--- title: "Human as Creation Sermon: Allah's Honoured Creature" description: "Human as creation sermon: shaped in the best of forms, entrusted as steward on earth, protected by the five necessities — religion, life, intellect, lineage, wealth." canonical: "https://getvaaz.com/en/blog/human-as-creation-sermon" locale: "en" published: "2026-05-15" updated: "2026-05-15" author: "VAAZ Team" source: "VAAZ — getvaaz.com" --- # Human as Creation Sermon: Allah's Honoured Creature > **Quick answer:** The human being is Allah's chosen creature, fashioned in the best of forms and appointed as steward (khalifa) on earth. Allah declares: 'We have created the human in the best of forms' (At-Tin 95:4) and 'We have honoured the children of Adam' (Al-Isra 17:70). Islam protects five necessities — religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth — through which human dignity is preserved and the trust of stewardship fulfilled. Allah created the universe and provided for countless creatures, but He singled out one and called him *khalifa* — steward. That creature is the human being. The human is neither a mere lump of clay nor only a rational animal. He is fashioned in the best of forms, charged with representing Allah's command on earth, and entrusted with five essential trusts. This sermon explores human dignity through the lines of the Qur'an and through the five necessities preserved by Islam — religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth. ## Ahsan Taqwim — Fashioned in the Best of Forms Allah's description of the human creation is sublime: > لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ فِيٓ أَحۡسَنِ تَقۡوِيمࣲ > Indeed, We created the human in the best of forms. Surah At-Tin 95:4 *"Ahsan taqwim"* is not merely physical beauty. It is the structure of the body, the balanced measure of human faculties, the subtlety of the soul, and the matchless gift of the intellect. Allah fashioned the human at the meeting point of clay and spirit. Surah Al-Mu'minun pictures the creation as a graduated miracle: > ثُمَّ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلنُّطۡفَةَ عَلَقَةࣰ فَخَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡعَلَقَةَ مُضۡغَةࣰ فَخَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡمُضۡغَةَ عِظَٰمࣰ ا فَكَسَوۡنَا ٱلۡعِظَٰمَ لَحۡمࣰ ا ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَٰهُ خَلۡقًا ءَاخَرَۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحۡسَنُ ٱلۡخَٰلِقِينَ > Then We made the seed into a clot, then the clot into a morsel of flesh, then the flesh into bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We brought him forth as another creation. So blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators! Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:14 *"Khalqan akhar"* — another creation. From the same matter, but by a miracle a being now possessing a soul, knowing, loving, willing, bearing responsibility. To this creature Allah spoke through revelation, took a covenant, and placed him on earth as steward. ## The Honoured Human Allah declares that He has honoured humanity above many other creatures: > ۞وَلَقَدۡ كَرَّمۡنَا بَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ وَرَزَقۡنَٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَفَضَّلۡنَٰهُمۡ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرࣲ مِّمَّنۡ خَلَقۡنَا تَفۡضِيلࣰ ا > Indeed, We have honoured the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with wholesome sustenance, and favoured them greatly over many of those We created. Surah Al-Isra 17:70 This honour (*karama*) is not innate but a trust. The human was given intellect, responsibility, revelation, and Messengers. In exchange, the duty of stewardship must be carried out. When Allah informed the angels that the human would be steward on earth, they asked in wonder: > قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ > They said: "Will You place therein one who will cause corruption and shed blood, while we glorify Your praise and sanctify You?" He said: "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30 What Allah knew — and they did not — was this: in the human there was a Yusuf, an Ibrahim, a Muhammad (peace be upon him). The human is the only creature able to sink to the lowest depths and rise to the highest summits. This is both his honour and his trial. ## The Purpose of Human Creation — Worship of Allah The human was not created in vain. Allah declares: > وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ > I created the jinn and humankind only that they may worship Me. Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56 Worship is not limited to formal acts like prayer and fasting; it means ordering every moment of life by the pleasure of Allah. Eating, working, marrying, raising children, conducting business — all become worship through intention. Allah is independent of the human; the human is dependent upon Allah. Prophets were sent to remind humanity of this worship. Everything they conveyed served the protection of five necessities: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth. Scholars call these *ad-daruriyyat al-khams*. Each is worth a brief look. ## The First Trust — Protecting Religion Religion stands first among the values a Muslim possesses. Protecting religion means putting its commands and prohibitions into practice in one's life. Merely saying *"I am a Muslim"* is not enough; one who accepts Islam must fulfil its obligations and avoid what it forbids. Allah declares in Surah Al-Ma'idah: > ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَٰمَ دِينࣰ ا > Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and chosen Islam as your religion. Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3 Protecting religion is not only personal worship but extends to family and community — parents teaching children prayer, brothers enjoining good and forbidding wrong. All of this falls under "protecting religion." ## The Second Trust — Protecting Life Allah commands plainly: > وَلَا تُلۡقُواْ بِأَيۡدِيكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلتَّهۡلُكَةِ > Do not throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:195 The right to life is inviolable. Taking another's life unjustly is among the gravest sins; suicide is the same. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: > Whoever is killed defending his life is a martyr. Health is the foundation of worship. A sick person cannot fulfil duties to their Lord, family, or community. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: *"Two favours are valued only by few people: health and free time"* (Sahih al-Bukhari, Riqaq, 6412). The believer protects health, avoids harm to the body, and stays away from reckless behaviour. Islam permits the sick to break the Ramadan fast and to perform *tayammum* (dry ablution) when water causes harm. These dispensations show how high a priority the preservation of life is. ## The Third Trust — Protecting the Intellect The intellect is the gift that distinguishes the human from other creatures. Allah declares: > أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَسۡبَغَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَٰهِرَةࣰ وَبَاطِنَةࣰ > Do you not see that Allah has placed at your service all that is in the heavens and the earth, and showered upon you His favours, both seen and unseen? Surah Luqman 31:20 Foremost among the "unseen favours" is the intellect. Imam al-Ghazali in *Ihya'* relates: A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet: *"By what do people excel one another in this world?"* He replied: *"By intellect."* She asked: *"And in the Hereafter?"* Again: *"By intellect."* The intellect is the basis of excellence in both worlds. Protecting the intellect entails avoiding what damages it. Intoxicants and drugs are the most damaging. Wine deprives the human of judgment; the drunk person loses awareness of speech and causes injury to life and property. Drugs are more destructive still — the addict loses both reason and health. For these reasons, Islam has forbidden both. ## The Fourth Trust — Protecting Lineage Protecting and continuing lineage is achieved through marriage and the formation of family. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: > Four are from the sunnah of all the prophets: modesty, perfume, the miswak, and marriage. By forbidding fornication, Islam places the strongest shield at the foundation of family and lineage: > وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةࣰ وَسَآءَ سَبِيلࣰ ا > Do not even approach fornication. It is indeed an immorality and an evil path. Surah Al-Isra 17:32 *"Do not approach"* — not only the act itself, but everything that leads to it. This is the root of the fiqh of protecting lineage. ## The Fifth Trust — Protecting Wealth Like life, wealth is inviolable. In his Farewell Sermon, the Prophet declared the lives and wealth of believers sacred to one another: > Your lives and your wealth are sacred to one another, like the sanctity of this day, this month, this city. Protecting wealth is not only respect for another's property, but earning one's own from lawful sources and using it well. Allah commands: > وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ > Eat and drink, but do not waste. Allah does not love the wasteful. Surah Al-A'raf 7:31 Both extravagance and miserliness disturb the balance of wealth. The believer walks between the two, on the path of balance Allah has drawn. ## Stories ### The First Human — The Creation of Adam When Allah created Adam from clay, He announced to the angels that he would be a steward (*khalifa*) on earth. After his creation, his Lord gave him Paradise as a dwelling and told him he could eat from everything except one tree. Adam and