ভূমিকা

It is so even though it may be a business or professional venture, the pursuit of knowledge, marriage, service to people, or anything that is meant to meet our needs or that of society.

That which makes an action an act of worship { ‘ibadah } is the sacred motives behind its performance and in the parlance of the Qur’an, it has the “divine baptism” { sibghat Allah }.[^2] Natural disposition {fitrah} and worship {‘ibadah} Some of our actions or activities are based on worship { ‘ibadah } while others are anchored in natural disposition { fitrah }. A habit can be meritorious such as sports or not meritorious such as smoking.

But if an action was anchored in natural disposition—that is, if it was done based on the natural disposition and pure mold which God has bestowed on the constitution of every human being—then it would always be meritorious. The merit of natural disposition compared to worship is that time and place, gender and race, and age and condition have no effect on it, and every human being, on account of his being a human, possesses it.

An example of this is the affection given to one’s child that is not true only to a particular generation and period rather, it is common for every parent to do so.[^3] Issues such as form and style of dress or food are governed by habit and they vary in different times and places. In some regions, a certain thing is a custom while the same is not regarded as such in other places.

Worship and devotion are also among those actions that pertain to the natural disposition of man, and thus, the most ancient, beautiful and durable buildings constructed by man are related to worship such as temples, churches, mosques, and fire-temples. Of course, many differences can be seen with respect to forms and types of devotion.