It has likely happened to you that upon seeing a starry sky or hearing the sound of rain, you experience a strange feeling. A feeling that tells you your place in this boundless universe is higher than you can imagine. One of the profound and inspiring concepts that can answer this feeling is “humanity’s succession (vicegerency) for God.”
Humanity’s succession for God on earth is the answer to life’s deepest questions. This concept indicates that man is not merely an earthly being with natural physical needs who comes, eats, sleeps, and leaves. Man possesses a capacity that has led God to trust him and entrust him with the greatest responsibility of existence.
Beyond a Human: Why Did God Place You on Earth?
The Meaning of God’s Succession (Vicegerency)
A successor (vicegerent) is someone who takes the place of another and performs their tasks. But “God’s successor” means someone who is present on earth on behalf of God to perform God-like actions.
In the Quran, when God told the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority” (21), the angels asked in astonishment, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood?” But God gave an answer that showed humans possess something that angels do not. Humans can cultivate God’s attributes within themselves: they can be merciful like God, forgiving like God, just like God (22). This is the core meaning of being God’s successor.
Are We All God’s Successors?
The answer to this question is both simple and profound. Yes, we are all created with this capacity. God has placed in each of us the talent to reach this position. But the issue is, who cultivates this talent within themselves?
This is like giving everyone a seed, but some grow a mighty tree from that seed, while others cannot. To the extent that God’s attributes manifest in a person and to the extent they gain knowledge and wisdom, to that same extent they will be God’s successor on earth (23).
The Effects of Believing in God’s Succession
Imagine if you were certain that a great king had trusted you and appointed you as his representative in a land, how would you feel? A sense of worth, self-confidence, and responsibility. These are the same feelings that believing in being God’s successor creates in us.
First, a sense of worth. When we know that God has chosen us for such a position, we do not see ourselves as small or incapable. We realize that our existence is valuable and we should not debase ourselves with superficial, worthless acts.
Second, a sense of purpose. Our lives become goal-oriented. We know why we came into this world and where we are going. This feeling saves us from nihilism and confusion.
Third, a sense of peace. Whoever knows their responsibility and acts upon it finds deep peace in their heart. They no longer worry about people’s opinions or temporary failures (24).
Responsibilities of God’s Successor
If we accept that we are God’s representatives on earth, we must know our responsibilities:
Learning and Knowledge: God’s successor must know what God wants from him. Therefore, he must seek to know God, know himself, and know the right path in life. The more we know, the better we can fulfill our responsibility.
Being Good and Living Righteously: God’s successor should, through his behavior, remind people of God. Kindness, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and helping others are all God-like actions.
Upholding Justice: God’s successor must not oppress anyone. He must be fair in all matters. Even if he does not like someone, he should not violate their rights (25).
Caring for Nature: The earth, air, water, trees, and animals are all divine trusts in our hands. We do not have the right to destroy the home of future generations for our own benefit.
Helping Others: God’s successor cannot be indifferent to the joys and sorrows of others. He must, as much as he is able, assist others.
Ways to Attain This Status
To better fulfill this responsibility, we can take this path step by step:
Self-Knowledge: First, we must see what talents and abilities we have. What is good in us, and what needs improvement. Self-knowledge is the first step towards knowing God (26).
Self-Monitoring: Before any action, first consider whether this deed is worthy of God’s successor or not. This inner vigilance keeps us away from many stumbles.
Increasing Understanding and Knowledge: Read books, research and study, understand how the world works, learn from the experiences of others. The more knowledgeable we are, the better decisions we can make.
Serving Others: Help others without expecting anything in return and without reproach. Smiling, guiding someone, assisting the needy – all of these are acts of worship.
Kindness to Nature: Conserve resources, do not litter, plant a tree if you can. The earth breathes just like us and has a right to life.
Obstacles Ahead
On this path, there are obstacles we must recognize:
Arrogance/Self-Conceit: Sometimes a person deludes themselves into thinking they know everything and need no one. This feeling is the greatest enemy of God’s successor.
Ignorance: If we do not know what our duty is, naturally we cannot perform it. Ignorance leads us astray from the right path.
Influence from an Unhealthy Environment: Sometimes friends, colleagues, or the societal atmosphere lead us in a direction where we forget why we are here.
Summary
Being God’s successor is not a ceremonial title. It is a responsibility, a trust, an honor. The great God has trusted us and appointed us as His successors in the world. The earth and everything in it are His trusts entrusted to us.
We must strive every day to take a small step towards becoming better. Perform a righteous deed, abandon a bad habit, help someone, take care of nature. Through these seemingly small actions, we can show that we are worthy of this great trust. Always remember that God sees us in every moment. This reminder can bring about fundamental transformations in our lives.
