It is the oldest question a person can ask. Why am I here? What is my life for? People answer it in many ways, and some stop asking because no answer satisfies them. Islam answers it plainly, in the words of the One who created us. Allah did not leave the purpose of life hidden or vague. He stated it in His Book, and the scholars explain what it means for the life each of us is actually living: the place we hold on this earth, the trust we carry, the tests that fill our days, and the return that waits at the end of them. This page follows that answer step by step.
The Answer Allah Himself Gave
Allah states the purpose of creation in one sentence:
I have not created the jinn [unseen beings] and humans except to worship Me.
Allah’s words in Surah adh-Dhariyat (51), verse 56, Tafsir as-Sa’di (Vol. 9, printed p. 305).
Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di explains what sits at the root of this worship. It is not a ritual added to life from outside. It begins with knowing the One who is worshipped:
This is the purpose for which Allah created the jinn and humankind, and sent all the Messengers to call to it, namely to worship Him alone, which implies knowing Him, loving Him, turning to Him and turning away from all others. That implies knowing Him, for worshipping properly depends on knowing Allah; in fact the more a person knows his Lord, the more perfect his worship will be. This is the purpose for which Allah created those who are accountable; He did not create them out of any need for them on His part.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah adh-Dhariyat (51), verse 56 (Vol. 9, printed p. 306).
Nor does Allah gain anything from our worship. As-Sa’di continues, on the verses that follow:
Allah does not want any provision from them and He does not want them to feed Him; exalted be Allah, the Self-Sufficient, Who has no need of anyone in any way. Rather all creatures are in need of Him for all their needs and essential necessities.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah adh-Dhariyat (51), verses 57-58 (Vol. 9, printed p. 306).
This page takes the next step: given that worship is the purpose, what does the purpose say about the life each of us is living now?
Created With Wisdom, Not in Vain
That answer stands on a foundation. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen opens his book Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat [Understanding Worship] with the question, What is the purpose of creating mankind?, and before he answers it he lays down a general foundation about everything Allah creates and everything He legislates:
Before I answer this question, I would like to point to a general foundation regarding what Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, Creates and Legislates. This foundation is derived from His, the Blessed and Exalted, Saying:
Only He [Allah] is The All-Knowing, The All-Wise.
And His Saying: Verily, Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise
As well as many other Aayaat that prove the affirmation of Hikmah (Perfect Wisdom) to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, as regard to what He Creates and Legislates i.e. with respect to both, His Kawniyyah and Shar’iyyah Decrees. In fact, there is nothing which Allah Creates except with wisdom, whether this is in the bringing of its existence or in making it non-existing.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat, Question 1: What is the purpose of creating mankind? (printed p. 16). The two verses are Qur’an 66:2 and 33:1, in the book’s printing.
Kawniyyah [universal] is what Allah decrees in creation; Shar’iyyah [legislative] is what He ordains in His law. The wisdom in both is real, the Shaykh says, but it is not always shown to us:
There is nothing that Allah, the One free of all imperfection and the Most High, ordains but with wisdom, whether this is in the rendering of it to be obligatory, forbidden, or permissible.
However, these qualities of wisdom, comprised in Allah’s legislative and universal Decrees, may be known or unknown to us, and it may be known to some people but not to others, depending on the degree of knowledge and understanding which Allah bestows upon them.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat (printed p. 17).
The Shaykh names that wisdom in his Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed. Its first chapter’s important matters are drawn from the verse at the head of this article, and the first matter is this:
The first – The wisdom behind the creation of men and the Jinns:
The wisdom (behind their creation) is to worship Allah and not that they should ravish in meals, drinks and sexual satisfaction.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, Vol. 1, the first of the Important Matters (printed p. 53).
And Allah rejects the opposite idea outright, in words as-Sa’di explains:
Did you think that We created you without purpose, and that you would not be brought back to Us? So exalted be Allah, the True Sovereign; there is no god but He, Lord of the magnificent Throne.
«Did you think», O people, «that We created you without purpose» that is, in vain, so that you might eat, drink, have fun, and enjoy the pleasures of this world, and We would leave you alone without any commands or prohibitions, reward or punishment? Hence He says: «and that you would not be brought back to Us» – and did this never cross your minds?
