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], ‘Worship Allah and avoid Taghut.’”
Surat al-Nahl, verse 36

And from the authentic Sunnah

قال النبي ﷺ: «حقُّ الله على العباد أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئًا».The Prophet ﷺ said: “The right of Allah upon the servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.”
The hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him — reported by al-Bukhari (2856) and Muslim (30)
Explanation of the hadith and the chapter — the official site of Shaykh Ibn Baz
04

So that the meaning of worship is not narrowed

What is the meaning of worship?

Worship is a broad term including everything Allah has legislated and loves and is pleased with of outward and inward words and deeds. Among it are prayer, fasting and zakat; among it are supplication, reliance, fear, hope and love of Allah; among it are truthfulness, dutifulness to parents and fulfilling trusts if the Muslim does them in obedience to Allah.

Worship of the heartLove, fear, hope, reliance
Worship of the tongueRemembrance, supplication, reciting the Qur'an
Worship of the limbsPrayer, fasting, zakat, Hajj
05

A linked quotation from the words of the people of knowledge

From the words of the people of knowledge

Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him

In his material on the reality of worship he explained that what is meant is the oneness of Allah and obeying Him in what He commanded, and that worship is not confined to one rite, but includes what Allah legislated for His servants.

Source: the official site of Shaykh Ibn BazSource: the official site of Shaykh Ibn Baz
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him

In his tafsir of Surat al-Bayyinah he distinguished between worship itself and that by which one worships, and made clear that worship of Allah rests on humble submission to Him out of love and veneration, and that acceptance of worship is tied to sincerity to Allah and following His Shari'ah.

Tafsir of a verse of Surat al-Bayyinah — Open Door Meeting 88 — the official source
The rule of sourcing: No statement or summary attributed to a scholar appears without a direct link to the material it was taken from. The link to the general site alone is not enough to source a fatwa or statement.
06

Knowledge leads to action

Three steps after the lesson

  1. Read the verses slowly: Al-Dhariyat 56–58, then notice the connection of worship with the fact that Allah is the Provider.
  2. Write a short definition: Worship includes what Allah loves of the deeds of the heart, tongue and limbs.
  3. Review your intention: Choose an act of worship you perform today, and bring to mind that you are doing it for Allah and in following His command.
Test your understanding

What is the purpose stated by the verse of al-Dhariyat?

Choose one answer, then show the result.

Record of sources

Sources of this lesson

This list establishes the foundations of the material used, and allows returning to the texts and explanations on which the lesson was built.

  1. Sahih al-BukhariThe hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him: “The right of Allah upon the servants is that they worship Him and associate nothing with Him” — al-Bukhari (2856).
    The origin of the hadith
  2. Sahih MuslimThe same hadith through an authentic chain — Muslim (30).
    The origin of the hadith
  3. The explanation of Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn BazAn explanation of the hadith 'the right of Allah upon the servants' and a statement of the meaning of worship and tawhid.
    Open the official source
  4. The Noble Qur'anAl-Dhariyat 56–58, al-Nahl 36, al-Anbiya' 25.
    Original text