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God’s Plan for His Creation
Knowing God’s plan for His creation is to know the purpose for why we human beings and the rest of creation were created. There is a reason, cause, or impulse behind every action or event. The creation of the universe was a gigantic undertaking, even if we reflect only on our role in it. Unless we prefer to live in darkness and lead meaningless lives, pursuing things without knowing why or the end goal, it is a natural instinct of every conscious person to seek to know what God’s plan is, both individually and collectively. We shall explore the answer to this yearning based on what God Himself has revealed about his plan or our purpose in the holy scriptures.
God
God’s ultimate plan for His creation, as per Sufi cosmology, is beautifully revealed in a hadith qudsi, wherein it is stated: “I was a hidden treasure and I longed to be known, so I created the creation that I may be known.”
This hadith indicates that God’s plan for His creation and our purpose of being created is to know God, which is to gain gnosis. Importantly, there is no limit to the extent of this treasure or knowledge, as God is an entity without a beginning or an ending, who always was and always will be, suggesting an eternal and infinite source. Two God’s names that express these natures are Al-Hayy (Ever-Living) and Al-Qayyum (Self-Subsisting). We are living in a phase of the universe that is getting to know its Creator. That is the divine melody, which we can choose to either flow along with or be out of tune. This path to knowing God is the path of self-purification (tazkiya) and self-realisation (khud agaahi), which characterise spirituality.
Love
The longing expresses love, a natural desire to connect with the divine, and it leads to knowledge or expanded consciousness when we achieve that connection. Establishing such a connection is the essential meaning of ‘salah’, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, which otherwise outwardly refers to the ritual prayer, a form of worship. The Holy Quran thus gives a direct answer to the question of why we were created. It was to serve or worship Him (Quran 51:56), not that He is in need of our worship per se. The Holy Bible states the same, that God created us to glorify and worship Him (Isaiah 43:7, Psalm 29:1-2, Chronicles 16:29). The esoteric meaning of worship here is to forge the connection with God.
For Buddhists, this is the goal of cultivating a deep understanding of the nature of reality, thereby gaining relief from suffering and attaining peace and enlightenment. Hindus describe the purpose of creation as ‘leela’, which means ‘the divine play’. The concept asserts that rather than the creation having an objective or purpose, it should be seen as the outcome of the playful nature of the divine. It is illustrated by the dance (naṭarāja) of Shiva, which is the dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. As per the Rig Veda, whatever is present has always been present and will always be so. It takes a cyclical view of creation and involves acknowledging that things only change their form rather than being created or destroyed. God’s plan is thus sustaining this reality.
In the Holy Bible, God’s plan for His creation is revealed in Genesis. This first book describes in detail what was created, how, and in what linear order, without explicitly mentioning the purpose. However, we can gain an idea of the underlying purpose. For example, when we come to the creation of human beings, we are told that they were created as the pinnacle of creation to be different from the rest of creation. They were created after His image and likeness (Genesis, 1:26-27), which includes their mental and spiritual capabilities. Reflecting His likeness is to manifest His nature and attributes. For example, knowing that God loves His creation means that we should likewise love every creature, including fellow human beings.
The purpose encompasses the need for people to struggle or work hard, expand the human population, and take charge of the earth and its other creatures. This is stated in Genesis (1:28): “And God blessed [Adam and Eve]. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This echoes the Islamic concept of vicegerency (khalifah). It maintains that humanity has been entrusted with the responsibility of the harmonious preservation of God’s creation and the distribution of its resources. Although this is our collective humanitarian duty, particular individuals with the capacity to access and apply divine guidance to implement God’s plan are considered the most honourable vicegerents on earth in person.
Purpose of creation
The New Testament also delves into the purpose of creation. For example, God “desires all men to be saved” (2 Peter 3:9). Although only some are obedient while others are not, God ultimately causes all things to work for His glory and the good of “those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Our interpersonal goals are to love God and our neighbours. This is summed up in Jesus’ saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30). His own life on earth served as a prime example of how to fulfil these goals. In short, from the Biblical perspective, the creation did not come about without a plan. God knows the plans for us. They are “to prosper you and not to harm you” (Jeremiah 29:11), to give us hope and a future. Moreover, God’s plan is perfect because God Himself is a perfect planner without any comparison with others (Isaiah 46:5-7).
Why?
Given that God’s plan for His creation is essentially positive, it begs the question as to why there is so much suffering, injustice, and evil in the world. God is the single, ultimate, and transcendental source and sustainer of everything, whereas we individual souls are numerous and dependent on His provisions. As the Quran states, we all belong to God and will return to God (inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun) (Quran 2:155-157). Patient ones who acknowledge this are given “glad tidings” having passed their trials and tests of life (ditto). This is the natural tendency as we get to know more about God and love Him and His creation. Christians interpret this as the need to become one or align with God through Jesus Christ.
However, in so doing, rebellious entities prefer to be independent, and some even deny God altogether, thereby distancing themselves from the ultimate source. It is this distancing that causes them to not love but hate one another, thus leading to the above-mentioned problems. They lose themselves in the illusion of material things and worldly glory. The freedom to choose and shape the nature of our relationship with God and humankind is also part of the overall plan.
By loving and benefiting God’s creation
The key is to remove the veils of illusion, recognise our inherent links with one another, and thus the importance of helping one another, knowing ourselves (self-realisation) to know God, as is the path of spirituality, and love God and His creation. By loving and benefiting God’s creation, we fulfil what God wants for us, and He loves us in return. It is so because it reflects how God Himself provides for his creation without any expectation, such as the light from the sun arranged on the ‘first day’ (Genesis 1:3-5). According to the Christian mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg, God’s unceasing love for us leads to Him revealing about Himself. Enjoying that knowing or gnosis of the ‘hidden treasure’ within us and connecting with the infinite source is God’s plan for His creation.