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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books What Is Islam? Beliefs, Principles and a Way of Life Acts of Worship 6-ISLAMIC ACTS OF WORSHIP Question: What is the meaning of worship? Answer: Worship are those things that Islam has made obligatory and must be performed with the intention of seeking nearness or closeness to God Almighty. Question: What is meant by the intention of seeking nearness to God?

Answer: It means that the action should be performed only for the sake of God and this intention distinguishes acts of worship and the other obligatory acts, because worship requires the intention of seeking nearness to God whereas acts which are not worship, but which are considered a means of gaining access to God’s mercy, may be performed without that specific intention.

Question: Give an example of both: Answer: For example, offering prayers is an act of worship and they are not valid without the intention of seeking nearness to God but washing an item of clothing to make it pure is not worship and therefore can be done without that intention. Question: Why is worship conditional upon the intention of drawing near to God?

Answer: Firstly, because worship is obedience to God Almighty and complete obedience cannot be expressed unless the act of worship is performed solely for the sake of God.

Secondly, worship elevates the soul and so if man continually remembers God and realizes that he is in the presence of his Lord who is the Great, the Powerful, the All-Seeing and All-Hearing, undoubtedly he will be granted an excellence of character which will lead him towards the highest spirituality and noblest conduct and will distance him from bad things, whether they be attitudes of mind or actual deeds. PRAYING Question: What are the Islamic acts of worship?

Answer: The most important Islamic acts of worship are prayers, fasting, khums, zakat, jihad and hajj. Since this book has been written in order to provide a brief introduction to Islam, we will forgo an explanation of the wisdom and reasons behind these acts of worship and so anyone who wishes to know about these aspects should refer to our book entitled “Islamic Acts of Worship”1. Question: What are prayers? How many units do they have and what else is involved?

Answer: Prayers are of two kinds: obligatory prayers and recommended prayers. Question: Which are the obligatory prayers? Answer: Obligatory prayers are performed in the following sequence: Dawn prayer (called fajr or subh).