Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
3. The Concept of Worship in Islam
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3. THE CONCEPT OF WORSHIP IN
ISLAM
W
ORSHIP
, according to the Quran, is the sole purpose of the
creation of man. The Quran says:
“I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship
Me.” (51:56).
There are a number of verses in the Quran, which elaborate on
how the prophets were sent to this world for this very purpose.
(16:36, 2:21, 4:36, 21:25). According to Islam, all individuals
should lead lives of worship and devotion to God.
The dictionary defines worship as bowing before someone and
humbling oneself. “The essence of worship is fearfulness and
humility,” says Lisan al-Arab. The dictionary meaning of the word
is also its canonical meaning. Abu Hayyan says: “Prayer means
humility: this is the consensus of religious scholars” (
al Bahr al
Muhit
, Vol. 1, p. 23). That is why the Qur’an uses the word
“arrogance” as the antonym of worship.
Although worship’s real connotations are humility and
fearfulness, when the word is used in relation to God, it also
includes the concept of love. Ibn Kathir writes: “According to the
dictionary, worship stands for lowliness… In the Islamic Shari’ah it
is used to express a condition of extreme love coupled with
extreme humbleness and apprehension.” (
Tafsir al Qur’an
, Vol. 1,
p. 25) Iman Ibn Taimiyah says: “The word
‘Ubudiyat
(adoring
