Quran Garden

Do you know what it means to worship Allah truly?  Is it your five daily Salat prayers?  Is it ot make the best Hajj possible?  Think again!  In today's Tafseer, we explore the true meaning of worship in Islam.  It may totally surprise you.                                                                      

Session 602

Chapter 4

Verse 36

Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, and be good to your parents, to relatives, orphans, the needy, neighbours near and far,  the companion by your side, travellers in need, and to those whom your right hands possess.  Surely, God does not like arrogant, boastful people.

(Chapter 4: Verse 36)

After God clarified His rulings on marriage, the relationship between men and women , its permissions and prohibitions, earning wealth and warning against consuming it unjustly, He brings our attention back to the summit of faith: "Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him." Allah cautions you against becoming overly immersed in daily life, even in activities such as supporting orphans, marriage, or divorce, except according to His teachings. 

Here we must pause and ask: What is worship?  In short, worship is the obedience of the worshipper to the One worshipped in all commands and prohibitions, regardless of personal feelings or opinions.  Most Muslims think of worship as merely the acts of prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj.  We answer that while these rituals are the pillars of Islam, they only form the foundation.  Can you live in a foundation?  No, while the foundation is critical, its only purpose is to serve as a base for the house above. 

Those who try to limit the term "worship" to its technical sense, pointing to books of jurisprudence, saying that worship is how you do the wudu ablution, prayer, zakat, fasting, and Hajj, have misunderstood Islam completely.  We answer that worship in Islam is obeying every command from Allah, regardless of how small or big.

Let me clarify for you.  Rituals like the Salat prayer show your ongoing dedication to Allah and give you strength to handle life's challenges.  However, rituals are not the entirety of worship.  We ask the people who claim that worship is limited to prayers and fasting: How long do you spend praying each day?  An hour at most?  How about fasting?  A month out of the year?  Hajj takes a few days of your life.  What do you plan to do with the rest of your time?  Perhaps the more important question to ask is: Can you pray without clothes?  Can you break your fast without bread?  If our only purpose in life is to do the rituals of worship, then who will make us clothes, farm the land, and bake bread?  Since you and I cannot pray without food and clothes, then farming and making clothes are requirements of worship.  The believing man or woman who farms the land is performing an act of worship.  The truck driver who delivers grains to the mill is performing an act of worship.  The same goes for the baker, the store owner, and the street cleaner.  Not convinced?  Listen to the following Aya,

O you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation, hasten to remember God, putting aside your trade.  That is better for you, if only you knew.  Then when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek out God's bounty.  Remember God often so that you may prosper. (62:9,10)

Take note that God not only orders you to pray your Friday congregation prayers, but also commands you to leave the mosque and earn a living after the prayer.  Allah wants balance: don't get so caught up in work that you forget your prayers, and don't stay in the mosque all day, neglecting your needs and your family's.  He says, "Then when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek out God's bounty." This command carries equal weight to, "O you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation, hasten to remember God, putting aside your trade." Both commands are from God and obeying them both is the true meaning of worship that falls under the banner of: "Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him."  

Allah created you to strive in faith and prosper in daily life.  He says,

And to Thamood, We sent their brother Salih.  He said, "My people, worship God!  You have no god apart from Him.  He brought you into being from the earth and asked you to thrive in it.  So ask forgiveness from Him, and turn back to Him.  My Lord is Close and Quick to Respond." (Chapter 11:Verse 61)

You might wonder why we consider trade and agriculture as forms of worship when non-believers do them too.  We answer that the distinction is not in the actions themselves but in the intention behind them.  While such activities serve personal benefits, a believer does them with God in their heart and mind. 

Our beloved Muhammad taught us that prayers and fasting are not the goal, but tools to help you live a righteous life.  He, peace be upon him, asked his companions: Do you know who is truly bankrupt?  They said: The bankrupt among us is he who has neither money nor possessions.  He said: The truly bankrupt one from my nation is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and charity, but he also comes having insulted this person, slandered that person, consumed the wealth of another, shed the blood of yet another, and struck another.  So, this one is given some of his good deeds, and that one is given more of his good deeds.  If his good deeds run out before he has settled his debts, some of their sins are taken and placed upon him, then he is thrown into the Fire.

We live ever aspect of our lives purely for God as He taught us in the following Aya,

Say: "My salat and my rites, my living and my dying, are for Allah alone, the Lord of all the worlds" (Chapter 6: Verse 162)

Associating partners with God violates your purpose in existence.  When you go to your job,  beware of placing your trust in the means of work and the reward of a paycheck while forgetting the true provider of work and reward.  You use the brain which Allah created, fueled by the food He provided, to work the earthly materials He created and earn from the wealth He made lawful for you.  Thus, we begin every action in God's name and intend to seek God's pleasure.

Belief in the One God simplifies everything, allowing you to answer to a single power and follow one set of commands, ultimately bringing peace to your soul.  By associating partners with Allah, you are only overburdening yourself.  How?  Listen to the beautiful example from the Quran,  

God puts forward this illustration: can a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other be considered equal to a man devoted wholly to one master?  All praise belongs to God, though most of them do not know. (Chapter 39:Verse 29)

Imagine an employed person having to answer to ten bosses: one asks him to write a report, while the other demands a meeting.  What would be the condition of this employee?  Surely exhausted, frustrated, and unfulfilled.  By accepting this position, the employee did not wrong the bosses but wronged himself.  Similarly, by attributing partners to Allah, the person bears an undue burden.  He or she will end up exhausted, frustrated, and unfulfilled.  God says:

It was not Us they wronged; they wronged themselves.  (from Chapter 2: Verse 57)

When God asks, "Can a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other be considered equal to a man devoted wholly to one master?" Any person, regardless of faith or background, would answer: No, they are not equal.  Allah did not impose this answer on anyone; it is simply common sense.  As a Muslim, you find comfort in focusing on one source for guidance, commands, and prohibitions.  You become a master in the universe by answering only to the One true Power.  This is how "Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him" brings the ultimate comfort to your life. 

The sad truth is that those who associate partners with God gain nothing; instead, they lose God's support.  Allah is above all that, as He states in the following sacred narration (Hadeeth Qudsi): "I am the most self-sufficient of partners, needing no partnership.  Whoever performs a deed associating another with Me, I will forsake him and his partnership."  The polytheist does not even receive Allah's share as a partner.

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