The Definition of Worship and the Explanation That It Is a Comprehensive Term for Everything Allah Loves and Is Pleased With

Question:
Is the entirety of the religion included in it, or not? What is the reality of servitude? Is it the highest of the stations in this world and the Hereafter, or is there something above it among the stations?

Answer:
He answered, may Allah have mercy on him: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Worship. It is a great word. And a beautiful meaning. And it is the wisdom for which Allah created the creation, as the Exalted said: So Allah only created the creation so that they would worship Him and not associate anything with Him. And He provided for their sustenance and what they need so that they would use it to help them in His worship, Him alone, with no partner.
And the first verse in the mushaf, meaning the first call in the mushaf, is the saying of the Exalted: , , . This is the first call in the noble mushaf from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to all people; no one is excluded from it over another. All people are commanded to worship Allah; no one is exempt from this. Not the messengers, not the prophets, not the righteous and the awliya (close friends of Allah), nor the general people; all of them are addressed by this call. In fact, it is a call to people, both their Muslim and their disbeliever, to all people: "O mankind." It is a general word for all people, regardless of their categories, kinds, or classes. No one is exempt from the servitude of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, because He is the One who created them and provided for them. So He is the One who deserves worship, unlike others who do not create or provide. And since worship holds this status...
...it is necessary to know what worship is, because not everyone worships Allah as they see fit or as they deem good. Correct worship has legal parameters. For this reason, the question was directed about it. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about it. He is the most deserving to answer this great question, given what Allah granted him of knowledge and understanding of the religion of Allah, and penetrating insight. This question was directed to him. Shall I repeat the question? Yes, yes.
The Shaykh of Islam, Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), was asked about the statement, "O mankind, worship your Lord." What is worship? One must know what worship is. Allah has explained worship in the Noble Qur'an, clarifying it in the verses and the surahs. So it is up to us to take worship from the Book and the Sunnah, along with its branches and types, because worship has types, as will be mentioned, and it is not just one type. Is the entirety of the religion included in it, or not? Does it encompass the whole religion? The entire religion is worship, yes, the whole religion is worship, and this will be clarified. It is not limited to some matters of the religion, yes. What is the reality of servitude? Servitude is to Allah. What is the reality of servitude? This will be clarified, if Allah wills. Is it the highest of the stations in this world and the Hereafter, or is there something above it among the stations? There is a difference between worship and servitude; worship.
...is what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has commanded of obedience, and avoiding the forbidden. As for servitude, it is directed to persons. All people are servants of Allah, but some of them have a voluntary, chosen servitude to Allah, and they are the believers. And some of them have a coercive servitude to Allah, meaning they are subject to the decrees of Allah and His judgments and what befalls them. So he is a servant of Allah in the general sense of servitude: . All of them are servants of Allah, but some have a voluntary and chosen servitude, and this is what is required. And some have a coercive, deterministic servitude; it is not voluntary on their part, but they are servants of Allah in the sense that they are in need of Allah, and that the decrees of Allah befall them as they befall others, and that their return is to Allah and they do not escape His grasp. Yes. And what is the reality of servitude? And is it the highest of the stations in this world and the Hereafter? Yes, the answer to this is that servitude is the highest of the stations; there is no station above it among the matters of the religion, but there is something above it among the stations. Let him elaborate on that for us. So he answered, may Allah have mercy on him: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Worship is a comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and is pleased with, of the hidden and apparent words and deeds. This is the definition of worship: that it is a comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and is pleased with, of the deeds and words, of the deeds of the limbs and the deeds of the hearts, and of the words of the tongue and the words of the heart. It is a verse comprehensive of everything Allah loves and is pleased with. As for what Allah does not love and is not pleased with, it is not worship, even if one draws near to Allah with it, as long as Allah does not love it and is not pleased with it. The criterion for when we know that Allah loves this thing or is pleased with this thing is if He has commanded it and prescribed it, then He loves it and is pleased with it. And if He has not commanded it and has not prescribed it, then He does not love it and is not pleased with it. Yes.
Worship is a comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and is pleased with, of the hidden and apparent words and deeds. So prayer, zakah, fasting, and Hajj, and truthfulness in speech, and fulfilling trusts, and dutifulness to parents, and maintaining family ties, and keeping covenants, and enjoining good and forbidding evil, and jihad against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and excellence toward the neighbor, the orphan, the poor, and the traveler, and the slave among humans and animals, and supplication, remembrance, and recitation. Yes, deeds of the limbs, such as these matters: prayer, fasting, Hajj, and jihad. Jihad against the disbelievers and the hypocrites. The disbelievers are fought with weapons, and the hypocrites are fought with the tongue and argument. And likewise enjoining good and forbidding evil. All of these are among the apparent deeds of the limbs that are seen and heard. And likewise the deeds of the tongue, such as the remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Qur'an, tasbih, tahlil, takbir, and others. This is also among the deeds of the limbs, and it is a deed of the apparent deeds that are seen, heard, and observed. Yes.
And excellence toward the neighbor, the orphan, the poor, and the traveler. Excellence toward those whom Allah has commanded us to treat with excellence, such as neighbors, the traveler who is cut off and has no provisions to reach his destination, the beggars, and in the freeing of slaves. These are outward deeds. Likewise, excellence toward slaves, whether human or animals. Whoever owns something, if he owns any slaves, he should treat them well. Likewise, whoever owns any livestock or animals should treat them well, meaning that he provides for their needs, secures for them what they need, does not torment them, and does not burden them. This is as Allah the Exalted said: of . All of this falls within the outward deeds that Allah has commanded, as well as supplication, remembrance, and recitation, which are deeds of the tongue, and similar acts of worship, and also the love of Allah and His Messenger.
And the greatest of them is the love of Allah and His Messenger. Love is among the deeds of the hearts, and it is the mover to obedience and compliance. And likewise, the love of Allah and His Messenger, and the fear of Allah. The fear of Allah: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the One who is feared alone. It was not said "the fear of Allah and His Messenger," because fear is worship, so it is not for anyone but Allah. And turning to Him. Turning to Allah: turning is returning and repentance. And sincerity of the religion for Allah, purifying it from shirk (associating partners with Allah), and purifying it from bid'ah (religious innovations), so that it is pure from shirk and also pure from bid'ah and newly invented matters, because Allah does not accept anything except what is pure for His face and correct according to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And patience with His decree. Patience with the decree of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and this is among the deeds of the hearts. And gratitude to Him. Gratitude is also among the deeds of the hearts, and gratitude is with the heart and also with the limbs. It is by action: "O family of David, give thanks." Gratitude is with the heart, acknowledging the blessings of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and praising Him for them, and acting by directing these blessings in obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes. And satisfaction with His decree. Satisfaction with the decree of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and even if a person dislikes it and finds it difficult, as long as he knows that it is from Allah, he is satisfied with it and does not become angry or distressed by the decree and qadar (divine decree) of Allah.
And reliance upon Him. Reliance is entrusting matters to Allah, Glorious and Exalted. Reliance is a great type of the deeds of the servants. , and upon Allah, so rely, if you are believers. And hope in His mercy. Yes, this is among the deeds of the hearts. Fear and hope are among the deeds of the hearts: hope in His mercy, and fear of His punishment. And similar things are worship of Allah. All these matters, outward and inward, the Shaykh mentioned only examples of them, whereas they are numerous. All of it is worship of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. However, in the condition he mentioned, it must be of what Allah loves and is pleased with. That is because worship of Allah is the beloved and pleasing goal for Him, and the purpose for which He created the creation, as He the Exalted said: