Um Abdullah
16-03-07, 09:59 AM
ok, I got 2 articles on this issue, insha Allah it will answer Cashew's and anyone else's question regarding worship in Islam.
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The Concept of Worship in Islam
The concept of worship in Islam differs from that found in other religions, and is therefore subject to misunderstanding. In general,worship is understood to mean the observance of certain rituals: praying, fasting, giving charity, and other "good" works. In Islam, however, worship is much more-it is one's entire life. As many Muslim scholars have said: "Worship is an all-inclusive term for those internal and external sayings and actions of a person that are pleasing to Allah."
In other words, worship is that which is done in obedience to Allah's will, which obviously includes rituals but goes far beyond to the realms of ones beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to one's society and fellow human beings. Islam looks at the individual as a whole. He is required to submit completely to Allah, as the Qur'an 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 beamong those who submit, i.e.; Muslims.
The natural result of this submission is that one's activities should conform to the instructions of the one to whom the person is submitting-Allah. Islam requires that its followers conduct every aspect of their lives according to its teachings. This might sound strange to those who view religion as apersonal relation between the individual and God and as having no impact on those activities that are not connected specifically with any religious rituals.The Prophet taught his followers that Islam is far more than a private personal matter. Islam attaches no value to rituals that are performed mechanically and have no influence on one's inner life.The Qur'an dealt with this issue when it addressed Muslims, as well as local Jews and Christians, during the dispute that arose when theprayer direction was changed from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Makkah: It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the Eastor the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and theLast Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets, andgives his beloved money to the relatives and the orphans andthe needy And over the ransoming of the captives, and who observes prayer and pays the poor-due, and those who fulfill their promises when they have made one, and the patient inpoverty and affliction and the steadfast in time of war; it isthose who have proved truthful and it is those who are the God-fearing. (2:177)
The deeds mentioned in the above verse are indications that a person is righteous. But they are only a part of worship. Faith, according to the Prophet, is the basis of worship and "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 thes cale of worship is removing obstacles and dirt from people's way
the complete article:
http://www.iad.org/PDF/WAMY8.pdf
======================================
This is an excellent one
By Amjad Ibn Muhammad Rafiq. The University of Essex Islamic Society
The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: "The right of God upon His servants is that they should worship Him (alone) and not associate anything with Him" [Reported by Bukhaaree and Muslim].
Almighty God created us that we may worship Him alone and not associate anything with Him. God has said: "I did not create Jinn and Men except that they may worship me" [Qur'an 51:56]. So what is this worship, what are its types and conditions and how should it be performed?
Worship is a collective term for everything which God loves and is pleased with from among the words and actions, such as supplication, prayer and having patience. Almighty God says (in the Qur'an): "Say: Verily my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God the Lord of the Worlds" [Qur'an 6:162], and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said "God the Exalted said: My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by me than the obligatory actions which I have imposed upon him" [Reported by Bukhaaree].
The types of worship are many and include supplication, fear, hope, reliance, love of obedience to God, hatred of disobedience to Him, remorse, repentance, seeking aid from Him, vowing, sacrificing, bowing, prostrating and other things beside these.
Thus the first thing which a Muslim acknowledges is that he has been created for worship and must know of its form and types. The second thing the Muslim should realize is that a necessary condition of worship is sincerity. Almighty God the Exalted said: "So whoever hopes for the meeting with His Lord let him work deeds of righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His Lord" [Qur'an 18:110], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed God does not look at your faces nor your wealth but He looks at your hearts and your actions." Also there is the Hadeeth Qudsee where the Messenger, peace be upon him, said that God said: "I am so Self-Sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him whom he associated with Me" [Reported by Muslim].
Another vital condition of worship is that it is correct and therefore acceptable to God. Our Worship of God should be as He and His Messenger, peace be upon him, have commanded us. Almighty God says: "O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and do not let your actions become nullified" [Qur'an 47:33], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, has said: "Whoever does an action which we have not commanded will have it rejected" [Reported by Muslim]. And he, peace be upon him, also said: "Whoever does an action in a way different from ours will have it rejected" [Reported by Abu Daawood - Saheeh].
Fudayl ibn Ayyaad, a taabi’ee (i.e. a member of the second generation of Muslims), said regarding the verse: " . . . that He may test you, which of you is best in deeds . . . " [Qur'an 11:7], "The most sincere and the most correct", so those who were around him said: "And what is the most sincere and the most correct?" He replied: "Action, if it is correct but not sincere will not be accepted and action, if it is sincere but not correct will not be accepted until it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that nothing but the Face of God is sought and correct means that it is in conformity with the Sunnah."
So these are two necessary conditions for our worship to be acceptable to God. God has also commanded us: "So call upon Him (out of) Fear and Hope" [Qur'an 6:56], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, used to supplicate: "I ask God for Paradise and I seek refuge in Him from the Fire". [Reported by Abu Daawood - Saheeh].
