Due to this, they disobey their Lord and do not abstain from committing sins.

Due to this, they disobey their Lord and do not abstain from committing sins. At times, it is the opposite. They recognize themselves to be servants, but are negligent in their worship. The details of this subject have been covered in books that describe the differences between the terms worshipper (عابد ), slave (عبد ), worship (عبادة ) and servitude (عبودية ). In both cases (of worship and servitude), worshippers must not attribute partners to Allah (swt).

This means that they should not worship anything besides Allah (swt). They should not consider themselves as a servant of anyone else, nor take anyone else as their Lord, nor recognize anyone else as their master.

Furthermore, in both stages they must be attentive and focused, like they should be during the recitation of the holy verse, You alone we worship.18 The implications of the verse must be steady and firm in their hearts, and their actions should be in accordance with what is in their hearts, otherwise they will be guilty of uttering a lie.

Thus, if anyone idolizes a creation to a degree that this creation becomes the cause and motivation of their worship, and the creation receives a place in the heart of the worshipper, or the worshipper receives wealth from this idolized creation for their act of worship, this worshipper has indeed taken a partner for Allah (swt) and therefore has entered into one of the categories of the polytheists.

This subject has been clearly articulated in our books and traditions, and a sane and clean intellect also testifies to its validity. In fact, after contemplation, it becomes apparent that the permissibility of carrying out such an act and considering it lawful is irrational, because it is incompatible with the original purpose of the Messengers, Prophets and Books that were sent down. Such acts are not carried out by a wise individual.

For the sake of argument, even if we consider it to be permissible, it is not rational to say that such an act warrants any reward or that the doer is somehow deserving of any reward. RECITING IS A FORM OF WORSHIP After our introduction, we affirm that making the Shi'a and the believers mourn upon the tribulations of the Family of the Prophet (as) is a worship just like crying itself. This fact is not hidden from the sight of any intellectual.

It is a worship that has been emphasized and is so desirable that we have been commanded and encouraged to perform it, and rewards have been set aside for it.