We believe that Allah Almighty created mankind and jinn to worship Him. He, Exalted be He, says: {I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} [Surat adh-Dhāriyāt: 56] In other words, they are only commanded to devote worship to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, alone. The worship Allah Almighty commanded is the true faith, the religion of Prophet Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him). Allah, the Exalted, says: {Say [O Prophet]: "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, the faith of Abraham, inclining to true faith, and he was not one of those who associate partners with Allah."} [Surat al-An‘ām: 161]
The worship enjoined by Allah Almighty has numerous forms, and it is not permissible to devote any of them to other than Him, Glorified be He. Our Lord says: {The mosques are for Allah alone, so do not supplicate anyone along with Allah.} [Surat al-Jinn: 18]
One of the forms of worship is supplication. Allah, the Exalted, says: {Whoever supplicates another god besides Allah, for which he has no proof, his reckoning will be with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will never succeed.} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 117] Allah Almighty also says: {Your Lord says: "Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, utterly debased."} [Surat Ghāfir: 60]
Another form of worship is putting one's trust in Allah Almighty, Who says: {And put your trust in Allah if you are believers.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 23] Allah Almighty also says: {Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him.} [Surat at-Talāq: 3]
Another form is apprehension of Allah, Exalted be He, Who says: {So do not be apprehensive of them but be apprehensive of Me.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 150]
Another form is fear from Allah Almighty, Who says: {Do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are [true] believers.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 175]
The forms of worship also include hope. Allah, Exalted be He, says: {Those whom they call upon seek means of nearness to their Lord, each trying to become closer, hoping for His Mercy and fearing His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is fearsome.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 57] Our Lord also says: {Say: "I am only a man like you; it has been revealed to me that your God is One God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and associate none in the worship of his Lord."} [Surat al-Kahf: 110]
They also include seeking refuge with Allah Almighty, Who says: {Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."} [Surat an-Nās: 1]
Another form of worship is to slaughter a sacrifice for Allah Almighty, Who says: {Say: "Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds."} [Surat al-An‘ām: 162]
Another form is to seek Allah's help. A Qur'anic verse reads: {You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.} [Surat al-Fātihah: 5]
Another form is to implore Allah Almighty for assistance. He, Exalted be He, says: {[Remember] when you were imploring the assistance of your Lord [at Badr] and He responded to you: "I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another in succession."} [Surat al-Anfāl: 9]
We know that the first command given for people in the Qur'an is to worship Allah Almighty alone, with no partner. Allah, Blessed and Glorified be He, says: {O mankind, worship your Lord, Who created you and those before you, so that you may become righteous.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 21] Each prophet would say to his people: {Worship Allah; you have no god besides Him.} [Surat Hūd: 84] About the first Messenger, Nūh (peace be upon him), Allah, the Exalted, says: {Indeed, We sent Noah to his people. He said: "O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. I fear for you the punishment of a momentous Day."} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 59] And about the last Messenger, Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), He, Glorified be He, says: {Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 36] Allah Almighty also says: {Indeed, We sent to every community a messenger, [saying]: "Worship Allah and shun false gods."} [Surat an-Nahl: 36]
We know that worship cannot be accepted unless it is sincerely done for the sake of Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and in accordance with the Prophet's guidance. Allah Almighty says: {So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous deeds and associate none in the worship of his Lord.} [Surat al-Kahf: 110]
We know that worship should be devoted to Allah Almighty alone, with no partner. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, actions are by intentions, and each person will have what he intended. Thus, he whose emigration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, and he whose emigration was to achieve some worldly gain or to take some woman in marriage, his emigration was for that for which he emigrated." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (6689), Muslim (1907), Abu Dāwūd (2201), At-Tirmidhi (1647), An-Nasā’i (75), and Ibn Mājah (4227)]
Our Almighty Lord warns us against polytheism altogether, minor and major. He, Exalted be He, says: {Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but forgives anything less than that for whom He wills. Whoever associates partners with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 48] Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty said: 'I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. So, he who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism.'" [Narrated by Muslim (2985)]
And if a person performs a deed sincerely for the sake Allah Almighty, yet it is not in accordance with the Prophet's guidance, his deed will be rejected. Allah, the Exalted, says: {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 21] And the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does an act not sanctioned by this matter of ours, it will be rejected." [Narrated by Muslim (1718)] Allah Almighty says: {So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet’s order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.} [Surat an-Nūr: 63] He Almighty also says: {Say: "If you love Allah then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful."} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 31]
We know that worship rests upon three fundamentals: complete love, complete hope, and complete fear. The prophets and messengers (peace be upon them) possessed the greatest share of these things. Describing their condition, Allah Almighty says: {They used to hasten in doing good deeds and used to call upon Us with hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 90] He Almighty also says: {And those who do whatever [good] they do with their hearts fearful, knowing that they will return to their Lord – it is they who hasten to do good deeds, and they are foremost in them.} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 60-61] And Allah, the Exalted, says: {They forsake their beds, supplicating their Lord with fear and hope, and spend out of what We have provided for them.} [Surat as-Sajdah: 16] In another verse, He Almighty says: {[Is he better] or the one who constantly worships during the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord?} [Surat az-Zumar: 9]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty says: 'I am just as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when He remembers Me: If he remembers Me in himself, I too remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than them; and if he comes one span near to Me, I go one cubit near to him; and if he comes one cubit near to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms near to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.'" [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (7405), Muslim (2675), At-Tirmidhi (3603), and Ibn Mājah (3822)]
In another verse, He Almighty says: {And among people there are some who take others as equals to Allah: they love them as they should love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 165] And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three things; whoever has them finds the sweetness of faith: To love Allah and His Messenger more than all else; to love a person solely for Allah's sake; and to hate to revert to disbelief as one hates to be thrown into the fire." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (16), Muslim (43), At-Tirmidhi (2624), An-Nasā’i (4987), and Ibn Mājah (4033)]
In another Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, none of you believes until I become dearer to him than his father and his child." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (14) and An-Nasā’i (5015)] A person cannot attain Allah's love until he follows the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Allah, the Exalted, says: {Say: "If you love Allah then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful."} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 31]
The greatest thing the believers should hope for is to see the countenance of Allah Almighty, Who says: {On that Day some faces will be bright, looking at their Lord.} [Surat al-Qiyāmah 22-23]
This is the supreme bliss to be enjoyed by the dwellers of Paradise, in addition to the bliss they will already have. Allah, the Exalted, says: {For those who do good there will be the best reward and more – neither gloom nor humiliation will cover their faces. It is they who are the people of Paradise, they will abide therein forever.} [Surat Yūnus: 26]
Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the dwellers of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah Almighty will ask: ‘Do you want Me to give you anything more?’ They will say: ‘Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Hellfire?’ He will then remove the veil, and nothing will be dearer to them of all things they were given than looking at their Lord." [Narrated by Muslim (181), At-Tirmidhi (2552), and Ibn Mājah (187)]