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wa-mā khalaqtu l-jinna wa-l-ʾinsa ʾillā li-yaʿbudūni
I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me.
— Ali Quli Qarai
51Aḏ-ḎāriyātالذارياتVerse 56 of 60
The Winnowing Winds51. Aḏ-Ḏāriyātالذاريات
al-Dhāriyāt
The Winnowing Winds
MeccanVerse 56 of 60
Surah al-Dhariyat - Verses 56-58
56. And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me.
57. I seek not any provision from them nor do I ask that they should feed Me.
58. Indeed, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong.
The blessed Verse 56 is saying that God Almighty did not create jinn and mankind but for being worshipped and glorified by them. The l- in li-ya‘budun (“in order to worship”) is employed in the dative case designating purpose. The contextual meaning of the blessed Verse is that the purpose behind the creation of jinn and mankind is that they worship God Almighty.
According to lexicographical sources, ‘servantship’ (‘ubudiyya) designates the highest state of humbleness against the object of worship supposed to have granted Infinite Bounties and Blessings and He is solely God Almighty. Thus, ‘servantship’ is the zenith of human perfection and his closeness to God Almighty. It is the highest state of submission to Divine Pure Essence. It is unconditional obedience to God Almighty in all respects.
Finally, perfect servantship is that man does not entertain any thoughts other than those set upon absolute perfection, set foot on the Path toward Him, and consign to oblivion everything, even one’s self, except Him! This is the final goal of human creation set as an ordeal by God for whose attainment man is provided with knowledge the final goal of which is to be immersed in the ocean of Divine Mercy.
Thus, servants need to know the Divine Essence as the Source of all perfect qualities, adapt themselves with the same, and avail themselves of whose light such that sparks of the attributes of Divine Perfection and Majesty may sparkle in their souls, since perfection and closeness to God Almighty are not possible unless one embarks upon assumption of dominical traits and such assumption is subsidiary to acquisition of knowledge. In this vein, a tradition is narrated from Imam Husayn (as), saying:
“God did not create mankind except for acquisition of knowledge of Him and when they acquired the knowledge, they worship Him; whoever worships him is needless of serving other objects of worship.” 8
According to a Divine Tradition:
“I was a Secret Treasure, but I intended to be known. I created beings to be known.” 9
The two traditions designate that the world of existence was created so that God Almighty might be known and such knowledge entails benefits for creatures rather than for Divine Needless Essence. It also reflects that Divine Emanation resembles His other Attributes bestowing Emanations to inferior creatures. It is in this light and Mujahid and some other Qur’anic exegets interpret:
“they should worship”
to ‘they should know,’ namely God Almighty did not create jinn and mankind except for their acquisition of knowledge of God Almighty and the Divine Tradition;
“I was a Secret Treasure”
substantiates the interpretation in question, since it goes without saying that worshipping and glorification of God Almighty without knowledge entails no consequences and one who does not know the object of worship and glorification may not embark upon the latter. Thus, the final purpose of creation of jinn and mankind is that they may acquire knowledge of Divine Essence of Unity. God Almighty created jinn and mankind with all His Most Beauteous and Majestic Attributes so that He may be known and their worship and glorification spring from acquisition of knowledge regarding all Divine Attributes, Most Beauteous Names, and Omnipotence.
The blessed Verses 57 and 58 are saying that one may not imagine that God Almighty is in need of the worship and deeds of jinn and mankind and thereby attain to perfection, since He expects neither provision nor food from creatures as He is the Needless Creator and all creatures are in need of Him, requiring the Absolute Provider to bestow continuity of existence and provision upon them. Allah is All-Mighty, Omnipotent, All-Dominating, and All-Subduing. All creatures are in need of His Grandeur and Lordship but He is Needless of others by His Essence.
Footnotes