❖ The Truth Behind Human Purpose and the Quest for Meaning ❖
The question — What is the purpose of human life? — has always been an integral part of human nature. As human knowledge and progress have advanced, this question has become deeper and more profound. This quest continues to this day, and it is precisely this question that has contributed significantly to the spread of Islam in highly developed societies.
The spread of Islam in the West is not primarily due to scholars or missionary groups, but rather the result of deep, personal questions that arise within individuals. A large number of new Muslims in the West are drawn to Islam after confronting the fundamental questions:
“What is my purpose in life? Why was I sent into this world?”
If you watch thousands of interviews and testimonies of Western converts, 90% of them state that they reached Islam while searching for the answer to these very questions. It was the study of the Qur'an that revealed to them the true purpose of life.
If one attempts to define the purpose of life purely on rational grounds, setting religion aside, one is left with only three fundamental objectives:
① Eating
② Drinking
③ Sexual desires
If we observe the life of a liberal-minded individual, all of their efforts are ultimately geared toward improving access to these three things. Even when they speak of spreading awareness or education, the end goal is often a better quality of life, which essentially circles back to these same desires.
But these are the very same activities animals also engage in—and they achieve them with much less effort. Animals do not require jobs or extra effort to fulfill these needs.
If these three things were to be accepted as man's ultimate purpose, then humans would be lower than animals, for man has intellect and leads a life with conscious thought.
The restlessness of the human heart and mind can only come to an end when a person recognizes their true purpose. And what is that purpose?
To live life in accordance with the commands of Allah,
which brings inner peace, spiritual satisfaction, and true happiness.
Allah has first established discipline in matters of eating, drinking, and sexual relations. He distinguished humans from animals in these very areas and granted them the ability to distinguish between halal (lawful) and haram (unlawful).
✔ The one who abides by Allah’s commands is the one who is truly human.
✔ Obedience to Allah’s commands is for the benefit of humanity, not its harm.
✔ The less the obedience, the more the problems that will arise in life.
The greatest demand of liberalism is to expel religion from both private and public life. However, when religion is removed, one is left with only the three pursuits — eating, drinking, and sex — which severely limit the scope of human purpose.
Islam’s fundamental disagreement with this worldview is that it sets boundaries on desires, teaches the distinction between halal and haram, and defines what is good and what is evil. This is what displeases the liberal mindset, for they seek to live without any rules or restraints.
The truth is that the real purpose of human life is to live in accordance with the pleasure of Allah.
Only this can deliver a person from inner turmoil and grant them genuine contentment.
✿ Human Nature and the Purpose of Life
The question — What is the purpose of human life? — has always been an integral part of human nature. As human knowledge and progress have advanced, this question has become deeper and more profound. This quest continues to this day, and it is precisely this question that has contributed significantly to the spread of Islam in highly developed societies.
✿ Islam’s Popularity in the West
The spread of Islam in the West is not primarily due to scholars or missionary groups, but rather the result of deep, personal questions that arise within individuals. A large number of new Muslims in the West are drawn to Islam after confronting the fundamental questions:
“What is my purpose in life? Why was I sent into this world?”
If you watch thousands of interviews and testimonies of Western converts, 90% of them state that they reached Islam while searching for the answer to these very questions. It was the study of the Qur'an that revealed to them the true purpose of life.
✿ The Search for Life’s Purpose on Purely Rational Grounds
If one attempts to define the purpose of life purely on rational grounds, setting religion aside, one is left with only three fundamental objectives:
① Eating
② Drinking
③ Sexual desires
If we observe the life of a liberal-minded individual, all of their efforts are ultimately geared toward improving access to these three things. Even when they speak of spreading awareness or education, the end goal is often a better quality of life, which essentially circles back to these same desires.
But these are the very same activities animals also engage in—and they achieve them with much less effort. Animals do not require jobs or extra effort to fulfill these needs.
If these three things were to be accepted as man's ultimate purpose, then humans would be lower than animals, for man has intellect and leads a life with conscious thought.
✿ Human Tranquility and Inner Peace
The restlessness of the human heart and mind can only come to an end when a person recognizes their true purpose. And what is that purpose?
To live life in accordance with the commands of Allah,
which brings inner peace, spiritual satisfaction, and true happiness.
✿ Allah’s System and Human Life
Allah has first established discipline in matters of eating, drinking, and sexual relations. He distinguished humans from animals in these very areas and granted them the ability to distinguish between halal (lawful) and haram (unlawful).
✔ The one who abides by Allah’s commands is the one who is truly human.
✔ Obedience to Allah’s commands is for the benefit of humanity, not its harm.
✔ The less the obedience, the more the problems that will arise in life.
✿ Liberalism and Its Conflict with Religion
The greatest demand of liberalism is to expel religion from both private and public life. However, when religion is removed, one is left with only the three pursuits — eating, drinking, and sex — which severely limit the scope of human purpose.
Islam’s fundamental disagreement with this worldview is that it sets boundaries on desires, teaches the distinction between halal and haram, and defines what is good and what is evil. This is what displeases the liberal mindset, for they seek to live without any rules or restraints.
✿ Conclusion
The truth is that the real purpose of human life is to live in accordance with the pleasure of Allah.
Only this can deliver a person from inner turmoil and grant them genuine contentment.