The rest of the article:
http://thetruereligion.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=79
--------------------------------------
The Concept of Worship in Islam
The concept of worship in Islam differs from that found in other religions, and is therefore subject to misunderstanding. In general,worship is understood to mean the observance of certain rituals: praying, fasting, giving charity, and other "good" works. In Islam, however, worship is much more-it is one's entire life. As many Muslim scholars have said: "Worship is an all-inclusive term for those internal and external sayings and actions of a person that are pleasing to Allah."
In other words, worship is that which is done in obedience to Allah's will, which obviously includes rituals but goes far beyond to the realms of ones beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to one's society and fellow human beings. Islam looks at the individual as a whole. He is required to submit completely to Allah, as the Qur'an 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 beamong those who submit, i.e.; Muslims.
The natural result of this submission is that one's activities should conform to the instructions of the one to whom the person is submitting-Allah. Islam requires that its followers conduct every aspect of their lives according to its teachings. This might sound strange to those who view religion as apersonal relation between the individual and God and as having no impact on those activities that are not connected specifically with any religious rituals.The Prophet taught his followers that Islam is far more than a private personal matter. Islam attaches no value to rituals that are performed mechanically and have no influence on one's inner life.The Qur'an dealt with this issue when it addressed Muslims, as well as local Jews and Christians, during the dispute that arose when theprayer direction was changed from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Makkah: It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the Eastor the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and theLast Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets, andgives his beloved money to the relatives and the orphans andthe needy And over the ransoming of the captives, and who observes prayer and pays the poor-due, and those who fulfill their promises when they have made one, and the patient inpoverty and affliction and the steadfast in time of war; it isthose who have proved truthful and it is those who are the God-fearing. (2:177)
The deeds mentioned in the above verse are indications that a person is righteous. But they are only a part of worship. Faith, according to the Prophet, is the basis of worship and "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 thes cale of worship is removing obstacles and dirt from people's way
the complete article:
http://www.iad.org/PDF/WAMY8.pdf
======================================
This is an excellent one
By Amjad Ibn Muhammad Rafiq. The University of Essex Islamic Society
The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: "The right of God upon His servants is that they should worship Him (alone) and not associate anything with Him" [Reported by Bukhaaree and Muslim].
Almighty God created us that we may worship Him alone and not associate anything with Him. God has said: "I did not create Jinn and Men except that they may worship me" [Qur'an 51:56]. So what is this worship, what are its types and conditions and how should it be performed?
Worship is a collective term for everything which God loves and is pleased with from among the words and actions, such as supplication, prayer and having patience. Almighty God says (in the Qur'an): "Say: Verily my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God the Lord of the Worlds" [Qur'an 6:162], and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said "God the Exalted said: My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by me than the obligatory actions which I have imposed upon him" [Reported by Bukhaaree].
The types of worship are many and include supplication, fear, hope, reliance, love of obedience to God, hatred of disobedience to Him, remorse, repentance, seeking aid from Him, vowing, sacrificing, bowing, prostrating and other things beside these.
Thus the first thing which a Muslim acknowledges is that he has been created for worship and must know of its form and types. The second thing the Muslim should realize is that a necessary condition of worship is sincerity. Almighty God the Exalted said: "So whoever hopes for the meeting with His Lord let him work deeds of righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His Lord" [Qur'an 18:110], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed God does not look at your faces nor your wealth but He looks at your hearts and your actions." Also there is the Hadeeth Qudsee where the Messenger, peace be upon him, said that God said: "I am so Self-Sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him whom he associated with Me" [Reported by Muslim].
Another vital condition of worship is that it is correct and therefore acceptable to God. Our Worship of God should be as He and His Messenger, peace be upon him, have commanded us. Almighty God says: "O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and do not let your actions become nullified" [Qur'an 47:33], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, has said: "Whoever does an action which we have not commanded will have it rejected" [Reported by Muslim]. And he, peace be upon him, also said: "Whoever does an action in a way different from ours will have it rejected" [Reported by Abu Daawood - Saheeh].
Fudayl ibn Ayyaad, a taabi’ee (i.e. a member of the second generation of Muslims), said regarding the verse: " . . . that He may test you, which of you is best in deeds . . . " [Qur'an 11:7], "The most sincere and the most correct", so those who were around him said: "And what is the most sincere and the most correct?" He replied: "Action, if it is correct but not sincere will not be accepted and action, if it is sincere but not correct will not be accepted until it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that nothing but the Face of God is sought and correct means that it is in conformity with the Sunnah."
So these are two necessary conditions for our worship to be acceptable to God. God has also commanded us: "So call upon Him (out of) Fear and Hope" [Qur'an 6:56], and the Messenger, peace be upon him, used to supplicate: "I ask God for Paradise and I seek refuge in Him from the Fire". [Reported by Abu Daawood - Saheeh].
The rest of the article:
http://thetruereligion.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=79