The Concept of Worship in Islam (1/2)

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 object. 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)