The Concept of Worship in Islam

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The Concept of Worship in Islam (1/2)

Dr. Farida Khanam



WORSHIP, according to the Qur’an, is the sole purpose of the creation of man. The Qur’an says:
“I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56).
There are a number of verses in the Qur’an, which elaborate on how the prophets were sent to this world for this very purpose. (Surah An-Nahl, 16:36, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:21, Surah An-Nisa’, 4:36, Surah Al-Anbiya’, 21:25). According to Islam, all individuals should lead lives of worship and devotion to God.
The dictionary defines worship as bowing before someone and humbling oneself. “The essence of worship is fearfulness and humility,” says Lisan al-Arab. The dictionary meaning of the word is also its canonical meaning. Abu Hayyan says: “Prayer means humility: this is the consensus of religious scholars” (al Bahr al Muhit, Vol. 1, p. 23). That is why the Qur’an uses the word “arrogance” as the antonym of worship.
Although worship’s real connotations are humility and fearfulness, when the word is used in relation to God, it also includes the concept of love. Ibn Kathir writes: “According to the dictionary, worship stands for lowliness… In the Islamic Shari’ah it is used to express a condition of extreme love coupled with extreme humbleness and apprehension.” (Tafsir al Qur’an, Vol. 1, p. 25)
Imam Ibn Taimiyah says: “The word ‘Ubudiyat (adoring enslavement) expresses a mixture of extreme humility and extreme love.” (The Pamphlet on Ubudiyah, p. 28) Hafiz Ibn Qayyem also writes. “There are two components of worship: extreme love and extreme humility” (Tafsir ibn Qayyem, p. 65).
The essence of worship then is to adopt an attitude of lowliness and humility before God. In the Qur’an, this is expressed by different words, such as Khashiyyah, Tadhurru, Ikhbat, Inabat, Khushu, Khudu and Qunut, etc. To worship God means utter prostration of oneself before Him. The Being before whom the act of worship is performed is no tyrant but an extremely kind Being, to whom we owe limitless blessings. So this expression of lowliness before Him is tinged with love.
The concept of Ibadah entails that one should first realise his relation to God. The relation of man to God is the relation of the humblest creature to an extremely beloved Being. Man shivers in awe of God but, at the same time, he draws closer to Him in great expectations. For the fear of God is not of the kind produced by the sight of a fearful ******. It is rather a feeling of extreme hope and extreme apprehension. It is a situation of love and fear in which man runs towards the very Being he fears, in the hope of receiving from Him His divine blessings.
According to the Qur’an, the essence of worship is to be God fearing.
“O men, serve your Lord who has created you and those who have gone before you, so that you may guard yourselves against evil.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:21)
When a believer has developed this strong attachment to God, he reaches a state of deep realisation enabling him to experience the presence of God. The Prophet has been reported as saying:
“Pray to God as if you are seeing Him.” (Reported by Mishkat, Chapter on Faith).
According to this saying, the most sublime form of worship is that in which the worshipper is so lost in thoughts of God that he finds himself very close to Him. His apprehension of the divine presence should be as keen as if God were actually visible. This state of psychological proximity is the most sublime achievement of prayer. All rites of worship are aimed at arriving at that state.
So the aim of our worship is to enter into a relationship with God “and” reach God. To find God thus in this life is the highest reality of religion.
The Implication Of Worship
What God desires of man, first and foremost, is that he displays humility in His presence. It is this attitude, which is called worship. But man has not been created in a vacuum. He has rather been placed in a world full of diverse circumstances. If the believer has truly surrendered his being before God, then this spirit will manifest itself in his dealings with everyone he comes in contact with. This submission, a manifestation of true worship can be divided into two categories: the individual and the collective.
Individual obedience means obeying God in those matters which are related to his personal life. It covers all those commandments which pertain to morals and dealings with man, like speaking the truth, keeping one’s promises, being honest and trustworthy, upholding justice, being a well-wisher of all, etc.
All this involves surrendering to the will of God in one’s personal affairs. (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:36).
This individual obedience is an obligation for every believer. He has to mould his external life entirely on the pattern indicated by God. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:208)
The second category of commandments, called Ita’ah (submission), may be termed social commandments. These can be carried out only when the whole of society is willing to obey them. That is why such commandments have always been sent by God only when the believers had already established a political organisation among themselves. Because only then are they in a position to enforce such social laws. That is why social laws are addressed to any Muslim society, which is invested with authority, rather than to individuals who have no political power. We find that during the Makkan period only the basic part of the Shariah was revealed. The rest of the Shariah continued to be revealed according to the circumstances. These laws are directed only at those groups of believers who are in a position to carry them out.
As we learn from the Qur’an:
“God does not charge a soul with more than it can bear.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:286).

