Safi Kaskas

Most Muslim scholars don't pay much attention to "Teleology". Did it ever occur to you that our five prayers a day are not an end in themselves, but there is a purpose to achieve through them? And worshiping God is not an end in itself but a way to achieve a further purpose?

Let's start by discussing the purpose of العباده worship:

Worship is one of the major purposes of being on earth. Allah says in the Qur'an:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (51:56)

I only created jinn and human beings to worship Me. (51:56)

But what is worshipping God? Is it limited to prostrations and our ritual prayers? No. Worshipping God is being in submission to His Will. Obeying Him when He defined for us the major objectives of the Qur'an such as Justice, Truthfulness, Mercifulness, and Ihsan.

For what purpose should we worship God?

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (2:21)

People, worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may be mindful of God.
So تقوى (Takwa) translated here as to be mindful of God is the purpose of all acts of worship including our mandatory five prayers a day. But this is not the only meaning of Takwa. Let's examine the Qur'anic meaning of Takwa.

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (5:2)

Cooperate with one another in righteousness and God consciousness, and do not cooperate in sin and hostility. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. (5:2)

Here we have two virtues opposed by two vices: righteousness is opposed by Sin and God consciousness (takwa) is opposed by hostility. Hence, we should understand from the verse that the purpose of Takwa is to establish peace away from the usual hostilities that are encouraged by Satan using our own selfishness to always rekindle aggression among us.

From these verses I understand that the purpose of being on earth is to worship God through submission to Him. This submission should have a purpose of establishing inner peace and outer peace. This is when we realize that peace سلام and Islam أسلام are two words from the same root and they have basically the same meaning.

The Qur’an teaches:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ (2:208)

Believers, enter wholeheartedly into submission to God, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is clearly your enemy.(2:208)

This inner and outer state of being at peace should lead any of us to be grateful to Allah. Which is the highest purpose for a human being ever, and only few are able to be grateful.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ 3:123

So remain mindful of God and be grateful (3:123)

Being grateful to God requires a functional program and not only an inner state of feeling grateful. It requires that we translate the state of being grateful into an active program of service to other human beings, other creatures and earth itself. This is when a human being will answer the call from God to become a Khalifa or a Steward on earth.

Looking for the ultimate purpose of God’s commandments to us is worthy of those who think and contemplate, regardless of what our inherited heritage teaches.
Think about it and keep in mind that God knows best…

Source: Facebook Account of Author, Safi Kaskas