Analysis of Islamic Thinkers' Views on the Verses of the Purpose of Creation with Emphasis on the Hierarchy of Worship

Abstract

The ultimate end of God's actions is one of the most challenging issues among Islamic theologians. In the meantime, the Ash'arites emphasizes the negation of the purpose of the actions of Supreme Being. In contrast, most Mu'tazilites and all Imams believe in the generality of the existence of purpose in divine actions. Despite the differences in the purposefulness of the actions of the Almighty, the determination of creation is both intellectually and narratively agreed upon by all Islamic thinkers. In the intervening time, some verses refer to the purposefulness of the creation of the universe and some specify the purpose of human creation as well. In the meantime, due to the variety of Quranic interpretations, thinkers consider the experiment, serving God and attaining mercy as the most significant goal of human creation. According to the internal evidences of the verses, the goals mentioned in the Quran are not only in conflict but also in a way complementary to each other. Among the mentioned goals, "worship", given its ranking, has a particular venue; as, given the general meaning of worship, which encompasses all practical and scientific aspects of human life; It could be regarded a goal for some existential stages and a tool for others. Namely, worship is the initial stage, servitude is the middle stage and the manifestation of lordship and guardianship is the ultimate stage of the goal of creation that the perfect human has attained. The current research is mainly based on descriptive-analytical method through library data collection.