Introduction: The Fundamental Question of Existence
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. The question of why we exist in this world is the most important question that confronts humanity. Are we here by mere chance? Or is there a higher purpose and a wise Creator who placed us in this universe for a specific goal?
Answers to this question clash between the faith-based perspective and the materialistic evolutionary view. In the materialistic perspective, humans are seen as beings who exist today and will perish tomorrow, without life after death, without a final basis for ethics, or a purposeful meaning to life.
The Materialistic and Atheistic View of the Meaning of Life
A number of contemporary thinkers and scientists adopt a view that denies the existence of a purpose to existence, and their positions can be summarized as follows:
1. Richard Dawkins: The Question Is Not Worth Answering
Richard Dawkins believes that the question "Why are we here?" is a question that has no meaning from a scientific perspective. He compares it to asking "What is the purpose of mountains"; science tells us how mountains were formed through geological processes, but it does not give them a "purpose." For him, human existence is merely the result of biological and evolutionary processes, and the search for "why" is a search for a mirage.
2. Woody Allen: Life Is a Distraction from Reality
The director Woody Allen expresses a pessimistic view, seeing life as inherently meaningless and living in a random universe. He suggests that the only way to cope with this harsh reality is "distraction." Making films, working, and daily preoccupations are merely means of distracting human attention from confronting the great truth: that one will die, that loved ones will die, and that everything will end in nothingness.
3. Stephen Hawking: The Universe Is a Random Event
In a similar context, Stephen Hawking posits that the universe is not a divine design but merely an "accident" that was not designed for our particular existence. He believes that the beauty lies in the luck that allowed us to develop minds capable of thinking and enjoying this brief moment under the sun before departure.
The Islamic Perspective: Why Did Allah Create Us?
Unlike these views that lead to nihilism or despair, Islam provides a clear and comprehensive answer that connects humans to their Creator and the universe around them.
The Purpose of Creation: Worship and Knowledge
The Quran emphasizes that existence is not in vain: "Did you think that We created you in play (without purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?" The primary purpose is the worship of Allah in its comprehensive sense, which includes knowing Him, developing the earth, and achieving justice.
Humans as Vicegerents on Earth
Humans were not created to be mere biological beings but were entrusted with the mission of "vicegerency." This responsibility gives every moment in the life of a believer value and meaning, as every action is part of their worship and striving to attain Allah's pleasure and the reward of the Hereafter.
This Worldly Life as a Bridge for Testing
This world is not the end but a passage and a test. This perspective resolves the dilemma of "meaning" that materialists have failed to address; suffering has a reward, righteous deeds bear lasting fruit, and death is not annihilation but a transition to an eternal life where absolute justice is realized.
Conclusion: Between Tranquility and Anxiety
While the atheist escapes the question of meaning through distraction or denying the question itself, the believer finds in the answer of revelation psychological tranquility and a moral drive. Our understanding that we are created for a purpose, and that behind this universe lies a Merciful Creator, is what makes life worth living in all its details.
Critique of the Nihilistic View: Escaping Reality
The proposition by "Woody Allen" about the necessity of "distracting attention" to escape the question of meaning reveals a deep crisis in materialistic thought. If life has no meaning, human consciousness becomes a heavy burden that humans try to rid themselves of through constant engagement in work, art, or entertainment.
Distraction Versus Tranquility
In the materialistic perspective, humans escape "from" reality (death and nothingness), while in the Islamic perspective, humans move "toward" reality (meeting Allah and reckoning). The distraction mentioned by Allen is an implicit acknowledgment that material reality is bleak and unbearable, while faith offers "tranquility" that enables humans to face reality and death with courage and certainty, not through escape and forgetfulness.
Why Does the Question "Why?" Persist?
Scholars like "Peter Medawar" and others argue that experimental science lacks the tools to answer teleological questions (why are we here?), but this does not mean the question is "silly" as Dawkins claimed. Rather, the persistence of this question in the human mind is evidence of "fitrah" (innate disposition).
Fitrah and the Search for the Creator
The feeling of alienation that humans experience in this world and their constant search for a purpose beyond material boundaries indicate that we were not created for nothingness. Thirst is evidence of the existence of water, and the search for meaning is evidence of the existence of the "Giver" of this meaning, who is the Creator, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Life as an Integrated System
The Islamic vision does not separate this world from the Hereafter but makes this world a farm for the Hereafter. This connection gives humans:
- Moral Responsibility: Every action has an effect and accountability, preventing the moral chaos that may result from evolutionary randomness.
- Intrinsic Value: Humans are not merely a "biological accident" or an "evolved ape" but are honored with a breath of Allah's spirit and entrusted in this great universe.
- Overcoming Trauma: When humans realize that trials are part of the divine design for testing, tribulations and pains become stations for spiritual elevation rather than mere painful coincidences without meaning.
The Conclusion: Returning to the Truth
Ultimately, the question of the purpose of existence remains the compass that guides human life. Either one chooses the path of "distraction" and living in the illusion of the fleeting moment as materialists suggest, or one takes the path of "certainty" that connects the earth to the heavens, actions to rewards, and creation to the Creator.
The Islamic answer "And I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship Me" is not just a religious text but an existential necessity that provides humans with psychological balance and spiritual elevation in their brief journey on this planet.
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