Prophet Ādam: The Dawn of Humanity
Section 7 of 22 · Lives of the Prophets
Everything Was Created for the Human Being
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَسَوَّىٰهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“It is He who created for you all that the earth contains; then He turned to the heavens and made them seven skies - and He is the knower of all things.” (2:29)
If we look at the ayah before this, it would help us in understanding our mission, and our role in this world. Allah (swt) says in the ayah right before this ayah: huwa alladhī khalaqa lakum mā fī al-arḍi jamīʿan, thumma istawā ilā al-samāʾi fa-sawwāhunna sabʿa samāwāt, wa huwa bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm. Allah (swt) has created for you everything in this world.
Everything in this world was created for the human being. That is the honour that Allah (swt) has given this human being: that everything is created for the exploitation of human beings. Because they are the ultimate creation of this world, and they are the ones whom Allah (swt) has given the responsibility of establishing this dunyā, this world. So Allah (swt) has created everything for them.
Therefore, we should not give precedence to anything material over the human being. We should not sacrifice the human being for a material thing, because Allah (swt) has given this noble position to the human being: He made them a khalīfah, and He created everything for this human being. The human being is sacred.
But the way we are dealing with the human being now, on the face of the earth, is that we are killing human beings and destroying them for material gain. And that's why the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says that the Muslim is sacred in the eyes of Allah (swt) more than al-Kaʿbah. Ḥurmatu dami al-Muslim: the sanctity, and the sacred position, that is given to the blood of the Muslim is more than al-Kaʿbah.
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
“And We bestowed dignity on the children of ’Ādam and provided them with rides on the land and in the sea, and provided them with a variety of good things and made them much superior to many of those whom We have created.” (17:70)
That is the honour that Allah (swt) has given to the son of Ādam. Wa laqad karramnā banī Ādam: We have honoured the son of Ādam.