«So exalted be Allah, the True Sovereign; there is no god but He, Lord of the magnificent Throne» for He is truly the Sovereign of all creation and He is truthful in His promise and warning, and He is the One Who is worthy of worship, because of the perfect attributes He possesses «Lord of the magnificent Throne» so it is more appropriate that He should be the Lord of everything beneath it, and that He would not create you in vain.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Mu’minun (23), verses 115-116 (Vol. 6, printed pp. 375-376).
At the end of Surah al-Qiyamah the same charge returns, and with it a look back at how every one of us began:
Does man think that he will be left unchecked?
Then He reminds him of his original creation, as He says: «Does man think that he will be left unchecked» that is, left alone, with no commands and prohibitions, and no reward or punishment?
This is wrong thinking, and is thinking of Allah in terms that are not appropriate to His wisdom.
«Was he not a drop of semen emitted, then» after having been a drop of semen, «he became a clinging clot» of blood, «then Allah formed him» from the clot, making him a living being, and fashioned him properly, «and made from him the two genders, male and female? Is not He Who has done that» namely creating man and causing him to go through these stages of development «able to bring the dead to life?» Indeed He is able to do all things.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Qiyamah (75), verses 36-40 (Vol. 10, printed pp. 278-279).
The frame is wider than mankind alone. The heavens and the earth were not made in vain either:
We have not created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in vain. That is what the disbelievers think. So woe to the disbelievers from the fire!
Here Allah tells us of His perfect wisdom in creating the heavens and the earth, and that He did not create them in vain, for no purpose and to serve no interest.
Rather Allah’s creation of the heavens and the earth is based on truth and is for the sake of truth. He created them so that people may know the perfect nature of His knowledge, might and all-encompassing authority, and that He alone is deserving of worship, and not those that did not create even an atom in the heavens or on earth; and that the resurrection is true, and Allah will judge between the people of good and the people of evil.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah Sad (38), verse 27 (Vol. 8, printed pp. 245-246).
So nothing was made in vain: not the heavens and the earth, and not a single human life. The next step is what that purpose means for the life being lived now: a life that was not left without purpose.
Not Left Without Purpose
The opposite idea, that we were made in play and then left to ourselves, is one the Qur’an rejects. Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan explains the words of the Three Fundamental Principles, “and did not leave us without purpose”:
The word al-hamal means that thing which is neglected and abandoned, not being cared for. Allah has cared for us and provided for us due to a wisdom. He has not created us in folly, nor did He create us in vain without purpose.
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles (printed p. 46).
He contrasts man with the animals, who live and die without accountability:
Allah has created us, and He created for us these provisions and means due to a tremendous wisdom and a lofty objective, which is that we worship Him (ﷻ). He did not create us to be like the animals whom He created for the benefit of His worshipers, who then die and depart, because they are not responsible nor are they commanded or prohibited. Rather, He has created us for His worship.
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles (printed p. 47).
Placed on Earth, and Entrusted
Our life is lived somewhere: on this earth, one generation after another. When Allah created Adam, He announced man’s place on the earth to the angels:
When your Lord said to the angels: I am going to place on earth successive generations, they said: Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, whilst we glorify You with Your praises and proclaim Your holiness? He said: I know that which you do not know.
Allah’s words in Surah al-Baqarah (2), verse 30, Tafsir as-Sa’di (Vol. 1, printed p. 64).
This role, generation after generation placed upon the earth, is the one often called khalifa [a successor, placed on earth after those who came before]. As-Sa’di explains part of the wisdom Allah saw in these generations, which the angels could not see:
I know that the good that will result from the creation of these successive generations is many times greater than any evil that may result from it. If there was nothing more involved in that but that Allah (ﷻ) wanted to choose from among them the prophets, the siddeeqeen [those who are foremost in truthfulness], the martyrs and the righteous; and so that His signs might become manifest to His creation; and so that many acts of worship might be done that would not be done without the creation of these successive generations, such as jihad [striving in the cause of Allah] and so on; and so that the hidden potentials of the sons of Adam, both good and evil, might be demonstrated by means of testing them.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Baqarah (2), verse 30 (Vol. 1, printed pp. 65-66).
