{"id":2334,"date":"2025-09-30T06:37:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T06:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/?p=2334"},"modified":"2025-09-30T06:37:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T06:37:44","slug":"purpose-of-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/?p=2334","title":{"rendered":"Purpose and Spirit of Worship in Islam"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al Jawziyyah<\/b><\/p>\n

\"worship<\/a>

The most excellent of those who perform any practice are people who do it with the greatest remembrance of God.<\/p><\/div>\n

God says:<\/p>\n

And establish regular prayer for My remembrance. <\/strong>(Ta-Ha<\/a> 20:14)<\/p>\n

\u2018My remembrance\u2019 is said to have an active sense: \u2018In order that I (God) might remember you thereby\u2019. It is also said to refer to the One remembered: \u2018That you might remember Me thereby\u2019, with the letter lam<\/i> (L, in li-dhikrii<\/i> \u2018for My remembrance\u2019) in both cases expressing purpose.<\/p>\n

Others, however, argue that the lam carries a sense of time:<\/p>\n

Establish the prayer when I am mentioned\u201d, <\/strong>as in the verse:<\/p>\n

Establish the prayer at the sun\u2019s setting…\u00a0<\/strong>(Al-Israa<\/a>\u2019 17:78)<\/p>\n

Or the verse:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

And We all set up the scales with justice on the Day of Judgment…\u00a0<\/strong>(Al-Anbiyaa<\/a>\u2019 21:47)<\/p>\n

In these two verses, time is certainly meant, but in the present case this explanation is merely an opinion. The difference is that in the latter two verses, the lam<\/i> of time precedes the nouns of time \u2018the Sun\u2019s setting\u2019 and \u2018the Day of Judgment\u2019; whereas in the first verse, it precedes a noun \u2018My remembrance\u2019 derived from a verb, unless we agree that an expression of time is understood, so that the verse means \u2018at the time of My remembrance\u2019, which is possible.<\/p>\n

However, lam<\/i> most plainly expresses purpose. The verse means \u2018Establish the prayer for the sake of My remembrance\u2019. This includes the fact that the prayer is offered at the time that God is remembered; and the fact that when the servant remembers his Lord, God\u2019s remembrance of him has preceded his remembrance of God. For when God remembers His servant, it inspires the servant to remember Him. Therefore, all three meanings are correct.<\/p>\n

God has also said:<\/p>\n

Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish the prayer. Verily, the prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds. And God\u2019s remembrance is greater. <\/strong>(Al-`Ankabut<\/a> 29:45)<\/p>\n

It has been said that this means: \u2018In prayer you remember God and He remembers you, and His remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of Him\u2019.<\/p>\n

According to Ibn `Abbas, Salman, Abu Ad-Darda\u2019 and `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud, this is the meaning. And Ibn Abi Dunya related from Fudayl ibn Marzuq that `Atiyya said that \u201cAnd God\u2019s remembrance is greater\u201d\u00a0<\/b>(Al-`Ankabut<\/a> 29:45) is\u00a0\u201cRemember Me, I shall remember you.\u201d <\/b>(Al-Baqarah<\/a> 2:152)<\/p>\n

His remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of Him.\u2019<\/p>\n

Ibn Zayd and Qatada, however, held that it meant the remembrance of God is greater than everything. And when Salman was asked: \u2018Which is the best practice?\u2019 he answered: \u2018Do you not read the Qur\u2019an: \u201cAnd God\u2019s remembrance is greater?\u201d<\/b> (Al-`Ankabut<\/a> 29:45)<\/p>\n

This is supported by the hadith from Abu Ad-Darda\u2019 already quoted above: \u2018Should I tell you which of your deeds is best? Which purifies you most before your Sovereign \u2026 and is better for you than giving away gold and silver?\u2019<\/p>\n

The Sheikh of Islam Abu Al-`Abbas (Ibn Taymiyah) said: \u2018The correct understanding of the verse is that the prayer has two major purposes, one greater than the other: prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds and contains the remembrance of God Most High; the remembrance of God contained in the prayer is (something) greater than the restraint from shameful deeds and injustice\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ibn Abi Dunya said that when Ibn `Abbas was asked which deed was most excellent, he answered: \u2018And God\u2019s remembrance is greater.<\/p>\n

In the Sunan, there is a hadith from `A\u2019ishah where the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: \u201cThe circumambulation around the House, the course between Safa and Marwah and the casting of stones at the Pillars are (all) for maintaining the remembrance of God Most High\u201d.\u00a0(Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi)<\/p>\n

The most excellent of those who perform any practice are people who do it with the greatest remembrance of God. The most excellent of those who fast are people who remember God most in their fasting. The most excellent of those who give charity are people who remember God most (in their giving). The most excellent of those who make the pilgrimage are people who remember God most (in their pilgrimage). And the same holds true for all other practices.<\/p>\n

Ibn Abi Dunya mentioned a hadith reliably transmitted from the first generation (mursal<\/i>, literally \u2018hurried\u2019: a hadith with a chain of transmission which is reliable but which only goes back to at-tabi`un <\/i>(the generation of followers) that when the Prophet was asked which of the people who frequented the mosque were best, he answered: \u2018Those who remember God most.\u2019 When asked which of the people who attended a funeral were best, he answered: \u2018Those who remember God most\u2019. When asked which warriors were best, he answered: \u2018Those who remember God most\u2019. When asked which pilgrims were best, he answered: \u2018Those who remember God most\u2019. And when asked which of those who visited the sick he answered: \u00a0\u2018Those who visit\u2019. In some versions, this is read as `ibaad<\/i>, or the worshippers were best, he said: \u2018Those who remember God most\u2019. At which Abu Bakr said: \u2018Those who remember have taken all the good!\u2019 (Al-Bayhaqi, Shu`ab Al-Iman<\/i>)<\/p>\n

Said `Ubayd ibn `Umayr: \u2018If you find this night too long for standing, and you find Yourselves too worried about your money to give it away and too cowardly to fight your enemy, then invoke God Most High abundantly\u2019. (Al-Asfahani)Soucre Link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How do we, Muslims, worship God, and why? How do the acts of worship translate our relationship with God? And what are the best practices that bring a believer closer to the Lord? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,2404],"tags":[2523,2004,2005,2524,2525,2526,851,530,2527,2528,1376,9,2529,2530,2010,2531,2532,2392,1575,2533,2185,2534,2535,2536,2537,2538,2539,2540,2027,2541,2542],"class_list":["post-2334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acts-of-worship","category-the-faith","tag-ibadah","tag-acts-of-worship-in-islam","tag-belief-in-god","tag-best-believer","tag-best-deeds-of-muslim","tag-best-practices","tag-day-of-judgment","tag-dhikr","tag-establish-salah","tag-excellent-believer","tag-fasting","tag-featured","tag-get-closer-to-allah","tag-god-remembrance","tag-how-to-worship-god","tag-ibn-al-qayyim","tag-pilgrimage","tag-pillars-of-islam","tag-prayer-in-islam","tag-purpose-of-charity","tag-purpose-of-prayer","tag-purpose-of-worship-in-islam","tag-remembering-god","tag-safa-and-marwah","tag-sincere-worshipper","tag-spending-in-the-way-of-god","tag-spirit-of-worship-in-islam","tag-understanding-islam","tag-why-we-pray","tag-worship-god-properly","tag-zakah"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Purpose-and-Spirit-of-Worship-in-Islam...png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imuslim.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}