Hawwa were deceived by Satan and ate from that tree. Then they turned back in remorse: > رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ > Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers. Surah Al-A'raf 7:23 This prayer is the first example that even on the path of stewardship, when the human stumbles, repentance lifts him up again. The story of creation is not a story of ruin but of training. Allah accepted the repentance and gave Adam guidance. ### Sulayman's Test with the Ant Allah granted Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) great gifts: a kingdom, command over the wind, the understanding of animal speech. One day, marching with his army, he heard an ant say: *"O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his soldiers crush you without knowing!"* Sulayman smiled at her words and turned to his Lord: > رَبِّ أَوۡزِعۡنِيٓ أَنۡ أَشۡكُرَ نِعۡمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَيَّ وَأَنۡ أَعۡمَلَ صَٰلِحࣰ ا تَرۡضَىٰهُ > My Lord, inspire me to be grateful for the favour You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You. Surah An-Naml 27:19 The stewardship of the human contains this secret: however great a kingdom grows, the servant remains humble enough to take a lesson from an ant. The guarding of intellect prevents power from turning to destruction. ### The Wealth of Abu Bakr Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had considerable wealth on the day he became Muslim. He neither hoarded it nor squandered it — he spent it in Allah's path. He bought and freed Muslim slaves who were being tortured. Before the expedition to Tabuk, when the Prophet called for contributions, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) brought half his fortune, while Abu Bakr brought all of it. The Prophet asked: *"What have you left for your family?"* He replied: *"I have left them Allah and His Messenger."* > This story reveals the true meaning of "protecting wealth." Wealth is a trust with Allah; the human holds it not to expand his own fortune but to use in the path of Allah. Abu Bakr's giving all was not extravagance against miserliness — it was the highest balance in the path of Allah. ### "I Will Take Pride in My Ummah" A hadith of the Prophet weaves together all five trusts at once: > Marry, and increase in number — for I will take pride in the multitude of you over other communities on the Day of Judgment. Marriage protects lineage; raising children continues it; a righteous lineage carries religion; lawful wealth sustains family; healthy living protects intellect; faith encompasses all of it. The five trusts are five branches of one tree: the honour of human stewardship. ## Understanding Human Creation with VAAZ The [99 Beautiful Names of Allah collection](https://getvaaz.com/en/asma-al-husna) in the [VAAZ app](https://getvaaz.com/en) features *Al-Khaliq* (the Creator), *Al-Musawwir* (the Fashioner of forms), and *Al-Bari'* (the Maker who perfects His creation) — three windows into the divine measure of the human creation. The [dua archive](https://getvaaz.com/en/dua) holds the supplication *"O Allah, You created me"* — a daily reminder of the trial of having been created. For the lineage dimension of human dignity, see [Sermon on the Family](https://getvaaz.com/en/blog/sermon-on-family); for the purpose of life, see [Sermon on Faith (Iman)](https://getvaaz.com/en/blog/sermon-on-iman). The human is not mere dust but a trust bearing Allah's sign, raised by the honour of stewardship. So long as the five trusts are all preserved, the right of *ahsan taqwim* is fulfilled. ## References 1. The Noble Qur'an, Surah At-Tin 95:4-5. 2. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Isra 17:32, 17:70. 3. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30, 2:195. 4. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:12-14. 5. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56. 6. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-A'raf 7:23, 7:31. 7. The Noble Qur'an, Surah An-Naml 27:19. 8. The Noble Qur'an, Surah Luqman 31:20, Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3. 9. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Mazalim, hadith no. 2480 (One killed defending property is a martyr). 10. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Hajj, hadith no. 1739 (Farewell Sermon). 11. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Riqaq, hadith no. 6412 (Health and free time). 12. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book of Nikah, hadith no. 1080 (Four sunnahs of the Prophets). 13. Imam al-Ghazali, *Ihya' Ulum al-Din*, chapter on the Human and the Intellect. ## Frequently Asked Questions --- Source: [VAAZ — getvaaz.com](https://getvaaz.com/en) · This is the agent-facing Markdown edition of the page; the canonical edition lives at the `canonical` URL above. Full index: https://getvaaz.com/llms.txt