(Continued)

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Concept of Worship in Islam (2/2)

Dr. Farida Khanam


Five Pillars Of Islam
In order to enable man to successfully carry out this life-long, life-giving duty, the Qur’an and Hadith have designed a preparatory action plan known as the Five Pillars of Islam.
After belief in God and the Prophet, four practices enjoy the status of pillars of Islam—fasting, prayers, zakah (almsgiving) and the hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).
Abdullah ibn Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said:
“The foundation of Islam has been laid on five principles: to bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad, may peace be upon him, is His Prophet; to offer prayers (salah); to give alms (zakah); to perform the Hajj and to keep the fast during Ramadan.”
These five principles form the pillars of Islam. Just as a house stands on pillars, so does Islamic faith on these tenets. However, the performance of these rituals is not all that is desired. What is much more important is the true spirit in which these are performed. Without the spirit the form is meaningless. All these different observances–faith, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage – are not mere rituals, but are the source of receiving the choicest divine blessings. Faith, the most important of all is, in essence, belief in the truth of divine realities.
Prayer is an exercise in physical and mental prostration before God, aimed at banishing all notions of personal greatness. Fasting teaches one to be steadfast in one’s trust of God. Charity entails the recognition of others’ claims upon one, so that one shall not forfeit one’s own share in God’s bounty. The Pilgrimage serves to unite God’s servants around their Maker.
The Spirit Of Faith
One is required to testify to one’s faith, in the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad. But its spirit lies in its acceptance. Through this article of faith a man accepts God and all His attributes. He also accepts that God sent Muhammad, may peace be upon him, to this world as the eternal guide for all mankind. If this reality reaches one’s heart, it becomes a part of one’s being. One’s heart opens to the truth and reality.
There are seven things, which are essential for a Muslim to believe in. These come under the heading of Iman Mufassal, a detailed declaration of faith. They are to believe in one God, in His angels, in His revealed Books, in all of His messengers, in the Last Day (the Day of Judgement), in Taqdir (the doctrine of predestination which means that everything good or bad is decided by God) and in the Life after Death.
A true believer is required not only to testify to his faith by word of mouth (Shahadah bil Lisan) but also to accept it with all his heart and soul.
The Spirit Of Salah
The spirit of these daily five prayers is humility. One who bows before his Creator in the true spirit will be devoid of pride and ego. The prayers are prescribed for five times throughout the day—at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening. The prayers consist of recitations from the Qur’an and glorification of God. These are accompanied by a sequence of movements: standing, bowing, kneeling, touching the ground with one’s forehead, and sitting. Worshippers face the Ka’bah while offering the prayers.
Muslims have been advised in the Qur’an to be steadfast in their prayer (Surah Al-Ankabut, 29:45) for prayer keeps away indecency and evil. One who performs his prayer in its true spirit cannot become forgetful of God after his prayer is over. The actions of prayer are a manifestation of the fact that one’s heart is full of fear and love for God. Therefore, if prayers are said in their true spirit, one’s prayer will surely fend off indecency and evil and, by purifying the worshipper’s soul, serve to bring him closer to God.
The Spirit Of Fasting
The Arabic term for fasting is ‘Sawm’ which means to abstain. It is aimed at detaching oneself from the world and devoting one’s life entirely to God (Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73:8). The outer sign of fasting is the abstention from food from morning till evening. But in its essence it is to withdraw from all worldly attachments, and reduce all mundane necessities to a minimum.
This fasting aims at weakening the material aspect of man and strengthening the spirituality in him. Man is made up of body and soul. Just as the body requires physical nourishment, so must the soul be nourished spiritually. To be sure, fasting results in physical discomfort. But God has nothing to gain from causing human beings unnecessary trouble and man has to satisfy his material needs; but if he wants to discover the truth it is essential, at least for a few fixed days, to retire from the material world in order to develop the spiritual part in him, so that he will be able to attain spirituality.
The Spirit Of Zakah
Zakah, in reality, is a form of sacrifice meant to underlie those ethical values, which are known in Islam as Huququl Ibad, that is, fulfillment of one’s responsibilities towards others. Thus the spirit of Zakah is the service of mankind.
It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual’s wealth and assets, not merely a percentage of his annual income. In Islam, the true owner of things is not man but God. People are given their wealth as a trust from God. Therefore, Zakah, far from being viewed as “charity,” is an obligation—for those who have received their wealth from God—to help the less weaker members of the community:
“...the poor, orphans, and widows, to free slaves and debtors, and to support those working for the cause of God.” (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60).
The Spirit Of Hajj
The root meaning of the word, “Hajj” is to set out or to make a pilgrimage. Canonically it has come to refer to the act of worship performed annually in the month of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar.
At least once in his or her lifetime, every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to make the sacrifice of time, money, comforts, becoming a pilgrim totally at God’s service.
The pilgrims wear simple garments, two seamless white clothes for men and a dress that entirely covers the body, except the face and hands, for women. These coverings symbolise purity as well as the unity and equality of all believers.
Some important rituals to be performed during the Hajj are as follows:
• Tawaf (circumambulation), i.e. going round the Kabah seven times.
• Saee: the pilgrims undertake a brisk walk between Safa and Marwah, two hillocks near the Kabah.
• Standing on Arafat: the pilgrims gather at Arafat and pray to God throughout the day, reciting the Talbiyah. This standing on the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah is very important. According to tradition, standing at Arafat is the culmination of the pilgrimage.
It was at Arafat that the Prophet delivered his farewell sermon to his people from the Mount of Mercy, a hill in the middle of the plane.
Among all Muslim acts of worship, Hajj holds a pre-eminent position. In one Hadith, the Prophet called it “the supreme act of worship.” But it is not just the rites of pilgrimage that constitute this importance; it is the spirit in which Hajj is performed. Hajj has been prescribed so that it may inspire us with a new religious fervour. To return from Hajj with one’s faith in God strengthened and rekindled – that is the hallmark of a true pilgrim. Hajj reigns supreme among all acts of devotion. Just as the Sacred Mosque in Makkah has a station above all other mosques, so the worship that is performed there as part of the pilgrimage stands head and shoulders above all other acts of devotion.