Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As-salaam Alaikum Br. Burhan,

First of all, I , from the very bottom of my heart would like to express my utter appreciation for the tremendous task you and your forum have undertaken. I read your answers regularly and am gaining more knowledge about the true ISLAM. I would like to thank you for your excellent efforts in propagating the Truth. May Allah Azzawajal grant you and your fellow members the best in this life and the hereafter.

The other day, I and a friend of mine ( a non muslim) were debating on the reason for ALLAH to create mankind. I told him, that ALLAH created man so that he would worship him and ALLAH also wanted to test him. He did not agree with my opinion and eventually confronted me with the following question.....

He asked me that why does ALLAH need man to worship HIM??? Does he like to be worshipped..HE is in no need of the worship of mankind as HE is all sufficient, then what is the purpose of creation of mankind and other living creatures??

I was unable to answer this question of his...Please help me out brother.

Jazak ALLAH

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why Allah needs man to worship him?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 31 Surah Luqman verse 20: Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about Allah without knowledge and without guidance and without a Book to enlighten them!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 65: Seest thou not that Allah has subjected to you (men) all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail through the sea by His command? He withholds the sky (rain) from falling on the earth, except by His leave: for Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful to man.

Whatever Allah Subhanah has created in the heavens and the earth are created in Truth and for the purpose of all creation is to enable man with the tools to fulfill the purpose of his creation. Whatever is on the earth has been subjected to serve mankind in some form or manner.

Allah Subhanah has bestowed upon man (and Jinn) two things which He has not bestowed upon any amongst His Creation:

Intelligence or the Power of Reasoning

A limited Free Will to choose the path one wishes to live his life.

And thus Allah Subhanah involved mankind in a test, to see who amongst man recognizes the favors of the Creator and is grateful to Him, and who denies his Creator and disregards Him and His Favors.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2: He (Allah) created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 51 Surah Dhariyat verse 56: I have not created the jinn and men except for this that they should worship Me alone.

Your Question: He asked me that why does ALLAH need man to worship HIM??? Does he like to be worshipped..HE is in no need of the worship of mankind as HE is all sufficient, then what is the purpose of creation of mankind and other living creatures??

I was unable to answer this question of his...Please help me out brother.

When one uses one’s bestowed intelligence and power of reasoning and recognizes that everything in creation did not create itself, but was created by an All-Mighty and All-Perfect Creator; it is only natural that this person would strive to seek out the reason for his existence and the purpose of his being. And when one strives to seek the Truth with sincerity, it is the solemn promise of the Creator that He will guide such a person unto Himself.

Thus when Allah Subhanah guides a person and opens his heart to understand His Divine Message, the only righteous option left for the person would be, of his own free will and choice, to submit his bestowed will to the Will of His Creator. When the person realizes the Truth that everything in creation, including his own life and death and everything he possesses is in the Sole Power and Domain of none other but the Creator, he seeks and strives to do everything that would earn him the Pleasure and Good Will of his Magnificent and Supreme Lord and abstain from doing anything that would earn him the displeasure and Wrath of his Creator!

Your Question: He asked me that why does ALLAH need man to worship HIM???

It is the need of the created, rather than the Creator, that after recognizing the Supreme Magnificent and All-Mighty Lord, he submits his will, his life, his death, and everything he possesses to Him! Once he recognizes his Lord and Creator, and the innumerable favors done upon him, his only righteous option would be to serve Him and Him Alone!

Worshipping and Serving the Creator wholeheartedly is not a requirement of the Lord, but the desperate requirement of a righteous human being! If all the people in the world unanimously worshipped none but the Lord Creator, it would not raise or elevate the Supreme and Exalted Position and Status of the Lord of the Worlds; and if all the people of the world unanimously rejected him, it would not affect in the least the Supreme and Majestic Position of the Lord! Everyone and everything in creation is in need of Him; but He is in need of none in the Universe; for He Alone is Self-Sufficient and Self-Praise Worthy!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankabut verses 5-7:

5 For those whose hopes are in the meeting with Allah (in the Hereafter let them strive); for the Term (appointed) by Allah is surely coming: and He Hears and Knows (all things).

