What is the purpose of life in Islām

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ

Muslims believe that there is only one God, one Creator, and in Islām He is called Allāh (). Allāh () sent man to Earth as his viceroy (khalīfa), whose purpose is to worship Him alone in the manner prescribed by Him. In the Qurʾān, which Muslims believe to be the literal Word of the Almighty, His final revelation to mankind, which was revealed to Prophet Muḥammad () as an oral narration through the archangel Gabriel (), Allāh () say: 

“And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy on the earth, …….” (Qurʾān 2:30) 

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Qurʾān 51:56) 

The concept of “worship” is very wide. Besides the usual acts of worship such as daily prayers, obligatory fasting, paying zakāh and performing Ḥajj, just about every aspect of human life can be regarded as a form of worship if performed with the right intention. So earning a living via legal means, looking after your wife and children, business dealings, socializing, bathing, eating, sleeping etc. can be regarded as forms of worship if conducted in the manner prescribed by the Creator with the intention of trying to pleasing Him. 

Muslims believe that the life on this Earth is relatively short in comparison the life in the Hereafter which is eternal. Life on this earth is a test for the Muslim, to see if he/ she can live his/ her life as ordain by the Almighty. The guidance on how mankind should conduct his life on this Earth has been provided by the Almighty through His revelations and his Prophets. The final revelation is the Qurʾān and the final Prophet is the Prophet Muḥammad (). These are the two primary sources for providing guidance as to how to live on this Earth so as to be successful in the next world. The real goal of a Muslim is to achieve success on the day of Judgement.