THE MISSION OF MAN

In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful

THE MISSION OF MAN

By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

When the earth was perfected Allah announced that He was to appoint a Khaleefa, i.e. His representative, or a creature capable of behaving like Him on the earth. So, in order to demonstrate something of His Greatness He created man from a piece of clay, and caused each one from man’s progeny to grow out from him as a microscopic grain of sand. He says:

O mankind, if you are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, then lo! We created you from dust, then from a drop of seed, then from a clot, then from a little lump of flesh shapely and shapeless. (22:5)

Each and every one of us began the journey of life as a tiny grain of sand, and one day, we will return to the earth where only that original grain of sand will be preserved, and one day it will again grow out of the earth. Allah tells us about this in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an. He says:

From it (i.e. the earth) We created you; in it will We return you; and from it We will cause you to grow out a second time.

Allah has bestowed on man a special favor, i.e. man, a finite creature, can behave in some ways like the Creator here on the earth. He tells us about this in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an. He says:

The nature of Allah is the nature He has given to man. There is no change in the Habit of God; that is the Upright Way, but a lot of people cannot understand. (30:30)

Every human being has the capacity and capability of behaving like the Lord in some ways. He can manifest something of the Divine Attributes in his physical interaction with others. For example, he can show love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, generosity, etc. to others as the Lord is bestowing on him/her, and all creatures.

This mission of representation is inherited and is supposed to be passed on to our inheritors. Allah says:

We made you heirs in the land after them (i.e. the generations before you) to see how you would behave. (10:14)

Every single individual is required to acquaint himself regarding the purpose for which he was sent in this world and the ways and means necessary to enable us all to manifest true representation. Perhaps it is because we are required to behave like our Lord as much as possible that He says:

If Allah were to take mankind to task for all the wrong he does there would not be a single person left on the earth.

As representative of the Lord here on the earth we are required to keep in mind the fact that nothing in the universe resembles Him. He says:

No creature can ever be like Him. (112:4)

In order for man to be able to reflect something of the Light of the Lord here on the earth, Allah created a non-physical element called the Ruh and placed it in the heart of every human being.

Because the soul is non physical, no one can have knowledge of it on the basis of reason and logic. About it Allah says:

And they will question you about the soul, say: it is from the Command from the Lord; and We have not given you something of the knowledge of it except a little.

The soul is a special creation of light that is placed in the heart of every human being. It has the capability of accessing the Light of the Lord through the Holy Prophet (pboh) and reflecting it on the earth. Perhaps, this is a reason why Allah says:

And the Light of the Lord shall spread all over the earth.

Allah made this easy for us to understand by showing to us how the moon which is really a hard black rock, but it has the capacity of reflecting the light of the sun on a full moon night. So too, man can reflect the light of the Lord as it is coming to us through the Prophet (pboh), when we keep our souls clean, bright and shining.

Allah made the way of doing so possible for us to understand by sending the Prophet (pboh) as the Universal Model for mankind. He says:

And We have not sent you O Muhammad but as a universal model for mankind.

The Prophet (pboh) is known as the full moon, and the Straight Path. His soul is pure, bright and shining light, as he: Never said or did anything based on his own lust, ego or desire. As a result Allah says:

Tell them O Muhammad; if you want to manifest love for Allah, follow me, Allah will love you.

The Markaz Al Ihsaan is making every effort to enlighten and sensitize Muslims regarding the purpose of life and the ways and means of realizing and manifesting true representation of the Lord here on the earth.

We pray to Allah to enable us to do what is required to fulfill our goal, and to pass on the correct legacy of true representation to our inheritors.