Some one mentioned in another thread under the nature of GOD:

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"Remember, there's no such thing as 'worship' in the Quran. I think worship is a Pagan ritual. God never says to 'worship' Him in the Reading."

Is this a true statement?

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Say O disbelievers!

I worship not that which ye worship;

Nor worship ye that which I worship.

And I shall not worship that which ye worship.

Nor will ye worship that which I worship.

Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.

[Tay]

Peace PVB,

Ayn-Ba-Dal = serve, worship, adore, venerate, accept the impression of a thing, obey with submissiveness or humility, approve, apply, devote, obedience, slave, keep to inseparably, subdue, assemble together, enslave.

What is worship?
Is it repetition of a phrase such as, "you're the best, you're the best, you're the best"?
Or is it something with a little more substance?
Worship of an idol can be nothing more than an empty gesture. The idol holds nothing behind itself. It is a face-value entity.

However, worship of God is in service and awareness. In prayer, it is gratefulness and humility. In action it is serving mankind and nature. And in spirit, it is appreciating the gift that is life and the glory of God's creation.

2917 "You are worshipping nothing but idols besides Him, and you are creating fabrications. Those that you worship besides God do not possess for you any provisions, so seek with God the provision and serve Him and be thankful to Him; to Him you will return."

Peace,
Tay

[Jack]

Salaamun alaikum guys,

I think the 2 best verses for ibada are 12/40 and 24/55.

12/40 defines ibada as following God's laws and not the laws of things which you and your fathers named.

24/55 defines ibada as when you believe, act 'righteously' and Allah fulfils his promise you and makes u successors in the land and gives u security and ur state of fear.

thanks and salam.

Salaamun alaikum Postman,

'Ibada' , what we call 'worship' has nothing to do with bowing physically to God. It has to do with obeying him , focussing our emotions on him (2/186) and evolving ourselves in his ways.

thanks and salam.

Peace all,

I agree with some further elaboration...

The verb ABADA in Arabic is one of the verbs that has the characteristic of carrying (Opposing meanings), which in this case are the meanings of Obeying or Disobeying. It could mean one or the other but not both at the same time.

The meaning becomes clearer by looking at some of the occurrences of the word Ibaad

Nabbi/ AAibadee annee anaalghafooru alrraheemu
Inform My servants that I am the Forgiver, the Merciful

Inna allatheena tadAAoona min dooniAllahi AAibadun amthalukum faodAAoohumfalyastajeeboo lakum in kuntum sadiqeena
Those whom you call on besides God are servants like you; so let them answer for you if you are truthful.

It is apparent that these two verses are directed to sinners and idolaters.

?
Qul liAAibadiya allatheena amanooyuqeemoo alssalata wayunfiqoo mimmarazaqnahum sirran waAAalaniyatan ?
Say to My servants who believe, that they should uphold the Salat, and spend from what provisions We granted them secretly and publicly ?

This verse is directed to those who believe among the servants; which would indicate that servants are one portion of those described with the word ?Ibadiya?.
On the other hand look at 618 and 2186

Wahuwa alqahiru fawqa AAibadihiwahuwa alhakeemu alkhabeeru
And He is the Supreme over His servants; and He is the Wise, the Expert.

?
Wa-itha saalaka AAibadeeAAannee fa-innee qareebun ojeebu daAAwata alddaAAiitha daAAani ?
And if My servants ask you about Me, I am near answering the calls of those who call to Me ?
Those two verses illustrate the word usage when God refers to his servants without pointing out one group or another (Disobeyers vs. Followers)

Also

Waalnnakhla basiqatinlaha talAAun nadeedun * Rizqan lilAAibadi
And the palm trees, emerging with clustering fruit. * a provision for the servants ?
There is no way this verse could mean that Ibaad are only the believers, since fruits and all other worldly provisions are shared by all people believers or not.

Conclusion The reference Ibaad means all humans and Jinn believers or not, sinners or not whom God has issued commandments and they are free to obey or disobey. So in short Abd (servant) in the Quranic sense is the free choosing human/Jinn who might be a follower or a rejecter of God?s orders.

Now back to the verb AbAdA God has commanded his servants to obey him throughout history by sending messengers whose only message was to obey the Creator

You alone we serve ?

I did not create the non-humans and the humans except to serve Me

And God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him. This is a straight path

And We did not send any messenger before you except that We inspired him that 'there is no god but Me, so serve Me?

And We have sent Noah to his people, so he said 'O my people, serve GOD, you have no other god besides Him. Will you not take heed?

And Abraham when he said to his people 'serve God and be aware of Him, that is better for you if you knew'.

And to ?Aad We sent their brother Hud, he said ?My people, serve God, you have no god besides Him. Will you not be righteous??

And to Thamud was sent their brother Saleh. He said ?My people, serve God, you have no god besides Him ?

