- Islamic creed
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- Islamic creed
Questions in the mind of man:
Why did Allah create us?
In the topic of ideology, we reached to the point that there are three questions, if man could answer them correctly, he would solve all his problems and be happy in this world and in the Hereafter.
The first question is: Why did Allah create us? This is the greatest question as no one on earth would do anything without a purpose, so what is the great purpose for which Allah created us? If your father sent you to study in a foreign country, and if you know the purpose for sending you there, you would achieve this purpose so you would be satisfied and satisfying. However, if you thought that he sent you to have fun; you would be miserable and would make him miserable. Knowing the great purpose for creating man is very important, because people go in a wrong way and walk into closed ways. What is the closed way? It is any way that ends with death; the way of money, fame, desires. “Live as long as you want, you are dying, love whoever you want, you are leaving him, and work as you want, you will be rewarded or punished for it.”
2- What is the purpose of creation?
The second question: We were created on earth, so what is the most valuable thing therein? This question is related to the first one. If you know the purpose of your creation, you would know the most precious thing on earth. Thus, these two questions are one. If you know why you were created and the most valuable thing to do in this world, you would undoubtedly know the destination.
If you contemplate in the kingdom of heavens and earth, you will know that there is a Great Creator for this universe. The universe tells you that there is a great purpose behind it, and that Allah the Almighty could not be seen by eyes or by senses. However, this universe with all its galaxies, which number is nearly a million millions, and each galaxiy has about a million millions of stars some of
them are millions of times larger than our sun. This universe represents the Ability of Allah, His Knowledge, Wisdom… This universe is an evidence of the existence of a Great Creator Who has Divine Attributes, so it is not suitable for Allah’s Majesty to leave us without a purpose for our existence. What is that purpose? The purpose is worship. It is to know Him, obey Him, and to be happy for being near to Him. Worship is the purpose for which the universe, man, and Jinn were created.
Allah the Almighty says:
“119. Except him on whom your Lord has bestowed His Mercy and for that did He create them. And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled (i.e. His Saying): "Surely, I shall fill Hell with jinns and men all together."”
Human beings are created to be happy. If you know that you were created to be happy, you feel relieved, optimistic, honored, and that your existence is a blessing from Allah.
The purpose of affliction on earth:
Some people might say: all people are tortured. There are famines, earthquakes, floods, oppression, wars, and volcanoes, so why are people miserable? Materially most people are poor and tortured. The answer is: why is a car made? To go. Why then the manufacturing company puts brakes in it. Don’t they contradict with its movement? Using brakes is necessary for its safety. The
car was manufactured to move but brakes stop it on the right time so that it wouldn’t destroy its owner. Allah created us to make us happy and for this very reason He created affliction. They were created for another purpose that man doesn’t think of, as he is distracted with this world, so calamities and affliction come as a reminder of the major task for which man was created. This is the essence of every calamity on earth: “38. O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter.39. If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment and will replace you by another people, and you cannot harm Him at all, and Allah is Able to do all things.”
Either you march forth, or you will be punished. And as for you, either you achieve the purpose of your creation, or He sends to you calamities because He loves you. You should be certain that existence is a great blessing because Allah has created you to make you happy.
Play in the universe is not suitable to the Greatness of Allah:
Do you think that it is suitable for Allah’s Majesty to create us in order to punish us? Does He need to punish us?
Abu Dharr narrated that Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) stated that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: My servants, I have made oppression unlawful for Me and unlawful for you, so do not commit oppression against one another. My servants, all of you are liable to err except one whom I guide on the right path, so seek right guidance from Me so that I may direct you to the right path. O My servants, all of you are hungry (need food) except the one whom I feed, so beg food from Me, so that I may give it to you. O My servants, all of you are naked (need clothes) except the one whom I provide with garments, so beg clothes from Me, so that I may clothe you. O My servants, you commit error night and day and I am there to pardon your sins, so beg pardon from Me so that I may grant you pardon. O My servants, even if the first amongst you, the last amongst you, even if the whole of the human race, and that of the Jinns, become (equally) God-conscious like the heart of a single person amongst you, nothing will add to My Power. O My servants, even if the first amongst you, the last amongst you, the whole human race, and that of the Jinns too become in union the most wicked (all beating) like the heart of a single person, it will cause no loss of My Power. O My servants, even if the first amongst you, the last amongst you, the whole human race, and that of Jinns also, all stand in one place and you ask Me and I confer upon every person what he asks for, it will not in any way cause any loss to Me (even less) than that which is caused to the ocean by dipping a needle in it. My servants, these deeds of yours, which I am recording for you, I shall reward you for them. So he who finds good should praise Allah and he who does not find it should not blame anyone but himself.”
