*ACT 5️⃣: OBEDIENCE*
*In order to obey God wholeheartedly, it is first necessary to accept that God is the only lawmaker.*
*GOD'S LAW IS THE ONLY LAW*
*Shall I seek other than God as a lawmaker when it is He who has brought down to you the Book fully detailed? 6:114*
*The Quran also tells us that the only Sunnah (methodology/system) is that of God, and that it has no substitute:*
*You will find that there is no substitute for the Sunna of God. 33:62*
*OBEYING GOD'S LAW*
*One of the most frequent commands in the Quran is to obey God and the messenger. The Quran is very clear that obeying God and obeying His messenger are one issue and not two. The following verses all confirm such meaning:*
1🔹- *He who obeys the messenger has obeyed God. 4:80*
*These glorious words confirm that the messenger preaches nothing but God's Law. If the messenger preached what is additional to the Quran then obeying the messenger would not necessarily coincide with obeying God. This message is well established through 6:114 (above) as well as a number of verses which stresses that the only duty of the messenger is to deliver the message of God, such as:*
*Obey God and obey the messenger, and beware: if you turn away, then know that the sole duty of Our messenger is the clear delivery. 5:92*
2🔹- *You will find that there is no substitute to the Sunna of God. 33:62*
*As mentioned, to claim or believe that there are two Sunna's, one of God and one of the prophet, is in fact to disbelieve the Quranic words in 33:62.*
3🔹- *We brought down to you the Book with the truth so that you may judge among the people. 4:105 (also 5:48)*
*This verse decisively appoints the tool by which the messenger is to arbitrate among the people; this in our case is the Quran. In all the Quran, there is never any mention of any other tool or source.*
*Having established that the Law of God is contained in the Book of God and nowhere else, it is the duty of every Muslim to obey it. To worship God is to obey His Law, and to obey His Law is to obey the Quran.*
*The Quran is a complete source of law containing all the rituals and practices that are authorised by God (Salat, Hajj, Umrah, etc), plus all the prohibitions, code of conduct and so on. In the adherence and obedience to any one of these laws, whether it is related to one of the practices, or one of the prohibitions, is indeed an act of worship.* *Consequently, in order to worship God alone, it is imperative to follow God's Law and no other law.*
*The importance of obeying God's Law is highly emphasized in the Quran to the extent that it is stated in the Book that whoever advocates or rules by a law other than that of God is classed as a disbeliever.*
*Those who do not rule by what God has brought down, they are indeed the disbelievers. 5:44*
*In addition, all who follow laws which are not authorised by God in the Quran, are indeed setting up partners with God:*
*Or do they have 'shurakaa' (partners) who legislate for them of the religion what God did not authorise? If it were not for a decisive Word, judgement would have already been passed over them. Indeed, the transgressors shall have a painful punishment. 42:21*
*The word "shurakaa" is the plural of the word 'shareek' and 'shareek' means partner.*
*The importance of this word in 42:21 cannot be overlooked. The word 'shareek' is the adjective from the noun 'shirk' (setting up partners with God in any of His exclusive rights).*
*Since we have confirmation in 6:114 that God is the only lawmaker, the 'shurakaa' (partners) mentioned in 42:21 can only be partners with God in His exclusive right as the only lawmaker. It follows that all who obey religious rules or rituals not authorised by God are committing an act of shirk.*
*ACT 6️⃣: TRUST AND DEPENDENCE*
*Worshipping God is both in action and in conviction.*
*The conviction expression of worshipping God is in entrusting our lives to Him.*
*This covers all aspects of our livelihood and well-being. To entrust our lives with God is an expression of our acceptance of God's absolute authority as well as our certainty that no one has any power that is independent of God. No one can harm or benefit us other than God.*
*Trust and dependence on God is the act of the sincere believers*
*Put your trust in God if you are believers. 5:23*
*Submitting to God is not possible without trusting in Him*
*In Him you shall trust, if you are indeed Submitters. 10:84*
*As a result, worshipping God is not sincere without trusting in Him*
*You shall worship Him and put your trust in Him. 11:123*
*Trusting in God earns the human huge rewards in the worldly life and in the Hereafter*
1🔻- *God grants those who trust in Him blessings in this life and in the Hereafter*
*We will grant them well in this life, and the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew. They are the ones who are patient, and in their Lord they trust. 16:41-42*
