ASHRAFUL MAKHLUQAAT (THE BEST OF CREATURES)

Allah Ta'ala is Almighty and the All-Knower. No one can challenge His power and supremacy. He is the one and eternal creator. He is the one who has made man his vicegerent on earth and has thereby raised him to a superior position in relation to other creatures.

Allah Ta'ala says:

"Undoubtedly, We created man in the best form." (95:4)

In another verse, Allah Ta'ala says: 

"It is indeed true that We have granted honour to the children of Aadam (Alaihis Salaam). We carried him on land and sea, provided him with pure sustenance and granted him great superiority over many of Our creation." (17:70)

These two verses demonstrate that man was created in the most perfect form, and is a noble creature and superior to the other Makhluqaat (creatures). In fact, man is such a creature that his body, even after death, must be treated well. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) says in a Hadith:

"Fracturing the bone of a corpse is like fracturing the bone of a living person."

The body of a human being is sacred and must be respected to such an extent that the scholars of Islam have even condemned any transplantation of human organs. It is even forbidden for a man dying of hunger to eat the flesh of a human being. It is said in Fataawa Qaazi Khan:

"If a person offers his hand to be eaten by someone who is dying of hunger, it is forbidden for the latter to consume it even for the purpose of saving his life."

Also, it is forbidden to dispose of nails, hair, teeth and even used sanitary female pads, etc. as we deem fit. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) ordered them to be buried. This shows that everything that has to do with the human body must be dealt with respect.

If human's nails and hair are to be treated with such respect, we can get a sense of the dignity, nobility and greatness of man himself.

At this point, a question automatically comes to mind: "What differentiates man from other creatures that Allah Ta'ala has made him 'Ashraful-Makhluqaat', that is, the best of creatures?" To answer this question, it would be good to know the role and purpose of man's life on earth. Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'an-e-Karim:

"I have created man and Jinn only to worship Me." (51:56)

This verse demonstrates that man was created only to make the Ibaadah of Allah Ta'ala. But is this enough to distinguish man from other creatures, when the like of the sun, earth, moon, and birds also make the Ibaadah of Allah Ta'ala? It is said in the Qur'an-e-Karim:

"The seven heavens and earth together with whatever is within them glorify Him. There is nothing that does not glorify His praises, but you do not understand their glorification. Undoubtedly He is Most Forbearing, Most Forgiving." (17:44)

In another verse, Allah Ta'ala says:

"Do you not see that everyone in the heavens glorifies Allah Ta'ala, including the birds with their wings spread out? Each one knows its Salah (mode of worship) and method of glorification. And Allah Ta'ala has knowledge of what you do." (24:41)

It is true that the other creatures make the Ibaadah of Allah Ta'ala in their ways. But it is also true that they do it instinctively and have no choice to do otherwise, while the case of humans is quite different. 

Indeed, man has accepted an amaanat (deposit) and an immense responsibility, a responsibility that other creatures have declined. Allah Ta'ala says in this regard in His Book (Qur'an-e-Karim):

"Verily We had offered the trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and cringed at it. Man bore it (accepted it). He (man in general) is extremely unjust and ignorant." (33:72)

In this verse, we see that although man agreed to take on a responsibility that others declined - which should have earned him praise - Allah Ta'ala called him 'Zwalum' (unjust) and 'Jahul' (ignorant). But this must be interpreted as a compliment, because we described as unjust someone who may be otherwise, that is to say, he is just. Therefore, the fact that man has been designated by these two qualities - unjust and ignorant - presupposes that he has the faculty of being just and learned equally, for a rock is not called unjust or a tree ignorant since they do not possess these faculties.

Allah Ta'ala has endowed man with these two faculties exclusively, in order to enable him to carry out his role and to respect the commitment (the deposit) he has made. Indeed, justice and knowledge are indispensable for the understanding and practice of the Shari'ah. Man will be regarded as the best of creatures and will remain noble as long as he keeps his commitment and discharges his responsibility with justice and knowledge. A verse from the Qur'an reads as follows:

"O people! We have certainly created you from a single male and female and made you into various families and tribes so that you may recognise each other. Verily, the most honoured of you in Allah Ta'ala's sight is the one with the most Taqwa. Allah is certainly All knowing, Informed." (49:13)

And the degradation of man will be determined according to his negligence in his tasks. Allah Ta'ala shows, the consequence of negligence in another verse of the Qur'an:

"Yes, the unbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists will be in the fire of hell and will dwell therein forever. They are the worst of human beings". (98:6)

The faculties that Allah has granted to man enable him to distinguish between good and evil and to know and understand the commands of Allah Ta'ala. If, in spite of these faculties, he does not lead his life in accordance with the Shariah, then he is truly behaving ignorantly and is unjust to himself. He loses all its nobility and superiority in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala and degenerates and relegates himself to a lower point than the animals. If animals, which do not have the faculties and the abilities that men possess, live in accordance with the wishes of Allah, while man with all his qualities and abilities violates the orders of Allah, logic dictates that they should be considered lower than these animals, as the Qur'an-e-Karim clearly demonstrates:

"Without doubt, We have created a large number of Jinn and mankind for Jahannam. They have hearts with which they cannot understand, eyes with which they cannot see and ears with which they cannot hear. They are like animals, but even more astray. These are the indifferent ones." (7:179)

Indeed negligence and disobedience lead man to bestiality; he thus oversteps the bounds and allows himself to be carried away by his passions and bestial instincts, and thus behaves like an animal.

"Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are merely like animals, but even more astray." (25:44)

In short, a man is a noble, dignified and superior being as long as he submits to the commands of the Shari'ah. And it is only then that he can be said to be the best of creatures (Ashraful Makhluqaat); otherwise he is the worst of creatures and 'will be sent back to the lowest of lows'.

[English version of "Ashrafoul Makhloûqaat (La meilleure des créatures) " – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 3]