Understanding ‘Ibadah’

The third Quranic term discussed in this book is Ibadah (worship). This discussion begins with the following words:

“In the Arabic language, Ubudah, Ubudiyyah, and Abdiyyah primarily mean humility and submission—that is, becoming submissive or compliant.”

In the above passage, the “primary meaning” of Ibadah (worship) is defined as humility and submission, which is indeed accurate. However, in the subsequent explanation “i.e.,” the focus shifts in a different direction. “Becoming submissive” is not the primary meaning of humility and submission but rather its demand and outcome. Humility and submission, from a human perspective, refer to an inner inclination and a heartfelt sense of helplessness. This is the essence of Ibadah. Acts of worship or rituals of servitude are the necessary expressions of this true essence of Ibadah, which have been defined by the deity Himself. When this state arises within a person, the natural result is that they become obedient to their deity, leading to adherence and submission.

In a Hadith, it is said, “Supplication (du’a) is Ibadah.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3527) This does not imply that worship is entirely confined to supplication, or that after supplication, the worshipper need do nothing else. This prophetic statement truly reflects the essence of Ibadah, suggesting that the true essence of worship lies in a servant’s yearning for God, in calling upon Him, in turning to Him utterly helpless, and in being wholeheartedly inclined toward Allah. This is the spirit and true essence of Ibadah. However, just as every reality has various aspects shaped by the different roles, relationships, and circumstances in a person’s life, the essence of Ibadah also has numerous outwardly manifestations, encompassing the entire realm of obedience. The natural demand of worshipping God is that, in all matters that believers encounter, they should practice obedience to Him. The relationship of worship with God necessarily manifests as an obedient relationship with Him. Worship that encompasses rebellion and defiance in practical matters is not genuine worship.

In the words of Allama Alusi:

“It is clear that true devotion to Allah cannot be realized without also dedicating obedience to Him. If His Majesty is not the exclusive recipient of obedience, then true worship cannot be solely dedicated to Him either.” (Ruh al-Ma’ani, Vol. 5, pp. 276)

However, this concept of worship did not align well with the framework of the interpretation under discussion, as this interpretation views religion as a “system” intended to be implemented across all areas of life. Defining humility and submission as the essential meaning of worship renders it a personal matter, focused primarily on the heart’s inclination and inner devotion. Systematic expressions of worship are not explicitly included; rather they integrate into worship according to its demands and circumstances. Consequently, within this interpretation, the concept of worship was turned upside down: what was once its very essence was reduced to a mere demand, while what was originally only a demand came to be regarded as the core. After listing five meanings of worship from the dictionary, the Author (Maulana Maududi Sahib) writes:

“This explanation makes it clear that the foundational meaning of the root word ‘abd’ is to acknowledge someone’s dominance and superiority, thereby surrendering one’s freedom and independence, abandoning any defiance or resistance, and becoming submissive to them. This encapsulates the essence of servitude and slavery. Thus, the primary concept that an Arab mind envisions from this word is that of servitude and slavery. Since a servant’s primary duty is to obey and follow their master, the concept of obedience naturally arises alongside it. When a servant, in their devotion and obedience, not only submits completely to their master but also believes in their superiority, acknowledges their greatness, and is filled with gratitude and appreciation for their kindness, they demonstrate reverence and respect, express gratitude in various ways, and perform acts of devotion. This concept is known as worship, and it becomes integral to the notion of servitude only when a servant’s heart, rather than merely their head, is bowed before their master. The other two ideas are, in fact, secondary facets of servitude, not primary or fundamental ones.”

It is evident from this three-part list that both the core meaning of worship and its demands are present, but their order has been completely reversed. Servitude or obedience, which is an outward manifestation of servitude, has been designated the primary meaning in this interpretation, while humility and reverence, which are the original and direct meanings of worship, have merely been presented as a third-level demand.

The same point is expressed elsewhere in these words:

“The term Ibadah (worship) is derived from abd (servant/slave). The meaning of abd can refer to either a servant or a slave, thus, the meaning of Ibadah is servitude and slavery.” (Khutbat by Abul A’la Maududi, Lahore, 2012, p. 104)

In reality, the word Ibadah is not derived from abd; rather, it is the opposite—the word abd is derived from Ibadah. Abd (meaning servant or slave) merely, reflects the essence of worship rather than defining it. However, the interpretation under discussion placed greater emphasis on the outward manifestation, which is why it regards abd as the primary concept and based the explanation of worship upon it.

In this way, not only was the original order completely reversed, but despite trying to make it comprehensive, the true spirit of worship and its inherent demands were both lost. This is because a demand always arises once the essential reality is established. If the essence itself is displaced, then where will the result come from? Putting a demand in place of the essence is like planting a tree upside down. Naturally, if the branches are buried in the ground and the roots are pointing upward, neither will survive—the branches will lose their life, and so will the roots.

In the book, five meanings of Ibadah are given based on the famous Arabic dictionary Lisan al-Arab, of which the author considers three to be “primary and fundamental” (p. 72). I do not know how this number of three or five was determined, as the uses of this root in Lisan al-Arab are so numerous that they could easily extend to fifteen rather than five. Nevertheless, that is not my concern here; I merely wish to highlight that the manner in which these “three primary and fundamental” meanings of ‘Ibadah have been substantiated through the Quran rests on exceedingly weak reasoning and is riddled with gaps. Here, I will analyze two references.

Under the heading “Worship in the Sense of Obedience,” the following verses are cited (p. 74):

When the Day of Resurrection arrives, Allah will command, “Gather all the wrongdoers, their companions, and the false gods they worshiped besides Allah, and show them the way to Hell.”  Then they will begin to argue with each other. The worshipers will say, “You are the ones who used to guide us from the right path.” Their deities will reply, “In reality, you were unwilling to believe. We had no power over you; you were a rebellious people by your own choice.” (Quran, 37: 22-30)

The translation of the verses I provided above is the one given in the book under discussion. After these verses, the following note is included:

“By reflecting on the exchange between the worshipers and the worshiped in this verse, it becomes clear that the ‘worshiped’ here does not refer to idols or deities that were worshiped. Instead, it refers to leaders and guides who misguided people by posing as benevolent seekers of good. These are those who appeared cloaked in sanctity, wearing prayer beads, cloaks, and robes, deceiving the servants of God into becoming their followers. By claiming to be reformers and well-wishers, they spread evil and corruption. Here, blind adherence to such people and unquestioning obedience to their commands is what is described as worship.” (pp. 74-75)

The reason this explanation interprets ‘ibadah as social obedience lies in the mistake of the author under review, who assumes that the dialogue mentioned in the verse is between the worshippers and the worshipped. In reality, this dialogue is between two groups of worshipers, not between the worshipers and the worshiped. Due to this misunderstanding, the author under review translated “قالوا بل لم تکونو مومنين” as “Their deities will respond...” However, in this phrase, قالوا does not refer to the worshiped but rather to الذين ظلموا (the wrongdoers). In fact, there are not just two groups mentioned here, but three distinct groups.

In these verses, a scene of the Day of Judgment is presented, when three groups will be gathered together:

1.        الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا

            al-ladhina zalamu

This describes leaders or prominent figures of that era who themselves went astray and caused others to go off course.

2.        أَزْوَاج

            azwaj

This refers to the followers of the mentioned false leaders and their associates. (The original meaning of “zawj” is a counterpart, such as an associate or partner.)

3.        مَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ

            ma kanu ya ‘buduna min duni Allah

This refers to those who were worshipped besides Allah, specifically the idols.

In these verses, a scene of the Day of Judgment is depicted, where all three groups will be gathered together. At that time, a debate will take place between the first and second groups. The second group will say, “Through your influence, you led us to worship false deities.” The first group will respond, “No, rather you are responsible for your own misguidance.” The following verses clarify this further, where one group says, “Just as we led you astray, we too were astray”—meaning that they themselves were also involved in worshiping false deities and led others into the same.

Afterward, the first group, which the Quran describes as oppressive, criminal, and arrogant because of their leadership in misguidance, is quoted responding to the Prophet’s call as follows:

“Shall we give up our gods for a mad poet?” (37:36)

This verse clearly shows that those described as deities in the explanation above were not actual deities, but instead also worshiped other gods.

All commentators have understood this meaning (Ibn Kathir, Vol. 4, pp. 4-5; Ruh al-Ma’ani, Vol. 23, pp. 73-74).

Similarly, the following verse is cited to support “worship in the sense of slavery and obedience”^[1] :

O believers! If you worship Allah, then eat from the pure things that We have provided you and be grateful to Allah. (Quran, 2:172)

In the explanation of this verse, the following words are noted:

“The context of this verse is that, before Islam, the Arabs followed various restrictions regarding food based on the commands of their religious leaders and the superstitions of their ancestors. When they accepted Islam, Allah commanded that if they truly worship Him, they should abandon all these restrictions and freely consume what He has made lawful. This clearly means that if you are not the servants of your religious leaders and elders, but of Allah, and if you have truly given up their obedience in favor of Allah’s, then in matters of lawful and prohibited, and permissible and impermissible, you must follow the regulations set by Allah instead of theirs. Therefore, here too, the word Ibadah is used in the sense of servitude and obedience.” (p. 73)

The words in the verse, “If you worship Allah, then...” themselves indicate that what is being asked for here is not the direct meaning or the “primary and fundamental concept” of Ibadah, but rather a requirement of Ibadah. In the initial sentences of the explanation above, this distinction is present. However, as the discussion continues, it shifts, and it is claimed that “...here, the word Ibadah is used in the sense of servitude and obedience.”

At the end of the discussion, verses are provided which, according to the author under review, encompass all three meanings of Ibadah, presenting the complete concept of worship that requires one to make Allah their deity in the sense of “servitude, obedience, and reverence.” However, none of these verses actually demonstrate the comprehensive and complete concept of worship that the author intends. Here, I will discuss a few verses.

“Say, ‘O people, if you are in doubt about my religion, then know that I do not worship those you worship besides Allah, but I worship Allah, who takes your souls, and I have been commanded to be of the believers.’” (Quran, 10:104)

In this context, the following phrase appears later in the explanation: “And do not call upon besides Allah what can neither benefit you nor harm you.” (Quran, 10:106). This shows that here Ibadah min dun Allah refers to the act directed toward those beings whom people call upon, thinking they can bring benefit or harm. In this context, Ibadah refers to reverence, and the deities besides Allah refer to idols.

The phrase “I do not worship those you worship besides Allah” means “I do not worship idols.” (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 8, p. 387)

One of the verses states: The true realities of the heavens and the earth are hidden from the servants. Only Allah has knowledge of them, and all matters are presented before Him. Therefore, worship Him alone and trust in Him. (Quran, 11:123)

In this verse, the phrase “to Him all matters are returned” appears before the command to worship, and “rely upon Him” follows it. This indicates that the command to worship implies that the same Allah who is the caretaker of all creation is the One you should depend on and seek refuge in.

“So worship Him and rely upon Him” means: make Him your refuge and place your trust in Him. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Vol. 9, p. 117)

One of the verses is:

“You do not worship besides Him except [mere] names you have named, you and your forefathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Sovereignty belongs only to Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the correct religion.” (Quran, 12:40)

The phrase “names you have named” in this verse suggests that it cannot serve as the basis for any “comprehensive” interpretation as outlined in the book under discussion. “Your deities are merely names that you have devised” emphasizes that Ibadah (worship) here refers to an act associated with deities who, in reality, do not exist but are imaginary entities created by the worshipers themselves. Clearly, such a deity is an idol, not a political ruler. In other words, what is being rejected here is the act of calling upon and worshiping imaginary beings other than God, perceiving them as having the power to benefit or harm.

Therefore, what is being demanded here is essentially the same: to worship Him alone and to recognize only Him as having the power to benefit or harm.

The commentators have understood the meaning of this verse. Al-Qurtubi, explaining that the term “arbaab mutafarriqoon” (various lords) refers to “idols,” interprets the following phrases with these words:

The phrase “You do not worship besides Allah except [mere] names” emphasizes the weakness and powerlessness of the idols, explaining that those you worship besides Allah are simply names with no true reality. You yourself have given them these names. Some scholars have said that “names” refer to the entities themselves, meaning that those you worship are just idols without any divine nature, as they are inanimate objects. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 9, p. 192)

The final and perhaps most prominent verse in this context is:

“So whoever hopes to meet their Lord, let them do righteous work and not associate anyone in the worship of their Lord.” (Quran, 18:110)

In the book, the last phrase of this verse is translated as: “and not associate the worship of anyone else with the worship of their Lord,” from which it is concluded that “the Quran is presenting its complete message here” (p. 84), meaning that in every aspect, from worship to social and political life, one should follow divine commands.

However, both this translation and its interpretation are incorrect. The correct translation of the verse is not, “and not associate the worship of anyone else with the worship of their Lord,” but rather, “and not associate anyone with their Lord in worship.” This conveys that the verse does not command you to divide the complete and detailed system of worship into separate parts. Instead, it emphasizes that in the worship of God which you perform, there should be no intention of pleasing anyone else; your worship must be directed solely to Allah. This interpretation is further supported by narrations and the explanations of scholars of Quran. I will quote just one example:

Al-Mawardi and all commentators state that “not associate anyone with their Lord in worship” means avoiding acts for show, specifically having no intention of ostentation in one’s actions. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 11, p. 70)