Ramadan 2021/1442AH – Juz 20 – Compass 🧭

“Who is it that answers the distressed when they call upon Him? Who removes their suffering? Who makes you successors in the earth? Is it another god beside God?” — 27:62

When we talk about polytheism and idolatry in Islam, it doesn’t just mean worshipping other “gods” in a theological or physical sense, it also refers to an emotional, spiritual and mental aspect to worship.

We all have something we’ll try and prioritise in our lives. For some people that might be the pursuit of money or status, seeking a lovely romantic partner etc. Absolutely none of that is bad in and of itself but it should never be our primary goal that is granted supreme importance above all else.

When we fall into that trap we’re chasing a goal we cannot attain and that won’t fully satisfy us. Rather having Allah as our God means seeking to worship only Him through all of our actions; and trying todo what is most pleasing to Him.

Our intention is key. Are we doing these things from a place of vanity, greed or seeking fulfilment through the end goal? Or rather are we doing them to please Allah, trying to bring a sense of excellence to everything we do.

One might want to earn a good wage so that they have money to support their family and community. One might want to make partner to help them to lead projects they deem impactful and important to helping others, the list goes on.

Worshipping him means he is our priority at all times. Ideally beginning with His name “bismillah”, and intending to do good that is pleasing to Allah. During the action, seeking His help to be successful — and after we’ve finished then finally thanking him for the outcome. Whether he granted us the success we wanted or provided us with something better.

At the heart of worship is simply our intention. Are we doing it for ourselves and our egos or for something greater?

All praise is due to Him for all his blessings and mercy upon us. We seek to worship him in all our actions and pray he accepts it from us and keeps our intention true.