True purpose of Ibadah

Everything today is being done for ‘sawab’.

But please pause and ponder!

The true purpose of Ibadat is to develop Qalbe Saleem and attainment of Taqwa.

وَ  اِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّکَ لِلۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ اِنِّیۡ جَاعِلٌ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ خَلِیۡفَۃً ؕ قَالُوۡۤا اَتَجۡعَلُ فِیۡہَا مَنۡ یُّفۡسِدُ فِیۡہَا وَ یَسۡفِکُ الدِّمَآءَ ۚ وَ نَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِکَ وَ نُقَدِّسُ لَکَ ؕ قَالَ اِنِّیۡۤ اَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ

Baqarah, 30

یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اعۡبُدُوۡا رَبَّکُمُ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَکُمۡ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ

Baqarah, 21

Ibadat:

وَ مَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَ الۡاِنۡسَ  اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ 

Zariyat, 56

Is this like touching a stone? Or does it have a purpose?

وَ مَا خَلَقۡنَا السَّمَآءَ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا  لٰعِبِیۡنَ

Ambiya: 16

At the same time,

اِنۡ اَحۡسَنۡتُمۡ اَحۡسَنۡتُمۡ لِاَنۡفُسِکُمۡ ۟ وَ اِنۡ اَسَاۡتُمۡ فَلَہَا

Bani Israel:7

Hadith: Even if all men on earth become most righteous or all men on earth become most evil, it wouldn't increase or decrease Allah's grandeur at all.

Test:

الَّذِیۡ  خَلَقَ الۡمَوۡتَ وَ الۡحَیٰوۃَ لِیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ  اَیُّکُمۡ  اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا 

Mulk, 2

اِنَّا عَرَضۡنَا الۡاَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَالۡجِبَالِ فَاَبَيۡنَ اَنۡ يَّحۡمِلۡنَهَا وَاَشۡفَقۡنَ مِنۡهَا وَ حَمَلَهَا الۡاِنۡسَانُؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ ظَلُوۡمًا جَهُوۡلًا ۙ‏  لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۢا

Ahzab:72,73

Allah is not in need of anyone's service. He is Ghani. His grandeur does not increase or decrease with the acts of people. And why is He testing us?

یَوۡمَ لَا  یَنۡفَعُ  مَالٌ  وَّ  لَا  بَنُوۡنَ

اِلَّا  مَنۡ  اَتَی اللّٰہَ  بِقَلۡبٍ سَلِیۡمٍ

Shoora, 88,89

Abu Hurairah narrated that: the Messenger of Allah said: “Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran which they used to earn.’”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi

اِنَّ الۡحَسَنٰتِ يُذۡهِبۡنَ السَّيِّاٰتِ

Hud: 114

So the ultimate azmaish of human life is to return the heart in its pristine form (through amale ahsan) and the objective of ibadaat is to cleanse the heart.

قَدۡ  اَفۡلَحَ  مَنۡ  زَکّٰىہَا

وَ  قَدۡ خَابَ مَنۡ  دَسّٰىہَا

Shams: 9,10

Everything is being done for ‘sawab’.

Please pause and ponder! This is not a points redemption system.

Offer namaz for zikr, so that you can be saved from fahash and munkar.

فَوَیۡلٌ  لِّلۡمُصَلِّیۡنَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہُمۡ عَنۡ صَلَاتِہِمۡ سَاہُوۡنَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہُمۡ  یُرَآءُوۡنَ

Maoon: 4-6

Recite Surah alKahf on Friday to understand how Satan tries to deceive men and how we can protect ourselves from Dajl (deception).

Offer fasts so that you may become muttaqi.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink."

[Saheeh Bukhari]

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.”

[Sunan Ibn Majah]

Offer zikr so that you can get itminan e qalb (peace of mind).

Taubah and astaggfaar to wipe out the stains.

Offer qurbani to reaffirm your resolve to sacrifice and submit before Allah

لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ

Hajj: 37

Saqda/Zakat: To cure bukhl and arrogance. To become compassionate and empathetic.

وَ مَنۡ یُّوۡقَ شُحَّ نَفۡسِہٖ  فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ

Surah Taghabun:16

Recite the Qur'an for guidance and remembrance.

کِتٰبٌ  اَنۡزَلۡنٰہُ  اِلَیۡکَ مُبٰرَکٌ  لِّیَدَّبَّرُوۡۤا اٰیٰتِہٖ وَ  لِیَتَذَکَّرَ  اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبَابِ

Saad:29

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There will come a people from the east, who recite the Quran but it does not go beyond their throats....”

[Saheeh Bukhari]

Jihad and Amr bil Maroof and nahi anil munkar so that the external environment is also clean, helping us in keeping our hearts unblemished.

Offer all forms of Ibadah to strengthen your talluq billah and to develop qalbe saleem.

NOT (only) for Sawab. NOT (only) for Fazail. NOT just for the sake of it. It is not the act of ibadat that impresses Allah but the resultant change in heart.

Muqadma, Hujjatullah alBaligah: Ilm e Israr e deen (Rationale of commands):

1. All Islamic commands have a rationale and they serve tangible purposes.

2. But that rationale might not be apparent to us because of our limited understanding.

3. Acting upon a command is not dependent upon understanding its merits.

4. We should not wait for the illat to be apparent before us before we act on a command. The Why can wait.

5. We should trust Prophet Muhammad's judgment more than our own reasoning abilities.

6. The presence or absence of the illat would not change the nature of the command. Farz would remain farz and haram would remain haram even in the absence of the illat.

7. Just as everyone cannot become a mufassir of the Qur'an, determination of the illat also requires in-depth knowledge of deen. 

Why should we know the illat of a command if it's presence or absence does not affect the nature of the command?

1. To understand ejaz of Qur'an and Shariyah. A study of israare deen unfolds the wisdom and miraculous nature of Qur'an and Shariah, for it cannot be the work of an uneducated human being of the 7th Century 

2. Conviction in actions.

3. Assurance and rahat

4. To understand the spirit of the ibadat and focus on developing within ourselves what that ibadat seeks to develop.

5. Helps in understanding what is desirable in deen and what is not.

6. To reply to those who reject or modify the Shariah because they find its injunctions illogical and irrational.

Is there any other way to develop Qalbe Saleem bypassing these acts of Ibadah? No!

اِنَّ الدِّيۡنَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ الۡاِسۡلَامُ

Aal’Imran: 19

وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمِ دِينًۭا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ

Aal’Imran: 85

قُلۡ  اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُحِبُّوۡنَ اللّٰہَ فَاتَّبِعُوۡنِیۡ یُحۡبِبۡکُمُ اللّٰہُ وَ یَغۡفِرۡ لَکُمۡ ذُنُوۡبَکُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرٌ  رَّحِیۡمٌ

Aal'Imran: 32