2 🔻- *The devil has no authority over those who trust in God*
*He has no authority over those who believe and in their Lord they trust. 16:99*
3🔻 - *Trusting in God earns His love*
*You shall trust in God. God loves the trusting ones. 3:159*
4 🔻- *Those who trust in God need none other*
*Whoever trusts in God, He suffices him. 65:3*
5 🔻- *God supports those who trust in Him*
*If God supports you, none can defeat you. And if He forsakes you, who is the one who can support you after Him? In God the believers should trust. 3:160*
6 🔻- *Trusting in God grants the believers success in what they endeavour*
*My success lies only with God. In Him I put my trust, and to Him I turn. 11:88*
*Act 7️⃣: FEAR AND REVERENCE*
*As much as we are to love and adore God, we should also fear and revere Him.*
*This fear is not needed by God, but it is for our own benefit.*
*If we were sinless infallible angels, our love of God alone would see us through, but because we are imperfect creatures prone to be influenced by both good and evil (91:7-8), the fear of God acts as a much needed deterrent.*
*There are always those who will criticise the Quran by saying, 'faith should not be built on fear but on love'!*
*Those who make such claim are invariably motivated by arrogance as well as insincerity. The arrogance of refusing to fear a higher power above them, and the insincerity of ignoring basic facts.*
*Such people know quite well that the concept of 'punishment and reward' is used in any society as a deterrent in curbing crime. We can imagine what would happen if in any society it was one day declared that from that day there will be no punishment for crime and that the love of humanity should be sufficient for all people to be law abiding citizens!*
*The following verses stress the importance of fearing God*
*The reverent who fear their Lord though unseen, and they are apprehensive of the Hour. 21:48-49*
*Those who fear their Lord though unseen. 35:18*
*Fearing Hell is fearing God's punishment*
*And beware of the Fire that has been prepared for the disbelievers. 3:131.*
*Beware of the Fire whose fuel is people and stones. It is prepared for the disbelievers. 2:24*
*The fear of God without seeing Him is a true indication of a strong faith as well as an act of Worship.*
*So do not fear them but fear Me instead, so that I may complete My blessings upon you and so that you may be guided. 2:150*
*So do not fear the people but fear Me. 5:44*
*The Quran states that the fear of God is also the trait of those endowed with knowledge*
*Only the knowledgeable among God's servants fear Him. 35:28*
*For those who fear God there is promise of great reward*
*Whoever reveres God, He wipes out his bad deeds and will surely make the reward great for him. 65:5*
*Those who fear their Lord though unseen shall have forgiveness and a great reward. 67:12*
*ACT 8️⃣: IMPLORING AND BESEECHING*
*To implore and beseech God are indeed unquestionable expressions of Worship. The following verse asserts the link between Worship and Imploration*
*Your Lord said, 'Implore Me and I will respond to you. Surely, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell humiliated. 40:60*
*The deliberate linking of the words "Implore Me" and "Worship Me" in this verse confirm that imploring God is indeed an essential expression of worship. Those who do not implore God do not worship Him. God, being the Most Merciful, encourages the believers to implore Him so that He may bestow on them His mercy.*
*And if My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the caller's call if he calls upon Me. Therefore, they shall respond to Me and believe in Me so that they may be rightly guided. 2:186*
*Since imploration is an expression of Worship, and since we must worship God alone, it follows that we should implore God alone. The Quran is quick to ascertain this matter*
*So you shall call upon God, devoting the religion purely to Him, even if the disbelievers dislike it. 40:14*
*The Masjids are for God, so do not call upon anyone else besides Him. 72:18*
*Do not call upon other than God what does not benefit you nor harm you. If you do, you will be among the transgressors. 10:106*
*The following verses specifically address those who implore dead people (saints, messengers of God, etc.) for help*
*Those whom you call upon besides God are servants just like you. So go ahead and call upon them, and let them respond to you if you are truthful. 7:194*
*And those whom you call upon besides Him are unable to support you, nor can they support themselves. 7:197*
*Those whom you call upon besides Him do not possess as much as a seed's shell. If you call upon them, they cannot hear your calls, and even if they were to hear, they would not respond to you, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your shirk. 35:13-14*
