The concept of Worship in Islam
World Assembly of Muslim Youth
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The concept of worship in Islam differs from that found in other religions, and is therefore subject to misunderstanding. In general, worship is understood to mean the observance of certain rituals: praying, fasting, giving charity, and other "good" works. In Islam, however, worship is much more-it is one's entire life. As many Muslim scholars have said: "Worship is an all-inclusive term for those internal and external sayings and actions of a person that are pleasing to Allah."
In other words, worship is that which is done in obedience to Allah's will, which obviously includes rituals but goes far beyond to the realms of ones beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to one's society and fellow human beings.
Islam looks at the individual as a whole. He is required to submit completely to Allah, as the Qur'an instructed the prophet Muhammad to do: Say (O Muhammad) my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah; He has no partner and I am ordered to be among those who submit, i.e.; Muslims. The natural result of this submission is that one's activities should conform to the instructions of the one to whom the person is submitting-Allah. Islam requires that its followers conduct every aspect of their lives according to its teachings. This might sound strange to those who view religion as a personal relation between the individual and God and as having no impact on those activities that are not connected specifically with any religious rituals.
The Prophet taught his followers that Islam is far more than a private personal matter. Islam attaches no value to rituals that are performed mechanically and have no influence on one's inner life. The Qur'an dealt with this issue when it addressed Muslims, as well as local Jews and Christians, during the dispute that arose when the prayer direction was changed from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Makkah:
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the East or the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets, and gives his beloved money to the relatives and the orphans and the needy Andover the ransoming of the captives, and who observes prayer and pays the poor-due, and those who fulfill their promises when they have made one, and the patient in poverty and affliction and the steadfast in time of war; it is those who have proved truthful and it is those who are the God-fearing. (2:177)
The deeds mentioned in the above verse are indications that a person is righteous. But they are only a part of worship. Faith, according to the Prophet, is the basis of worship and "is made up of sixty and some branches: the highest of which is the belief in the Oneness of Allah, i.e., there is no God but Allah and the lowest in the scale of worship is removing obstacles and dirt from people's way"
Honest work is considered a type of worship. The Prophet said: "Whoever finds himself at the nightfall tired of his work, God will forgive his sins." Seeking knowledge is one of the highest types of worship. The Prophet told his Companions that "seeking knowledge is a (religious) duty on every Muslim." He also said: "Seeking knowledge for one hour is better than praying for seventy years. " Social courtesy and cooperation, when done for the sake of Allah, are also a part of worship: "Receiving your friend with a smile is a type of charity, helping a person to load his animal is a charity, and putting some water in your neighbor's bucket is a charity"
In Islam, the performing one's duties is also considered an act of worship. The Prophet told us that whatever one spends for his family will be counted as an acts of worship for which he will be rewarded, provided that he has acquired it through Islamically acceptable means. Kindness to family members, no matter how small, are also viewed as acts of worship. Even activities that we enjoy very much, such as sexual relations with one's spouse, are considered acts of worship as long as they are performed in accordance with the relevant Qur'anic and prophetic guidelines. For example, the Prophet once told his Companions that they would be rewarded even for engaging in sex with their wives. They were astonished and asked: "Are we to be rewarded for doing something that we enjoy very much?" The Prophet replied: "If you satisfy your desires illegally, will you be punished?" They replied, "Yes. " "So," he said, "by satisfying it legally with your wives you will be rewarded."
It is clear from the previous discussion that the concept of worship in Islam is a comprehensive concept that includes all of the positive activities engaged in by an individual. This is in agreement with the all-inclusive nature of Islam, which regulates life on the individual, social, economic, political, spiritual, and all other levels of one's life. This minute attention to one's activities is the reason why the Qur'an and the example and sayings of the Prophet deal with all aspects of an individual's and a society's life. As following these guidelines is an act of obedience to Allah, He considers them as acts of worship. This very positive attitude encourages individuals to follow the relevant guidelines and thus to bring about personal and social transformation. It also causes an individual to internalize the guidelines, for even if no one is watching him, he knows that Allah is watching him.
Discussing non-ritualistic types of worship first does not mean that the ritualistic ones have less importance. In fact, if the latter are performed correctly and sincerely, the elevate the individual both spiritually and morally and actually help him to live a righteous life according to the guidance of Allah.
