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| Concept of Worship in Islam Institute of Islamic Information and Education Bismillahi ar-rahmani ar-raheem The concept of worship in Islam is
misunderstood by many people including some Muslims. Worship is commonly
taken to mean performing ritualistic acts such as prayers, fasting,
charity, etc. This limited understanding of worship is only one part of
the meaning of worship in Islam. That is why the traditional definition of
worship in Islam is a comprehensive definition that includes almost
everything in any individual's activities. The definition goes something
like this: "Worship is an all inclusive term for all that God loves of external and internal sayings and actions of a person." In other words, worship is everything one
says or does for the pleasure of Allah. This, of course, includes rituals
as well as beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to the
welfare of one's fellow human-beings. Islam looks at the individual as a whole. He is required to submit himself completely to Allah, as the Quran instructed the Prophet Muhammad to do: "Say (O Muhammad) my prayer, my
sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah; He has no partner and I
am ordered to be among those who submit, i.e.; Muslims." (6:162-163) The natural result of this submission is
that all one's activities should conform to the instructions of the one to
whom the person is submitting. Islam, being a way of life, requires that
its followers model their life according to its teachings in every aspect,
religious or otherwise. This might sound strange to some people who think
of religion as a personal relation between the individual and God, having
no impact on one's activities outside rituals. As a matter of fact Islam does not think
much of mere rituals when they are performed mechanically and have no
influence on one's inner life. The Quran addresses the believers and their
neighbors from among the People of the Book who were arguing with them
about the change of the direction of Qibla in the following verse: "It is not righteousness that you turn
your faces toward the East or the West, but righteous is he who believes
in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets,
and gives his beloved money to his relatives and the orphans and the needy
and for the ransoming of captives and who observes prayer and pays the
poor-due; and those who fulfill their promises when they have made one,
and the patient in poverty and affliction and the steadfast in time of
war; it is those who have proved truthful and it is those who are the
God-fearing." (2:177) The deeds in the above verse are the deeds
of righteousness and they are only a part of worship. The Prophet told us
about faith, which is the basis of worship, that it "is made up of
sixty and some branches; the highest of which is the belief in the Oneness
of Allah, i.e., there is no God but Allah and the lowest in the scale of
worship is removing obstacles and dirt from people's way." Decent work is considered in Islam a type
of worship. The Prophet said: "Whoever finds himself at the nightfall
tired of his work, God will forgive his sins." Seeking knowledge is one of the highest
types of worship. The Prophet told his companions that "seeking
knowledge is a (religious) duty on every Muslim." In another saying
he said: "Seeking knowledge for one hour is better than praying for
seventy years." Social courtesy and cooperation are part of
worship when done for the sake of Allah as the Prophet told us:
"Receiving your friend with a smile is a type of charity, helping a
person to load his animal is a charity and putting some water in your
neighbor's bucket is a charity." It is worth noting that even performing
one's duties is considered a sort of worship. The Prophet told us that
whatever one spends for his family is a type of charity; he will be
rewarded for it if he acquires it through legal means. Kindness to members
of one's family is an act of worship as when one puts a piece of food in
his spouse's mouth. Not only this but even the acts we enjoy doing very
much, when they are performed according to the instructions of the
Prophet, are considered as acts of worship. The Prophet told his
companions that they would be rewarded even for having sexual intercourse
with their wives. The companions were astonished and asked: "How are
we going to be rewarded for doing something we enjoy very much?" The
Prophet asked them: "Suppose you satisfy your desires illegally;
don't you think that you will be punished for that?" They replied,
"Yes." "So," he said, "by satisfying it legally
with your wives you are rewarded for it." This means they are acts of
worship. Thus Islam does not consider sex a dirty
thing that one should avoid. It is dirty and sinful only when it is
satisfied outside marital life. It is clear, from the previous discussion
that the concept of worship in Islam is a comprehensive concept that
includes all the positive activities of the individual. This of course is
in agreement with the all-inclusive nature of Islam as a way of life. It
regulates human life on all levels: individual, social, economic,
political and spiritual. That is why Islam provides guidance to the
smallest details of one's life on all these levels. Thus following these
details is following Islamic instructions in that specific area. It is a
very encouraging element when one realizes that all his activities are
considered by God as acts of worship. This should lead the individual to
seek Allah's pleasure in his actions and always try to do them in the best
possible manner whether he is watched by his superiors or he is alone.
