Naeem's Blog

Cross-posted at Muslims Bloggers Alliance

Last week, we were blessed here in Riyadh to have Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed visit for a few days. I was able to attend one of his lectures and he gave this very simple yet profound lesson:

There exist four basic categories of material creation in the universe – the elements, plant life, animals, and the human being. Allah (swt) has interconnected them to create such a beautiful hierarchy so as to teach us the balance and purpose of life.

Beginning with the elements, lifeless objects such as dirt, water, and rocks, they share a common characteristic of body; they all consist of matter. This trait is shared by the upper three creations as well – plant life, animals, and man all have bodies made up of matter.

The second group has a unique characteristic of life, which is not shared by the group beneath it (elements), but is common to the groups above it (animals and man). Plants and trees grow and die.

The third class, namely animals, has the additional ability of movement. While minerals and plant life are immobile, animals can fly, run, and swim. Animals share the traits of the two lower groups (body and life) and have the added blessing of motion. Needless to say, man too has the trait of movement.

Finally we get to man. What is his unique feature that no other creation shares? Is it his ability to think? We have recently discovered that monkeys and dolphins exhibit signs of intelligence. Is it his ability to worship Allah? We know from the Quran and Sunnah that rocks, trees, animals and everything else in the Heavens and Earth glorify and praise Allah. So what is the special trait in man that is not found in the other three categories of creation?

It is his ability to love Allah. His ability to develop a deep longing for his Creator. It is in his heart, the locus of this emotion, that he is able to cultivate this most unique of sensations. This love is born from knowing Allah. And once love for Allah has posited itself in the heart, then wherever he looks, he sees Allah.

"Wheresoever you turn, there is the countenance of Allah" (2:115)

Is it not true that the lover is reminded of the beloved in every object he sees? Is not every breath another opportunity for the lover to remember his beloved?

"Those of faith are overflowing in their love for Allah" (2:165)

And whenever this special characteristic is lacking in man, he has ceased to occupy that highest of ranks in the hierarchy of creation. In the absence of this special love for Allah, man ceases to be man – he simply becomes an animal with advanced intelligence, or worse.

Let us now look at the hierarchy from a perspective of utility. We know that the lowest class of creation, the elements, is used for the benefit of the higher groups. The ground is broken up and the dirt is plowed in order to grow vegetation. Mountains are carved to build roads and tunnels. The basic purpose of the elements is to use them for the benefit of the other three categories of creation.

Next, plant life is consumed by animal and man to help sustain life. Fruits and vegetables are eaten, trees are used to build shelter, and many herbs and plants are used for medicinal gains. The purpose of plant life is to serve the needs of man and animal.

When we then look at animals and how they are utilized for the benefit of man, we see the beautiful plan of Allah continuing. Horses and donkeys are used for transportation, cattle and sheep are sacrificed to be eaten, birds have their various benefits, and so on. Animals were created for the purpose of fulfilling the needs of man. None, save the occasional vegetarian here or the PETA activist there, will object to such a reading of the man-animal relationship.

The hierarchy of life is clear, beautiful, and perfect. And when man internalizes this hierarchy and reflects on its implications, he can not but conclude that his purpose must also be to serve a higher being. His existence is not meaningless. In acknowledging this natural cycle of life, he must realize that his existence is for the sake of the Ultimate Being.

"Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds" (An'am:162)

Is it reasonable and ethical to ask man to dedicate his life for the sole purpose of serving his Creator? No one questioned the fairness in the elements fulfilling their purpose of creation. No one cried injustice when the grass was cut and fed to the cattle or when the trees were uprooted to build the houses. The ox unquestioningly plowed the farmer’s field and the guard dog dutifully carried out his obligations. This consumption and utilization of the lower classes of creation for the higher classes is never understood as oppressive or tyrannical. So why then does man protest so much when he is simply being commanded to fulfill the purpose of his existence?