Islam has several ritualistic activities that all Muslims are expected to perform. The most important one is the prayer (salah), which must be performed according to a specific style. Its importance derives from the fact that it serves as the distinctive trait of a Muslim and because it prevents a Muslim from engaging in sinful activities by putting him into direct contact with Allah five times a day. Thus, the ritual prayer is a chance for him to renew his covenant with Allah and to seek His guidance anew. As it says in the Qur'an: You alone do we worship and to You alone do we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path (1:4-.5). Actually, the ritual prayer is the first practical manifestation of the Islamic faith and is the main condition for a Muslim's success: Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers. (23:1-2)
This has also been emphasized by the Prophet, who said: "Those who offer their prayer with great care and punctuality will find it a light, a proof of their faith and a cause of their salvation on the Day of Judgment."
The second most important pillar of Islam is zakat, a term that signifies giving to the less fortunate a certain percentage of one's earnings and holdings. Giving the poor-due and performing the prayer are usually mentioned together in the Qur'an, for they are both visible manifestations of one's Islamic faith and belief that Allah is the sole owner of everything in the universe, which he allows man to enjoy as His trustee for a specific period of time: Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend of that over which He made you trustees (57:7). In this respect, giving one's poor-due is an act of devotion that, like prayer, brings the believer nearer to his Lord.
In addition, this act provides a means to redistribute a society's wealth in a way that reduces differences between classes and groups. It makes an important contribution to social stability, for by purging the soul of the rich person from selfishness and the soul of the poor from envy and resentment against society, it blocks the channels leading to class hatred and makes it possible for the springs of brotherhood and solidarity to gush forth. Such stability is not merely based on the personal feelings of the rich: it stands on a firmly established right that, if denied by the rich, would be exacted by force, if necessary.
The month-long fast of Ramadan (siyam) is the third pillar of Islam. Its main function is to make the Muslim pure from "within," just as the external legal code (the Shari'ah) makes his external actions pure. This process of purification makes it possible for him to respond to what is true and good and to shun what is false and evil. As stated in the Qur'an: O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may gain piety (2:183). In an authentic tradition, the Prophet reported Allah as saying: "He suspends eating, drinking, and gratification of his sexual passion for My sake. " Thus his reward is going to be according to God's great bounty.
Fasting, then, awakens an individual's conscience and gives it scope for exercise in a communal experience that is engaged in by the entire Muslim world at the same time. Such a ritual strengthens the individual's resolve to improve himself and to realize the purpose of the whole undertaking. Fasting offers a compulsory rest to the over-worked human body for the duration of one full month, and also reminds Muslims of those who are deprived of life's necessities throughout the year or throughout one's life. It makes him realize the suffering of his less fortunate Muslim brothers, a feeling that promotes in him a sense of sympathy and kindness towards Muslims and other people in general.
Lastly, we come to the annual pilgrimage to the House of Allah (the Ka'bah) in Makkah. This ritual, known as the hadj, is unique to Islam. Muslims from all comers of the world and all attired in the same clothing respond in one voice and one language with the following phrase upon entering the sacred precincts: "labbayk Allahuma Labbayk" (Here I am at your service O Lord!). This is a time of strict self-discipline and control where not only sacred things are revered, but even the life of plants and birds is made inviolable: And he that venerates the sacred things of God, it shall be better for him with his Lord (22:30) as well as And he that venerates the way marks of God, it surely is from devotion of the heart (22:32).
Pilgrimage gives an opportunity for all Muslims, regardless of their affiliations with certain groups, classes, organizations, and governments, to meet annually in a great congress. The time and venue of this congress has been set by God. All Muslims are invited to attend, for no individual or government can deny any Muslim the right to do so. Every Muslim who attends is guaranteed full safety and freedom as long as he does not violate its sanctity.
Thus, worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, trains the individual in such a way that he loves his Creator even more, which causes him to gain an unyielding will and spins to wipe out all evil and oppression from his society and to make the word of God triumphant.
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World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
Saudi Arabia
Tuesday 19 March 2019
HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM
Human Rights In Islam
World Assembly of Muslim Youth
Human Rights In Islam
Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, Whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honour, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, colour or race. Every human-being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honourable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind.
Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to he observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace with the state Or at war. The Quran very clearly states:
0 believers, be you securers of justice, witness for God.
Let not detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable - that is nearer to godfearing. (5:8)
Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Quran equates it to the killing of entire mankind:
... Who so slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether.
It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honour and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from amongst its enemies.
When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the kings or the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred. The same is the case with the rights accepted and recognised by the dictators. They can confer them when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God, no legislative assembly in the world or any government on earth has the right or authority to make any amendment or change in the rights conferred by God. No one has the right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are they basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them.
The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; because the former is not applicable on anybody while the latter is applicable on every believer. They are a part and parcel of the Islamic Faith. Every Muslim or administrators who claim themselves to be Muslims, will have to accept, recognise and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Holy Quran for such government is clear and unequivocal:
Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the disbelievers. (5:44)
Human Rights in an Islamic State
1. The Security of Life and Property
In the address which the Prophet delivered on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj, he said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet has also said about the dhimmis (the non-Muslim citizens of the Muslim state): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e., Dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."