There is always the permanent supervisor, who knows everything, namely,
Allah. Discussing the non-ritual worship in Islam
first does not mean undervaluing the importance of the ritual ones.
Actually ritual worship, if performed in true spirit, elevates man morally
and spiritually and enables him to carry on his activities in all walks of
life according to the Guidance of God. Among ritual worships, Salah
(ritual prayer) occupies the key position for two reasons. Firstly, it is
the distinctive mark of a believer. Secondly, it prevents an individual
from all sorts of abominations and vices by providing him chances of
direct communion with his Creator five times a day, wherein he renews his
covenant with God and seeks His guidance again and again: "You alone we worship and to You alone
we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path." (1:5,6) Actually Salah is the first practical
manifestation of Faith and also the foremost of the basic conditions for
the success of the believers: The same fact has been emphasized by the
Prophet (PBUH) in a different way. He says: After Salah, Zakah (poor-due) is an
important pillar of Islam. In the Quran, Salah and Zakah mostly have been
mentioned together many times. Like Salah, Zakah is a manifestation of
faith that affirms that God is the sole owner of everything in the
universe, and what men hold is a trust in their hand over which God made
them trustees to discharge it as He has laid down: In this respect Zakah is an act of devotion
that, like prayer, brings the believer nearer to his Lord. Apart from this, Zakah is a means of
redistribution of wealth in a way that reduces differences between classes
and groups. It makes a fair contribution to social stability. By purging
the soul of the rich from selfishness and the soul of the poor from envy
and resentment against society, it stops up the channels leading to class
hatred and makes it possible for the springs of brotherhood and solidarity
to gush forth. Such stability is not merely based on the personal feelings
of the rich; it stands on a firmly established right that, if the rich
denied it, would be exacted by force, if necessary. Siyam (fasting during the day time of the
month of Ramadan) is another pillar of Islam. The main function of fasting
is to make the Muslim pure from "within" as other aspects of
Shariah make him pure from "without." By such purity he responds
to what is true and good and shuns what is false and evil. This is what we
can perceive in the Quranic verse: In an authentic tradition, the Prophet
reported Allah as saying: "He suspends eating, drinking, and
gratification of his sexual passion for My sake." Thus his reward is
going to be according to God's great bounty. Fasting, then, awakens the conscience of
the individual and gives it scope for exercise in a joint experience for
all society at the same time, thus adding further strength to each
individual. Moreover, fasting offers a compulsory rest to the over-worked
human machine for the duration of one full month. Similarly fasting
reminds an individual of those who are deprived of life's necessities
throughout the year or throughout life. It makes him realize the suffering
of others, the less fortunate brothers in Islam, and thus promotes in him
a sense of sympathy and kindness to them. Lastly, we come to Al-Hajj (pilgrimage to
the House of God in Makkah). This very important pillar of Islam manifests
a unique unity, dispelling all kinds of differences. Muslims from all
corners of the world wearing the same dress, respond to the call of Hajj
in one voice and language; LABBAIK ALLAHUMMA LABBAIK (Here I am at your
service O Lord!). In Hajj there is an exercise of strict self-discipline
and control where not only sacred things are revered, but even the life of
plants and birds is made inviolable so that everything lives in safety: Pilgrimage gives an opportunity to all
Muslims from all groups, classes, organizations, and governments from all
over the Muslim world to meet annually in a great congress. The time and
venue of this congress has been set by their One God. Invitation to attend
is open to every Muslim. No one has the power to bar anyone. Every Muslim
who attends is guaranteed full safety and freedom as long as he himself
does not violate its safety. Thus, worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, trains the individual in such a way that he loves his Creator most and thereby gains an unyielding will and spirit to wipe out all evil and oppression from the human society and make the word of God dominant in the world.
Source: The Institute of Islamic Information and
Education (III&E) is dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America
through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing
the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilizations
from the authentic sources. Enquiries are welcome. The Institute of Islamic Information and
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