06.27.06
Because You are Worthy of Worship
Just a thought I would like to share. I have noticed way too much that we try to bribe ourselves and make ourselves do righteous deeds and good (ie. praying, fasting, etc) by telling ourselves we will get thawab (or reward). Ever since we were children our elders would scare us or bribe us with such material. Sometimes when we are very young it is required to do so, but once are minds and hearts are developed we must change our mentality. We are not kids anymore. We should love Allah for His sake, not because of hellfire or paradise.
A good analogy I use is do you love your parents because they give you presents, gifts, and money? Or do you love them simply because they are your parents? Yes, it is sometimes hard to put in perspective during hardships and crises, but we must try and strive - it is Jihad.
The hadith from Imam Ali (a) sums it up beautifully,
“O God, I do not worship You out of fear of the hell-fire because this would be the worship of a slave. Nor do I worship You out of desire for the pleasures of paradise because this would be the worship of a merchant (tujjar). Rather I worship You
because You are worthy of worship…”
Abbas Peera Said:
June 30, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Salaam Abbas -
Beautiful Hadeeth & thoughts indeed.
I agree wholeheartedly. Sometimes for children especially, its neccessary to provide incentives for certain things - but that’s because kid’s can’t comprehend the intrinsic value of the objects and the people that make up their world. As soon as an introspective human being realizes the value of life, the value of his existence, the value of the people and things around him, and the value of the opportunity that he has to train his soul to reach higher levels, it can ultimately lead him toward one thing - an immense appreciation for the Ultimate Source of all of those things.
The most beautiful thing, I think, is when a human being comes to the realization that while all those objects and personalities in his life may have a certain value, the opportunity that has been bestowed upon him to acknowledge and come closer to the Creator and Sustainer of all those entities is truly invaluable. And its interesting to note - that the very value that exists within those material entities has been placed there to cater to our nature as limited beings, whereby (Allah) swt allows us to understand Him through everything that exists in the world around us. Subhanallah - Is Allah (swt) not the wisest of the wise? (Al Qur’an)
A few verses that comes to mind from Suratul Insaan:
(76:1) There surely came over man a period of time when he was a thing not worth of mentioning.
(76:2) Surely We have created man from a small life-germ uniting (itself). We mean to try him, so We have made him hearing, seeing.
(76:3) Surely We have shown him the way: he may be thankful, or unthankful.
It always baffles me to think that we were once nothing, as Allah (swt) says - we were not even worth mentioning. If realizing the fact that we were once “nothing” isn’t amazing on its own, then think of the fact that Allah (swt) - while He Himself having absolutely no need for us, put us in this world so that we could prove to ourselves that we are worthy of attaining His pleasure. The Last Messenger (Muhammad ibn Abdullah s.a.w.w) & The Commander of the Faithful (Ali ibn Abi Talib a.s.) had such a deep understanding of these realities that, as you mentioned, they “worshipped Allah swt because He is worthy of worship.”
So - aside from the benefits that we know come from prayers, fasting, good deeds, etc. - the divine nature of the Almighty, which we will never fully comprehend, demands that all of creation worship and obey the Almighty Allah (swt) simply because of His Magnificence, Infinite Wisdom, Generosity, Compassion, Mercy - and all His other attributes through which He has allowed us to understand Him.
Fi Amanillah,
Abbas
Hajar Said:
July 7, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Thank you for sharing this post, the hadith is very sweet.