Understanding the Human Being
Why Were Human Beings Created?
Introduction: The Journey of Life and Awareness of Its Purpose
Of all the creatures humans have studied so far, whether so tiny that they cannot be seen even under an ordinary microscope, or so vast that the imagination cannot take them in, some purpose has been discovered for every one of them, or is being discovered. Creatures that look insignificant, such as earthworms, make holes in the soil that let air and water reach it better; leaves that fall from trees become food for the soil so that plants can flourish again; and even bacteria, which we think of as causing disease, are so important inside the human body, for digesting food, making certain vitamins and supporting the immune system, that it would be hard to survive without them. The appendix, long considered useless, is now being shown by research to be a storehouse of useful bacteria. These examples raise two questions:
Is the human being, the best of all creatures, sent into the world without any purpose?
If we can misjudge so many creatures in the universe, can we correctly understand our own purpose and abilities?
Allah is our Creator and knows it beforehand. Humans cannot recognise the purpose of their creation through their own knowledge and observation, nor can they, as created beings, invent a purpose for humanity that everyone would accept. So this was explained through the system of revelation (wahy) and the Prophets. In one comprehensive verse of the Holy Qur'an, Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has made clear the real purpose of creating humans and jinn:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
And I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me.
In the light of this verse, the true and real purpose of humans coming into the world and being born is only and solely the worship and servitude of Allah ﷻ. This life was not given so that people would only earn, eat, have children and leave the world; even animals do that. Allah ﷻ has also made clear that He did not create humans to earn provision for Him or to feed Him, because the One who gives provision is Allah Himself.
A question may arise here: if the real purpose of life is worship, should a person spend all 24 hours of the day doing only that? Allah ﷻ is very generous. He has not commanded us to stay in prostration or in the mosque twenty-four hours a day; He has made only five daily prayers obligatory, which altogether do not take even an hour. Secondly, the meaning of worship (ibadah) in Islam is broad.
In Islamic Shariah, there are two main types of worship:
Pure acts of worship (worship in the sense of devotion): These are acts whose basic purpose is not to gain any worldly benefit, but only to admit one's humility, lowliness and servanthood before Allah ﷻ , such as prayer and fasting. Although these acts bring some side benefits in this world (such as physical exercise from prayer, or weight loss from fasting), these side benefits are not the real purpose. If someone prays only as exercise, or fasts only to diet, it will not count as prayer or fasting in the Shariah.
Obedience and servitude in everyday life: Islam does not leave a person unrestrained once they walk out of the mosque. Allah's commands apply in every area of life, such as avoiding lies, backbiting, adultery, alcohol, pork, interest (riba) and bribery. When a person carries out their daily affairs, whether business, a job, eating and drinking, or light-hearted moments with their spouse and children, with the intention of obeying Allah's command and following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, every one of those actions becomes worship. In this way, Islam teaches how to turn one's whole life into worship.
According to the pious elders, anyone who, at any stage of their life, is acting according to Allah's command is in fact a dhakir (one who remembers Allah). Dhikr is not only holding prayer beads and saying SubhanAllah (though that too is a very high level); rather, removing a troubled person's worries, easing someone's pain, and serving Allah's creation, with the intention of pleasing Allah, are also part of worshipping and remembering Allah.
Summary
In short, the real purpose of the creation of humans and of their lives is to please Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and to live as His servants. If we are obeying Allah's commands in every area of our lives, our life has purpose; otherwise, life will become nothing more than a purposeless journey of eating, drinking, sleeping and finally reaching the grave.
The Hidden Inner System: Aql, Nafs and Qalb
Just as a human being has an outward body, skeleton and organs, a hidden (invisible) system also works inside every human being. For example, no one can see a person's thoughts, yet they are present inside them every moment. Besides thought, an invisible system of emotions and desires is also constantly at work inside a person. These three together make up a person's character and personality, and they are the driving force behind a person's outward behaviour and actions.
The system of thinking, reflecting, analysing, remembering, drawing conclusions and making decisions is called Aql (the intellect).