Is it suitable for Allah to create us without any purpose? Can a wise man even do that? Is it suitable for Allah to create heavens, earths, galaxies, planets, sun, moon, stars, night and day, then to make our life short and around sixty years half of which go in preparing to get married and live in a separate house, providing one’s needs in his thirties and forties, then he is fifty-five and he has a heart attack. Is it possible that all this universe is only created for countable years. Why did Allah create us? There must be a purpose suitable to His Majesty and His Strength. So Allah answers this question in two clear verses and in many other verses.
"115. Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?"
Exalted is Allah from creating people with no purpose. Which government might construct a building that costs 13 billion and takes 20 years and then destroy it without a reason. Why did you construct this building? Nothing. Can any country on earth do that?
Allah also negates what some people think that He constructed this universe playing:
“16. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for a (mere) play .”
“27. And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve! Then woe to those who disbelieve (in Islamic Monotheism) from the Fire!”
Allah is Exalted from creating people without purpose. Allah also negates the illusion of some people that Allah created heavens and earth for a mere play.
This is the consideration of the disbelievers only. Is it possible that Allah creates people and doesn’t ask about their deeds? The weak stays weak, the strong stays strong, the rich stays rich, the sick stays sick and so on. One lives for 85 years, another one lives 18 years, a third one lives 30 years, a forth dies in an accident without getting married, living in a house, enjoying his life, or seeing anything. Why would one be born rich and has everything while another one can’t provide food for one day? Allah says:
“36. Does man think that he will be left Suda [neglected without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him]?”
Allah negates creating heavens and earth for play or with no purpose, or that He would neglect man. Allah says:
“56. And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).”
Offering the trust to the creatures since eternity:
Allah created all creatures at the same time. Everything we see was created with other things at the same time which is called by scholars Al-Azal (eternity). In this world Allah offers the creatures 
an unlimited giving which is eternal, but it has a price, or the sustenance of their day without being responsible or honored. It is a very good offer:
“72. Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results).”
Allah gave choice to creatures, either to have limited or unlimited happiness. Allah offered to give His creatures an unlimited giving, but they should be tested in this world to be given that unlimited giving. The creature has desires, like the desire of wealth, position, sex, and he is ordered to obey the orders of Allah:
“5. As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him,6. And believes in Al-Husna.7. We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).”
“40. But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts.41. Verily, Paradise will be his abode.”
Prerequisites of the trust:
1- Providing man with desires and mind
It is one of the prerequisites of carrying the trust that this creature has desires, and that there is a universe representing the Divine Attributes of Allah, there is a mind which can be guided to Allah through the universe, and that man has free choice. The free choice, the mind, the universe and the desires are four factors that make man the most honored creature on earth. Allah says:
“14. Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers, etc.) with Him.”
2- You approach to Allah if you prefer His content over your desires:
You become happy if you approach to Allah, and you can’t approach to Him unless you have trust that He is content with you, so how would He be content with you? If you prefer His content in
everything, he would be content with you. Allah put in you the desire of women, so you lower your gazed from a woman who is unlawful to you and you get closer to Him. If you marry a woman according to Allah’s approach you get closer to Him. He puts in you the love of wealth so if you get money legally and leave unlawful money you get closer to Allah. Without these desires you wouldn’t have been able to come to Allah by leaving what He forbade and taking what is lawful. The greatest and first goal of this world is to do deeds by which you can get closer to Allah and be in Paradise forever. That is to say, if you prefer Allah’s content you have a deed by which you go to Allah, if you are straight in trade, advice Muslims, do good deeds, prefer what is remaining to what is going, this work that you choose to do freely with no compulsion, this good deed makes you worthy to be in Paradise forever. Allah does not need us, but He sent us to this world, gave us money and said: Can you spend this money for Me? I will put desires so can you lower the gaze for Me? Would you prefer the good righteous woman whose beauty is average to a very beautiful but not righteous woman? Would you prefer legal income to great income from an illegal way? How would you be happy and approach to Allah:
I would like to clarify to you the mystery of life. Allah brought us to this world, provided us with desires and asked us to give some money, to help sh3er, to control our desires for His sake, to give money in His way, if you do this and stay straight and righteous you would feel that He is content with you, with this feeling you come to Him, and if you come to Him you get happy forever for being close to Him. This is why you were brought to this world.
“110. Say (O Muhammad): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."”
