In the hierarchical competition of the animal kingdom, the human body is not in any way exceptional. In fact, it is painfully insignificant. Compared to other animals, our body is not the best at doing anything – the cheetah runs faster, the fish swim better, bees are better manufacturers, and nearly every animal in the wild is stronger than man.
Yet all existing philosophy and theology agree that human beings lie at the top of the chain. The Holy Quran also acknowledges the fact that only man was able to bear the trust of the divine command, which neither the heavens nor the earth nor the mountains are able to bear.
What makes man superior and worthy of the Creator’s attention, then, when we can’t even say categorically that he is better than other animals?
The reality is that, despite being handicapped in many ways, we possess something no other animal does or can: The soul – and therein lie all the clues.
Soul and consciousness
It is said that we are not beings of bodies that possess souls; we are beings of souls living in bodies. This is why we discard the body when we die – left buried under heaps of dirt or cremated in blazing furnaces – while our souls continue to live on, though in ways we may not yet fully comprehend.
The Holy Quran also clarifies that we know close to nothing about the true nature of the soul. It says:
وَیَسۡـَٔلُوۡنَکَ عَنِ الرُّوۡحِ ؕ قُلِ الرُّوۡحُ مِنۡ اَمۡرِ رَبِّیۡ وَمَاۤ اُوۡتِیۡتُمۡ مِّنَ الۡعِلۡمِ اِلَّا قَلِیۡلًا
“And they ask thee concerning the soul. Say, ‘The soul is by the command of my Lord; and of the knowledge [thereof] you have been given but a little.’” (Surah Bani Isra’il, Ch.17: V.86)
The human soul is primarily what distinguishes us from other creations. It is from the category of أمر (God’s command) as opposed to the body, which belongs to the category of خلق (God’s creation). It is the powerhouse of consciousness, a portal to the otherworldly and a most powerful entity.
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” This quote, which is famously ascribed to Maulana Rumi, means that the skin that we wear is the drop, and there is a whole ocean trapped within it, waiting to realise its potential, waiting to fulfil its destiny. That ocean is what we know as the soul.
The soul’s quest for its Creator
As already discussed above, the human soul is not of this world; it is a spiritual entity, belonging to the other world, so it is only right that it seeks beyond the physical world, to find out how it got here, who created it and for what reason.
The Holy Quran also attests to this natural predisposition of humans to believe in the existence of a higher power and naturally submit themselves to Him. It says:
وَاِذۡ اَخَذَ رَبُّکَ مِنۡۢ بَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ مِنۡ ظُہُوۡرِہِمۡ ذُرِّیَّتَہُمۡ وَاَشۡہَدَہُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ ۚ اَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّکُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی ۚۛ شَہِدۡنَا
“And when thy Lord brings forth from Adam’s children – out of their loins – their offspring and makes them witnesses against their own selves [by saying]: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They say, ‘Yea, we do bear witness.’” (Surah al-A‘raf, Ch.7: V.173)
In the Five Volume Commentary, it is written:
“The verse may be interpreted […] to refer to the inborn idea in man about the existence of a Supreme Being Who has created and Who governs the universe. God has embedded this idea in the very nature of man so that he may be admonished thereby and seek a way towards his Maker.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1058)
This same quest is echoed in other religious scriptures. For example, we read in the Psalms:
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” (42:1 KJV)
Similarly, the Bible says:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33 KJV)
The search for meaning: A quest for all
Philosophy or the search for the deep meaning of life, is often regarded as being only for the privileged and intellectuals. However, the truth is, the search for meaning is not limited only to the intellectuals. It is for whoever has the ability to think, or at least whoever cares enough to.
No doubt, academic philosophy, with all its jargon and complicated concepts, may be left for the privileged intellectuals who possess the luxury of time and resources, but the essence of philosophy – questioning who brought us here and why, knowing what is right and what is wrong and ascertaining what we are, and what we ought to be – all these are for everyone.
So, although not everyone has the luxury to sit around and debate on metaphysics or complicated paradoxes, everyone is on the search to figure out the enigma of life, albeit in their own little ways. Because at its core, philosophy is not just the study of theories. It is the ache for clarity, the yearning to make sense of all this chaos. To search for meaning in our existence, not only because we must, but because we care enough to. And in that search, many people eventually realise that the questions point beyond the self.
Perhaps it is true, then what they say: True consciousness lies in knowing God.
Cognisance of God – The purpose of existence
Many people live their lives wandering aimlessly. No purpose to life, no means to attain it. They are simply living, waiting to die.
For the average 21st century man who is not inclined to religion, the search for meaning in life has absolutely nothing to do with God or religion. According to such people, everyone has different purposes which they can fulfil on their own without bringing God into the picture.
