The meaning of Worship
To understand why human beings need to worship God , one must first understand what is meant by the term " worship". The english term " worship" comes from the Old English weorthscipe meaning "honor". Consequently , worship in the English language is defined as ' the performance of devotional acts in honor of a deity' , According to this meaning , man is instructed to show gratitude to God by glorifying Him. However in Arabic , the language of the final revelation , worship is called 'ibaadah, which is closely related to the noun 'abd meaning 'a slave'. What is a slave ? a slave is one who is expected to do whatever his mater wills. Consequently, worship according to the final revelation , means " obedient submission to the will of God". This was the essence of the message of all the prophets sent by God to humankind. The Will of God , is contained in the divinely revealed laws which the prophets taught their followers. Obedience to divine law is the foundation of worship. In this sense , glorification also becomes worship when humans choose to obey God's instructions regarding His glorification. The Need for Worship But the real question is , why do human need to worship and glorify God by obeying the divinely revealed laws ? Just because obedience to divine law is the key to success in this life and the next. Let's take an example , the first human beings , Adam and Eve , were created in paradise and later expelled from paradise for disobeying the divine law. The only way for us to return to paradise is by obedience to the law. Remembrance of God All of the various acts of worship contained in the divine laws are designed to help humans remember God. Allah said " Verily , I am Allah , there is no god beside Me , so worship Me and establish regular prayer for my Remembrance" ( 20:14) The believers are encouraged to remember Allah as much as possible. Why ? Because remembrance of God is stressed as sin generally committed when God is forgotten. " Satan got the better of them and caused them to forget Allah.Those are the party of Satan.Truly the party of Satan are the real losers" (58:19) Allah also prohibited , intoxicants and gambling because they cause human to forget God. The Religion of Islaam The most complete system of worship is found in the religion of Islam. The name " Islam" means "submission to the will of God". Although it is commonly referred to as " the third of the 3 monotheistic faiths" , Islaam isn't a new religion at all. It is the religion brought by all of the prophets of God for humankind. Islam was the religion of Moses, Jesus and Abraham. How ? Allah adressed this issue with regard to Prophet Abraham saying : "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian but he was a upright Muslim who did not worship others besides God" ( 3:67) Allah didn't prescribe one religion for the Jews and another for Indians. Every act is Worship In the Islamic system , each and every human act can be transformed into an act of worship. In fact , Allah commands the believer to dedicate their whole lives to Him. He said " Say " Surely my prayer , my sacrifice , my living and dying are for Allah , the Lord of all the worlds" (6:162) However , for that dedication to be acceptable to Allah , each act must fulfill two basic conditions : 1) The act must be done SINCERELY for the pleasure of God and not for the recognition and praise of people. We have the be conscious of God while doing the deed to insure that it is not something forbidden by Allah and the last Messenger. 2) The act must be done in accordance with the prophetic way ( Sunnah in arabic).Thus the only acceptable way to worship God is according to the way of the prophets. Innovation in religious affairs would be considered by God among the worst of all evils. Prophet Muhammad said " The worst of all affairs is innovation in religion, for every religious innovation is a cursed , misleading innovation leading to the hellfire " ( Sahih Muslim) and " He who innovates something in this matter of ours , that is not of it , will have it rejected" ( Sahih al Bukhari , reported by 'Aisha)
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October 2016
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