Allah created us to make us happy, and brought us to this world to be worthy of this happiness, what is worthiness? It is to give from what Allah gave you. The Apostle of Allah used to supplicate 
to Allah:
“O Allah, we ask you the causes of Your Mecy”
In our life, there is an opportunity for eternal happiness, we only have to lower our gaze, spend some of our money, spend time in obedience to Allah. You will see this lecture in the Day of Resurrection as a recorded tape. Your friends go to the cinema to enjoy their time, and spend their time playing dice, joking badly and talking about women, while you came to this mosque to know Allah. This is what makes you higher. You are in this world to give:
“1. By Al-'Asr (the time).2. Verily! Man is in loss,3. Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth.”
Your marriage, having children, work, sleep, sitting with your wife and children are all for the sake of Allah. You came to this world in order to do something by which Allah is content with you and so that you come to Him in the Hereafter with good deeds proper to be seen by Him.
How do you know Allah?
How do you know Allah? By contemplation in this universe. If you think of yourself and your body, how you were a fluid and became a man, if you think of your food, drink, clothes, wife, children, if you think of mountains, sun, moon, stars, planets, wind, trees, snow, valleys, plains, deserts, seas, fish, birds, you must know Allah. If you know Him you know His Greatness, if you know His Greatness you will fear of Him which will make you straight on His orders. If you get straight on His orders and come to Him you would be happy with this closeness and do good deeds to be closer and closer. Allah created you to be happy forever, but this happiness has a price so that He brought you to this world in order to get ready for it by contemplating in universal signs to know Him, stay straight on His orders, and do good deeds to get closer to Him. This is preparation, so if our lives do not have knowledge, work, call, and patience, they are useless.“By time, man is in loss”.
“1. The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you,2. Until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die).”
It diverts you from your target.
“3. Nay! You shall come to know!”
That you are created for something other than piling money
“3. Nay! You shall come to know!4. Again, Nay! You shall come to know! 5. Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things) 6. Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)!”
Man should never forget the purpose for which he was created:
In the beginning of the Japanese Renaissance, the king of Japan sent seven students to Europe and America for study. They had been in an undeveloped country “Japan was undeveloped”, so when they went to great countries and cities they were distracted with the beautiful things therein so they went to their desires and failed. When they went back to Japan, the king executed them because they had forgotten the task they were sent for and got indulged in other things. Human being is sent to this world for a specific task. If he knows it and achieves it he would be happy in this world and in the Hereafter, but if he ignores it, doesn’t know it, or does something contrary to it, he would be so miserable when he dies that he screams badly:
“27. And (remember) the Day when the Zalim (wrong-doer, oppressor, polytheist, etc.) will bite at his hands, he will say: "Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger ( Muhammad).28. "Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend!29. "He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur'an) after it had come to me. And Shaitan (Satan) is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need."”
This is so serious. It shows you your responsibilities and tells you that you are created in this world to be prepared for eternal happiness, if you don’t you get eternal misery. You were created for happiness and came to this world to be prepared for the eternal happiness in a Heaven that is bigger than the heavens and earth. You accepted to carry the trust. You were brought to this world for a specific target, to be prepared for this eternal happiness, so one is distracted with money and life problems, another one achieves only limited earthly goals, and a third is distracted with nonsense. Some people spend their lives in disputes and nonsense. Allah says:
“1. By the night as it envelops;2. And by the day as it appears in brightness;3. And by Him Who created male and female;4. Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes);”
There is one right effort which is the effort to know Allah “the basis of religion is knowing Allah”. You are in this world for a serious task, so the believer is devoted to this task. If he wants to marry, he likes to marry a good woman because he is created for good deeds and the woman who is not good will destroy his spiritual life. You reject anything that would take all your time because you have a great task.
Stories of some companions who were honest in seeking truth:
I said in a Friday sermon that the prophet (PBUH) checked his companions after the battle of Uhud and said: what happened to Sa’d bin Al-Rabie’? No one answered, so he said to his companions: Look for him. Is he dead or alive? One of the companions went to the battle field to look for him and he saw him dying. He said: O Sa’d, the prophet (PBUH) ordered me to look for you and to see if you are still alive or not. Imagine a dying man who is about to leave this world. Sa’d said: Tell the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that I am among the dead and the I send him salam, and tell him: May Allah reward you with the best He rewards a messenger for his people, send salam to my people and tell them: You have no excuse if your prophet is hurt and any of you is still alive. The companion stayed with Sa’d till he died and went back to the Prophet (PBUH) to tell him what he had heard. The Prophet wept till his beard got wet. That was a wounded dying young man. What happiness filled his heart? It is because he achieved the purpose for which he was created. He believed in the Prophet, obeyed Allah, and gave himself for Allah. If each of us knows his mission and rises to its level, I swear to Allah that nothing can make us sad. People described Al-Siddiq saying: “He was never sorry for anything he missed in this life.” I can’t forget this statement. He knew his mission so nothing of this life makes him happy or sad.
