In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In our preface, we explored the fundamental question of why we exist. Now, we delve deeper into how we fulfil this divine purpose through worship and recognition of Allah SWT.
More > Purpose of Life : Why Do I Exist? : Preface
The Dual Purpose: Worship & Experiential Knowledge
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.”
Quran 51:56 (Surah Adh-Dhariyat)
This verse carries layers of meaning beyond its apparent translation. As highlighted by Sayyidina Abbas RA, the Arabic term لِيَعْبُدُونِ (liya’budun) encompasses both worship and experiential knowledge (ma’rifah). This dual meaning reveals that our purpose isn’t merely mechanical ritual, but a deeper journey of knowing Allah SWT.
Understanding True Worship Through Divine Secrets
الإنسانُ سِرِّي أنا سِرُّهُ
“The human being is My secret, and I am his secret”
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani RA
This reveals an intimate connection between Creator and created. Within each human lies a divine secret – the capacity to know Allah SWT through deep contemplation and spiritual awakening.
This secret manifests when we:
- Discover our inner reality
- Recognise our absolute dependence on Allah
- Understand our unique position as beings capable of conscious worship
The Foundation: Ma’rifatullah
أَوَّلُ الدِّينِ مَعْرِفَةُ اللَّـهِ
“The beginning of Deen is the knowledge of Allah”
Imam Ali RA
This statement from Imam Ali RA establishes a principle: Authentic worship requires Knowledge.
Consider:
- How can we truly worship what we don’t know?
- How can we appreciate Allah’s attributes without studying them?
- How can we fulfil our purpose without understanding our Creator?
OUR JOURNEY OF WORSHIP AND EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE (MA’RIFAH) IS CONTINUOUS AND EVER-DEEPENING. EACH STEP IN KNOWLEDGE SHOULD LEAD TO GREATER CONSCIOUSNESS IN WORSHIP, AND EACH ACT OF WORSHIP SHOULD INCREASE OUR RECOGNITION OF ALLAH.
The Mirror of Self-Knowledge
مَن عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ
“He who knows himself, knows his Lord”
Imam Ali RA
Self-knowledge becomes a mirror reflecting divine reality.
Through understanding our:
- Limitations → We recognise His Limitlessness
- Weaknesses → We appreciate His Strength
- Dependencies → We acknowledge His Self-Sufficiency
- Mortality → We grasp His Eternality
Prerequisites of Authentic Worship
True worship requires three essential spiritual states:
- Humility (Zillah)
- Recognizing our lowliness before Divine Majesty
- Eliminating spiritual pride and arrogance
- Neediness (Ihtiyaj)
- Acknowledging complete dependence on Allah
- Embracing our constant need for Divine support
- Spiritual Poverty (Faqr)
- Understanding our inherent destitution
- Recognising that all we have is from Allah
Achieving Ubudiyah: The Ultimate State of Servitude
Ubudiyah represents the pinnacle of worship where every action, thought, and intention revolves around Allah SWT.
This state manifests through:
- Complete Submission: Aligning our will with Divine Will
- Conscious Dependence: Living in constant awareness of our need for Allah
- Integrated Worship: Making every moment an act of service
From Knowledge to Practice: Al-Ihsan
Our beloved Prophet ﷺ defined Al-Ihsan as
“Worshipping Allah as if you see Him, and while you don’t see Him, knowing that He sees you.”
This excellence in worship emerges from:
- Deep Knowledge: Understanding Who we worship
- Constant Awareness: Maintaining presence of heart
- Spiritual Vigilance: Regular self-assessment and improvement
Our journey of worship and experiential knowledge (ma’rifah) is continuous and ever-deepening.
Each step in knowledge should lead to greater consciousness in worship, and each act of worship should increase our recognition of Allah SWT.
As we progress on this path, we fulfil our created purpose in increasingly deeper ways, transforming our existence into a constant state of worship and recognition of our Creator.
This post is part of our ongoing series exploring our life’s divine purpose. Join us in our next instalment as we delve deeper into each topic above.
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