Discussion of the Narrations

Levels of Worship

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.): “Indeed, a group worshipped God out of desire, so that is the worship of merchants. And indeed, a group worshipped God out of fear, so that is the worship of slaves. And indeed, a group worshipped God out of gratitude, so that is the worship of the free.”(289)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “Worship is of three [kinds]: A group who worshipped God, the Mighty and Majestic, out of fear, so that is the worship of slaves. And a group who worshipped God, the Blessed and Exalted, seeking reward, so that is the worship of hired workers. And a group who worshipped God, the Mighty and Majestic, out of love for Him, so that is the worship of the free, and it is the best worship.”(290)

People worship God Almighty in three ways: One group worships Him out of desire for His reward, and that is the worship of the greedy and covetous. Another group worships Him out of fear of the Fire, and that is the worship of slaves, which is dread. But I worship Him out of love for Him, the Almighty, and that is the worship of the noble, which is security, as per His saying: “And they will be secure from the terror of that Day.” (27:89) And His saying: “Say, ‘If you love God, then follow me; God will love you and forgive your sins.’” (3:31) So whoever loves God Almighty, He loves them, and whoever God loves is among those who are secure.(291)

People worship God in three categories: One category worships Him in hope of His reward, and that is the worship of servants. Another category worships Him out of fear of His Fire, and that is the worship of slaves. And a category worships Him out of love for Him, and that is the worship of the noble.(292)

“You alone do we worship” (1:5)... meaning we do not desire anything from You other than Yourself, and we do not worship You for compensation or exchange, as those who are ignorant of You and veiled from You worship You.(293)

It is narrated from al-Sajjād (a.s.): “I dislike worshipping God with no purpose other than His reward, for then I would be like the greedy slave who is tempted—if he is tempted he works, otherwise he does not work. And I dislike worshipping Him only out of fear of His punishment, for then I would be like the bad slave who does not work if he does not fear.” It was said: “Then why do you worship Him?” He said: “Because He is worthy of it, due to His favors upon me and His blessings.”(294)

Note: Grateful worship and loving devotion, which is the highest level of worship, is a hidden station that cannot be attained without spiritual purity. Spiritual purity is the opposite of spiritual filth, and based on the principle that “things are known by their opposites,” the definition of each can be inferred from the definition of the other. In the Holy Qur’an, God has considered polytheism (shirk) to be filth and has declared the polytheists to be impure: “The polytheists are indeed impure” (9:28).(295) Since monotheism (tawḥīd) is the opposite of polytheism and the monotheist is the opposite of the polytheist, monotheism is spiritual purity and the monotheist possesses inner purity.

Since some forms of monotheism are pure while others are mixed with polytheism, as evident from the noble verse “And most of them do not believe in God without associating others with Him” (12:106), which indicates that most of the people of faith are afflicted with polytheism, therefore those who possess pure monotheism and are free from the taint of any kind of polytheism are among the truly purified ones. Such a group, in their worship of God, do not desire anything from Him other than the Object of worship Himself, and they consider the enjoyment of the sweets of Paradise to be the share of those who have not tasted the pleasure of God’s love.

Witnessing the Object of Worship in Worship

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “...And whoever claims that he worships [God] by [His] attributes without perception has referred to one who is absent. And whoever claims that he worships by the attribute and the one described by it has nullified monotheism, because the attribute is other than the one described by it. And whoever claims that he adds the one described by it to the attribute has belittled the Great One, and they have not appreciated God with the appreciation due to Him.”(296)

Note: The essence of God, the Glorified, is the Absolute Identity which neither the acquired knowledge of the philosopher and theologian can fathom, nor the intuitive knowledge of the mystic can access; as such an impossible task has not been demanded from anyone. However, comprehending God to the extent of human intellect and heart’s capacity is possible and necessary, and such knowledge must be accompanied by an acknowledgment of the inability to reach its depths.

The important point in explaining such excellent narrations is that:

a) The object of worship must be witnessed, not absent. Therefore, one who knows God through His attributes considers Him absent, otherwise, the Present and Witnessed is known by Himself, not by attributes. If someone worships both the attribute and the attributed, they will fall into doubt, and if someone adds the attributed (essence), which is more important than the attribute, to the attribute, they have belittled the essence, which is great, and will be included in: “They have not appraised God with true appraisal.” (6:91) Thus, the principle is that the object of worship should be essentially witnessed, and in His light, His attributes should be observed.

b) As extensively explained in the previous note, the goal of complete and perfect worship is the meeting with the Worshipped Himself, not the enjoyment of the blessings of Paradise or salvation from Hell.

Seeking help is a sign of the invalidity of tafwīḍ (delegation)

Abū ʿAbd Allāh (a.s.) met with a man from the Qadariyya in the presence of ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān. The Qadarī said to Abū ʿAbd Allāh (a.s.): “Ask about whatever you wish.” He replied: “Recite Sūrah al-Ḥamd.” So he recited it. The Umayyad said, and I was with him: “There is nothing in Sūrah al-Ḥamd against us, “Indeed we belong to God, and indeed to Him we will return” (٢:١٥٦). The Qadarī started reciting Sūrah al-Ḥamd until he reached the saying of God, Blessed and Exalted: “You [alone] we worship and You [alone] we ask for help” (١:٥). Jaʿfar said to him: “Stop! From whom do you seek help? And what is your need for assistance? The matter is up to you.” So the one who disbelieved was confounded, and God does not guide the wrongdoing people.(297)

Note: Delegation (tafwīḍ) and predestination (qadar), like compulsion (jabr), are false, because a contingent being, whether in the state of origination or in the state of subsistence, is the very essence of connection and need for the Independent Origin. This poverty is the very essence of its identity (its huwiyya, not its māhiyya). Therefore, it is not possible for the actions of an utterly poor being to be delegated to itself or to another being like it. The servant’s seeking help from the Lord, which is inferred from the aforementioned verse, is an indication of the harmony between scriptural and rational evidence, just as it confounded the Qadarī.

Seeking Help from the Heavenly Helper

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.): “Seek help from God frequently, and He will suffice you in what concerns you and assist you in what befalls you.”(298) “Praise God and seek His help against the plots and temptations of Satan.”(299) “I praise Him in gratitude for His blessings and seek His help in fulfilling the duties of His rights.”(300) “We seek His help in observing His rights.”(301)

Note: Like other natural beings, man is exposed to unpleasant events, because in the natural world, all are striving and struggling, and inevitably conflicts occur that will harm some. If no helper or assistant is present to aid the injured, the harmed being will perish.

The human being, in addition to the devastating natural disasters, is afflicted with another spiteful enemy called Satan, who always covets his eternal happiness and seeks to seduce him. Therefore, humans, more than any other creature, need to seek help from an unseen helper and assistance from a heavenly aid. Since God, the Glorious, has introduced Himself as sufficient: “Is not God sufficient for His servant?” (39:36) and in some religious texts it is stated: “O He who suffices from everything while nothing suffices from Him, suffice me in what concerns me”,(302) seeking assistance from the Holy Essence of God becomes the basis of sufficiency in every important matter and the foundation of salvation from the inner and outer Ahriman (evil). For this reason, Imām Ali (a.s.) thanks God for His blessings and seeks His help to fully fulfill the rightful duties; because if a servant fulfills his covenant, God will certainly be faithful to His covenant: “Fulfill My covenant and I will fulfill your covenant.” (2:40)