Islamic Reform in the Domain of Worship
Islam came at a time when there
were many forms of worship in the world. Some of these were remnants of the
previous divinely revealed ******ures. Others were completely man-made. Even those
acts of worship that were of divine origin had been corrupted, altered, and
removed from their proper con****s.
Some religions exaggerated the
importance of formalism and mindless ritual. Others went to extremes to free
themselves of all notions of form and order. Some religions went to extremes
that made worship a harmful and painful thing. Some of them also demanded
monasticism from their adherents. Other religions went to extremes in
indulgence, often completely abandoning religious obligations altogether.
Islam came to correct and reform
these excessive tendencies, while establishing principles of its own. It
provided principles to bring about reform and to safeguard worship. The most
important of these principles are as follows:
1. No one deserves to be
worshipped except for Allah:
The first thing that Islam came
with was the concept of monotheism. Bearing witness to monotheism is how a
person enters into the fold of Islam and is considered to be a believer. The
testimony is as follows:
“There is no god but Allah.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
These words are a testimony that
there is no one worthy of worship except for Allah. In this way, Islam negates
every possible manifestation of polytheism. The following are some of the ways
that Islam safeguards the idea of monotheism:
A. Islam makes polytheism a cause
of negating the effects of good works and as a way of leaving the fold of
Islam. Allah addresses His Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) with the following words:
“It has been revealed to you and
to those who came before you: If you commit polytheism, your deeds will be
naught and you will be among the losers.”
B. Islam closes all the doors to
polytheism. It pays careful attention to all the ways polytheism can be
prevented. Among these are the following:
- The Messenger (may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited the people from honoring him
excessively, because this could lead to excessiveness in belief. He made it
clear that he was merely a slave of Allah and His Messenger. He said: “Do not
praise me excessively the way that the Christians praised `Isâ (Jesus) the son
of Maryam (Mary). I am only Allah’s slave and Messenger so say that I am His
slave and Messenger.”
- He prohibited people from
seeking assistance through him or through the agency of any other righteous
person. It has been related that one of the hypocrites used to abuse the
believers, so some of the believers suggested that they collectively seek help
from that Hypocrite by means of Allah’s Messenger (may the peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “None should seek help through me. Help should be sought from
Allah alone.”
C. The Prophet (may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited people from turning gravesites into
places of worship. He strongly warned against this practice. Near the time of
his death, he repeatedly mentioned this prohibition. He would say: “Allah’s
wrath became severe towards those people who turned the graves of their
prophets into places of worship.”
D. The Prophet (may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited people from taking oaths in other
than Allah’s name, because an oath implies the aggrandizement of the one in
whose name it is taken. The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “Whoever takes an oath in other than Allah’s name has fallen
into polytheism.”
E. The Prophet (may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited people from performing sacrifices to
other than Allah. He said: “Allah has cursed those who offer sacrifices to
other than Allah.”
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