*The Quran tells us that with many people, whenever they face grave danger they will implore God alone but as soon as God rescues them they revert to associating partners with God*
*When they sail onboard a ship, they implore God, devoting the religion purely to Him. Yet when He delivers them safely to the shore, they revert to associating partners with Him. 29:65*
*The explanation of this is that when the human being faces imminent life threatening danger, the mind is unable to think rationally from the shock, at that moment instinct takes over. By instinct, all people recognise God's absolute authority and that He alone has the power to save them*
*So direct your face towards the religion as a monotheist. Such is the natural instinct that God instilled in the people. 30:30*
*To conclude, believers should implore God alone, as the act of imploring God is undoubtedly a true expression of Worship.*
*ACT 9️⃣: SEEKING FORGIVENESS*
*Those who worship God sincerely always seek forgiveness for their sins.*
*The link between the act of worship and seeking forgiveness is well pronounced in the Quran.*
*- When Shu'aib was sent to the people of Midyan, he said:*
*"O my people, worship God; you have no god other than Him." 11:84*
*Following the call of Shu'aib to his people to worship God, he added:*
*"Ask forgiveness from your Lord, then repent to Him. My Lord is Merciful, Loving." 11:90*
*- When Noah was sent to his people, he said:*
*You shall worship God, revere Him, and obey me. 71:3*
*Following the call of Noah to his people to worship God, he added:*
*"Ask your Lord for forgiveness. Indeed, He is Forgiving." 71:10*
*Seeking God's forgiveness is indeed a clear admission of worshipping God. Those who worship God alone seek His forgiveness because they are ascertained that God alone forgives sins and not any middle person:*
*Who forgives the sins except God? 3:135*
*They are also ascertained that God's mercy is boundless and that God forgives all the sins of those who worship Him sincerely:*
*Say, "O My 'Ibadi' (servants) who transgressed exceedingly against themselves, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, the Merciful." 39:53*
*A sincere call for forgiveness should be followed by repentance:*
*Ask your Lord for forgiveness, then repent to Him. 11:3*
*Repentance to God must be sincere and heart felt to be accepted by God:*
*O you who believe, repent to God a sincere repentance. 66:8*
*Then they do not persist in what they have done, knowingly. 3:135*
*Benefits of seeking God's forgiveness*
1️⃣ *- Seeking God's forgiveness safeguards the believers from God's punishment in the worldly life as well as in the Hereafter:*
*God would not punish them while you are among them, nor would God punish them while they ask for forgiveness. 8:33*
2️⃣ *- Seeking God's forgiveness grants the believers numerous blessings from God:*
*Ask your Lord for forgiveness. Indeed, He is Forgiving. He will shower you generously from the sky, and supply you with wealth and children, and provide for you Gardens and provide for you rivers.' " 71:10-12*
*And ask your Lord for forgiveness, then repent to Him. He will then let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and bestow His favour on every doer of favour. 11:3*
3️⃣ *- Seeking God's forgiveness provides the believers with strength:*
*O my people, ask your Lord for forgiveness,* *then repent to Him. He will then send the sky* *upon you abundantly and add strength to your strength. Do not turn back as criminals. 11:52*
*Act 🔟: APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE*
*The Quran confirms that the expression of appreciation and gratitude to God is indeed an act of Worship:*
*Give thanks for God's blessings if it is Him that you worship. 16:114*
*The act of appreciation and gratitude is in fact a four fold expression:*
1️⃣ *- Remembering God's blessings:*
*The human being is to always remember God's blessings and not take it for granted:*
*O people, remember God's blessing upon you. 35:3*
2️⃣ *- The realization that all blessings come from God:*
*Genuine believers have no doubt that all good things that come to them in life come from God alone, and that no human being has any power to benefit them except in accordance with God's will. This message is quite clear in the Quran:*
*Any blessing that you have is from God. 16:53*
3️⃣ *- The expression of Appreciation and Gratitude:*
*The Quran stresses the importance of expressing appreciation and gratitude to God. This should be accompanied by a genuine contentment with ones fortunes. Those who are content with what they have are often the ones who find true happiness. Verily, happiness is not having what we want, but wanting what we have. The following verse ascertains the importance of appreciation, and its great reward:*
*And when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks, I shall increase for you, but if you disbelieve, then My punishment is severe." 14:7*
