Man: An Exceptional Creature

A tradition of the Prophet of Islam reported in books of Hadith reads: “God created Adam in His own image.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6227) This does not mean that man is like God in physical appearance. It means that God has in a limited way granted to man those divine attributes which exist in perfect form in God’s being.

In the entire universe a human being is an exceptional creature. His is a living existence. He is the only creature who has been granted a complete personality. He thinks, sees, hears, carries out planned action and can enjoy a multitude of things by using his five senses. All these are exceptional qualities which are granted only to man out of all the creatures in the entire universe.

Man has been given these exceptional gifts so that he may engage himself in an exceptional task. This exceptional task is to discover and apprehend the Creator at a conscious level. In this way, the Almighty Lord of the Universe has given man the opportunity to discover Him at the level of realization. He may see God while He Himself is unseen. He may render himself powerless before God; in spite of having power; he may surrender himself before God without any compulsion.

 He is blessed in having been given the ability to convert the entire world of nature into spiritual provision for himself, for he has to develop himself intellectually by awakening his consciousness. When he does so, he finds truth at the level of personal discovery; the realization of God comes to him as he bows in self-prostration. Then he has to develop his personality to such a degree of moral refinement that he may be held deserving of finding a place in the vicinity of Almighty God, that is, Paradise. Those who fail to develop such a personality are worthless in the eyes of God.