And to Midian was their brother Shuaib. He said 'O my people, serve God and seek the Last Day, and do not roam the earth corruptingly

?I am God, there is no god but Me, so serve Me and uphold the Salat for My remembrance?

Rejecters indeed are those who have said ?God is the Messiah son of Mary!? And the Messiah said ?O Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord?

Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he told his sons ?Who shall you serve after I am gone??, they said ?Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we surrender.?

So how do act out the obeying action? I'll follow Wakas' lead pointing out the answer in the following verses

You alone we serve, You alone we seek for assistance * Guide us to the straight path.

God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him, this is a Straight Path.

And that you should serve Me That is a straight path?

And those who do not believe in the hereafter, they are deviating away from the path
All the above is commanding to follow the straight path to God if you choose to serve him

Say ?Come let me recite to you what your Lord Has forbidden for you that you should not set-up anything with Him; and be kind to your parents; and do not kill your unborn children for fear of poverty, We provide for you and for them; and do not come near lewdness, what is plain of it or subtle; and do not kill the soul which God Has forbidden, except in justice. That is what He enjoined you that you may comprehend.?
152. And do not come near the money of the orphan, except for what is best, until he reached his maturity; and give honestly full measure and weight equitably. We do not burden a soul except by what it can bear, and if you speak then be just even if against a relative; and regarding the pledges made to God, you shall observe them. This He Has enjoined you that you may remember.
153. And this is My path, a Straight One, so follow it, and do not follow the other paths lest they divert you from His path. That is what He has enjoined you to that you may be righteous.

Ibada = Choosing to obey God's Commandments

P.S. The above is my current understanding.

[Wakas]

http//www.quranicteachings.co.uk/ibada.htm

OR

From http//www.studyquran.co.uk/PRLonline.htm

Ayn-Ba-Dal = serve, worship, adore, venerate, accept the impression of a thing, obey with submissiveness or humility, approve, apply, devote, obedience, slave, keep to inseparably, subdue, assemble together, enslave.

abada vb. (1)
perf. act. 560, 1635, 4320, 1094

impf. act. 15, 283, 2133, 2133, 2172, 364, 576, 656, 770, 931, 1018, 1028, 10104, 10104, 10104, 112, 1126, 1162, 1162, 1187, 11109, 11109, 11109, 1240, 1240, 1336, 1410, 1435, 1673, 16114, 1723, 1816, 1942, 1944, 1949, 2166, 2167, 2198, 2211, 2271, 2455, 2517, 2555, 2670, 2671, 2675, 2692, 2743, 2791, 2863, 2917, 2917, 3440, 3441, 3443, 3622, 3660, 3722, 3785, 3795, 37161, 393, 3911, 3914, 3917, 3964, 4066, 4114, 4137, 4326, 4621, 5156, 604, 985, 1063, 1092, 1092, 1093, 1095

impv. 221, 351, 436, 572, 5117, 6102, 759, 765, 773, 785, 103, 1150, 1161, 1184, 11123, 1599, 1636, 1936, 1965, 2014, 2125, 2192, 2277, 2323, 2332, 2745, 2916, 2917, 2936, 2956, 3661, 392, 3915, 3966, 4364, 5362, 713

impf. pass. 4345

n.vb. 4172, 7206, 1029, 18110, 1965, 1982, 2119, 4060, 466

pcple. act. 2138, 9112, 2153, 2173, 2184, 21106, 2347, 4381, 665, 1093, 1094, 1095

abd n.m. (pl. ibad/abid) 223, 290, 2178, 2178, 2186, 2207, 2221, 315, 320, 330, 379, 3182, 4118, 4172, 5118, 618, 661, 688, 732, 7128, 7194, 841, 851, 9104, 10107, 1224, 1411, 1431, 1540, 1542, 1549, 162, 1675, 171, 173, 175, 1717, 1730, 1753, 1765, 1796, 181, 1865, 1865, 18102, 192, 1930, 1961, 1963, 1993, 2077, 2126, 21105, 2210, 23109, 2432, 251, 2517, 2558, 2563, 2652, 2715, 2719, 2759, 2882, 2956, 2962, 3048, 349, 3413, 3439, 3528, 3531, 3532, 3545, 3630, 3740, 3774, 3781, 3711, 37122, 37128, 37132, 37160, 37169, 37171, 3817, 3830, 3841, 3844, 3845, 3883, 397, 3910, 3916, 3916, 3917, 3936, 3946, 3953, 4015, 4031, 4044, 4048, 4085, 4146, 4219, 4223, 4225, 4227, 4227, 4252, 4315, 4319, 4359, 4368, 4418, 4423, 508, 5029, 5310, 549, 579, 6610, 5011, 6610, 7127, 7219, 766, 8929, 9610

abbada vb. (2) perf. act. 2622

Lane's Lexicon, Volume 5, pages 219, 220, 221

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Thank you.