``IBADAT``

BY MD. HADIUL ISLAM (FARUK) 

In my previous lecture I had explained to you the meaning of Deen and shariah. Today I elucidate before you the purport of another word which Muslims generally use but few people know its correct meaning. This word is `IBADAT`Allah has said in His Holy Book:

(Al Quran 51:56)

It is clear from this verse that the purpose of your birth and of your life is no other than that of the worship of Allah. Now you can well imagine how much necessary it is for you to know the meaning of `Ibadat`. If you will not know the real meaning of this word you will not be able to fulfill the very purpose for which you have been created. And anything which does not fulfill its purpose results in fiasco.if a doctor cannot restore health to his patient, he is said to have failed in his profession. If a former cannot raise a good crop, he is said to have failed in cultivation. Similarly, if you have hot been able to fulfill the real purpose of your life`Ibadat`and preserve it in mind because on it depends the seccess or failure of your life.

MEANING OF `IBADAT`

The word `Ibadat` is derived from `Abd. The meaning of `Abd is servant and slave. Therefore the meaning of `Ibadat is servitude and slavery. If a person who is a slave of somebody remains in his service as a slave and behaves with him as one should behave with a master, it is called servitude and `Ibadat`.as against this, if a person who is a slave of somebody and also gets full salary from him but does not serve him just as a slave ought to serve his master, it will be called disobedience and insubordination. In fact, more appropriately, it amounts ti being untrue  to ones  salt. Now consider what should be the form of behavior for a slave towards his master.

The first duty of a slave is to regard his master as his lord, and to consider it incumbent upon himself to be faithful to that being who is his master, nourishes, protector and warden, and firmly believe that no one except he is worthy of loyalty.

The second duty of a slave is to be always obedient to his master, to meticulously carry out his orders, never to draw back from his service, and to refrain from saying anything from his own mind or listening to any bodys word against his maters wishes, a save is all the time and in all circumstances a slave. He has not the least right to say that he will obey a particular order of the master and disobey the other order or that he is his masters slave for a certain period and is free of his duty for the rest of the time.

The third duty of a servant is to respect and revere his master. He should follow the method laid down by his master for showing respect and reverence to him. He must definitely be present at the time fixes by his master for saluting him and should furnish proof of the fact that he is quite firm in his faithfulness and obedience to him.

These are the requisites which constitute together `Ibadat`firstly, fidelity to ones master: secondly, obedience to the master, and thirdly, respect and reverence for the master. What Allah has said in the verse :``I have not created the jinn and humankind for any other purpose except that they should worship me ``actually means that Allah created these two species so that they will be faithful only to Allah and to no other being , that they will follow the commandments of Allah only, that they will to listen to the order of any body else against Him, and will bow their heads in respect and reverence only to Him and to none else. These three things have been described by Allah in the comprehensive term:`Ibadat`. This is what is rent from all those verses in which Allah has commanded that `Ibadat`be performed to Him. The gist of the teachings of our Holy prophet, and of all the prophets (peace be upon them) sent by God before him.

Which means that there is only one sovereign to whom you must be faithful, and that sovereign is Allah, that there is one law which you should obey and that is the law of Allah and that there is only one being who should be worshipped and that Being is Allah.