The Gist of the Quran

The Gist of the Quran Man is the only creature in this vast universe who enjoys complete freedom. Man possesses the thinking capacity in absolute sense of the word. Man thinks, observes, contemplates, analyzes things, thus he discovers the glory of God reflected in His creation. After acquiring this self-discovered knowledge he exclaims: ‘O God, I witness Your existence, I acknowledge Your glory, I surrender before You. You are my Lord and I am your subject.’ This is the greatest hamd and this kind of hamd can be expressed only by human beings. The chapter Al-Dhariyat (Scattering Winds) of the Quran tells us the purpose of creation in these words: I created the jinn and mankind only so that they might worship Me: I seek no sustenance from them, nor do I want them to feed Me—it is God who is the great Sustainer, the Mighty One, the Invincible. (51: 56-58) According to the commentators of the Quran, here worship (ibadat) means marefat. What is marefat? Marefat means realization of God through contemplation. When one realizes God, he falls into a great sense of awe, and hamd is only an expression of this kind of deep feeling towards the Lord of the Universe.