Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah (series completed)
· Lesson 300 of 1251
Summary of Sunni concepts | Concept (298) | The harm of limiting the meaning of worship to devotional rituals
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Transcript
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Summary of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah
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The harm of restricting the meaning of worship to ritual acts of devotion
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Whoever restricts the meaning of worship solely to ritual acts of devotion
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will inevitably fall short in his obedience to his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He.
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And if you tell him that this contradicts his servitude to Allah,
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he will reply that he has fulfilled his obligations of worship and prayer.
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And that he is currently managing his life and livelihood.
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As if he had not heard or understood the statement of Allah the Almighty, previously mentioned:
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"Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites, my life and my death are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.'" (Qur'an 6:162)
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Similarly, restricting the meaning of worship solely to ritual acts of devotion will also result in
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flaws and shortcomings in performing these rituals themselves
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and in the fruits expected from them.
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Prayer will become mechanical movements devoid of humility,
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and will not prevent indecency and wrongdoing,
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rather, he might be preoccupied during it with thinking about managing his life,
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because he did not understand that humility, which is a matter of the heart, is a form of worship,
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and that abstaining from indecency and wrongdoing is a form of worship.
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Fasting will become mere abstention from food and drink,
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after which he will feast on what overfills his stomach,
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and will entertain himself, as he claims, during and after his fast
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by watching vulgar game shows and series,
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and will let his gaze wander to what Allah has forbidden.
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And his fasting will not achieve the piety hoped for from it.
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He will pay the zakat on his wealth,
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and then will not care thereafter if his trade and wealth are based on usury and forbidden transactions,
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because he did not understand that abstaining from that is part of worship,
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which means his entire life should be for Allah and according to His will, Glorified is He.
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Likewise, restricting the meaning of worship to ritual acts of devotion
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is the gateway through which secularists and their ilk enter,
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by making worship solely a private relationship between the servant and his Lord,
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and having no connection to the other affairs of life,
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such as economics, politics, women's and family matters, and dealings between people.