To Please or not to Please: That is the Question

Ibn al-Qayyim categorizes Worship into 3 main categories:

1.  Worship of the heart

2. Worship of the tongue

3. Worship of the physical faculties

Worshippers are divided into 4 categories:

1. Those who pursue the hardest form of worship

2. Ascetics

3. Those who pursue beneficial acts of worship

4. Those who pursue specific acts of worship at the appropriate time.

The question is asked, “Why worship Allah?” Why? Because it is his right, Allah swt has made us as we are supposed to be, with 2 eyes, ears, a nose, tongue, a heart that beats, does he not have the right to be worshipped? Think of those with kidney problems, they suffer so much because their kidneys do not function as they should - something we take for granted, should Allah not be worshipped for cleaning our kidneys 30 times a day! Surely his favours upon us are enough for us to give him his right to be worshipped! So, the right of Allah swt over us is that WE worship HIM, and our right if we do not associate partners with Allah is that we enter jannah inshallah. It is Allah’s rahma that will get us into jannah, so we must seek help from him alone.

Ibadah or worship is the sustenance of our soul, our souls are screaming for Islam, for peace. Sweden has the highest rate of suicide, why? Because people cannot find peace of heart, we forget what our soul needs, like our bodies need nourishment, so does our soul in the remembrance of Allah swt.

Ibadah or worship is a way to freedom and dignity.

When you are the slave of humans, your boss, money; you are disgraced... but when you are the slave of Allah you have a say! Worshiping Allah is our resort that rescues us in times of calamities. When locked up, literally or metaphorically, one resorts to Allah for help, therefore ibadah comes to your rescue at times of calamities. Have we asked ourselves, will Allah be pleased with us on Day of Judgement?

We are longing for jannah, because we don’t want the hellfire. So worship Allah because it is his right...which leads us to HOW do we worship Allah swt?

The worship needs to be CORRECT and PURE. [correct = in accordance with the sunnah, and pure=with good intentions]. Allah only accepts that which is pure and correct.

Ibn Taymiyya says: The Qur’an needs the sunnah more than the sunnah needs the Qur’an. The sunnah tells us HOW to pray, perform hajj etc whilst the Qur’an gives the hukm [law]. Bid’ah is more beloved to shaytaan than a sin, because the bid’ah is more difficult to let go of.

So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord , let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord [al-Kahf, 110]

[This post was a write up of my notes from Shaykh Riad Ourzazi's 'A Heart Serene' course with the al-Maghrib institute in London.]