Although on the surface, this idea sounds quite logical. However, in reality, it is a highly short-sighted opinion, for we would then all have to agree that while the purpose of Jesus’ life is to save the Jews’ spiritual lives, the ‘purpose’ of Hitler’s life is to wipe out their race. And no one would then have the right to object to whatever purpose everyone decides to give their lives, leaving the entire system of civilisation to just crumble in itself.
However, if we subscribe to the idea of a Creator, Who not only creates and fashions, but also takes an active part in the physical, moral and spiritual upbringing of his creation and upon Whom their sustenance is heavily dependent, then the matter becomes easier to solve.
Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
“And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” (Surah adh-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.57)
Commenting on this verse, the Promised Messiah (as) beautifully explains:
“It is obvious that man is not in a position to appoint the purpose of his own life, for he does not come into the world of his own accord, nor will he depart therefrom of his own will. He is a creature and the One Who created him and invested him with better and higher faculties than those of all other animals, has also appointed a purpose for his life. Whether anyone penetrates to it or not, the purpose of man’s creation without a doubt is the worship and the understanding of God and complete devotion to Him.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, pp. 158-159)
There is no doubt in the fact that wealth, prosperity, power, etc., however great and satisfactory they seem, are never enough to quench the intensity of man’s thirst for purpose. This also clearly alludes to the point that such preoccupations are not his major purpose of existence. He further explains:
“An intelligent person can appreciate this problem in this way also, that the purpose of everything is to be determined by its highest performance beyond which its faculties cannot operate. For instance, the highest function of a bullock is ploughing or irrigation or transportation. Its faculties are not adapted to anything else. Therefore, the purpose of a bullock’s life are just these three things. It has no power to do anything else. But when we look into the faculties of man and try to discover what is their highest reach, we find that he seeks after God, the Exalted.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, pp. 160)
The effect of God in man’s life
In most countries around the world, religion is fading into irrelevance at a startlingly fast rate, and the reason is obvious – the lives of “religious people” are not in any way better than the irreligious. This causes doubts and scepticism to rise in the hearts of some believers, while others inadvertently abandon faith altogether. So why should the disbelievers care about a God whose sincere believers are not faring better? If cognisance and worship of God is the purpose of our existence, why are “loyal servants” of God suffering just like everybody else or even worse?
Allah the Almighty answers these questions by setting forth an excellent illustration:
لَہٗ دَعۡوَۃُ الۡحَقِّ ؕ وَالَّذِیۡنَ یَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ لَا یَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡنَ لَہُمۡ بِشَیۡءٍ اِلَّا کَبَاسِطِ کَفَّیۡہِ اِلَی الۡمَآءِ لِیَبۡلُغَ فَاہُ وَمَا ہُوَ بِبَالِغِہٖ ؕ وَمَا دُعَآءُ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ اِلَّا فِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ
“Unto Him is the true prayer. And those on whom they call beside Him answer them not at all, except as he is [answered] who stretches forth his two hands toward water that it may reach his mouth, but it reaches it not. And the prayer of the disbelievers is but a thing wasted.” (Surah ar-Ra’d, Ch.13: V.15)
The message here is clear. God remains as He always was – ever ready to uplift His servants unto their highest level of human perfection. But if one treads the wrong path and ends up at the wrong destination, who is to blame?
Those who have placed their beliefs in the “right God,” recognised his perfect attributes, remained steadfast, kept the company of the righteous, engaged in continuous supplications and striving in His cause, have reaped the fruit of belief. And the theory still proves true today, as it has in the past.
Therefore, while it is true that Godly people face trials – in fact more than their less religious counterparts – they however, live comparatively, a far more successful and fulfilled lives than the irreligious people whose “life purposes” are completely material. This is because the soul, being not of this world, cannot be wholly contented by merely materialistic things.
These are the teachings brought by all prophets, and the truth of it has become even more obvious today than ever, as people everywhere keep falling prey to anxiety. Amidst all these, the guidance of the Holy Quran remains ever relevant:
اَلَا بِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ
“Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort.” (Surah ar-Ra’d, Ch.13: V.29)
So even if the entire world of religion is in turmoil, the problem is not with the “path”, it is with the people “following” it.
Conclusion
It is an established fact that aside humans, no other animal or species of living things is required to search for meaning in their lives, for they possess neither the intellect nor the consciousness required to do so. Yet, unfortunately, despite all the favours conferred upon us, we do not want to take responsibility for it. We seem to have forgotten that to whom much is given, much is expected.
We keep on talking about God, yet spare neither the time nor the effort to talk to Him. We keep blaming God for every misfortune, yet praise ourselves for every success. We keep straying far from His light, then blame the dark for being dark. We keep covering up the lens, then fault the mirror for not reflecting light.
So perhaps it’s time we set things right. Because in the end, the One who gave us the ability to reason surely expects us to use it.