Faith and Worship

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الْدِّينِ كُله دَاخل فِي الْعِبَادَة

All of religion is contained in worship.

وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ لَمَّا جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ

It is established in the Sahih that when Gabriel came to the Prophet.

فِي صُورَةِ أَعْرَابِيٍّ وَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ الْإِسْلَامِ قَالَ

In the form of an Arab, and he asked him about Islam, he said:

الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

Islam is to testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

وَتُقِيمُ الْصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِي الْزَّكٰوَةَ وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ

and establish the prayer, and give the alms, and fast Ramadan

وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ إِنْ اِسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا

And perform the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.

قَالَ فَمَا الْإِيمَانُ

He said, 'What is faith?'

قَالَ أَن تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّه وَمَلَائِكَته وَكتبه وَرُسُله وَالْبَعْثُ بَعْدَ الْمَوْت

He said: To believe in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the resurrection after death.

وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ

And believe in the divine decree, its good and its evil.

قَالَ فَمَا الْإِحْسَانُ

He said, "So what is excellence in worship?"

قَالَ أَن تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ

He said: Worship God as if you see Him.

فَإِن لَمْ تَكُنْ ترَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ

If you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.

ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي آخِرِ الْحَدِيثِ

Then he said at the end of the hadith:

هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ جَاءَكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ

This is Gabriel; he came to you to teach you your religion.

فَجَعَلَ هَذَا كُلَّهُ مِنَ الدِّينِ

So he made all of this part of the religion.

وَالْدِّينُ يَتَضَمَّنُ مَعْنًى الخُضُوعِ وَالذِّلِّ

And the religion includes the meaning of submission and humiliation.

يُقَال دَنَّتْهُ فَدَانَ أى أَذَلَّلْتُهُ فَذُلٌّ

It is said: it humbled him and he submitted; that is, I humbled him and then humiliation.

وَيُقَالُ يَدَيْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَدَيْنِ لِلَّهِ أَيْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ وَيُطِيعُهُ وَيَخْضَعُ لَهُ

And it is said: he submits to God; that is, he worships God, obeys Him, and submits to Him.

فَدِينُ اللَّهِ عِبَادَتُهُ وَطَاعَتُهُ وَالخُضُوعُ لَهُ

Thus, the religion of God is His worship, His obedience, and submission to Him.

وَالْعِبَادَةُ أَصْلٌ مَعْنَاهَا الذُلُّ أَيْضًا

And worship, in its original sense, also means humility.

يُقَالُ طَرِيقٌ مُعَبَّدٌ إِذَا كَانَ مَذَلَّلًا قَدْ وَطَأَتْهُ الْأَقْدَامُ

It is said that a road is called paved when it is made level by being trodden by the feet.

لَكِنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ الْمَأْمُورَةَ بِهَا تَتَضَمَّنُ مَعْنَى الذُّلِّ وَمَعْنَى الْحُبِّ

But the worship that one is commanded to perform includes a sense of humility and a sense of love.

فهى تَتَضَمَّن غَايَة الذُّلِّ لِلَّهِ بِغَايَةِ الْمحبَّة لَهُ

So it includes the utmost humility for God by the utmost love for Him.

فَإِن آخِرَ مَرَاتِب الْحبّ هُوَ التَّتِيمُ وَأَوَّلُهُ العَلَاقَةُ لتَعلق الْقلب بِالْمَحْبُوبِ

So indeed, the final rank of love is orphanhood, and its first is attachment for the attachment of the heart to the beloved.

ثُمَّ الصَّبَابَةُ لِإِنْصِبَابِ الْقَلْبَ إِلَيْهِ

Then comes ardent longing, as the heart pours itself out toward Him.

ثمَّ الغَرَامَ وَهُوَ الْحبّ الْمُلَازِمُ لِلْقَلْبِ

Then comes ardent love, the love that clings to the heart.

ثُمَّ الْعِشْقُ وآخَرُهَا التَّتِيمُ

Then comes ardent love, and its final stage is utter enthrallment.

يُقَالُ تَيِّمُ اللَّهِ أَيُّ عَبْدٌ لِلَّهِ فَالْمُتَيِّمُ الْمُعَبَّدُ لِمَحْبُوبِهِ

It is said, 'Enamored of God,' that is, 'servant of God.' So the enamored becomes a worshipper for his beloved.

وَمَنْ خَضَعَ لِإِنْسَانٍ مَعَ بُغْضِهِ لَهُ لَا يَكُونُ عَابِدًا لَهُ

And whoever submits to a person with his hatred for him is not a worshipper for him.

وَلَوْ أَحَبَّيْ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَخْضَعْ لَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَابِدًا لَهُ

Even if someone loved something and did not submit to it, he would not be its worshiper.

كَمَا قَدْ يُحِبُّ الرَّجُلُ وَلَده وَصَديقه

Just as a man may love his son and his friend.

وَلِهَذَا لَا يَكْفِي أَحدهمَا فِي عبَادَة اللَّهِ تَعَالَى

For this reason, neither of them suffices in the worship of God Most High.

بَلْ يَجِبُ أَن يَكُونَ اللَّهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى العبْد مِنْ كلّ شَيْء

Rather, God must be more beloved to the servant than anything else.

وَأَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

And that God be more important to him than anything.

بَلْ لَا يسْتَحِق الْمحبَّة وَالْخُضُوعَ التَّام إِلَّا الله

Rather, only God deserves love and complete submission.

وَكُلُّ مَا أَحَبَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ فَمَحَبَّتُهُ فَاسِدَةٌ

And whatever one loves for reasons other than God, that love is corrupt.

وَمَا عُظِّمَ بِغَيْرِ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَتَعْظِيمُهُ بَاطِلٌ

And whatever was exalted without the command of Allah, then its exaltation is void.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ

Allah the Exalted said: Say, if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, and your wives

وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالُ اقترفتموها وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادُهَا

and your kin, and wealth you have acquired it, and trade whose stagnation you fear

وَمَسَاكِنَ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

And homes that you all are pleased with it are dearer to you all than Allah and His Messenger.

وَجِهَادٌ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ

And striving in His cause, so wait until Allah brings about by His command.

فَجِنْسُ الْمَحَبَّةِ يَكُونُ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ كَالطَّاعَةِ

So the kind of love is for God and for His Messenger, like obedience.

فَإِنَّ الطَّاعَةَ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَالْإِرْضَاءُ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ

So indeed, obedience is to God and to His Messenger, and pleasing is to God and to His Messenger.

وَأَمَّا الْعِبَادَةُ وَمَا يُنَاسِبُهَا مِنَ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالْخَوْفِ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ

As for worship and what suits it, such as trust in God, fear of God, and the like.

فَلَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ

So it is only for God alone.