These verses specify man’s purpose in life as
worship. This is a purpose which elicits from man
his uniqueness in its ultimate form. It raises man to
a much higher plane than that of animals. Not a
trace of animalism contributes to the achievement of
such a goal. God does not demand of you a
livelihood, the verse states, rather He himself is
responsible for your livelihood. This means that
worship of God is a purpose which is motivated
neither by inward desires nor outward influences.
Rather it comes into being through thought alone.
Only when a person goes beyond his self and his
environment can he understand that there is a
higher purpose on which he should focus his life.
The motive force towards the fulfillment of this
purpose is not the urge to satisfy one’s needs or
those of others. The worshipper seeks neither to
gratify his own desires nor those of the Being he
worships. It is a purpose which sets before man a
goal far above all these things—a goal which does
not follow internal needs or external pressures, but
results purely from conceptual thought.
When a person works, makes money, builds a
house, makes an effort to improve his standard of
living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards
some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be
called a purposeful life, for these activities do not
demonstrate man’s unique status. It might seem as
if they are the result of deliberation, but if one looks
at the matter in depth, one will see that in actual
fact the motive force behind these actions is the
same urge that motivates an animal in various
ways, in its concern for its own survival. It is the
driving force of one’s desires; the pressure of one’s
needs, and the wish to fulfill the demands of one’s
self that underlie such a life. These are the
considerations which, in fact, guide a person in his
search for his livelihood.
When man grows up, he realizes that there are
certain material necessities without which he cannot
live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he
requires a reliable source of income to sustain him
throughout his life. He is forced by these
considerations to obtain these things. Then he sees
that those who have an abundance of these material
things enjoy respect and apparently possess every
form of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus he
is driven on to do more than just seek a livelihood;
he desires to earn to a degree greatly in excess of his
actual requirements.
In bustling markets, grandiose offices, and opulent
buildings, he is not really guided by deliberate
thought. Rather, he is being guided by inflated
ideas of his own needs, desires, longings and
ambitions to achieve fame and high status in this
world. For this reason these activities cannot be
considered as being directed towards the purpose
which sets man apart from the animal and lends
him a higher distinction.
Man’s greater dignity can be based only on a
purpose which emanates from inner desires and
pressures of environment. Man’s true purpose in
life can only be to seek the pleasure of God. When
man seeks the pleasure of his Lord, his human
qualities find full manifestation. This is a purpose
loftier than the one towards which an animal directs
its energies. It distinguishes man from animals. It is
the ultimate station of human dignity.
To determine the purpose of life is, in short, the
effort to make life meaningful. It must surely,
therefore, be one which is in accordance with man’s
unique status; it must be one which leads man on
the path to success and progress in terms of his true
nature.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