6 And if any do strive, they do so for their own souls: for Allah is free of all needs from all creation.

7 Those who believe and work righteous deeds from them shall We blot out all evil (that may be) in them and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 35 Surah Fatir verses 15-17:

15 O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, Worthy of All Praise.

16 If He so Pleased He could blot you (all) out, and bring in a New Creation:

17 Nor is that (at all) difficult for Allah!

But such is the Mercy of this Supreme and Merciful Creator, that even though worship and obedience is a requirement of man, the Lord All-Mighty appreciates the striving of His obedient slaves and, from His Supreme Mercy and Grace, has promised them an Unending and Everlasting Reward in the Hereafter!

Even if one takes the example of the life of this world; when one is genuinely and truly good, and merciful, and generous, he never worries or bothers whether the ones who have received his help and favors praise him or are grateful to him; the onus of being grateful is upon the ones who receive the favors! Even in the life of this world, when we see one who we see as having received every possible help and support from someone, and this person absolutely denies that he ever received any favors or help from the person, disregards and reviles the person who did him the favors; the sense of justice and righteousness in us would cry out that this person is absolutely and utterly an ungrateful and evil human being!

Similarly, it would only be righteousness of our part that we recognize our Lord and Creator, recognize His innumerable favors and mercies upon us, and strive to be grateful and thankful to Him for all that He has given us! Is there any one else other than our Majestic and Supreme Lord and Creator to whom our unconditional and absolute humility, obedience, service and worship is due?

Your Question: Does he like to be worshipped..HE is in no need of the worship of mankind as HE is all sufficient,

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verses 7-9:

7 If ye reject (Allah), truly Allah has no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful He is Pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end to your Lord is your return when He will tell you the Truth of all that ye did (in this life). For He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts.

8 When some trouble toucheth man he crieth unto his Lord turning to Him in repentance: but when He bestoweth a favor upon him as from Himself (man) doth forget what he cried and prayed for before, and he doth set up rivals unto Allah thus misleading others from Allah's Path. Say "Enjoy thy blasphemy for a little while: verily thou art (one) of the Companions of the Fire!"

9 Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating himself, or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter. and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord (like one who does not)? Say: "Are equal those who know and those who do not know? It is (only) those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition."

Although The Supreme Lord and Creator is absolutely Self-Sufficient and in no need of any in His creation, it is nothing but His Grace and Benevolence that He has declared in His Divine Message that He appreciates the striving of His believing and obedient slaves; and from His Mercy and Bounty He has promised from Himself an Unending and Everlasting Reward for those who practice righteousness.

Thus my dear and beloved brother, one must understand and understand it well, that being grateful and thankful to the Lord is neither His requirement nor His need; for He is Absolutely Self-Sufficient and Free from any wants or needs!

It is our desperate need as His creation to be humble, thankful, obedient and grateful to Him for His innumerable favors upon us. Who could have stopped or altered His Will if He Willed to make us orphans, or destitute, or deformed, or taken away our faculties of hearing, and seeing, and walking, or talking, or reasoning or even breathing? When He has been so Merciful and so Kind and so Generous to us and given us everything we asked for and did not (even) ask for, does it not behove and befit us that we be grateful and thankful to Him?

The only beings who are more unjust than the ones who do not think it is appropriate and righteousness to be thankful and grateful to their One and Only Supreme Creator, are those amongst mankind who, instead of being grateful and serving the Lord Alone, set up from themselves equals and partners with the Supreme Lord and are grateful to their these self-made images, and idols, and graves, etc.; and give these their self-made ‘gods’ the same adoration and awe that is due to none other than their One and Only Supreme Creator!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 165-167: There are people who set up equals and rivals with Allah and adore them with the adoration due to Allah! Whereas the believers adore Allah most ardently. Would that these transgressors could realize now what they will realize, when they see the chastisement before them: that power and authority wholly belong to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment! When He will inflict punishment, those very leaders and guides whom they followed in the world will disown them. But punishment they shall get and all their bonds shall be cut off. Then those who followed them will say, “Would that we were given another chance to return to the world. Then we will disown them just as they have disowned us today!” Thus Allah will bring before them the deeds they did in the world in such a manner as to make them wring their hands in regret, but they shall be unable to come out of the Fire.

And that is the one sin (of ‘shirk’ or associating other deities with Allah) that the Majestic Lord has declared that He will never ever forgive in the Hereafter!

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48: Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this, for whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin.

Far Far Exalted and High is Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds, than anything that the unjust associate with Him!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan