Islam and Human Rights — Page 35
Man and the Universe 35 The purpose of the creation of the universe is to aid man in achieving the object for which he was created. This is part of God’s unlimited bounty to man. The universe and the laws that govern it constantly work out, under Divine direction, the consequences beneficent or otherwise, of man’s use of God’s bounties (14:8; 16:11- 19; 56:69-75). The creation of man has passed through many stages (71:15-18). Having been originated from water and clay, over millennia, man began to be created from the sperm, was endowed with sense and understanding, and having thus been perfected, began to be guided through revelation (23:13-15; 32:7-10; 35:12). The Quran stresses the unity of mankind, that man has been created of one kind (4:2; 16:73). Like the universe, man has not been created without purpose, to live aim lessly (57:37). His life has a purpose and he is responsible and accountable in respect of it. In the Quran, the principle of accountability is expressed in terms of man having to be “brought back” to God (23:16). The purpose of man’s creation is that he should receive the impress of God’s attributes and should, within the limits of his capacities, become a manifestation of them. In other words men, high and low, have been created so that they should become God’s image (51:57). To aid