Man is not only a social animal but a spiritual one. This spirituality stems from the fact that he was created by God, who had blown his spirit into him. Thus, while our body is a container of the soul, which is attached to earthly matters, the soul, with its essence of the spirit, always longs to be united with the Creator.
One of the meanings of the word Islam is surrender, and human life is nothing but surrender. We had no choice when our souls were created, nor did we have a choice when they were united with the flesh in our mother's womb. We had no choice living as a fetus and after birth were dependent on our parents and others around us.
The Quran states: "When God comprehended in his design heavens and earth and asked them to come together willingly or unwillingly, they said we come together in willing obedience." Human longing for union with God is no different from a child who got separated from his mother in a mall and then finds her and runs back to her folds.
It has been said that it is not man who is the seeker but it is he who is being sought. For this union of soul to take place with its Creator, one must achieve the state of peaceful bliss.