The system of physical and psychological needs and desires is called Nafs (the self, or ego).
The system of emotions and feelings is called Qalb (the heart).
The Human Nafs
In the Holy Qur'an, Allah swore seven oaths and said that human success depends on the purification (tazkiyah) of the nafs, and that leaving it as it is means certain ruin. So, for tazkiyah and training, it is necessary to understand the nature, demands and problems of the nafs.
In Surah Ash-Shams, Allah swore by the sun, the moon, the day, the night, the earth and the sky, and then by the human soul, and said:
وَ نَفْسٍ وَّ مَا سَوّٰىهَا۪ۙ (۷) فَاَلْهَمَهَا فُجُوْرَهَا وَ تَقْوٰىهَا۪ۙ (۸) قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكّٰىهَا۪ۙ (۹) وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسّٰىهَاؕ (۱۰)
and by the soul, and the One who made it well. then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety. Success is really attained by him who purifies it, and failure is really suffered by him who pollutes it.
"Inspired it with its wickedness (fujur) and righteousness (taqwa)" means that Allah ﷻ has opened both paths, good and evil, in front of every person. Success (the good news of success in the Hereafter) is for the one who purifies their nafs, so that they can walk on the path of taqwa and good. And for the one who does not purify it, the path of fujur, that is, evil, opens up, and its result is ruin in the Hereafter.
The nafs is actually the system inside a person that gives rise to desires and pushes them to act on those desires. These desires can be physical, such as the desire for good, tasty food, or the desire for physical intimacy with the opposite sex. They can also be psychological, such as the desire for status and prestige in society. Allah ﷻ says:
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ (۴۰) فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (۴۱)
whereas for the one who feared to stand before his Lord, and restrained his self from the (evil) desire. the Paradise will be the abode. (Surah An-Nazi'at)
وَ فِیْهَا مَا تَشْتَهِیْهِ الْاَنْفُس۔۔۔الخ
And there(in paradise) will be whatever souls desire. (Surah Az-Zukhruf, 71)
These blessed verses make clear that the job of the nafs is only to generate desires, both in this world and in the Hereafter. The nafs itself does not tell good from bad, or benefit from harm, and since it contains the material for both good and evil (فَاَلْهَمَهَا فُجُوْرَهَا وَ تَقْوٰىهَا۪ۙ), anyone who uses the free will given to them in this world to follow only their desires faces certain ruin in the Hereafter (وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسّٰىهَاؕ). In fact, such a person harms themselves in this world as well. For example, diabetic patients are usually mature, sensible adults, yet they cannot resist their craving for sweets. People who perform dangerous motorbike stunts on the roads know the consequences, yet, following their desire to show off, they even lose their lives.
When these individual desires clash with the desires of others, corruption, disorder and conflict begin to spread in society.
Gaining the ability to hold yourself back from your bad desires (fujur) is what is called tazkiyah of the nafs. Bad desires include everything that can cause harm in this world or the Hereafter, and all of these have been explained in detail in the Qur'an and Sunnah. These are called the commands and prohibitions (awamir wa nawahi) [Dos & Don'ts], or the Shariah. In other words, tazkiyah of the nafs means making your desires follow the Qur'an and Sunnah.
A nafs in which the material of evil (fujur) dominates, or which pulls a person towards evil, is called in the Qur'an Nafs Ammarah (the soul that commands evil): (وَمَآ اُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِيْ اِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَاَمَّارَةٌۢ بِالسُّوْٓءِ – " And I do not absolve my inner self of blame. Surely, man’s inner self often incites to evil,") This is the natural state of the nafs.
A nafs that is pleased with Allah ﷻ in every situation and calmly accepts every command of Allah ﷻ (whether the rulings of the Shariah or the general circumstances of life) is called Nafs Mutma'innah (the soul at peace): (یا ايَّتُہَا النَّفۡسُ الۡمُطۡمَیِٔنَّۃُ﴿﴾ ارۡجِعِيۡۤ اِلٰي رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَۃً مَّرۡضِيَّۃً – [(As for an obedient man, it will be said to him,) “O content soul, come back to your Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing.] This is the station of true success, and it is also the aim of Tasawwuf.
