Honorable Muslims!
It was one of those early days when the light of Islam started to shine over Mecca. Our beloved Prophet (saw) went on top of the Safa Hill near the Ka'bah and addressed the people of Mecca as follows: "Will you believe me if I say there is an army marching behind this valley which is about to attack you?" The people of Mecca all together replied, "Yes, we will believe. For we have never heard a lie from you." Upon this, the Prophet of Mercy (saw) said, "I am warning you against a vehement punishment."[1] There, in the sight of the people of Mecca, he (saw) invited all humanity to Islam and eternal salvation.
Dear Believers!
This call of the Master of the Two Worlds, our beloved Prophet (saw), is an invitation for people to become servants of and worship the Lord of the Worlds. This call entails believing in Allah (swt) only and servitude to Him (swt) only. It entails bowing down before the one and only Allah (swt), and getting exalted while doing so. It entails staying away from polytheism and hypocrisy, disbelief and rebellion, strife and corruption, deception and traps, and lies and cheats.
Dear Muslims!
The reason for creation of human is servitude to the Lord Almighty and worship Him (swt). It entails doing good deeds that will help attain the pleasure of the Almighty Allah (swt) as well as happiness in this world and in the Afterlife. It means maintaining the relationship between oneself and the Creator. Indeed, it is our Lord's (swt) most important right over us that we believe in the existence and oneness of Allah the Almighty, Who has created us out of nothing, and to be servants of Him (swt) in the most perfect manner possible. In this respect, while on a journey with Mu'adh ibn Jabal (ra) one day, the Messenger of Allah (saw) asked him, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's right is over His servants is?" Mu'adh ibn Jabal replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." Then our Prophet (saw) said, "To worship Him alone and to associate none in worship with Him. As for His (swt) servants' right over Him (swt), it is for Him (swt) not to punish those who do not associate anything and anybody with Him (swt). ..."[2]
Dear Believers!
It is stated in our divine book the Holy Qur'an as follows, "Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, as a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life. And We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do."[3]
Then, let us be mindful of our duty of servitude to our Lord (swt). Let us be wholeheartedly connected to Him (swt) and be a devoted servant of Him (swt). Let us not neglect to continue our worships and try to do them in the finest manner possible. Let us keep our worship free of all worldly distractions and hypocrisy. In this manner, let us express our gratitude for the endless blessings our Lord (swt) has bestowed upon us. Let us never forget that ignoring and abandoning our worships will result in a spiritual emptiness, a loss of divine graces, and disquiet in this world, as well as a heavy load of a grievous sin in the eyes of our Lord (swt).
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[1] Bukhari, Tafsir, Shu'ara, 2; Muslim, Iman, 355.
[2] Bukhari, Jihad, 46.
[3] Nahl, 16/97.
General Directorate of Religious Services