Worship and Repentance

And in the two Sahihs, from Muadh who said

I was a riding partner of the Prophet on a donkey

So he said, 'O Muadh, do you know what is Allah's right upon the servants?'

I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.'

He said, 'Allah's right upon the servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.'

And the servants' right upon Allah is that He does not punish those who do not associate anything with Him.

And worship is the goal for which Allah created the servants, concerning His command, love, and approval.

As He, the Most High, said in Adh-Dhariyat, 'And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me.'

And it was for this that He sent the messengers and revealed the books.

And it is a term that encompasses complete humility at its highest degree, and complete love for Allah at its highest degree.

For love devoid of humility and humility devoid of love is not worship.

Rather, worship is what combines the completion of both matters.

And for this reason, worship is suitable for none but Allah.

And even though its benefit is for the servant and Allah is self-sufficient from it, it is for Him in terms of His love for it and His approval of it.

And for this reason, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than one who finds his lost mount, upon it his food and drink, in a barren, dangerous land after sleeping in despair of it, then waking to find it.

So Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than this man is with his lost mount.

And concerning this, there are significant matters that we have expanded upon and explained elsewhere.

And reliance and seeking help are for the servant because they are the means and the path through which he attains his goals and desires in worship.

For seeking help is like supplication and requesting.

And Al-Tabarani narrated in the Book of Supplication from the Prophet who said

Allah says, 'O son of Adam, there are four things: one for Me, one for you, one between Me and you, and one between you and My creation.'

As for the one that is for Me, it is that you worship Me, associating nothing with Me.

And as for the one that is for you, it is your deeds for which I will recompense you when you need it most.

And as for the one that is between Me and you, it is from you supplication, and upon Me is the response.