Man’s Value, Position in Creation

TEHRAN (IQNA) – From the viewpoint of the Holy Quran, humans are superior to other beings due to their intellect and wisdom and it is for this characteristic, among others, that mankind has been chosen as God’s caliph (vicegerent) on earth.

News ID: 3479904

Date: 31 July 2022 - 10:17

The existential structure of mankind is the best in creation as the Holy Quran says, “We have created the human being in the best form.” (Surah At-Tin, verse 4)

The Quran says human is a being whom God has breathed His soul into and that God has created other beings for him so that he can benefit from them for his growth and development.

These all point to the fact that human being has an inherent dignity and virtue in creation that lie in his sublime position of humanity. The capacity exists in all human beings to reach this position. They only need to recognize this capacity and make efforts to help it flourish.

According to the Quran, one of the components and elements that helps human beings gain happiness is developing intellect and wisdom and using them in line with the objectives of creation. Human beings have within themselves all the desires and yearnings that can play a role in their growth and salvation.

Unlike animals that move on the path to their perfection through natural and instinctive guidance, humanity cannot know the path of salvation through natural guidance. Instincts cannot lead human being to the right path and prevent him from going astray. For his salvation, human being uses intellect and wisdom as the first guide and it is what distinguishes him from animals. In the Quran, using intellect and wisdom has also been mentioned as a distinction between the faithful and disbelievers because the disbelievers fail to see the signs of the truth or even if they see them, they fail to contemplate on them. That is why they fail to find the right path and the path to salvation.

This is how the Holy Quran describes human beings who have turned their back on the truth: “The likeness of those who disbelieve is as the likeness of he who calls to that which does not hear, except a shout and a voice. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they do not understand.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 171)