36. Thus far man has been summoned to serve and obey God on the grounds that
God is his creator and sustainer, that in His grasp lies man's life and death,
that He alone is the Lord Who rules over the entire universe in which he lives.
In view of this, the only attitude which can be deemed appropriate for man is
one of service and subjection to God.
The same idea is presented in the following section, but supported on slightly different
grounds - namely that God created man as His vicegerent. In this capacity, man is obliged
not merely to serve and worship Him, but also to act in accordance with His instructions
and guidance. The Qur'an warns that if man allows himself to be misled by his arch-enemy,
Satan, he will be guilty of the most serious rebellion and will have to face the consequences
of his action.
In this connection the Qur'an defines precisely the true nature of man and his
correct position in the universe. It also enlightens us to a period of man's
past which is otherwise inaccessible. What the Qur'an tells us here, with its
practical consequences, is of far greater value than knowledge derived by unearthing
bones and pottery, and piecing together scattered fragments of information with
the help of conjecture.