Between these two states, there is another state of the nafs called Nafs Lawwamah (the self-reproaching soul): (وَلَآ اُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ – " and I swear by the self-reproaching conscience, (that Resurrection is a reality). This is the state in which a believer, on finding themselves heedless of the remembrance of God, absorbed in the world, or having committed an act of disobedience, immediately turns to Allah ﷻ and repents.
The Human Qalb (Heart)
Understanding the subject of the qalb, the heart, is necessary for two reasons. The basic reason is that in the Qur'an, Allah ﷻ has made a qalb salim (a sound heart) necessary for success in the Hereafter. Surah Ash-Shu'ara says:
یَوْمَ لَا یَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَّ لَا بَنُوْنَ (۸۸) اِلَّا مَنْ اَتَى اللّٰهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِیْمٍﭤ (۸۹)
the Day when neither wealth will be of any use (to any one) nor sons, except to him who will come to Allah with a sound heart.
Similarly, Surah Qaf says:
اِنَّ فِیْ ذٰلِكَ لَذِكْرٰى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهٗ قَلْبٌ
Indeed, there is a lesson in all this for him who has a heart.
And about a heart that is damaged, Surah Al-A'raf says that despite having apparently healthy eyes and ears, such people do not accept advice:
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ (۱۷۹)
Surely We have created for Hell a lot of people from among Jinn and mankind. They have hearts wherewith they do not understand, eyes wherewith they do not see, and ears wherewith they do not hear. They are like cattle. Rather, they are much more astray. They are the heedless.
Likewise, the effects of good and bad deeds fall upon the heart. Allah ﷻ says:
اَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوْبُؕ
the ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. (Surah Ar-Ra'd, 28)
كَلَّا بَلْ سکتہ رَانَ عَلٰى قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا یَكْسِبُوْنَ
No! But that which they used to commit has covered their hearts with rust. (Surah Al-Mutaffifin, 14)
The second reason to understand the qalb is so that this term is not confused with the scientific or medical term. The physical heart that beats in the chest is also found in animals and even in the dead, and sometimes it keeps beating even after brain death. So in the Qur'an, the terms qalb salim (sound heart) and sick heart refer to the spiritual heart, which is connected to the physical heart just as the soul (ruh) is present throughout the rest of the body. The spiritual heart is the centre of feelings, emotions, fear and hope, love and hatred, anger and so on. Whispers from Satan (الذی یوسوس فی صدور الناس – "who whispers into the hearts of people") and inspiration from Allah ﷻ (وَ اَلَّفَ بَیۡنَ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ ؕ – "And He is the One who put mutual love into their hearts") also come to the spiritual heart.
If the nafs has not been purified and is overpowered by fujur (evil) instead of taqwa, bad desires keep affecting the heart continuously, and bad emotions such as hatred, anger, envy and grudges reach the spiritual heart, just as blood, carrying nourishment from the liver, reaches the physical heart. These same effects from the spiritual heart also appear on the body, such as the face turning red with anger, or the heart racing or the body trembling with fear. And if the nafs becomes pure, the heart becomes the centre of taqwa (ذٰلِكَ١ۗ وَ مَنْ یُّعَظِّمْ شَعَآئِرَ اللّٰهِ فَاِنَّهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى الْقُلُوْبِ – " Having said that, if one observes the sanctity of the symbols of Allah, then such things emanate from the piety of the hearts."), and good emotions, and love for Allah ﷻ and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, come to dominate it.
The heart finds peace through the remembrance of Allah ﷻ (dhikr) and becomes a heart at peace (اَلَا بِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ). And about the rust that bad deeds leave on hearts, the Prophet ﷺ said that the thing that cleans hearts is the remembrance of Allah ﷻ. That is why the Sufis have developed different methods of dhikr to reform hearts, according to people's circumstances and psychology.