*The Quran states that God's blessings are so numerous that the human being can never count them all:*
*If you were to count God's blessings, you could not encompass them all. The human being is indeed transgressing, unappreciative. 14:34*
*Sadly, many of these God given blessings are taken for granted by most people. If we consider our senses, to be able to hear and see, to be given a mind superior to all other creatures with which we are able to attain sovereignty on Earth, we find that many people take these for granted, then only realise their value if one of these senses is lost. All these blessings are God given.*
*God brought you out of your mothers' wombs knowing nothing, and He devised for you the hearing, the sight and the heart, so hopefully you may give thanks. 16:78*
*God is the One who rendered the night for you to rest therein, and the day for visibility. God is Possessor of great favour for the people, but most people do not give thanks. 40:61.*
4️⃣ *- Proclaiming God's blessings:*
*The fourth expression of appreciation is to constantly proclaim God's blessings to others.*
*And as for the blessings of your Lord: you shall proclaim. 93:11.*
*By proclaiming God's blessings, we express both our gratitude and our worship of God.*
*ACT 1️⃣1️⃣: DEVOTION AND DEDICATION*
*This last act is undoubtedly the most noble of all the acts of worship.*
*This is the act of those who dedicate their lives and money to the cause of God.*
*Those are the ones who constantly strive to preach the way to God; they are promised the highest reward*
*Those who believed, emigrated and strove in the cause of God with their money and themselves hold the greatest rank with God. Those are the winners. 9:20*
*No words are better than those words that preach the way to God*
*Who is better spoken than one who invites to God, does good deeds, and says, "I am one of the Submitters"? 41:33*
*The invitation to devote and dedicate ourselves and our money to the cause of God is also found in 22:67 and 28:87.*
*The great value of such work is evident considering that such commands of dedication and devotion are often addressed to God's own messengers.*
*The following verse is addressed to prophet Muhammad*
*O you prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of news, a warner, and a caller inviting to God with His permission, and an illuminating lamp. 33:45-46*
*The Quran also provides the optimum method of preaching and inviting to God*
*Invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and advice, and debate with them in the best possible manner. 16:125*
*CONCLUSION*
*These are the eleven expressions and signs of worshipping God.*
*Every one of us needs to ask himself/herself 2 questions and in all honesty*
*1- How many of these acts are regularly observed?*
*2- How many of these acts are done for God alone?*
*The answer to both of these questions will provide an accurate indicator of the purity of your worship.*
*The answer will also determine whether you qualify to join the elite group of God's servants whom God calls "Ebad Allah* *Al-Mukhlaseen" (God's pure servants).*
*Try to take each of the eleven acts on its own and weigh your actions against it.*
*For example, do you glorify any one besides God?*
*Do you idolize any one to the extent of calling them perfect (God being the only absolute perfection)?*
*Do you love any one as much as you love God?*
*Do you commemorate any name as much as you commemorate the name of God, or even more?*
*Do you obey any religious law that are derived from a source other the Quran?*
*Do you place your total trust and dependence on others believing that they have the power to help you on their own?*
*Do you on the other hand often fear others believing that they have the power to harm you?*
*Do you call on any dead human beings (saints, messengers or prophets) and implore them to help you in any way?*
*Do you believe that any human has the power to save you on Judgement Day?*
*Are you comfortable with the feeling that God is all you need?*
*Is God not sufficient for His servant? 39:36*
*Are you happy with the mention of the name of God alone?*
*When God alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter are filled with aversion, but when others are mentioned besides Him, they rejoice. 39:45*
*And finally, are you obsessed with your business or your loved ones to the extent that you dedicate all your life to them and become negligent of the only reason for which we were all created? That being to worship God*
*I have not created the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. 51:56*
*The higher degree of honesty you abide by in answering these questions, the more accurate you will be able to determine if you worship God or not, and more importantly will indicate as to whether you worship God alone or not!*
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