Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Horizons of Thoughts The Purpose of Ziyarah One of the fundamental requisites of understanding the purpose of ziyarah is to have a correct worldview. If we realize the purpose of human creation, and submit our volition to our intellectual decision, our deeds would be directed towards our eternal salvation. The purpose of human creation according to Qur'an and Sunnah is to worship Almighty Allah: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنْسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُوْنَ.
And I have not Created the Jinn and the Men save that they Worship Me Alone.[^30] And worship without knowledge carries no meaning. This is because worship is not a mere exercise without any sense of devotion. 'Ibadah in the literal sense is defined as: العِبَادَةُ هِيَ نَصبُ الْعَبْدِ نَفْسَهُ فِي مَقَامِ المْمْلُوكِيَّة لِرَبّهِ. 'Ibadah is when the servant places himself in the position of being a bondsman of his Lord.[^31] And this cannot transpire without the knowledge of the Creator.
It is by appreciating His real ownership [^32] of the entire world of creation, His Knowledge over all things, His Omnipotence and Omnipresence that the human being is overtaken and humbles himself down before the Allah. He also realizes that the true Lord and Master is none but His Creator, and thus he places himself in the station of being an obedient slave of Almighty Allah.
Imam al-Hussein ('a), underlining the clear link between knowledge and worship is reported to have said: إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ مَا خَلَقَ الْعِبَادَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْرِفُوهُ فَإِذَا عَرَفُوهُ عَبَدُوهُ فَإِذَا عَبَدُوهُ اسْتَغْنَوْا بِعِبَادَتِهِ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ مَا سِوَاهُ... .
Surely Allah ('a) did not Create His servants except for knowing Him, and when they know him, they would worship Him, and when they worship Him, it would suffice them from worshipping other than Him….[^33] The worship that results from prior knowledge reaps knowledge itself. Knowledge before worship, however, is mostly intellectual ('aqli) and conceptual (tasawwuri).
It is a the result of rationally establishing the existence of God and His Attributes as well as the utter poverty and dependence of the entire creation on His Infinite Existence. Having realized this, the impartial servant worships with veneration and awe. If such worship was out of sincerity, he is availed with a higher form of knowledge, which is beyond the realm of intellect.