The Human Aql (Intellect)
The aql (intellect) is a great blessing from Allah ﷻ that sets humans apart from animals. Because of this ability, a person can understand Allah's commands and is accountable under the Shariah (animals, children below the age of maturity and the insane are not held accountable by the Shariah). And in dozens of places, the Qur'an invites people to think and reflect.
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (۲۴۲)
This is how Allah makes His verses clear to you, so that you may understand
ِانَّ فِیْ خَلْقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ الَّیْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّاُولِی الْاَلْبَابِ (۱۹۰)
Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for the people of wisdom, (Surah Al Imran)
In Surah Al-Anfal, Allah ﷻ has called those who do not use their intellect the worst of creatures:
إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ (۲۲)
Surely, the worst of all animals in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb who do not understand.
In worldly terms, the job of the aql is to store information, understand things and events, reflect on them to draw conclusions and new information, analyse, and make decisions. The aql receives information from our five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste). Then, in the light of their experiences and past information, a person draws a conclusion and makes a decision. For example:
You are driving and suddenly see a traffic jam ahead. (Information from the senses of sight and hearing.)
You realise the road ahead is blocked and it isn't possible to go forward. (Perception and understanding.)
You look up information about an alternative route: how far it is and what the traffic is like there. (More information.)
You consider the two alternative routes in front of you: one is long but empty, the other is short but also crowded. (Reflection, thought, analysis.)
You conclude that taking the longer route will get you there sooner, and you set off that way. (Drawing a conclusion, deciding and acting.)
This whole process of the aql can be shown like this:
See → Understand → Gather information → Compare → Reflect → Conclude → Decide → Act
According to Hazrat Shah Waliullah (may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him), in terms of its purposes, the aql has two main sides:
Aql al-Ma'ash (practical intellect): This manages the everyday tasks of life, the household, earning a living and the social system. The world and its systems, and education and upbringing, keep people busy with this side.
Spiritual intellect (theoretical intellect, or Aql al-Ma'ad): This turns a person towards recognising their Creator, reflecting on the system of the universe and preparing for the Hereafter. To guide this purpose, Allah ﷻ sent the Prophets and taught through revelation, because through the practical intellect it was impossible for all humans to recognise their Creator and their purpose in coming into the world (وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوۡنِ – "And I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me.)
In the process of tazkiyah, it is this spiritual intellect that is awakened, so that, in line with the Qur'an's invitation to reflect, it recognises its Creator, worships Him alone, gains an understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah, and uses the practical intellect within the boundaries of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
How the Nafs, Qalb and Aql Are Connected
The nafs, qalb and aql exist together in only two creations: humans and jinn. That is why the servitude and worship of Allah ﷻ were assigned to these two (وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوۡنِ – "And I did not create the jinn and humans for anything except that they worship Me"), and only they will be rewarded or punished in the Hereafter for their good and bad deeds. Angels are also a creation of Allah ﷻ, and they have intellect. This is indicated in the conversation between the angels and Allah ﷻ at the creation of Adam. Surah Al-Baqarah says:
وَ اِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلٰٓئِكَةِ اِنِّیْ جَاعِلٌ فِی الْاَرْضِ خَلِیْفَةؕ قَالُوْۤا اَتَجْعَلُ فِیْهَا مَنْ یُّفْسِدُ فِیْهَا وَ یَسْفِكُ الدِّمَآءَۚ وَ نَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَ نُقَدِّسُ لَكَؕ قَالَ اِنِّیْۤ اَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ (۳۱) وَ عَلَّمَ اٰدَمَ الْاَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلٰٓئِكَةِۙ فَقَالَ اَنْۢبِئُوْنِیْ بِاَسْمَآءِ هٰۤؤُلَآءِ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِیْنَ (۳۲) قَالُوْا سُبْحٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَاۤ اِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَاؕ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِیْمُ الْحَكِیْمُ (۳۳)
(Remember) when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to create a deputy on the earth!” They said, “Will You create there one who will spread disorder on the earth and cause bloodshed, while we proclaim Your purity, along with your praise, and sanctify Your name?” He said, “Certainly, I know what you know not. And He taught ’Ādam the names, all of them; then presented them before the angels, and said, “Tell me their names, if you are right. They said, “To You belongs all purity! We have no knowledge except what You have given us. Surely, You alone are the All-knowing, All-wise.
