1-
God created man and established him as His vicegerent on earth and made the
universe with its heavens and Earth and all that lies between them subservient
to him and instructed him to populate the earth.
This indicates that God
intended that man should be the master in this universe, but at the same time
he should not forget that God created him. In this sense only is he a slave to
God his Creator whom he is expected to serve as one who worships Him and not as
a servile or abject slave.God Almighty gave man the freedom of choice between obeying Him or disobeying Him, between believing in Him or rejecting His Faith and this is stated in the following Quranic verse:" Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject (it)"(18/29).Freedom of choice is the opposite of slavery. Man has always been granted the right and freedom of choosing his way in life and is consequently responsible for his actions:"If any one does a righteous deed, it is for the benefit of his own soul; and if he does evil, it works against (his own soul)."(45/15).
2- God has honoured man and preferred him to many of His creatures as is
stated:" We have honoured the sons of Adam"(17/70). This honour with
which God has blessed Man is the exact opposite of servility, and when
God created man and breathed into him of His spirit , he ordered the angels to
prostate themselves before him:"When I have fashioned him (in due proportion)
and breathed into him of My spirit, Fall down in obeisance unto him ."
(15/29) In this process of divine spiritual animation lies the intimate
relationship between man and his Creator, and every human being retains within
his soul the essence of this divine process which always assures him that he is
in the Divine presence of God, wherever he may be:" And He is with you
wheresoever you may be."(57/4)
3- The Quran also assures us that God Almighty is nearer to man than his own
jugular vein (50/4), and that He is always near to him and that He answers the
prayers of every person who invokes Him (2/186), and that His Mercy extends to
all things (7/156), and that He is Most Merciful. Although God Almighty has
been described in the Quran as being All-Compelling once and as being the
Supreme Controlling power twice and as being Irresistible six times, He has
been described as being the Most Gracious and Beneficent fifty seven times and
as being the Merciful one hundred and fourteen times, in addition to being
described as the Most Merciful of the merciful four times. God Almighty has
also been described as kind and affectionate and the attribute of His Mercy has
been mentioned innumerable times. The aforementioned verses all prove the
intimate relationship between man and his Creator for it is a relationship of
proximity, mercy and response to man's prayers and invocations, God Almighty is
more merciful and compassionate to His creatures than a mother is to her child
and this mercy is felt by every Muslim in the depths of his heart.