Worship God or serve Him?
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http//mentalbondageinthenameofgod.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/god-is-not-to-be-worshiped/
?
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Consent or mosque?
http//mentalbondageinthenameofgod.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/%e2%80%98consented%e2%80%99-becomes-%e2%80%98mosque%e2%80%99/ -
It's very clear SERVE
Iyaka nabudu wa iyaka nasta'in.
From the arabic root word ABD with similar word in hebrew AVD which in meanings actually closer to "SERVE".
Abdullah = The God's servant and not The God worshiper...
Abdul-Manaf = Manaf's servant and not Manaf worshiper (Manaf ancient arab pagan deity).. -
While to worship is one meaning of the root abada, it has a religious connotation, as in worshiping idols. Worshiping consists of rituals, rites and ceremonies. Worshiping God reduces our purpose to mere acts of devotion like rituals.
But if we apply the meaning ?to serve? to abada, it sounds more appropriate specially when used for The God. Serving has a wider framework, not limited to ritualistic practices. It sounds unreasonable that God, who created us out of nothing, would want us to bow and prostrate to him physically (while there is nothing wrong in doing so), without the mind and heart submitted to God, willingly or unwillingly.
I think rituals like ritual prayer, fasting, once a year zakat, and hajj are very superficial and just outward submission. While there are many who pray to God with all their heart, most of the Muslims just do the ritual prayer as part of their routine life, mostly just for the sake of it. Their prayers are devoid of humility and of willing submission and surrender, and are virtually meaningless. People just squeeze the prayers in their already busy schedules and don?t give much importance to the prayer which just becomes a habitual and mechanical exercise.
Serving The God is a lot better than worshiping God, because worship does not necessarily have meaning, sincere devotion and complete submission of self. But serving The God takes willingness, consent from heart, true submission and surrender of one?s self, and serves a better purpose than just ritualistic worship routines.
While traditional translators of Quran translate the verse 15 as ?You alone we worship?, which reduces our purpose as servants of Allah to just mechanical and outward obedience rather than willing, translating it as ?you alone we serve? gives a complete picture of our purpose as servants of God.
We are to serve God like a servant serves his master. Even though a servant may serve his master in return of money or any other benefits, we are not to serve God expecting any kind of reward in return. Not that God doesn?t promise any rewards. He sure does. But on our part, notwithstanding the fact that God surely will reward His servants, our purpose should be to serve God unconditionally because He created us and it is His right to be served, and our duty to serve Him, not for any reward.
And how can we serve God? By obeying and abiding by His commandments as given in Quran. If you think about it, you will find it rational that God couldn?t have created us so that we would bow and prostrate to him physically, He is not in need of our physical bows and prostrations and outward acts of mindless devotion. He wants our heart, our inner self to bow and prostrate to Him consciously with total submission. That can only be done if we willingly live our lives by His laws which are given in Quran as opposed to robotic rituals.
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Thank you Reborn23 for your excellent post!
! agree with you!
Peace
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Statues are worshipped. God is served!!
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Allah SWT should be both, because no one or anything else deserves to be worshiped and served more than He. People worship lots of things. They always have. From fanatical fans of celebrities who pass out in adoration of their human idols, to hindus who worship in adoration elephants and monkeys. But all that is worthless and will lead them to Hell.
Allah SWT is The One to worship and serve. You serve Him in everything you do that is good, including worship.
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From fanatical fans of celebrities who pass out in adoration of their human idols, to hindus who worship in adoration elephants and monkeys. But all that is worthless and will lead them to Hell.
Be careful Amica, don't judge other people they're going to hell.. it's not your place or authority to judge..
A jewish dude 2000 years ago reportedly said this
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Yet forgive, and you will be forgiven. For in the same way you judge others, you will also be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"Salam / Peace
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Peace Jafar! peace
Thanks for sharing the wisdom of Jesus!
I think the Parable of the Unmerciful servant would fit here as well...
His Most Supreme Majesty declares it in the Quran as those who show Goodness, Goodness will be shown to them!
Please read God's system of Righteousness (Importance of being nice) http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9602900.0
~ Blessed is His Most Supreme, Merciful Majesty, YHWH; Lord, King of the Universe! ~