The angels comparing themselves with humans, asking about the purpose of creating humans, expressing their knowledge (as much as Allah ﷻ had given them), and realising their own lack of knowledge when wisely shown (by not knowing the names of things): all this makes clear that the angels have the faculties of intellect (senses, understanding, memory, analysis, comparison and the ability to draw conclusions). However, they do not have a nafs, that is, desires, which is why they did not refuse Allah's command and prostrated to Adam. Allah ﷻ says about the angels: "Indeed, those (angels) who are near your Lord are not too proud to worship Him; they glorify Him and prostrate to Him alone" (Surah Al-A'raf, 206). The angels' constant engagement in worship and servitude, their having no attention to anything else, and their freedom from arrogance mean exactly this: that they have no desires.
It is the blend and connection of these three (nafs, qalb and aql), which the Qur'an mentions, that make humans the creation addressed in the Qur'an as insan (human being), and it is these three together that are bound by the rulings of the Shariah.
Animals, another creation of Allah ﷻ, have emotions of the heart, such as love (for each other, and even for humans) and fear; they also have desires of the nafs (hunger, sleep, lust and so on); and they also have senses, memory and some ability to learn. But they do not have the dimension and capacity of intellect that can understand Allah's commands of the Shariah. That is why there is no reward or punishment for them in the Hereafter. And those humans who, despite having worldly intelligence, do not understand Allah's word and command are compared in the Qur'an to animals. (إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ – Surah Al-Anfal, 22: " Surely, the worst of all animals in the sight of Allah ﷻ are the deaf and the dumb who do not understand.")
According to Imam Ghazali (may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him), a human being is a combination of intellect, desires and emotions. It is because of a particular balance between these three that the human rank is different from the angels and higher than the animals. In childhood, a person has only the needs and desires for food, drink and the like. When they reach maturity, their intellect and understanding begin to mature. After that, a person's thinking, the emotions of the heart and the desires of the nafs influence one another, and together they shape the person's decisions, behaviour and character. When a person receives the blessing of intellect and gains the ability to tell right from wrong and make decisions, they can understand which desire or which emotion could lead to harm for them in the Hereafter. In other words, desires, emotions and reasoning now influence one another inside this person. According to Hazrat Imam Ghazali (may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him):
If a person uses the light of their knowledge, understanding (ma'rifah) and intellect to overpower their lusts and selfish desires, they come to resemble the angels and reach the high ranks of those close to Allah ﷻ. [Ihya Ulum al-Din: 181, 343]
But if a person switches off their intellect and drowns in physical pleasures, eating, drinking and satisfying lusts, they bring themselves down to the level of animals; in fact, because they waste their potential, they become even worse than animals. [Ihya Ulum al-Din: 181, 344, 786]
Let's understand this with an everyday example. Suppose you get the chance to buy something very attractive but unnecessary.
Nafs: "I want this. It's really nice; I'll buy it right now."
Aql: "Do I really need it? What does it cost? How will it affect my budget? Is there a better alternative?"
Qalb: Here a person's inner orientation comes to the surface: which state is dominant — contentment, gratitude, greed, love of the world, or a sense of accountability to Allah ﷻ?
Then the person makes a decision, and the nafs also acts on that decision.
So a conceptual chain could look like this:
The nafs creates a desire → the aql understands and weighs it → the state and orientation of the qalb influence the decision → the person makes an intention → the nafs and body act.
But this is not a mechanical formula. The three dimensions constantly influence one another. In different situations, this chain can differ even within the same person, which is why people sometimes react in unexpected ways.
The key point for tazkiyah is not to eliminate the nafs or its desires, but to purify and balance the nafs; to make the qalb alive and sound; and to use the aql correctly. That is why the human being the Qur'an wants is one within whom:
Pure nafs + sound qalb + right reasoning → right action