ALL IS IBADAH

By Muhammad Fareed Bin Tarmizi

1 -- Al-Mubaah (the permissible) acts, such as walking, eating, standing and wearing clothes, should not be considered acts of worship themselves. This is why the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, criticized Abu Israel when he saw him standing in the sun. When he asked why he was standing, they told him, "This is Abu Israel! He made a vow to stand and not sit down, to avoid the shade, to keep silent and to fast." The Prophet said, "Order him to speak, seek the shade, sit down and let him continue his fast (which is the only act of worship Abu Israel vowed to perform)." [Abou Dawood, ibn Majah & others, also al-Bukhari related the Hadith without mentioning standing in the sun]

2 -- When Al-Mubaah is a means of performing acts of worship. Ibn Ash-Shaat said, "When one intends to be stronger and able to perform the various acts of worship by performing the Mubaah, such as eating, sleeping and earning money, it (each of these permissible acts) will become an act of worship." It must be noted here, however, that Al-Ezz ibn Abd As-Salam said that in this case, the Muslim will only gain a reward for the intention and not for the act itself. Ibn Taymiyyah said, "One should only perform the acts of Al-Mubaah that will enable him to perform acts of worship, and should also intend by doing them to be able to perform the acts of worship."

3 -- To perform Al-Mubaah believing that it is legislated by Allah. When the Muslim performs Al-Mubaah, he should do so believing that Allah has permitted it for him. Allah likes that His permissibles be made use of, just as He likes that one fulfills His obligations. Also, Allah does not accept from one to be difficult with himself, going to the extreme and becoming like monks. What Islam legislates is the middle and the best way to demonstrate and prove one's slavery to Allah. One conducts himself according to a complete, yet reasonable set of codes of conduct. The Halal is what Allah has made Halal, the Haram is what Allah has made Haram and Al-Mubaah is what Allah has made Al-Mubaah. Those who treat Al-Mubaah in this manner will gain Allah-s reward, Allah willing.

4 -- When an act of worship is conditionally permitted (Mubaah), like voluntary fasts, then one is not allowed to exhaust or physically harm himself by going to the extreme with regards to this Mubaah. In this case, it is an obligation that one breaks his fast and eat and drink to save himself from harm. If he does not do this, then he may be punished for harming himself. On the other hand, if people abandon and avoid various Mubaahs, such as marriage, commerce, agriculture or industry, they will all be committing a sin. These areas are required in our Muslim Nation.
Meaning of ibadah

Meaning of al-Ibadah: The basic meaning of al-Ibadah is humility and submission. In the Sharee’ah, it has numerous definitions, but their meaning is one. From them are;
- It is to worship Allah in conformity to what He has ordered upon the tongues of His Messenger.
- It is utmost submission with utmost love for Allah.
- A more general meaning of al-Ibadah is that it is a comprehensive term for everything that Allah loves and is pleased with from speech and actions inwardly and outwardly.
Worship is categorized as worship of the heart, tongue and limbs. Fear, hope, love, reliance, desire, reverence are worships of the heart. Tasbeeh, Tahleel, Takbeer, thanking Him by the tongue and heart are worships of the heart and tongue. Salaat, Zakaat, Hajj are worships of the limbs and heart. There are many other worships of the heart, tongue and limbs.
It is for the purpose of Ibadah that Allah brought into existence all the creation. Allah says, ‘And I (Allah) created not the jinn and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong.’ [Soorah adh-Dhariyat (51): 56]
Allah informs us (in this verse) that the wisdom behind creating the Jinn and humans is that they establish His worship. However, Allah is not in need of their worship, but they are in need of Him due to their penury before Him, so they (ought to) worship Him in compliance with His Sharee’ah.
So, he, who does not worship Allah is arrogant.
He, who worships Him and others with Him is a Mushrik (one, who associates partners with Allah).
He, who worships Him by other than what He has legislated is a Mubtadi (an innovator).
And He, who worships Him with that which He has legislated is a Mumin (believer) and Muwahhid (one who establishes Tawheed in its correct manner). orms of Ibadah and what it Comprises
Ibadah has many forms, and it includes all forms of outward obedience of the tongue and the limbs and inward obedience of the heart, like remembrance of Allah, Tasbeeh, Tahleel, reciting the Qur’aan, Salaat, Zakaat, Siyam, Hajj, commanding the good and forbidding the evil, doing good to the relatives, orphans, poor and travelers. Similarly, love of Allah and His Messenger, fear of Allah and returning to him, sincerity in the Deen, (Sabr) being patient with His Rule and (Radaa) being pleased with His Decree, (Tawakkul) reliance upon Him, (Rajaa) hope in His Mercy, (Khauf) fear from His punishment (are worships of the heart). Thus, Ibadah includes all the actions of a Mumin (believer), if he intends to worship Allah with them or that which aids this purpose, even his habit (qualify to come under worshipping Allah) if he intends to worship Allah with them, like sleep, food, drink, buying and selling, seeking provision and marriage. Thus, all actions if accompanied by a good intention, develop into worship and worship is thus, not limited to the known rituals.
OUR PROFESSION IS OUR IBADAH