2. The Protection of Honour
The Holy Quran lays down:
i. You who believe, do not let one (set of) people make fun of another set.
ii. Do not defame one another.
Iii. Do not insult by using nicknames.
iv. Do not backbite or speak ill of one another. (49:11-12)
3. Sanctity and Security of Private Life
The Quran has laid down the injunction:
i. Do not spy on one another.
ii. Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of their occupant's consent.
4. The Security of Personal Freedom
Islam has laid down the principle that no citizen can be imprisoned unless his guilt has been proved in an open court. To arrest a man only on the basis of suspicion and to throw him into a prison without proper court proceedings and without providing him a reasonable opportunity to produce his defence is not permissible in Islam.
5. The Right to Protest Against Tyranny
Amongst the rights that Islam has conferred on human beings is the right to protest against government's tyranny. Referring to it the Quran says:
God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by some one who has been injured thereby.
In Islam, as has been argued earlier, all power and authority belongs to God, and with man there is only delegated power which becomes a trust; everyone who becomes a recipient or a donee of such a power has to stand in awful reverence before his people towards whom and for whose sake he will be called upon to use these powers. This was acknowledged by Hazrat Abu Bakr who said in his very first address: "Cooperate with me when I am right but correct me when I commit error; obey me so long as I follow the commandments of Allah and His prophet; but turn away from me when I deviate."
6. Freedom of Expression
Islam gives the right of freedom of thought and expression to all citizens of the Islamic state on the condition that it should be used for the propagation of virtue and truth and not for spreading evil and wickedness. The Islamic concept of freedom of expression is much superior to the concept prevalent in the West. Under no circumstances would Islam allow evil and wickedness to be propagated. It also does not give anybody the right to use abusive or offensive language in the name of criticism. It was the practice of the Muslims to enquire from the Holy Prophet whether on a certain matter a divine injunction had been revealed to him. If he said that he had received no divine injunction, the Muslims freely expressed their opinion on the matter.
7. Freedom of Association
Islam has also given people the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organisations. This right is also subject to certain general rules.
8. Freedom of Conscience and Conviction
Islam has laid down the injunction: There should be no coercion in the matter of faith.
On the contrary totalitarian societies, totally deprive the individuals of their freedom. Indeed this undue exaltation of the state authority curiously enough postulates a sort of servitude, of slavishness on the part of man. At one time by slavery was meant total control of man over man - now that type of slavery has been legally abolished but in its place totalitarian societies impose a similar sort of control over individuals.
9. Protection of Religious Sentiments
Along with the freedom of conviction and freedom of conscience Islam has given the right to the individual that his religious sentiments will be given due respect and nothing will be said or done which may encroach upon his right.
10. Protection from Arbitrary Imprisonment
Islam also recognises the right of the individual that he will not be arrested or imprisoned for the offences of others. The Holy Quran has laid down this principle clearly:
No bearer of burdens shall be made to bear the burden of another.
11. The Right to Basic Necessities of Life
Islam has recognised the right of the needy people that help and assistance will be provided to them: And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and the destitute.
12. Equality Before Law
Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law.
13. Rulers Not Above the Law
A woman belonging to a high and noble family was arrested in connection with theft. The case was brought to the Prophet, and it was recommended that she might be spared the punishment of theft. The Prophet replied. "The nations that lived before you were destroyed by God because they punished the common-man for their offences and let their dignitaries go unpunished for their crimes; I swear by Him Who holds my life in His hand that even if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, had committed this crime, I would have cut her hand."
14. The Right to Participate in the Affairs of State
And their business is (conducted) through consultation among themselves. (42:38)
The shura or the legislative assembly has no other meaning except that: The executive head of the government and the members of the assembly should be elected by free and independent choice of the people.
Lastly, it is to be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above-mentioned human rights and many others not only by providing certain legal safeguards but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges. It invites mankind to move on to a plane of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, man can realise the ideal of the Brotherhood of man.
-
WAMY SERIES ON ISLAM NO. 10
World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
Saudi Arabia
World Assembly of Muslim Youth
Human Rights In Islam
Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, Whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honour, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, colour or race. Every human-being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honourable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind.
Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to he observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace with the state Or at war. The Quran very clearly states:
0 believers, be you securers of justice, witness for God.
Let not detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable - that is nearer to godfearing. (5:8)
Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Quran equates it to the killing of entire mankind:
... Who so slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether.
It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honour and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from amongst its enemies.
When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the kings or the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred. The same is the case with the rights accepted and recognised by the dictators. They can confer them when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God, no legislative assembly in the world or any government on earth has the right or authority to make any amendment or change in the rights conferred by God. No one has the right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are they basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them.
The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; because the former is not applicable on anybody while the latter is applicable on every believer. They are a part and parcel of the Islamic Faith. Every Muslim or administrators who claim themselves to be Muslims, will have to accept, recognise and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Holy Quran for such government is clear and unequivocal:
Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the disbelievers. (5:44)
Human Rights in an Islamic State
1. The Security of Life and Property
In the address which the Prophet delivered on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj, he said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet has also said about the dhimmis (the non-Muslim citizens of the Muslim state): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e., Dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."
2. The Protection of Honour
The Holy Quran lays down:
i. You who believe, do not let one (set of) people make fun of another set.
ii. Do not defame one another.
Iii. Do not insult by using nicknames.
iv. Do not backbite or speak ill of one another. (49:11-12)
3. Sanctity and Security of Private Life
The Quran has laid down the injunction:
i. Do not spy on one another.
ii. Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of their occupant's consent.
4. The Security of Personal Freedom
Islam has laid down the principle that no citizen can be imprisoned unless his guilt has been proved in an open court. To arrest a man only on the basis of suspicion and to throw him into a prison without proper court proceedings and without providing him a reasonable opportunity to produce his defence is not permissible in Islam.
5. The Right to Protest Against Tyranny
Amongst the rights that Islam has conferred on human beings is the right to protest against government's tyranny. Referring to it the Quran says:
God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by some one who has been injured thereby.
In Islam, as has been argued earlier, all power and authority belongs to God, and with man there is only delegated power which becomes a trust; everyone who becomes a recipient or a donee of such a power has to stand in awful reverence before his people towards whom and for whose sake he will be called upon to use these powers. This was acknowledged by Hazrat Abu Bakr who said in his very first address: "Cooperate with me when I am right but correct me when I commit error; obey me so long as I follow the commandments of Allah and His prophet; but turn away from me when I deviate."
6. Freedom of Expression
Islam gives the right of freedom of thought and expression to all citizens of the Islamic state on the condition that it should be used for the propagation of virtue and truth and not for spreading evil and wickedness. The Islamic concept of freedom of expression is much superior to the concept prevalent in the West. Under no circumstances would Islam allow evil and wickedness to be propagated. It also does not give anybody the right to use abusive or offensive language in the name of criticism. It was the practice of the Muslims to enquire from the Holy Prophet whether on a certain matter a divine injunction had been revealed to him. If he said that he had received no divine injunction, the Muslims freely expressed their opinion on the matter.
7. Freedom of Association
Islam has also given people the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organisations. This right is also subject to certain general rules.
8. Freedom of Conscience and Conviction
Islam has laid down the injunction: There should be no coercion in the matter of faith.
On the contrary totalitarian societies, totally deprive the individuals of their freedom. Indeed this undue exaltation of the state authority curiously enough postulates a sort of servitude, of slavishness on the part of man. At one time by slavery was meant total control of man over man - now that type of slavery has been legally abolished but in its place totalitarian societies impose a similar sort of control over individuals.
9. Protection of Religious Sentiments
Along with the freedom of conviction and freedom of conscience Islam has given the right to the individual that his religious sentiments will be given due respect and nothing will be said or done which may encroach upon his right.
10. Protection from Arbitrary Imprisonment
Islam also recognises the right of the individual that he will not be arrested or imprisoned for the offences of others. The Holy Quran has laid down this principle clearly:
No bearer of burdens shall be made to bear the burden of another.
11. The Right to Basic Necessities of Life
Islam has recognised the right of the needy people that help and assistance will be provided to them: And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and the destitute.
12. Equality Before Law
Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law.
13. Rulers Not Above the Law
A woman belonging to a high and noble family was arrested in connection with theft. The case was brought to the Prophet, and it was recommended that she might be spared the punishment of theft. The Prophet replied. "The nations that lived before you were destroyed by God because they punished the common-man for their offences and let their dignitaries go unpunished for their crimes; I swear by Him Who holds my life in His hand that even if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, had committed this crime, I would have cut her hand."
14. The Right to Participate in the Affairs of State
And their business is (conducted) through consultation among themselves. (42:38)
The shura or the legislative assembly has no other meaning except that: The executive head of the government and the members of the assembly should be elected by free and independent choice of the people.
Lastly, it is to be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above-mentioned human rights and many others not only by providing certain legal safeguards but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges. It invites mankind to move on to a plane of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, man can realise the ideal of the Brotherhood of man.
-
WAMY SERIES ON ISLAM NO. 10
World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
Saudi Arabia
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