Question 2
Do I Know the Purpose of Human Creation and My Place Within It?

Is my understanding of my place within the order of existence merely a mental conception and acquired knowledge (ʿilm ḥuṣūlī), or is it a form of knowledge that genuinely shapes the direction of my life, my choices, and my existential movement?

If the question of the purpose of creation is reduced to mere theoretical knowledge, it confines the human being to an abstract understanding detached from lived reality. The real issue is the relationship between this purpose, Divine Lordship (Rubūbiyyah), and the soul’s substantial motion (al-ḥarakah al-jawhariyyah). Am I truly moving toward my existential end, or do I merely revolve within the orbit of mental abstractions and egocentric desires?

Qur’anic Evidences
1. The Purposefulness of Human Creation

“I did not create jinn and humankind except that they may worship Me.”
(Qur’an 51:56)

The human being is not an accidental existence. His creation is purposeful: servitude (ʿubūdiyyah) and surrender within the order of Divine Lordship.

2. The Orientation of Life and Existential Movement

“It is He who has made you successors upon the earth.”
(Qur’an 6:165)

The human being is God’s vicegerent (khalīfah) on earth. He is therefore not merely a passive creature but one entrusted with directing his own perfection and contributing to the realization of the well-being and perfection of society.

3. The Rejection of Human Self-Sufficiency and the Necessity of Following Divine Guidance

The direction of human movement toward perfection does not originate from autonomous self-sufficiency. Rather, human existence derives its meaning from continual dependence upon Divine bestowal (fayḍ).

Recognizing this existential dependence and accepting Divine guidance are indispensable conditions for realizing the purpose of creation.

4. The Consequence of Neglecting the Purpose of Creation and Divine Lordship

“…They say, ‘There is nothing but our worldly life, and we shall not be resurrected.'”
(cf. Qur’an 23:37)

When human beings fail to recognize their place within the order of existence, the horizon of their lives becomes confined to this worldly existence and its fleeting pleasures. Their existential journey consequently loses its true direction.

Alid Evidences
1.

“Whoever realizes his origin and his ultimate end, his deeds become sound and his intention steadfast.”

(Ghurar al-Ḥikam, no. 9250)

Knowledge of one’s origin and ultimate end constitutes the necessary condition for the soundness of action and the steadfastness of intention.

2.

“Know that you were created for Allah; therefore, follow His path and seek guidance through Him.”

(Tuḥaf al-‘Uqūl, Chapter: Admonitions of Imam ‘Alī)

The human being attains his existential purpose only by traversing the path of Divine Lordship.

3.

“Whoever knows his destination finds that his actions become rightly directed.”

(Ghurar al-Ḥikam, no. 9235)

Knowledge of one’s destination directs human action toward its proper end and delivers the soul from fragmentation and self-centeredness.

Theological Analysis
A. The Central Theme of the Alid Teachings:
Existential Movement Within the Orbit of the Purpose of Creation

In the teachings of Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him), the human being’s place within creation is never presented as merely an abstract or theoretical matter. Rather, it is directly connected with the existential movement of the soul and the orientation of human life.

Accordingly, the purpose of creation is not simply something to be known intellectually. It determines the human being’s vocation and the direction of his existential journey.

One who lacks knowledge of his ultimate end, even if outwardly religious, remains inwardly imprisoned within aimlessness and self-centeredness.

For this reason, Imam ʿAlī repeatedly emphasizes that knowledge of one’s existential end must manifest itself in the activation of the soul’s movement and the rectification of life’s direction, rather than remaining confined to abstract mental concepts.

This is precisely the meaning embodied in the Alid maxim:

“Whoever realizes his origin and his ultimate end, his deeds become sound and his intention steadfast.”

Knowledge of one’s origin and ultimate end thus bears a direct existential fruit: the soundness of action and the rectification of intention.