What is Our Purpose in This World?

Question: What is our purpose in this world? Why are we born?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,

Allah Most High created us and placed us in this world for two main purposes.

(1) To worship Him, alone, without a partner.

Allah Most High says, “I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.” [Qur’an; 51:56]

(2) To test who is best in deeds.

Allah Most High says ˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving. [Qur’an; 67:2]

He also says, “Then We made you their successors in the land to see how you would act.” [Qur’an; 35:39]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Verily the world is seductive and green. And indeed Allah put you in it to see how you would act.” [Muslim]

Life is a Test

Even though Allah Most High created us for the above purposes, He gave us the choice to voluntarily embrace these purposes; this choice, in essence, is the test. However, the test is multi-faceted. The choice to believe is the focal point of this test.

Thereafter, choosing to live out the will of Allah Most High in every situation, sometimes at the expense of one’s own desires, is a test of truthfulness of that belief.

Allah Most High says, “Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test? – We certainly tested those before them. And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.” [Qur’an; 29:2-3]

Hope this helps.

Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani