Why do We, Muslims, Worship God?
Worship as Gratitude
One main purpose of worship is to know and admit that the real Owner of all the blessings is Allah (the word “Allah” is the personal name of God in Islam) and show gratitude for them. It is also to acknowledge and admit the beauty, value, and necessity of the blessings God has given to us and our need for them.
He has granted you from all that you ask Him. Were you to attempt to count God’s blessings, you could not compute them… (Qur’an, 14/34)
If someone does something good to us, we feel grateful and we do want to express it and show our gratitude to them. For example, assume you drop your hat and a person picks it up and gives it to you. You will say “Thank you!” This is the most natural and reasonable thing to do. If you don’t, it would be considered rude and inappropriate in any civilized society.
What about the One who has created the whole body under your hat for you, maintains it, and provides sustenance for its survival from the sky (e.g., sunlight, heat, rain, air) and from the Earth (e.g., plants, fruits, bees, other animals), provides means and medicine to heal it when it gets sick and so on?
He has placed sophisticated systems within our body through which He rewards us with enjoying pleasant shape and colors, good smell, and taste when we eat something like fruit, properly digest it, precisely distribute among and deliver the food and the oxygen we inhale to around 30 trillion cells according to their needs, has made these 30 trillion cells energy generators for us and so on.
All of these blessings and much more being attached to a single bite we take from a single fruit shows that He has given us endless blessings. These endless blessings are reflections and sparks of His Mercy.
And should you attempt to count God’s blessings, you could not compute them. God is indeed All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate (Who continues to provide for His servants despite their sins and even their denial of Him). (Qur’an, 16/18)
Isn’t it the most reasonable, sensible, logical, appropriate, and necessary thing to do to express and show our gratitude and appreciation to God for His uncountable blessings through worship and obedience to His commands?
How inappropriate would it be if a person, not only didn’t show gratitude but also denied the Owner of these blessings and attributed them to blind chance and nature which are just tools God uses through which His blessings are delivered to us? The following verse of the Qur’an first mentions endless blessings, as in the previous one, and then draws our attention to the ungrateful reactions of humankind to His blessings.
He has granted you from all that you ask Him. Were you to attempt to count God’s blessings, you could not compute them. But for sure humankind are much prone to wrongdoing (sins and errors of judgment) and to ingratitude. (Qur’an, 14/34)
So, worship as gratitude is the most reasonable and necessary reaction to God’s blessings He has already given to us. Paradise is an extra reward, a bonus God gives completely out of His mercy to those who recognize God’s blessings and show their gratitude.
This is just one meaning and one aspect of worship in Islam. In the next article, we will say a few words on the levels of worship based on a person's intention in worship, if Allah wills.
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