All those who profess the Islamic beliefs should naturally submit to Allah and worship Him alone, by doing whatever He commanded and by avoiding whatever He has forbidden, which is Tawheed ul `Ibaadah. Without this aspect of Tawheed, one's belief in Allah's Oneness is not complete.
We Muslims often use the term `Aqeedah, but what do we mean by it? Is `Aqeedah something that is memorized and simply rattled off on one's tongue? And what is the relationship between one's `Aqeedah and one's actions?
`Aqeedah is the firm creed that one's heart is fixed upon without any wavering and doubt, creed which excludes any supposition, doubt or suspicion. The Qur'an uses the term "Emaan" in its stead. In the understanding of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah, it is well known that Emaan is profession in the heart and by the tongue, and action by the heart, tongue and the limbs. [al-`Aqeedat ul-Wasitiyyah of Ibn Taymeeyah]. Therefore, Emaan is much more than just a mere profession. For that reason, we find that early Makkans refused to say the Shahada - even though mere saying of it is not a difficulty - as they understood its implications. They understood that one's belief in Allah which is stated by tongues must be present in the heart and must manifest in one's actions of heart (such as love and fear of Allah), of tongue (dhikr, saying of the Shahada...) and of limbs (prayer, enjoining good and forbidding evil...).
Today, however, some people pronounce the Shahada without a second thought and without realizing the intended meaning and implications of the testimony of faith..
To profess the Islamic belief is to believe in:
The unity of Allah's Lordship (Tawheed ur-Ruboobeeyah): That Allah is the One who creates, owns and administers what He created, the One who brings benefit and averts harm, and the sole Power in the universe.
Allah's unity regarding His Perfect Names and Attributes (Tawheed Asmaa' Allah wa Sifatih)- describing Allah according to the names and attributes by which He has described Himself in the Qur'an or by those used by Prophet Muhammad to describe Him.
All those who profess these beliefs should naturally submit to Allah and worship Him alone, by doing whatever He commanded and by avoiding whatever He has forbidden, which is Tawheed ul `Ibaadah. Without this aspect of Tawheed, one's belief in Allah's Tawheed (Oneness) is not complete. In fact, if any of the above aspects of Tawheed is missing, one's realization and maintaining of Tawheed in one's life is lacking and defective.
However, an aspect of Tawheed that perhaps needs to be stressed in particular is Tawheed ul-`Ibaadah, as it is often either not understood properly or is neglected to a varying degree. Absence of such understanding and practice leads to various deviations, from believing that faith is mere statement on the tongue and thus not fulfilling one's true purpose of creation, to the very common ritualism, wherein the religion is taken as a set of ritualistic actions without much meaning and impact on one's life.