O slave of God, know that God, the Exalted, created man only in order to enable his heart or spirit to make the journey towards Him and to attain communion with Him, and to observe His Glory and Beauty, which is the ultimate end of all purposes and goals and the end of all bounties and gifts. The world and whatsoever in it, as well as the other world and whatsoever is in it, have been created for the same purpose. The advent of the prophets and messengers and the revelation of the Qur'an and the other scriptures ‑ all are meant to fulfil the same pur pose. As God says:
And I did not create the jinn and the human kind except that they should serve (or worship)Me. (51:56)
Ibn `Abbas (May God be pleased with him) said that here li ya'budun (that they may serve Me) means li ya`rifun (that they may know Me). That is, all have been created in order to know Me. Accord ing to a sacred tradition (hadith qudsi), God has said:
I was a hidden treasure; then I wished to become known. Then I created the creation, so that I may be known.
But as to the meaning of this journey, know that man's heart is confronted with veils, obstacles and great distances (of separation from God).
There are also for it degrees, stages and stations of proximity to God. If one does not overcome the hurdles of the path, one cannot attain any degree of proximity to God.