Death is the beginning of a new life:
'Abdullah bin 'Umar said."Allah's Apostle took hold of my shoulder and said. 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or
a traveler."
Imagine the richest man, he can be a dead person in a second. He used to say: this huge building is mine. If your heart is beating it is yours but when it stops it is not yours. If one doesn’t know his mission in life, he is in danger. The way of money is closed and it ends with death which is closer to us that our shadow, so is the way of arrogance
“The one who considers that he would live till tomorrow has been a bad companion to death”
Death is not the end, it is rather the beginning. This is so important. Death is the beginning of an eternal life.
“24. He will say: "Alas! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my life!"”
Thus, Allah created us to give the utmost happiness:
“70. And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At-Taiyibat (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preference.”
The believer doesn’t waste his after life for this life:
Dear brother, if you are offered a job, the salary of which is 100 thousand pounds, but you have to work for 18 hours, and you only have 6 hours to sleep from 10 P.M to 4 A.m, and another job, the salary of which is 1500 pound but you work for 8 hours. You can go to the mosque, perform Al-Fajr 
prayer, read the Quran, think, or call to Allah? Most people would advise you to take the job which salary is a hundred thousand pounds but the believers take the other job because they know they were created for a great purpose other than that. In fact, this huge income is a loss because man comes on the Day of Resurrection bankrupt, while for the believers, the real life comes after death. In the Qudsi Hadith:
“Abu Huraira narrated that the prophet (PBUH) said: Allah said: I have prepared for My righteous servant something none has seen, heard, nor thought of”.
The believer moves from the narrow world to the vast life of the Hereafter as the baby moves from the narrow womb to the vast world.
“26. It was said (to him when the disbelievers killed him): "Enter Paradise." He said: "Would that my people knew!27. "That my Lord (Allah) has forgiven me, and made me of the honoured ones!"”
People say: the poor man died. The fact is that the poor one is the one who dies while he is not a believer, but the believer achieved the purpose. The noble prophet saw a funeral, and said:
“Narrated Abu Qatada bin Rib’i Al-Ansari: A funeral procession passed by Allah’s Apostle who said, “Relieved or relieving?” The people asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is relieved and relieving?” He said, “A believer is relieved (by death) from the troubles and hardships of the world and leaves for the Mercy of Allah, while (the death of) a wicked person relieves the people, the land, the trees, (and) the animals from him.”
When a person knows his target and mission on earth, he might not sleep the night:
“Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) delivered a speech I had never heard something like it. He said: “If you know what I know, you would weep much and laugh little.” The companions of the prophet covered their faces and wept.
If a student went to the exam room and tried to laugh, he wouldn’t be able to laugh if the subject was difficult, he had to pass it in order to graduate, and he was not sure of his preparedness and ability. If man was in court, he wouldn’t be able to laugh. The Prophet said:
Narated By 'Aisha : Allah's Apostle said, "The people will be gathered barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Will the men and the women look at each other?" He said, "The situation will be too hard for them to pay attention to that."
Conclusion
The answer for the first question is that we were created to be happy. The answer of the second question is that we are on mission now. If we are not happy, this means that we are far from the purpose of our creation. This is the simple, clear thinking. Whoever finds what is good should thank Allah, and whoever finds other than that, should blame only himself. If you are happy, you are on the right path, and if you are unhappy, this means that you got far from the target, so Allah, with His Mercy and care for us gives us something to attract our attention. The purpose of all calamities is to get us back to the right path. If you know why you were created and what is the most valuable thing in life, everything would be easy for you. Hence you say:
I wish you are sweet while the life is bitter
And be satisfied while people are angry
I wish the relation between you and me is good
While my relation with all people is broken
If you love me everything is easy
And everything on earth is like dust
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The companions knew their way and were aware of obstacles
The prophet’s companions knew their journey in life and were aware of anything which could hinder them from Allah:
One of the companions saw an open door while he was walking and he looked and saw a womanin side the house.
He was so afraid of this sin and he feared to meet the prophet and to be mentioned in the Quran, so he left to the mountains. The prophet asked about him and sent people to look for him. He sent Ali for this mission. Ali met him weeping so he tried to calm him and took him back to the prophet. The companion asked him to take him to the prophet after the prayer because the prophet used to be happy after the prayer. The prophet asked him about his story. He said: my sin is great. The prophet asked: is it greater than mountains? Earth or heavens? He said: it is greater that all of them. The prophet said: is it greater than Allah’s forgiveness? He said: no, Allah’s forgiveness is greater. The lesson of this story is that the companions considered sin great? The hypocrite sees his sin like a fly. He says: what have I done? What happened? While the believer sees his sin great no matter how small it is.
The companions knew the mission and saw any sin that hinder this mission great.
