One cannot claim to believe that only God creates, provides, sustains, controls, regulates, gives and takes, and then offer worship to what is created, temporal and in need. It is a violation of reason, comprises the greatest injustice and represents the height of folly and shallowness in intellect.
The Islamic message of all the Prophets is built upon two mighty foundations: Firstly: That Allah is exclusively worshipped alone, no partners are associated with Him in worship and deities besides Him are shunned. Secondly: That He is not worshipped except through what He legislated and commanded. The message of the Prophets combines between these two with the second being a means of fulfilment for the first.3
The Jews and Christians swerved from these foundations. They worshipped others besides Allah and altered, distorted, abrogated or, in the case of Christians, did away with the law altogether and worshipped Allah through their own innovations and whatever they absorbed of the rituals of the Pagans.
Acts of worship are founded upon the principles of legislation (shar’) and faithful observance (ittiba’) which is imitation of the Messengers of Allah in what they conveyed of the law. It is not for anyone to worship Allah except through what His Messengers enjoined of both obligatory and recommended deeds. Allah is not worshipped through affairs for which He gave no authority. Thus every act of worship must be founded upon monotheistic belief, be directed only to Allah, done sincerely for His sake, and done in compliance with what has been legislated.
This is the way of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, the Israelite prophets, Jesus and Muhammed (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Footnotes
3 In Islam, whilst deeds are essential to faith and are required for salvation, none will enter Paradise except through the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Allah. This is because Allah is the one who created and gave man abilities and strengths to act, sent him guidance, granted him success in following it, and overlooked his sins and shortcomings.
Source: Jesus in Islam, Christianity and the Jewish Talmud, Abu Iyaad Amjad bin Muhammad Rafiq, 1st Edition, January 2017, Published by Germantown Masjid, pp. 10-11.