The Prophet ﷺ described this same earthly life, pleasant as it is, as the ground of that testing. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
The life of the world is sweet and green. Allah makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions. So beware of the beguilements of the world and those of women. The first trial of Banu Israel [the Children of Israel] was through women.
Recorded by Muslim; quoted in Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin (Vol. 1, Hadith 70, printed p. 538).
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen draws out the point of the words “generations succeeding one another”:
However, the Prophet (ﷺ) explained that Allah – the Exalted – makes us generations succeeding one another in it that He may see what we shall do. He said, ‘Allah – the Exalted – makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions.’ Will you uphold obedience to Him, restrain yourselves from (misleading) desires? Will you carry out Allah’s obligations and avoid being deceived by worldly affairs, or will the reverse be the case?
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin, Vol. 1, on Hadith 70 (printed pp. 538-539).
With the place came a responsibility. Allah calls it a Trust:
Verily We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it. But man undertook it; verily he has proven to be a wrongdoer and ignorant.
Allah’s words in Surah al-Ahzab (33), verse 72, Tafsir as-Sa’di (Vol. 8, printed p. 66).
As-Sa’di’s own note on the word explains what the Trust (amanah [something placed in a person’s care, to be kept faithfully]) is: “the commitment to obey Allah, carry out obligatory religious duties, and obey all His other commands.” And in his explanation of the verse:
Here Allah (ﷻ) emphasises the great importance of the Trust which He has entrusted to those who are accountable. What that means is complying with the commands and heeding the prohibitions, in private and in public.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Ahzab (33), verse 72 (Vol. 8, printed p. 66).
Allah offered it to man, according to these conditions, and he accepted it; he took it on despite his wrongdoing and ignorance; he took on this heavy burden.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Ahzab (33), verse 72 (Vol. 8, printed pp. 66-67).
A Life That Is a Test
If that is the trust we carry, then our days themselves are the testing of it. Allah says at the opening of Surah al-Mulk that He:
Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.
Allah’s words in Surah al-Mulk (67), verse 2, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged).
Ibn Kathir explains the verse:
This Ayah means that He brought creation into existence from nothing in order to test the creatures. He examines them to see which of them will be best in deeds.
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), on Surah al-Mulk (67), verse 2.
And he notes the measure of the test. It is the quality of the deeds, not their amount: “(He may test you which of you is best in deed.) it means best in deeds… It should be noted that Allah did not say ‘which of you does the most deeds.’”
The tests are not only in great events. Allah names their everyday forms, and the words of the one being tested:
We will certainly test you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives and crops, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say, when afflicted with calamity: To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return. They are the ones on whom blessings and mercy from their Lord are [bestowed], and they are the ones who are guided.
Allah’s words in Surah al-Baqarah (2), verses 155-157, Tafsir as-Sa’di (Vol. 1, printed p. 184).
As-Sa’di explains why these tests come, and what they are for:
Here Allah (ﷻ) tells us that He will inevitably test His slaves with all sorts of trials and tribulations, in order to distinguish the sincere from the liars, and the impatient from the patient. This is His way with His slaves, because if times of ease were to persist for people of faith, without any trials, it would not be clear who is who, and that would lead to mischief. The wisdom of Allah dictates that good people should be distinguished from bad people. The purpose of tests is not to cause the believers to lose their faith or turn away from the religion, for Allah will not let the faith of the believers go to waste.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Baqarah (2), verse 155 (Vol. 1, printed p. 184).
Where the Purpose Leads
A test has an end, and this one ends in a return. As-Sa’di, explaining the words of the patient in the verses above, “To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return”, writes:
In addition to the fact that we belong to Allah, we will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection, when He will requite each person in accordance with his deeds. So if we show patience and seek reward, we will find our reward waiting for us with Him, but if we are impatient and resentful, our share will be nothing but resentment and the loss of reward. Knowing that we are slaves of Allah and will return to Him is among the greatest means of attaining patience.
