Why God Created the Universe?

“In the Quran He says, I did not create jinn and mankind, save to worship Me (51:56), the last phrase of which can also mean “to serve Me.” Fulfilling the proper human role as God’s vicegerent demands serving the Lord, and no service is greater than negating oneself and affirming God, annihilating blameworthy character traits and allowing the Divine character traits to subsist. But what does service/worship have to do with love? Here Sufi texts like to quote the ḥadīth qudsī, “I was a hidden treasure, and I loved to be recognized; so I created the creatures so that I would be recognized.” In other words, God created the universe because, as the verse of mutual love puts it, He loves them; that is, He loves human beings; so He gave them the capacity to recognize Him and to love Him in return. By recovering their fiṭrah, they recognize themselves as God’s servants, and they recognize their Lord as the possessor of the Most Beautiful Names, which are also the Most Lovable Names, for beauty attracts love. Recognition, in other words, turns their love toward God, and love demands devoted service.” ~ The Qur’an and Sufism by William C. Chittick, in The Study Quran ~