By Nur Dalilah Hanani
Islam recognised humanity as the unrivalled art of creation, with inner and outer beauty and immense potential for perfection and contribution to social justice and harmony. Allah SWT made them with His own hands and breathed the spirit into their bodies. “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds” (Q.95:4). The Qur`an mentions how Allah SWT created Prophet Adam (a`): “We created man from sounding clay moulded from black mud” (Q.15:26). And “Then He made his descendants from an extract of a humble fluid” (Q.32:8). Thus, it is indisputable that humans have a profound connection to the earth (soil/clay) and worldly life.
Abd (Arabic: عبد) is an Arabic word meaning one who is subordinated as a slave or a servant, and it means also to worship. Thus, man is a slave to Allah since everything created is a slave to, He who created it. Therefore, man has no definite authority over himself, his energy, or what he produces. All of this is due to the good fortune of its master, Allah SWT. His life and death, his prayers and foes, his life and possessions, his offspring and his spouse are all Allah’s rights that should be held in high regard for the Almighty and because of Him. We did confess our enslavement when we recite (Dua Iftitah). “Allah the Almighty, the Greatest. All praises are upon Him. Allah The Most Exalted of them all, day, and night. I stand before The One Who created the skies and the lands. I submit to Allah and am certainly not among those who associate Allah with other beings. Indeed, my prayers, my virtuous deeds, my life, and my death are all for Allah, The Lord of all the worlds. He has no partner nor parallel whatsoever, and I have been ordered as such, and I am of those who embrace Islam.”
Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq defined a slave’s rights and obligations to God in seven ways: completing his right, protecting his limit, being thankful for his gift, being satisfied with his decree, being patient with his agony, venerating his sanctity, and desiring him. Regarding the first pillar of Iman, believing in the Oneness of God, the basic human obligation of fulfilling his rights towards Allah SWT is to worship by devoting oneself wholeheartedly to Him. Worshipping Allah, on the other hand, is not restricted to what the public understands to be prayer, fasting, zakat, hajj, and other special acts of worship. Indeed, obligatory worship is much broader, embracing adherence to all of Allah’s mandates as well as the abandonment of all His prohibitions. In Islam, all human activities are classed as ibadah if they are honestly meant for Allah’s pleasure and performed in the manner given by Him.
However, keep in mind that the practice must be accepted by Islam. Otherwise, it is never considered a worship practice. Following that, it must be done with good intentions to maintain self-esteem, satisfy his family, help the entire people, and flourish on the earth as God has ordered. Furthermore, the Islamic pillars emphasise the importance of fundamental worship. Worship is not tied to certain venues in Islam. For believers, Allah’s creation of dunya is as a place for worship.
Next, humankind is also the one who exercises delegated authority on behalf of the supreme authority is referred to as the Khalifah. He is not the master, but the servant of the one who has given him specific powers to manage the world, as well as wisdom to preserve the proper balance and establish greatness and justice.
The angels first questioned man’s position as caliph because they feared he would destroy the earth and perpetuate bloodshed. Islam does not want to turn humans into angels, because this would be foolish, but Islam seeks to help humanity realise its full potential and become the perfect person (Insan Kamil). Initially, the angels were unaware that among people are future prophets, intellectuals, scientists, and intelligent and ethical people who will help to bring about justice and harmony on earth. It would have been futile to appoint humankind as God’s vicegerent on earth if these positive agents of change and growth did not exist.
Without a doubt, we may grasp that man owes duties to his Creator and himself, as well as to his fellow creatures, and that he will be held accountable for all his deeds on the day of judgement. For example, he must protect society and the environment from assault and punish evildoers, sustain public money, lead governmental institutions, guides people, protect citizens of the land, and defend and maintain the religion.
Emulating the Prophet (pbuh), who demonstrated the most exemplary human behaviour and became the paragon of exemplary ethical views in the human dimension, is the ideal way to educate ourselves as caliphs with the best character qualities. Furthermore, the Qur’an imbues man with God’s names and attributes, and Allah encourages individuals to embody God’s virtues in the human arena. Feeding the impoverished, for example, reflects God Razzaq’s (the Sustainer, the Nourisher) name, while ensuring others and providing protection reflects God Mu’min’s name (the Faithfull). In this way, other qualities of God can be comprehended, as well as the personal link between God and His servants.
To summarise, humans were created to worship Allah and serve as his caliphates. This does not, however, imply that Allah SWT requires humanity. We are the ones that need him. It is feasible to conclude that people were not created in vain, but rather with a specific purpose in mind, namely, to fulfil their role as Allah’s caliphates, to become His obedient followers, and thus to appropriately rule the universe. Allah, as the one and only god, sought to create something greater than the perfection bestowed upon the angels. That is the peak of human autonomy. In other words, He wished to create a being capable of reaching all the perfections (which angels possessed) via his own free will. As a result, he created man. It is now clear that this is humanity’s capacity, given its own free will, choices, and decision making, all of which come with enormous obligation and accountability as servant and vicegerent. ***
(This article is written as part of an individual assignment for Knowledge and Civilization in Islam class)