Abdur Rahman as-Sa’di, Tafsir as-Sa’di, on Surah al-Baqarah (2), verse 156 (Vol. 1, printed p. 186).
Shaykh al-Fawzan puts the whole shape of this life into one picture:
This life is only a farm and a marketplace for the abode of the Hereafter. We take our provisions in it by way of righteous actions, then we die and we will depart from it. Then we shall be resurrected, called to account, and rewarded for our actions.
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles (printed p. 47).
So, What Is the Purpose of Life?
Gathering the page together:
- You were created to worship Allah alone, and that worship begins with knowing Him, loving Him, and turning to Him (51:56).
- You were not created in play, nor left without purpose. Unlike the animals, you are accountable: commanded and prohibited, and cared for by the One who made you (al-Fawzan).
- You live on this earth as one of the successive generations placed here, and you carry a Trust: obeying Allah’s commands and avoiding His prohibitions, in private and in public (2:30; 33:72).
- Your life, in ease and in hardship, is a test of deeds, and its measure is the best of deeds, not the most (67:2; 2:155-157).
- And it ends in a return to Allah, where every person is repaid for what he did. This life is the farm; the Hereafter is where its crop is gathered (2:156; al-Fawzan).
That is the purpose of life in Islam, stated by the Creator and explained by the scholars. Whoever wants to read these passages in full will find them in Tafsir as-Sa’di on Surah adh-Dhariyat, Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Ahzab, in the Abridged Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah al-Mulk, in Shaykh al-Fawzan’s Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, and in Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin. I hope this short page answers the question clearly, and sends the reader back to those books.
Further Reading
References
- Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab. Vol. 9 (Juz 25-27), printed p. 305 (Surah adh-Dhariyat 51:56) and printed p. 306 (its explanation, with verses 57-58); Vol. 1 (Juz 1-3), printed p. 64 (Surah al-Baqarah 2:30), printed pp. 65-66 (its explanation), printed p. 184 (Surah al-Baqarah 2:155-157 and the explanation of the tests) and printed p. 186 (on 2:156, the return to Allah); Vol. 8 (Juz 22-24), printed p. 66 (Surah al-Ahzab 33:72, the book’s note on the Trust, and its explanation) and printed p. 67 (the explanation continued); Vol. 6 (Juz 16-18), printed pp. 375-376 (Surah al-Mu’minun 23:115-116 and their explanation); Vol. 10 (Juz 28-30), printed pp. 278-279 (Surah al-Qiyamah 75:36-40 and their explanation); Vol. 8, printed pp. 245-246 (Surah Sad 38:27 and its explanation).
- Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Authentic Statements Publishing, First Edition, Sha’ban 1440H / April 2019, ISBN 978-1-7923-0837-6 (softback), translated by Raha Batts. Printed pp. 46-47 (the first of the Three Issues: Allah created us, provided for us, and did not leave us without purpose).
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), the ten-volume set, on Surah al-Mulk (67:2): death and life created so that Allah may test which of us is best in deed.
- Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Vol. 1, Dar-us-Salam, 2016, ISBN 978-603-500-379-7. Printed pp. 538-539 (Hadith 70: the life of the world is sweet and green, and its explanation).
- Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat — Understanding Worship (Section One) — The Creed, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; rendered into English by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh. The copy held for this site is an electronic rendering that names no publisher, edition, or year. Question 1, printed pp. 16-17 (the foundation: nothing was created except with wisdom).
- Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, Vol. 1, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, Riyadh, 2014, translated by Abu Naasir Ibrahim Abdur-Rauf, ISBN 978-603-500-311-7. Printed p. 53 (the first Important Matter: the wisdom behind the creation of men and the Jinns).
Verified on 2026-10-24 against: Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vols. 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10, Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di (IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018); Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (Authentic Statements Publishing, First Edition 1440H / April 2019); the Abridged Tafsir Ibn Kathir set; Explanation of Riyad as-Salihin, Vol. 1, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (Dar-us-Salam, 2016); Fiqhul ‘Ibaadaat, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (rendered into English by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh); and Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, Vol. 1, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 2014).