[ISP]Tawhid: 'Ibadah

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:salams
2 Tawhid: 'Ibadah

The Purpose of creation

It is very important that we all understand the purpose for which we were created; otherwise, we are likely to waste our time doing things which are of no real value. For example, if everyone were sent to school without knowing why they were sent trhere, they would probably all start playing and would continue to do so until someone told them why they were supposed to be there. Allah Who is Most Wise, would not create us without a purpose, because anyone who does something without any reason behind it is considered unreasonable and foolish, and Allah could never be that. For example, if a man made a machine which did not do anything, he would be looked at as being crazy. Or if someone came and knocked at a door, but when asked whom he wanted, he answered, "I don't know." Such an individual would be taken to the madhouse for treatment. A wise man is one who plans his affairs well in advance and does things for good reasons. Therefore, Allah, the All-Wise Creator of man, must have created us for a very important purpose.

We all know that the purpose of our creation is not that obvious; otherwise everyone would be aware of it, and we would all be involved in doing similar things. Because out purpose is somewhat hidden, Allah, Most Merciful, chose to reveal it to us by sending prophets with divine books containing His words. He could have sent angels with the message or revealed it by some other miraculous means and no one would be in any doubt about their purpose, but Allah chose to send men to mankind in order to test their faith. He also sent along with these prophets certain miracles, to show the people that they were sent by Allah. Allah explained in the Qur'an, the last book of revelation brought by the last Prophet :saw:, exactly what that purpose was. Allah said,

{وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ }

(Qur'an 16:36) Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger saying:'Perform the 'Ibadah

He also said,

[worship] of Allah'... {وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ}

(Qur'an 51:56) I only created the jinn and mankind for my ;Ibadah.

Therefore, our purpose in life is the 'Ibadah (worship) of Allah.

Next: Definition ->

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Definition

To perform Allah's 'Ibadah properly, we must know exactly what is and what is not. 'Ibadah is often translated into English as "worship", which is defined as: honour and respect mixed with love and fear towards God, a god or a sacred object. In Arabic 'Ibadah literally means: worship (ie. the willingness to serve in a low position) as well as submission (ie. the surrender of one's self or rights). It comes from the word 'Abd which means "slave or servant."

Islamically, 'Ibadah is to obey Allah by doing whatever He has commanded and by avoiding whatever He has forbidden. This form of obedience is called 'Ibadah, because it involves serving God and surrendering (giving up) one's will to God's will. This is why the best name a Muslim man can take is 'Abd Allah ('Abdullah), that is, slave or servant of Allah. Perhaps the best name for a Muslim woman is Amat-Allah (Amatullah: female slave or servant of Allah), Ibn 'Umar reported that Allah's Messenger :saw: said,

"Verily the most beloved names to Allah, Most Great and Glorious, are 'Abdullah and 'Abdur-Rahman."

The Prophet :saw: also preferred the name 'Abd in reference to himself saying,

"Do not exaggerate your praise of me the way the Christians did to Jesus the son of Mary, for verily I'm only a slave ('Abd) so refer to me as 'Abd of Allah and His messenger."

'Ibadah is the core of Islam because the word "Islam" means the surrender of one's will to Allah, which is the highest level of obedience that one can reach. Our physical bodies obey Allah's laws, commonly called the "laws of nature", without any choice. Therefore, our bodies can be considered Muslims, in submission to Allah like the rest of creation. But our minds, which are run by our souls, have the ability to choose to submit to Allah's social and spiritual laws or not. When we make the mental choice to put our souls in line with the rest of creation by accepting Allah's Supremacy, we then become Muslims in the full sense of the word. That choice is expressed in two particular ways:

1. In the words of the declaration of faith (the Shahadah):

"La ilaha illal-lah"
There is nothing worthy of our 'Ibadah except Allah,
and
"Muhammadur-Rasulullah"
Muhammad :saw: is the Prophet of Allah.

2. In the acts of obedience or 'Ibadah, e.g., Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj.

Since Islam covers all areas of life, every act in a Muslim's life can become an act of 'Ibadah. If he obeys Allah's laws in all areas of his life by living according to the way of the Prophet :saw:, then even the simplest of acts can become 'Ibadah. For example, If one begins his daily meals with the short prayer: Bismillah (In the name of Allah); eats and drinks with only his right hand; avoids using gold or silver utensils; avoids over eating by eating a third, drinking a third and leaving a third for breathing; and ends his meal with the short prayer al-Hamdu lil-lah (all praise is Allah's), the everyday act of eating becomes an act of worship and submission to Allah for which he will be rewarded.