Regarding 'Ubudiyyah' (Worship)

"The heart is inherently dependent on Allah in two ways: from the point of view of worship, which is the ultimate goal, and from the point of view of seeking His help and relying upon Him, which are the means to that end. The heart cannot be sound, or succeed, or find joy, or be happy, or feel pleasure, or be good, or be at peace, or find tranquility, except by worshipping its Lord, loving Him and returning to Him. Even if it attains all that it can enjoy of created things, it will not feel at peace or find tranquility, because it has an inherent need for its Lord, for He is the focus of its worship, love and seeking, and this is the only way to attain joy, happiness, pleasure, peace and tranquility …

…For if a person is helped to attain what he loves, seeks, desires and wants, but he does not worship Allah, he will never achieve anything but sorrow, regret and suffering. He can never be free of the pain and hardship of this life except through loving Allah sincerely, so that Allah becomes his ultimate desire and he loves Him for what He is, and he loves anyone or anything else only for His sake, and he does not love anything for its own except Allah. If he does not achieve this (level of love), he has not properly understood the true meaning of "La illaha ill Allah" or of tawhid or of 'ubudiyyah or of loving Allah. There is something lacking in his iman and tawhid, and he will suffer pain, regret and anguish accordingly."

The highest degree of love is tatayyum (total enthrallment). The lowest degree is 'alaqah (attachment), when the heart is attached to the beloved: then comes sabahah (infatuation), when the heart is poured out: then gharam (passion), when love never leaves the heart: then ashaq (ardent love), and finally tatayyum. When we say that a person is enthraled, as it were, by Allah, it means that he worships Allah, because enthrallment is like enslavement to the beloved.

When a person submits to another even though he dislikes him, this is not worship or enslavement: when he loves someone but is not subservient to him, as a man might love his child or friend, this is not worship or enslavement either. Either of them alone is not enough when it comes to worshipping Allah. Allah must be more important than all else. Nothing is deserving of complete love and submission except Allah. Love for anything other then Allah is corrupt love, and veneration of anything except Allah is false veneration. Allah says:

"Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred: the wealth that you have gained: the commerce in which you fear decline: or the dwellings in which you delight - are dearer to you then Allah, or his messenger, or the striving in His cause - then wait until Allah brings about His Decision … " [Al-Qur'an 9:24]


[Ibn Taymiyyah (R.A.)]