He has imposed worship upon the creatures for their own...

He has imposed worship upon the creatures for their own interests so that they will benefit by the traits and advantages of worship, which is one of the strongest incentives that concentrate the beliefs and build up faith in the spirits since it reminds of God and His rewards and warns against His punishment and reminds of the Prophet (S). The concepts of faith fade away in the mentality of the servant who neglects, and, subsequently, forgets worship of His Lord.

Belief is the large tree whose blooming shadows cover all Muslims. Worship is the factor that protects and supplies that tree with elements of growth. It is the strongest factor that achieves balance between the spiritual and material powers that pull man back and forth. Man, however, cannot attain pleasure unless these two elements are equal.

To prove this, we say that the prevalence of the material elements on man causes him to be slaved by false authorities of materiality and to be inclined towards selfishness, egotism all for achieving his material desires. Such being the case, it is necessary to rein the defiance of materiality by strengthening the spiritual aspects and supplying man with mental energies guarding against evils and guiding to righteousness.

Through its spiritual rays and incessant reminding of God, worship can achieve the previously mentioned necessities. Worship, after all, is a test examining the dimensions of faith, which is a hidden secret that nothing can divulge except rites of worship. Because worship requires suffering of efforts, the fulfillment of its rites has become a sign of firmness of faith. To neglect such rites, on the other hand, has become a sign of frailty of faith.

Prayer, for example, is indeed a difficult task, but not for the submissive to God. Fasting requires self-control against desires of food and sex. The hajj requires expenditure and suffering of efforts. The Zakat is to give from the wealth that you love and maintain. Jihad is to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the duty. All these are difficult missions. Obedience Obedience stands for submitting to God and carrying out all His instructions.

It is an honorable trait that brings about pleasure: “One who obeys Allah and His Messenger will certainly achieve a great success. (33:71)” “Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to the gardens wherein streams flow.