Human Being as the Center of Creation and the Most Significant Creation of God
In previous lessons, we established that the purpose of world’s creation was to prepare for human beings’s presence, with all other beings created to serve human beings and fulfill their needs. In essence, humanity is the center of the entire universe. But why is humanity the center of creation in this magnificent universe? What superiority do humans hold over other beings?
To address this question, we must first clarify what is meant by “being the center.” Being the center implies being the foundation or basis. When we say humanity is the center of creation, we mean that humanity is the foundation upon which all of creation is built.
Just as every creation or construction is centered on a specific goal, and all processes are tailored to it, the same principle applies to humanity. For instance, the central focus of building a hospital is the patient. Hospitals are constructed with the aim of treating patients, and all aspects of their design and management must cater to patients’ needs, ranging from emergency departments and operating rooms to pharmacies, skilled doctors, nurses, and even administrative offices, kitchens, restrooms, and more, to ensure the patient’s needs are met.
Similarly, in the case of schools, students are the central focus. The purpose of establishing schools is to foster the intellectual, physical, and character development of students. Consequently, anyone creating a school must consider all these aspects. Therefore, when we say human beings are the center of creation, we mean that God, as the Creator of all realms, designed the universe, from the Alam al-Jabarut (Intelligible World) to the Alam al-Malakut (Celestial Kingdom ), entirely for human beings and their journey toward their ultimate purpose. In essence, all realms and beings are subordinate to human beings and serve their path toward perfection.
Now that we understand humanity’s central role in creation, let us return to our initial question: Why is the human being the center of creation? What gives human beings an advantage over other beings that God created everything for them?
The Human Being: The Manifestation of Divine Names and Attributes
The primary reason for humanity’s superiority over other beings lies in their unique status within the system of creation. The human holds the position of being Allah’s deputy on earth, a rank not granted to any other creation, including angels. A deputy is someone who acts on behalf of another with their permission. This role requires similarity; one can only represent another if they bear similarities to them. Thus, human beings earn the title “deputy of Allah” when they bear similarity to God in all aspects and manifest His names and attributes within themselves.
Achieving this lofty status requires significant effort. Not everyone is willing to embark on this challenging journey. Therefore, the status of being God’s deputy on earth is a potential status rather than an actuall one. In other words, not all human beings attain this rank; only those who embody divine ethics to the extent of their capacity achieve a share in this deputyship.
It is crucial to note that God’s names and attributes are not inherently actualized within human beings. Humans must engage in this material world, face its contradictions and conflicts, and activate these divine qualities within themselves to become the true deputy of God. God created human beings with free will so they could voluntarily pursue this path of becoming similar to God and manifesting His names. Furthermore, the All-Wise Creator provided all necessary resources that human beings need on this path and aligned everything with the mathematical system of human existence to aid them in their journey toward their purpose of creation. Hence, humanity is the center of creation, and a profound existential relationship exists between the human and all beings. Nothing in existence, whether in the material world or in the Unseen world and Malakut (Celestial Kingdom), exists outside of humanity’s purpose or remains unrelated to its journey. In the following section, we will briefly explore the human being’s relationship with the material world, angels, and Satan.
The Human Being and the Material World
Human beings are the center of the material world. God designed our existence in such a way that, to achieve the purpose of creation and to manifest His names, we require a physical body and an environment filled with contradictions and conflicts, so that by engaging with the challenges of this environment, we may grow and ceate the conditions necessary for manifesting divine names.
The material world is the only environment equipped with such characteristics. Therefore, during the arc of descent, God sent our souls from the worlds of Jabarūt and Malakūt to the material world, so that, by becoming attached to a body and confronting contrasting conditions such as health and illness, beauty and ugliness, physical weakness and strength, wealth and poverty, and so on, we develope and awaken our latent potentials
For instance, if we face hardships like sickness or poverty and, instead of succumbing to grief, despair, ingratitude, or hopelessness, we remain patient and grateful, we gradually become the manifestation of God’s Names As-Sabūr (The Most Patient) and Ash-Shakūr (The Most Grateful). These divine names become evident in us. Another example lies in our relationships, whether with our family and relatives, or with others like colleagues, neighbors, or fellow citizens. These relationships constantly test us, and if we pass these tests successfully, we acquire many of God’s names, such as Ar-Rahmān (The Most Beneficent), Al-Karīm (The Most Generous), Al-Ghafūr (The Most Forgiving), Ash-Shakūr, Al-Jawād (The Most Bountiful), As-Sattār (The Concealer), and more. Over time, our souls’ capacity will grow.In fact, we came to this world to manifest God’s attributes. The more we strive on this path, the closer and more similar we become to Him. For example, someone who is kind and generous to others reflects God’s beneficence and generosity. A person who overlooks the faults of others resembles God in His concealment of faults (As-Sattār).
In general, the entire material world, including mountains, plains, forests, oceans, all animals, various plants like trees, flowers, fruits, and foods, as well as celestial bodies like the sun, moon, stars, and beyond, has been created for us and in harmony with our existential structure. These elements serve as tools for our benefit and facilitate our journey toward perfection
The Human Being and Angels
To move toward perfection, wee need angels. God Almighty has created countless angels, each with unique roles, to oversee the affairs of our lives and serve us. These angels are the divine agents in the universe, managing it under God’s command. Not a single movement occurs in the system of creation without their involvement, and without them, life on earth would be impossible for any being. The responsibilities of angels include various cosmic and earthly phenomena: the movements of the earth, maintaining celestial bodies in space, preserving the earth’s distance from the Sun and other planets, regulating the atmosphere, directing the movement of clouds, rainfall, snow, wind, lightning, the growth of plants, and overseeing all stages of birth and death among living beings. In addition to all these tasks, angels are also charged with inspiring goodness in our hearts and recording the good and bad deeds we perform.
The Human Being and Satan
Satan is a being that creates obstacles on our path to perfection; therefore, at first glance, his existence may seem detrimental to us, but in reality, it is not. Like all God’s creations, Satan is also a source of goodness. In fact, if we confront him correctly, our progress toward God can accelerate significantly. To achieve the purpose of our creation, we even need Satan’s temptations. Through his temptations, Satan challenges our inner strength and reveals our weaknesses. By engaging in this struggle, we grow stronger each day and gain more of God’s attributes. For instance, when we resist Satan’s temptation to become angry and instead control our rage, we activate the attribute of patience (As-Sabur) within ourselves. Similarly, when someone mistreats us but, instead of succumbing to the feelings of vengeance and resentment that Satan stirs within us, we forgive and overlook their faults, we embody and manifest God’s attribute of forgiveness (Al-Ghaffar).
In this discussion, we explored the elevated position of humanity in the system of creation and its connection to other beings, understanding why humanity is referred to as the center of creation. God willed to create a being called the human, who would manifest and embody all His attributes. The human truth contains all the divine names and attributes, but these attributes exist in a potential state and must be actualized through free will, enabling the individual to attain the rank of being God’s deputy on earth. To achieve this goal, humanity requires the entire system of creation, encompassing the material world or Nasut, as well as the worlds of Malakut and Jabarut. Human beings must exist on earth with a physical body and, through navigating the conflicts and contradictions of the material world, traverse the path to perfection. Therefore, the entire system of creation has been designed to align with humanity’s purpose and is tailored to its existential structure. In other words, the human being is at the center of creation of the entire universe.