What does it mean to worship Allah ﷻ alone
Ulama Institute #1
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- Worship is a comprehensive term that encompasses all the words and deeds, both hidden and open, which Allah loves. In Arabic it is called ‘ibaadah. Worshipping only Allah is mentioned many times in the Qur’aan. The first is in Soorat al-Faatihah where Allah ﷻ instructs the believers to say:
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (سورة الفاتحة :٥)
“It is only you we worship and only You we ask for help.” (Soorat al-Fatihah:5)
- This aayah, which is in two parts, demonstrates the perfect form of worship that is required by every Muslim.
The first part (i.e. You alone we worship) is a declaration of Tawheed where the people reciting these words are freeing themselves of shirk.
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas said that the first part means to single out Allah in all forms of worship (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).
The second part (i.e. And You alone we ask for help) says that Allah ﷻ has power over everything. We are only capable of doing things with the help of Allah. This is another declaration of Tawheed, where we affirm that Allah is the only Creator, Provider and Sustainer. - The Prominent scholar Qataadah said that this aayah is a command to wor- ship Allah with full sincerity and to ask for His help in everything we do (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).
- Worshipping only Allah ﷻ was the basic message of all the Prophets and Messengers. In fact, Prophet Muhammad spent his first thirteen years of prophethood calling people to worship only Allah. Allah has promised Paradise for those who worship only Him. There are many ahaadeeth that mention this. The following hadeeth narrated by Anas is one example:
( البخاري ) ( من لقي الله لا يُشرك به شيئاً دخل الجنة)
“Whosoever will meet Allah without associating anything in worship with Him will enter Paradise.” (Bukhaari)
- Worshipping only Allah also means not worshipping people, graves or animals. Worshipping only Allah means to worship Allah ﷻ and nothing else. All intentions should be to please Him. All intentions should be to worship Him alone.
What we learn from the lesson:
- Whoever dies upon Tawheed will enter Paradise.
- Muslims worship only Allah ﷻ .
“Discussion:”
- How did Ibn ‘Abbaas explain the first part of the aayah from Soorat al-Faatihah?
- What did Qataadah explain this aayah in Soorat al-Faatihah means?
