Ramadan Reflections #4: The heavens and the earth were not created aimlessly (Qur'an 44:38)

🌙 Ramadan Reflections is a series of short essays where reflection turns into practice, and the heart returns to Allah.

“We did not create the heavens and the earth in play”

Allah (swt) says:

“We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them in play (without purpose).” (Qur’an 44:38)

This blessed verse rejects the idea that existence is nothing more than matter and coincidence. As Muslims, we believe Allah (swt) is One, the only true Lord, and that Allah is actively involved in the creation of all things, from subatomic depths to astronomical scales.

In Islam, Allah (swt) did not leave humanity without guidance. Allah conveys divine guidance to all people through the Qur’an. And in this āyah, Allah clearly negates the claim that the universe and everything in it exists without a Creator, without purpose, and without meaning.

Nothing is accidental

When Allah mentions the heavens and the earth, it is not mere poetry. The sky, the stars, the galaxies, the entire universe, and our world were created intentionally.

• Nothing is accidental.

• Nothing is without purpose.

• Nothing exists outside Allah’s will and power.

Only Allah exists by Allah’s own right, while everything else exists only because Allah wills it, decrees it, and allows it.

Every atom, every creature, every second is under Allah’s will and decision. All affairs are in Allah’s hands. All power belongs to Allah, and Allah sustains everything without fatigue.

“Everything between them”: worlds beyond our sight

The phrase “everything between them” includes all other creations and realities we do not fully perceive:

• angels, jinn, devils

• human beings, animals, plants

• natural laws: light, energy, gravity, magnetism, temperature

• the order within physics, mathematics, and chemistry

Every object carries intricate design and a specific divine purpose, whether or not we can see that purpose or understand it.

The finite cannot contain the Infinite

When it comes to Allah, a central truth is this:

Allah is limitless, and we are limited.

So we should not deny what we cannot fully comprehend. The finite cannot fully grasp the Infinite: Allah’s will, wisdom, purpose, and the many divine names, attributes, and powers.

If everything has a purpose, what is ours?

The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes that nothing was created in vain:

“Did you think We created you in play (without purpose) and that you would not be returned to Us?” (Qur’an 23:115)

If the universe was created with purpose, then our existence is also purposeful. The Qur’an answers this directly:

“I did not create jinn and humankind except that they worship Me (so that they may attain ma‘rifah, true knowing of Me).” (Qur’an 51:56)

Worship here does not only mean rituals. It is a life of obedience, morality, awareness, and gratitude toward Allah (swt).

And the ultimate goal of worship, in all its forms, is to gain deeper recognition and knowing of Allah.

“The ultimate purpose of worship in all its forms is attaining ma‘rifah of the All-Powerful Allah.” (Mawlana Faizani)

A short Ramadan reflection

If today life feels scattered or meaningless, return to this verse. Allah does not create “in play”. That is not true of your life either.

A first step is to admit: I am not the Lord. I am created.

From that honest recognition, the path toward worship, surrender, and true insight begins.

Series: Ramadan Reflections