Allah creates the universe (including human being) isn't counterfeit and useless (QS:As-Shod:27). All His works have intention and benefits. Thus, as the noble creature as well as a deputy (khalifah), the human being must realize to their life destination. In this context, al-Qur'an explains that human beings have life destinations as follows:
To Worship God (believing)
The human beings are created by God. They are given very special potential and ability by God. The uniqueness and perfection of human isn't only seen in their form, but also in their character and nature. As a creation, the human being must have a awareness of their position and existence concerning with God. In this context, the relation between human being and his God is like “clients” and their “patronage” or like “attendant” and their ”king”, to whom the human beings must serve and obey.
As the right religion, Islam explains that the position of human being in the world is as servant of God (abdullah). The position indicates that one of destination of human being life is to obey or to worship to God (Allah). The meaning of worshiping of the God is loyal and obedient to Him in all aspects of the life. Concerning with this matter,Allah SWT decrees that the destination of human being life is only to obey to Him (QS:Adzzariyyat:58 and QS:Al-Bayyinah :5).
The meaning of act mentioned previously (to obey all instruction of God and to live prohibitions of God) is the universal meaning of act of devotion. Practically, the universal act of devotion can be implemented in every activities which is intended to reach for His contentment that include profesional work, to educate children, religious proselytizing and etc. Thus, the mision of human beings life can be actualized in every activity in order to reach for contentment of the God (mardlotillah).
Except the universal meaning of the act of devotion above, also there is particular meaning of the act of devotion. Particularly, the act of devotion can be elucidated as an obedient of the relegious rule that arranges the relation between human being and Allah. The religious rule is always concerned with activities of human being that is intentionally directed to fulfil some of certain obligations of the God such us doing praying, fasting, giving tithe, pilgrimage and etc.
Based on explaining above, we can conclude that the main destination of the human beings life is to worship God. In the simple meaning, the destination is called by “believing”. The human beings possess obligation to be a personal believing in God (tauhid). The believing (tauhid) is the opposite of the polytheism (syirik). So the human being is forbidden to belief in more than one God by worshiping something except God in the universe (syirik).
To use something of universe (doing work)
The human being is the great creation of the God (QS. At-Tin:4). As the greatest creation, beside becoming servant of the God, the human being also as deputy of the God (khalifatullah) on the earth (QS:al-Isra':70). Besides that, Allah also explains that the human being is created from soil and be ordered to make it prosper (QS. Hud:16 and QS. Al-An'am:165). So, all of matters of human being and existence of the universe in the world is submitted by the God to human being.
The instruction that the universe is made prosper is an instruction for making the universe as a media of human being to creat goodness of their life on the earth. Al-Qur'an really explains that Allah has never ignored His creations. He creats the earth as much as the sky to give human being perfect happiness either in material or spiritual. He creats something to fulfil need of human being. The stars is created to help human being in the navigation, the moon and sun are created as a principle of the calender and as also the other element of the universe. Such all elements of universe is created for the sake of goodness of the human being.
In order to be able to use the elements of the universe, Allah supplies a reason to human being. Besides that, Allah also gives knowledge to the human being about names of the elements of the universe. All of them is supplied by Allah to human being as media to make prosper in the world either in material or spiritual. In this matter, Allah explains that the human being must dive into universe and use every phenomenon of the universe as a teachings to achieve a happiness in the life (QS.Al-Ankabut:20 and QS.Al-Qashas:20)
Based on explaining above, it is clear that in his life, the human being possess a destination to make the universe prosper. The implimentation of the destination can be actualized in the mode of teaching (i'tibar), doing fairness and inovation as well as always doing usefull something either for ourselves or our environment. Concerned with relation of the universe, the human being in his life possess a destination to do inovation of the work in order to make all elements of the universe usefull. In the other word, the such destination of the human being life is to do the goodness.
To create a history and civilization (civilized)
As having explained above, Allah creates the universe truely and nothing a false of inside (QS:Shod:27). So, the universe possess real and objective existence and also moves according to the law nature (sunnatullah). Besides that, as a creation of the best creator (QS:al-Mukminun :14), the universe contains goodness and orderliness value which is so harmonious. This value is created by Allah for the sake human being, especially for progress of the his history and his civilization (QS. Luqman:20). So that, one of destination of the human being life on the earth, according to al-Qur'an, is to do survey of the universe in the frame work of understanding of all laws of the God that is working inside and then the human being treats the universe according to laws of nature themselves for the sake his history and his civilization.
The process of the universe in the human being life is materialized by a real and usefull action. The real action which is done by human being on the earth creating a series of phenomenon that is called 'history'. The world is place of history that the human being inside becomes owner and subject of history. The life without history is in after life that is experienced by all human being after the dead. Because, in the post-dead life, the human being just make responsibelity of their history that was created as long as his life in the world. Thus, their life in the world, the human being also possess a destination to creat his history and his civilization well and the following it must be responsible in front of the God.
In order to be able to create a history, the human being always must read (iqra') or read the universe. In other word,the human being must become the universe as a media to increase knowledge and science. So, the destination of the human being in creating history and civilization basically is to creat the civilized people.
Based on explainning about the some destinations of the life above can be concluded that based on al-Qur'an, the human being at least possess 3 destinations in his life. The destinations are the first, to worship Allah SWT (believing); the second, make the earth prosper to achieve goodness (doing work) and the thirth to creat his useful history and civilization (civilized). In other word, according to al-Qur'an, the main obligation or duty of the human being on the earth actually is very simple, namely to be 'believing', 'doing work' and 'civilized' people. Here the combination of three destinations of the human being that makes the exsistence of the human being can be different with the others creations of Allah.
by Muhtar Salim M.Ag
director of LKIM Pondok Pesantren Krapyak
Picture by Inoe