Worship in Islam | Muslim Ways of Worship

Worship has played a vital role in human’s life as through worship one can communicate with his Lord. Worship has a unique role in religion Islam as it shows that a person is a true Muslim who lives his/her life according to the will of Almighty Allah by accepting His commands and implementing them in real life. The basic purpose of worship is to attain nearness to Allah (SWT) with what He loves and is pleased with. It is necessary for worship that it has to be based on clear guidance and to be free from divergence. In the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah says about worship in these words: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Quran, 51:56)

Worship is everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah Almighty. This includes rituals in Islam as well as beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to the welfare of one’s fellow human beings. One should require submitting himself completely to Allah Almighty, as the Holy Quran instructed the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) 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.” (Quran, 6:162, 163)

Worship involves that one fulfill certain deeds which Almighty Allah has commanded in His religion Islam, whether they deal with the inner self or the outer body, and whether they be obligatory or voluntary.  Worship is not only limited to following Allah’s commandments, but it is also inclusive of leaving those things which He has forbidden to do so. Now we can define worship as anything believed, felt, or done as an act of obedience to Allah Almighty. In Holy Quran Allah (SWT) said: “There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (God) as an obedient slave.” (Quran 19:93)

Worship should be done with obedience, love, and affection for Allah Almighty. No act of obedience is considered as worship unless it is connected the feelings and action of love, hold in esteem and have admiration for the One the action is being performed that is Allah (SWT). We all should know that worship is just for Allah Almighty and worship anyone besides Allah (SWT) is strictly prohibited in Islam.  Worship saves the human beings from invasion to anything besides Allah Almighty and prevents a person from surrendering his/her will to false Gods. Submission to Allah (SWT) is a great source of strength.

Ways of Worship in Islam

The four basic principles acts of worship recommended in Islam are mentioned below that every one of us should perform with proper attention for the sake of Almighty Allah.

  • Prayer
  • Zakat (Charity)
  • Fasting
  • Pilgrimage (Hajj)

With these principles acts of worship all of us should be a witness there is no God but Almighty Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is the last messenger of Allah (SWT).   The four principle acts of worship with Tawheed forms five pillars of Islam on which Islam rests upon. These four pillars are the minimum required acts of worship. Negligence in performing these acts of worship is considered a major sin and can lead to abandonment. Muslims are encouraged to perform more than this in order to get closer to Allah Almighty.

So, in short worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, trains the individual in such a way that he/she loves his Creator most and thereby gains a determined will and spirit to wipe out all evil and oppression from human society and make the word of Lord dominant in the world. When people fulfill their true purpose of worshiping Almighty Allah, it enables them to attain a profound sense of peace that results from submitting to the Creator, who is the only one worthy of worship that we all know is Allah Almighty.