What REALLY is the purpose of living?
-
Greetings and Peace, all group
The purpose of living varies from person to person.
My top list
Understanding as much as possible
Leaving the world a better place/improving human condition/helping others
Appreciating & having fun
Living by the Guidance of ALLAH as much as my understanding and ability allows
Procreating and raising children to be good adults
Constantly attempting to be as good as I can be--and not be discouraged in failingALLAH knows best.
peace
~Abdul-Hadi
-
No matter what we have done, I think the most important thing is that we exist!
I can't imagine if GOD wipe me out and I never been exist in the past and in the future, and will not arise in the ressurection day. And I'm no longer to be someone or something in the God scenario and never been judged.
It's so scary me to be never exist!
For me, it's so scary to have bad ending.
If I end up in unwanted place, then I prefer never existed.
If I live to oppose my Creator, then I prefer never created.
Salm.
-
The purpose of life cannot be fixed by ourselves, since we are there with no part from us. We can, as we go along formulate our own purpose, but still we are not in our hands but in the hands of whoever made us exist and will decide what we become or becomes of us when we die.
If we believe in revelation, we do not exist for us, but for God, to return to God. That therefore should be the purpose of our existence, to approach God till we are no more and have completely returned to Him.
That acknowledgement means acknowledgement of our own subservience, islam, so we can make plans for ourselves in this life, but the plan that will be carried out is God's plan and in so far as we make God's plan our plan we will have a sound plan or we will not.
Salaam
-
^ What Huruf Said.
We exist for God. Our purpose is to constantly seek God's love and approval by doing right and avoiding wrong. We can enjoy life but must be grateful to God for all the pleasures we have. Whether it's a great glamorous job, a kind and sweet friend or a luxurious home.
The guild lines to do so are in the Quran but must be approached with wisdom.
-
Harmony be upon you,
Becoming 100% one with God is my ultimate goal which overrides any other desire.
Like you said, sonnie, this life will feel like just a little instant while when you sit in the courtroom of God on the promised day. What is better, eternal life or eternal misery?
Be whole
-
Salam,
Only in this creation will we become dust. However, after we are recreated, our lives will be eternal (or near eternal). Best to prepare for that life with what little time we have. But I agree with you in the sense that the joys and misery of this life is rather insignificant.
-
While we are in this life, this life is all we have. Of course, in it are the seeds of what we will become. Hope, is part of this life. Maybe in the next there will be full presence of everything we hope for, even of those things we hope but we do not even conceive only feel they must exists like complete satisfaction without shadow, a present without a thought for anythign outside it, may be.
This life is the house of promise, it is a beautiful house in spite of everything, and it is the work of God, so it is undisputable, we ust learn to acknowledge our belonging to God and act conseuently, but it is not bad house, it is a house of struggle, we must struggle, have courage and stedfastness, and learn compassion, four ourselves and for others, because we have a long way when we attain to old age. It may seem short but it is a long way.
If we do not learn to taste things in this life, it will be hard for us in the next. The Qur'an does say that when we are there we will remember that we tasted those thigns before and our wishes will be fulfilled. So it is not like if there was no harmonious sequence between both. But may be we will have learnt to wish the purest, the truest.
Salaam
-
More to the point than a simple, "What is the purpose in living?" the question necessarily boils down to, "For what purpose were we created?".
Ask a scientist and they'll tell you we're just a link in a long chain of evolution of life forms; ask a religious man and he'll tell you we were created to worship God. The answer is a combination of those two, in some degree. But in answering the question, "Why are we here?" we also give non-believers the ammunition they want in order to engage us in debate or to just plain ridicule our beliefs.
Of course our first and foremost answer will be that we were created in order to worship God- almost every religious person from every religion will tell you the same. We're satisfied with that answer, and content enough in it to incorporate worship into our lives and live the best we can in accordance with the Book (whether one is Jew, Muslim, Christian, or what have you).
However, this does raise some points of debate that will always come up if a non-believer challenges us. It doesn't help that the only answer we can muster is that "You've just got to believe"'.
