Object of Man’s Existence
From ‘Teachings of Islam’
by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
The Light (UK), September 1997 Issue (pp. 1–2)
Different people set themselves different objectives, generally limited to a gratification of physical desires and pleasures of this world. The real object of man’s life according to the Quran is a true knowledge and worship of God and a total resignation to His will so that whatever is said or done is for His sake only. Man has no choice in fixing the aim of life. He is a creature, and the Creator, Who has brought him into existence and bestowed upon him higher and more excellent faculties than upon other animals, has also assigned an object to his existence. He may or may not understand it, or a hundred different motives may hold him back from it, but the truth is that the grand aim of man’s life consists in knowing and worshiping God and living for His sake.
The external and internal endowments of human nature give us clearly to understand that the highest object of their creation is the love and worship of God. True happiness, which is generally admitted to be the goal of life, is not attainable through the diverse pursuits which men follow but only through the Divine Being. Not all the felicities of this world can afford relief from the gnawing grief which attends a man’s last moments upon this earth. The greatest king, the wisest philosopher, the highest official or the richest merchant does not possess contentment of mind, and departs from this world a prey to poignant regret. His heart upbraids him for his absorption in worldly cares and his conscience judges him guilty of the employment of unfair means to attain success in his worldly affairs.
In the lower animals, we see that their faculties are so made as to render them unable to serve a purpose higher than a particular one and they cannot go beyond a certain limit. Thus, the highest limit which the faculties of a particular animal can reach is also the highest aim of its creation. A bullock, for instance, may be used to furrow the lands or draw water or for loading, but with its present faculties it can serve no higher purpose. This is, therefore, also the aim of its existence.
Judging man in the same manner, we find that, of all the faculties which nature has bestowed upon him, the highest is that which awakens him to a search for God and encourages him to the noble aspiration of losing his own self in the love of the Beneficent and completely submitting himself to His will. In the requirements of his physical nature, the lower animals are on a level with him. In art, some animals display more skill than human beings. The bee produces honey from the juice of many flowers with such exquisite skill that man has failed to achieve anything like it. The perfection of man, therefore, does not consist in these matters but in the excellence of his spirituality in his union with God. The true object of his life in this word is that the window of his heart should be opened towards the Creator.
The first means towards the attainment of this end is that, in the recognition of the Lord, a man should tread upon the right path and have his faith in the true and living God. The goal can never be reached by the man who takes the first step in the wrong direction and looks upon some stone or creature or an element of nature as his deity. The true Master assists those who seek Him, but a dead deity cannot assist its dead worshippers.
The second means to attain the true object of life consists in being informed of the perfect beauty which the Benefactor possesses. Beauty naturally attracts the heart and incites love. The beauty of God consists in His Unity, His Majesty, His Grandeur and His other lofty attributes.
The third means of reaching the goal consists in realizing the immense goodness of the Lord. Beauty and kindness are the only two incentives to love. The attributes of God in this respect are described in the opening chapter of the Quran.
It is plain that the Divine goodness could not be perfect unless the Creator first brought everything into existence from nothing and then gave it sustenance under all circumstances and Himself supported it in its weakness. All aspects of His mercy should come into play for His creatures, and His kindness should have no limits set to it.
The fourth means for the desired end is prayer. Frequent stress has been laid upon this point in the Quran, because man can reach the Merciful only with Divine assistance.
The fifth means is to seek God by spending one’s substance and faculties, and sacrificing one’s life and applying one’s wisdom in His way.
وَّ جَاہِدُوۡا بِاَمۡوَالِکُمۡ وَ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ ؕ
“And strive hard in Allah’s way with your wealth and your lives” (The Holy Quran, 9:41)
The sixth means by which a person may safely attain to the goal is perseverance, that is, he should be indefatigable in the way in which he walks and unswerving under the hardest trial. Even when the last ray of hope has disappeared, perseverance must be shown. Under every suffering and ill we must show firmness. In spite of helplessness, we must submit ourselves to the Divine Will without wringing our hands or beating our breasts. True perseverance reveals the glorious face of God. It is this noble quality which the apostles, the righteous and the faithful still exhale. In afflictions and trials, the Merciful causes a light to descend upon the hearts of His faithful servants, strengthened with which they meet all trials with calmness and dignity and, on account of the sweetness of their faith, kiss the chains they are bound with for walking in the right path. They do not even supplicate their Creator to remove their suffering for to pray to him to remove the cup of hardship is to oppose His Will. The true lover does not recede but takes a forward step and looking upon his life as insignificant, willingly submits himself to the Will of heaven and is prepared to meet the worst.
The seventh means to attain the object is to keep company with the righteous and to imitate their perfect example. Man is naturally inclined to imitate a model and feels the need of it. A perfect model infuses life into a person and invigorates him to act upon the principles of righteousness, while he who does not imitate a perfect model gradually loses all eagerness to do good and ultimately falls into error.
The eighth means is true visions and revelations from God. As the path which leads to the Creator is a secret and mysterious one, and is full of difficulties and dangers, the spiritual wayfarer may depart from the right course or despair of attaining the goal. The Divine grace, therefore, continues to encourage and strengthen him in his spiritual journey, gives him consolation in moments of grief and animates him with a still more zealous desire to pursue his journey eagerly.
Such is the Divine law with the wayfarers of His path that He continues to cheer their hearts with His word and to reveal to them that he is with them. Thus strengthened, they undertake this journey with great vigour.
[Source: Teachings of Islam (1968 Edition), pp. 168–178, by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, with some minor edits.]