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Lesson: 44 Relation between Worship and Perfection
Among all things
in this world it is only man who has the best ability to attain perfection.
His life started from non-existence and it continues toward the endless and
his process of perfection does not halt so long as he moves on the straight
path.
During this
journey it is only worship, as the highest school of thought, that trains his
thoughts and enlightens him guiding him toward the endless. It Godworship washes
out all dust and dirt from his heart and soul and removes the curtain of ignorance
from his eyes. According to his ability it inculcates high noble virtues in
him and strengthens the spirit of faith inside him making him realise his responsibilities.
Thus it is
not possible for man to be needless of this noble and great and guiding school
of thought. Those who think that a time can come when man will not need this
worship have either some other meaning of perfection in their mind which is
different from ours or they have not understood the meaning of worship.
All that is
in this world moves toward perfection. Among this the perfection of man takes
place in the heart midst of the society and hence he is born social. The society
assures man's perfection if it has organised rules and regulations and if people
discipline their affair in the light of those rules which must command their
respect, and if people refrain from tug of war and if their respective responsibilities
and rights are well defined and, in other words, if the human society becomes
pious and competent so that people may be able to reach their final goal. If
the society becomes corrupt people lag behind in their journey toward perfection.
These rules and regulations will be effective and impressive if they are obtained
from the divine source of the heavenly revelation.
We should also
know that the worship-related rules form a part of the programme for individual
and social perfection of man. Thus it becomes clear that so long as the human
society remains strong the divine duties too will remain forceful and that ignoring
of responsibilities results in ignoring of rules which results in the spread
of corruption in society.
It is also
worth noticing that good deeds and Godworship is the fountainhead of graceful
human virtues. When good deeds are done to a sufficient extent it makes the
spirit stronger and again that increased ability of the soul increases good
deeds and extended Godworship.
This makes
it clear that the words of those are meaningless who say that the aim of duty
is to make man perfect and hence when man reaches perfection the need of duty
and responsibility too ends. This I nothing but deception because as soon as
man discards duties the society turns towards anarchy and corruption. How then
in such a society, can a perfect man live and if he despite having graceful
virtues, gives up worship it becomes contradictory! Just think.
Verses1- And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve any but Him 2- And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve
Me. 3- And you Lord says: Call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those who are
too proud for My service shall soon enter Hell abased. 4- And whoever disdains His service and is proud, He will gather them all together
to Himself. 5- Say: I am only commanded that I should serve Allah and not associate anything
with Him.
Narrations
1- It is recorded
from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that Allah Almighty said: O My righteous slaves! Enjoy
the bounty of My worship in this world. You will get its reward in the Hereafter.
2- Hazrat Sadiq (a.s.)
quotes the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): The best of men is he who admires worship,
then embraces it and then loves it from the depths of his heart and enacts it
through his limbs and reserves himself for it God-worship. Such a person cares
not whether his life is hard or easy. 3- Imam Sadiq (a.s.)
said: Worshippers are of three categories 1- Those who worship Allah due to His fear and this is the worship of slaves,
2- Those who worship to get reward from Him and this is the service of the servants
and 3- Those who worship Allah because of their heartfelt love of Him and this is
the service of the free and this last is the worship of the best and it is the
most precious worship.
4- It is recorded
from Imam Ali (a.s.): My Lord! I did not worship you for fear of Hell nor for
a desire of Paradise. Rather I found you worthy of worship So I worshipped you.
This subject is also there is the Dua-e-Kumail: So, pardon me O Worthy of Worship
and O My Lord and My Master Suppose I bear your chastisement, but how will I
be able to bear my distance from you? 5- The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) has said: Worship Allah in such a manner as you see Him and if you
do not see Him, He sees you.
Below this
hadith, Imam Khomeini (r.a.) writes: This hadith points to engrossment of heart
and mind in God twice, one in the Lord Almighty's inherent lustre or Him Holy
Names and secondly in His lustrous actions. Once the worshipper sees himself
in the presence of the Lord Almighty and, of course, at that time, he takes
full care of the discipline and orderliness in this respect about addressing
the Lord, quite naturally.
Peace and
tranquillity under the shade of worship
The clamour
of the material world has spread so much that its lustre has invited the attraction
of everybody who is careless about God. It has deviated men both physically
and mentally and turned them into its slaves. As a result of forgetting God,
and of excessive attention to matter, makes man's heart gradually black and
unclean. It makes his spiritual like hard and dark. In this condition man becomes
motiveless and a felling which is futile turns his entire life foolishly futile.
In such circumstances the only thing that can provide peace and relieve man
from worries, fears and enhances his attention toward Allah and for an intimate
talk with Him through heart. When this talk worship takes place in isolation
and away from public attention it gives more joy to man. As the Holy Quran says
about the midnight prayer:
And during
a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your
Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.