"If God is so powerful, why did he need to create humans? Did he create Man just to satisfy some kind of vanity? He already has a universe full of angels who do nothing all day but sing his praises and do his bidding; what did he need Man for? (And, of course, the second part to this last is if he is so all-knowing and all-powerful why does he need angels to do anything for him anyway?)"
Therein lies our difficulty we acknowledge the existence of God- all powerful, all knowing- and we choose to worship him as we believe he intended based on his Books... but in doing so we face questions we really can't answer, even to ourselves. Despite this, our answer is- and must be- "I believe".
-
Peace Crow.
Interesting post. I agree with most of what you said.
However I have a different view on this
Quote "If God is so powerful, why did he need to create humans? Did he create Man just to satisfy some kind of vanity? He already has a universe full of angels who do nothing all day but sing his praises and do his bidding; what did he need Man for? (And, of course, the second part to this last is if he is so all-knowing and all-powerful why does he need angels to do anything for him anyway?)"
I ll say If GOD is so powerful.why would he not create humans, other creations,anything... to witness, appreciate and benefit/or not... from His power? If His creation/s understand, choose and are happy to do whatever for Him, then where is the problem? What is wrong with creating even though He does not need anything, only to satisfy/or not His creation s needs( according to the choice they make)?
And from the created point of view, is it better to be created or never exist at all?...Another angle with more questions?
GOD bless you.
Peace. -
Why assume that God created whatever our of need or necessity? Why not out of simple pure will, or love. Creation is a manifestation of divinity. But a mark of divinity are His names and the comprise the creator, ar.rahman, expansive with his rahma. He creates because he is creator, amongs so many things, amonst everything, and creates. I do not know whether this is in Qur'an or in some hadith, but that is one hadith that would consider worth meditating upon God said I wanted to be known and created Man. For me it means God is indeed love the one que loves and is loved. The wants who knows and wants to be known and makes Himself known and desired. Gos is complete satisfaction.
He did not need anything, because anything in his will is done and does not depend on anything, because only He IS.
As to the angels it is the same thing, He can do things however He wants and he does them. Angels are wonderful creations, why not create them, why would God have tu justify any creation of His, to whom? Yes we want an explanation for our human mind which is subject to needs and wants. But God is not subject to anything. He delights in his own beauty, which is all beauty. He delights int he reflection of His beauty in all things he creates, the clear mornings, the heartfelt tears, the cries of happy children... And he delights in deep compassion... God created may be because he wants to share those divine things with his creatures... He has no bounds, we are lost in His magnificence... May he protect us from all evil. May He and lets us glimpse and enjoy some of His beauty...
Salaam
-
In concurrence with Huruf and Good Logic, I agree the answer must be that Man was created for the purpose of worshiping God.
That being said, though, it still does not answer the question of why Man was created when the angels- and jinn, if you go that route- were already in place. The ever-present 'why' creeps in each and every time why the need for Man if angels were already on-duty 24/7, why the need for Man if the jinn were already created (and, presumably would have had the Word revealed to them long before Man was considered).
This goes back to the argument I have tried to counter if the answer is that Man was created to worship God (and thus be a witness to his greatness) and the angels and jinn already existed, why did he need more eyes on him?
Huruf provided the insightful hadith that read, in part, "God said I wanted to be known and created Man". At this point, though, one might ask, "Known to whom?"
The point I am making is that we (not the readers individually) might criticize the man or woman who has mirrors all over their house and admires themselves in those mirrors each and every day- we may call them vain or narcissistic. But if we consider that Man was created essentially to be a mirror for God, aren't we at least implying the same about him?
It is an extremely difficult conundrum for me to unravel, and if my thoughts seem to be heretical or blasphemous, they are certainly not intended to be. In the end, the simple answer to why Man was created is- and must be- that we were created in order to worship God according to the Book he has revealed to us. Period. As to God's motives, thoughts, needs, or what have you I am resolved not to venture any further answers on pain of accidentally attributing falsehood in speaking of God.