Why Did Allah ﷻ Create Human Beings?

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​Purpose of our existence

The key to understanding the purpose of humankind’s existence lies in the verse of the Quran where Allah ﷻ informs us why He created us: “And [tell them that] I have not created the jinn (invisible beings) and men to any end other than that they may [know and] worship Me. No sustenance do I ever demand of them, nor do I demand that they feed Me: for, verily, God Himself is the Provider of all sustenance, the Lord of all might, the Eternal!”[1] Muhammad Asad in his Message of the Quran comments on this verse: “Thus, the innermost purpose of the creation of all rational beings is their cognition (maarifah) of the existence of God and, hence, their conscious willingness to conform their own existence to whatever they may perceive of His will and plan: and it is this twofold concept of cognition and willingness that gives the deepest meaning to what the Qur’an describes as "worship" (‘ibadah). As the next verse shows, this spiritual call does not arise from any supposed "need' - on the part of the Creator, who is self-sufficient and infinite in His power, but is designed as an instrument for the inner development of the worshipper, who, by the act of his conscious self-surrender to the all-pervading Creative Will, may hope to come closer to an understanding of that Will and, thus, closer to God Himself.”[2]
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In a hadith e qudsi (sacred tradition), Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed that Allah ﷻ said: “I was a hidden treasure; then I wished to become known. Then I created the creation, so that I may be known.”[4] These words help us better understand what Asad explained, that the ultimate purpose of human existence is to know Allah ﷻ by accepting His will through obedience of His commandments through what He revealed which eventually causes us to be closer to Him, and understanding Him, ultimately fulfilling the purpose of our existence and benefiting us in this world and the hereafter. A treasure that is hidden which one seeks is worth seeking for when found gives abundant happiness and joy, and the state of inner joy and happiness that humankind seeks on earth is truly and only possible through accepting will of Allah ﷻ. A glimpse of such realization may be understood in the words of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (alaihi salaam) who while worshiping would say: “Oh Allah I worship You not because I greed your paradise, Oh Allah I worship You not because I fear your hell fire. I worship You because You are worthy of worship.” 

Reference:
[1] Al Quran 51:56 – Asad Translation
[2] Surah Adh-Dhariyat - Asad 1980
[3] A term used for saints in Islamic tradition.
[4] Not found in the authenticated books of hadith. Widely quoted in sufi gatherings. 

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