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05Aug
SK6 – “Why do I exist” & “Why was I created?” – self-help answer
There’s a verse in the Quran, and I think it’s the ultimate in self-help, that I often find myself pondering over. It says, “and I have not created jinn and men except to worship Me”. It’s from Surah 51, verse 56.
I often allow myself to go deeper into this verse because there’s so much to it. Even though it sounds like a simple message, it resonates with the question we all ask – why am I here? Why do I exist?
Ep6 – The Geniously Insane Answer To The Question: ‘Why did God create Man?’
Why do I exist - the answer starts with one verse in Quran
We exist and there is a reason for it.
And why this mostly matters to 2 types of creation
Why was I ever created?
If everyone just stopped and answered,
- what is the worst thing that you’re going through,
- what is the best thing that you’re going through, and
- what is the thing that you hope to be going through?
And I’m sure it often leads you to further ask,
- why am I struggling with the things that I’m struggling with?
- And why can’t I just have more of the things that I really appreciate?
Yes, so these very existential questions, why am I here?
Our questioning of why we exist, tends to heat us up.
And this great and magistral verse in the Quran is a great and absolute answer to this question. But you need to pause at this verse. It’s deeper than you think, it’s not easy. I’ve only created you but to worship me. It sounds like it’s such an easy message, but the more you think about it, you wonder what are you supposed to know?
Exactly. What does that mean? That means that when I’m going through the worst time of my life, real difficulties, I can say, ok this is my time to continue to worship him even though I’m just so scattered and I can’t think straight…but must stay focused on the worship.
The question then is, what is worship?
We all have these concepts of worship but are they clear in our minds?
I don’t think so. The question also is why just jinn and men were created to worship Him, what about other creation like plants and angels?
Reason to exist
What is worship? How does worship help?
So the fact that this verse is speaking about jinn, which are fire beings, correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s how I translate it in English. Yes absolutely, fire but not like the fire, energy, fire, when we light up the chimney. It’s different.
We have a chemical view of things, a molecular view or materialistic view. It’s a different way of looking at the creation that is embedded in Quran.
So men for example, are said to be created from water, but it’s not the water you drink, like the flowing water that we have in our tap, right? It’s a more complex concept.
There are four concepts. So water, earth, fire and wind or air and the fifth which is, light, but it’s not the light like the photon, it’s a spiritual light – entirely different and tremendously awe inspiring.
And so we know the jinn are made of these two: air and fire. Man is made of earth and water. Angels are made of light. So the system is complete.
And when you’re facing trials and suffering, you really end up questioning the reason for your existence. If the people who are facing these problems, have a certain level of consciousness and faith, then this very questioning is suffering itself.
Because in reality, when you end up questioning the reason for your existence, it is almost hiding a complaint. It’s hiding an objection. It’s like you revolt. As in questioning the existence of God.
Consciously or subconsciously, they ask Him
- What did you create My lord?
- Why did you put me in this world of suffering?
- And why me?
- Why?
Why do I exist just to suffer?
When you question the reason for existence, you are questioning the existence of God.
I don’t want the suffering; I only want the good
The surprising work we need to do on ourselves.
The Quran reveals your true self
I don’t want the suffering, but only what is good. This verse provides the answers itself. One is not elevating themselves enough to understand these answers.
Okay, in order to understand the verse correctly, you need to work on yourself, elevate yourself to a level of understanding where these answers make sense. So you have to work at it.
In order for you to get any answers as to why me and why am I here?
So, the purest place you can go to find the absolute truth is, the Quran. It’s not been tampered with. Which is profound. It’s huge.
Our problems and distractions
Self-help gurus? Not just anyone can help you
To whom can I turn to for help?
The Quran is only a mirror that reveals your true self and your true concepts that you carry. Because in reality, the verse that you are facing reveals the problems that you have in yourself.
So if I have a problem with any verse, that is because that problem is in me.
So I can read the Quran to reflect on myself, and what I need to work on. That is profound, that’s huge.
And we do know that Allah gives us this guidance.
Why do I even exist
Do not feel uneasy – nobody likes speaking about this simple truth: Worshipping God is a protection and a gift.
The point is not to say that this verse is a problem for me, I need to accept it. Or, I need to face the fact that it causes a problem in me. I need to understand that the problem is in me and not in the verse. And now I’m going to work on what is making me so uncomfortable, that it causing me a problem.
And once I have understood, I have elevated myself. I know the verse is very clear. And the answers flow.
Right.
Excellent.
God doesn’t need us to worship Him.
Therefore, we can deduce that worshiping Him is for us. It is for our benefit.
When people look at that verse, some might feel anxiety. Like, what? I was only created to worship Him? And that can be very telling about a person, but also about this question.
Going a step up, raising yourself higher
You can, because you are a thinking being
Find the strength to realize God doesn’t need anything.
Become a thinking being.
Remember, we’ll all be judged one day.
One can also get caught up in a trap as well. By asking:
- What does God want from us?
- Why did He need us to worship Him and bow to Him?
From a human perspective, they think it’s narcissistic. But again, that’s just falling into the trap because we know God doesn’t have any need!
Yet a challenging person has stopped before seeing this. However, if you can make it out of this low-level thinking, you can step up. That is an important point we need to establish before moving ahead.
Yes.
Once you have risen to this foundation for your thinking, you can go one step toward understanding the universe.
It is always the same thing. We are setting this in the same fundamentals. And, don’t we need to first define what worship is because maybe worship also means having a good time? Maybe worship means eating good things, and being good to yourself.
You have thinking and non-thinking beings.
The thinking beings have a choice to revere their Creator. They can do this throughout their day in everything they do. Walking, talking, eating, sleeping, they can do it all for the love of Allah, and it becomes a dedication to Him alone, worship of Him alone.
The question of the two categories of responsible beings will be judged on the Day of Judgment, the jinn and the humans, right?
I must say that I find it interesting that those are the only two categories of creation that will be judged on Judgement Day. Yes, many beings and creations don’t have the same level of accountability as we do; it’s true.
How to answer "Why do I exist" - final thoughts
Accept that there is an absolute supremacy of the Creator over the created. And be thankful for the gift and ability to worship. Very few beings got it.
Final thoughts.
Remember, Iblis told God, “I’m going to show you that you made a mistake“, which is ridiculous. He said to God, “You created Adam, which you think is a better creation, but I’m the better creation”.
That’s what he said to God, imagine. The one made of fire wants to tell God which is better. He’s the one who created the fire. So, isn’t it a bit stupid to object to the Creator when He knows perfectly well what He has done?
WHY DO I EXIST – FINAL THOUGHTS
So an important thing that we need to do is establish God’s perfection. That God is perfect. God is all knowing. And the 99 attributes of God gives us only an idea of His endless capabilities.
The importance of His attributes must really be impressed upon us. It is evident that there is an absolute supremacy of the Creator over the created. So the message to worship Him is self evident.
We should state by the way that you learned this very early on, and in depth from your teacher among traditional scholars from Syria. How did he transmit all this knowledge to you? Oral discussions, over years and years of course.
Reaching your potential means getting the kingdom of your dreams. It’s all possible. Here’s how.