Also in the
beginning of Islam the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) nourished the souls of Muslims
who action as per the said schedule involving spirit and raised their personalities
to such a high position that as if they were no more the earlier fellows. In
other words, he created new men in a new form with a new essence who became
unwavering, courageous, faithful, pious and honest and
And perhaps,
the glorious position mentioned in the above quoted verse is perhaps, in the
same meaning s described above, though some narrations say it means shaft or
intercession. Also it is quite like that Muqaame Mehmood the glorious position
in extreme nearness the Allah as has been said by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
in a hadith that: I have a status in relation to God which neither the nearest
angel nor any Prophet can ever endure.
Worship raises
man to a position wherein his hands and eyes and tongue become divine. In a
hadith related from Imam Baqir (a.s.) it is mentioned: The Lord Almighty has
said: None of My slaves ever nears Me so much that I love him but though deeds
I have made obligatory for him and surely my slave comes so near to Me through
voluntary good deeds that I befriend him and when I this happens I become an
ear for him by which he hears and an eye by which he sees and a tongue by which
he talks and a hand by which he attacks and when he calls Me, I answer and if
he request from Me, I grant.
Under the effect
of worship and prayer man gets such a rise that, as said in the Holy Quran:
Only they believe in Our communications who, when they are reminded of them,
fall down making obeisance and celebrate the praise of their Lord, and they
are not proud. Their sides draw away from their beds, they call upon their Lord
in fear and in hope, and they spend benevolently out of what We have given them.
So no soul knows what is hidden for them of that which will refresh the eyes;
a reward for what they did. Is he then who is a believer like him who is a transgressor?
They are not equal. As for those who believe and do good, the gardens are their
abiding-place; an entertainment for what they did.
Some Points
Regarding Worship
Worship is
not limited to chantings and recitations but obeying all the orders of Allah
revealed to His Messenger, be they compulsory or non-obligatory, is considered
worship. Rather, according to some of the narrations, the most worshipping and
the best worshippers and those who perform their duties which are obligatory.
Ali bin Husain
(a.s.) said: The greatest worshipper is he who carries out his obligations.
Also it is
recorded from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) Do whatever Allah has made obligatory
for you so that you may be among the most pious.
Imam Sajjad
(a.s.) says in this connection: Whoever carries out the obligatory deeds is
the best among people.
Hence, on the
basis of this, we should not cheat ourselves and should not give up what has
been made obligatory for us like jihad, ordering the good and stopping the evil
and should not keep ourselves busy in merely some sorts of recitations and chantings
and prayers. We must realise that the fundamental base religion is based on
fulfilment of duties obligations and on refraining from the impermissible. Performing
voluntary good deeds and giving up the undesirable things is like beautifying
religion. Beautification can be carried out when the foundation is sound.
Man must not
do anything which may make him tired of worship. Rather he must adopt the middle
path so that he may continue to worship with ease and with happiness. It is
reported that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: Truly this religion is both
sound and dignified. So enter it in a gentle manner and do not impose Gods worship
with aversion so that it may not be like over burdened rider who is unable either
to travel or to ride his horse stops in the way due to over speed in riding.
It has also
been reported from Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Do not consider worship or prayer distasteful
and forcible.
It is often
observed that clean hearted youths of our society with profound love for Allah
give up all the tasteful things of their lives and turn toward centres of worship
or toward social service but with scant attention to the revolutionary spirit.
But due to absence of correct programme and as a result of not having followed
the orders of the sinless Imams (a.s.) develop such a delusion in themselves
that they show a sort of non-commitment to the Islamic issues.
Let us try
to have endurance and continuity in our worship. It should not be that we worship
once so much as to become tired. It is recorded from Ali bin Husain (a.s.):
I like a deed that continues even if it is little.
Also Imam Baqir
(a.s.) has said: Nothing is more dearer to Allah than a continuous good deed.
Man must take
care to ensure that while worshipping he does not develop self-conceit This
matter has been discussed at page_____ of this books volume one because no matter
how much he prays or worships he is unable to do enough regarding even a single
divine bounty.
Hazrat Moosa
bin Ja'far (a.s.) is reported to have said this to some of his sons: O my child!
Remember that you should make effort and endeavour but not to kill yourself
for a shortcoming in prayer or worship because then it is no proper worship
as it should be.
When man intends
to do a good deed he must make haste in doing it. In this connection Quran says:
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord.
It also says:
And everyone has a direction to which he should turn, therefore hasten to
do good works.
And it is recorded
from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that his father said, When you intend to do a good deed
make haste to perform it as you do not knew what would happen thereafter, that
is incidents may hinder it.
Also the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: Truly Allah likes a good deed which is done hastily.
We must know
that the condition for the acceptance of all good deeds is faith and Wilayat.
Hence the Holy Quran says: Therefore whoever shall do of good deeds and he
is a believer, there shall be no denying of his exertion, and surely We will
write It down for him.
And so also:
And whoever desires the hereafter and strives for it as he ought to strive
and he is a believer; as for these, their striving shall surely be accepted.
There are many
narrations stating that a man's efforts without Wilayat have no value. For example
you can refer to the book p. 11, volume: 1.
