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CHAPTER ONE
T h e Ess e n ce o f Re ligion
§
The only true religion in God’s sight is complete submission to God.
And those who were given the Book disagreed only out of rivalry, after
knowledge had been given to them—he who denies God’s signs should
know that God is swift in His reckoning.
—The Quran, 3:19
W
orship
What God most earnestly desires from human beings is worship.
The Quran says: “I have not created jinn and mankind except to
worship Me.” (51:56) There are numerous such verses in the Quran
which elaborate on how the prophets were sent for this very
purpose, that is, to warn or to remind man of this responsibility.
(16:36). This is so important a matter that if a man cannot find
opportunities for worship in his own country, he is enjoined to
leave it for some other place (4:97).
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”
