We request clarification of your statement that worship is not merely formal rituals, but rather something in the heart.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This questioner says, “O honorable Shaykh, you said that worship is not formal rituals, but rather something in the heart. We request clarification.”
The Shaykh : Yes, many people worship Allah, but their worship is hollow, like actions they perform without their heart feeling them. I give an example of this: we all pray, praise be to Allah, but some of us, when we say the takbir for entering ihram, feel that we are standing before Allah, speaking to Him in intimacy إذا قال : الحمد لله رب العالمين قال الله إيش ؟ حمدني عبدي وإذا قال : الرحمن الرحيم قال: أثنى علي عبدي وإذا قال : مالك يوم الدين قال : مجدني عبدي وإذا قال : إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين قال : هذا بيني وبين عبدي نصفين ولعبدي ما سأل وإذا قال : اهدنا الصراط المستقيم إلى آخره قال الله : هذا لعبدي ولعبدي ما سأل When he says, “All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,” Allah says, “What? My servant praised Me.” And when he says, “The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,” He says, “My servant praised Me.” And when he says, “Master of the Day of Judgment,” He says, “My servant glorified Me.” And when he says, “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,” He says, “This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he asked.” And when he says, “Guide us to the straight path” and so on, Allah says, “This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asked.”. And some of us recite, saying the takbir and reciting al-Fatihah, but their tongue speaks while their heart is not present. The prayer of this second person is valid according to the Shari'ah, but it is very deficient compared to the prayer of the first person. For this reason, it came in the hadith: and so on. So the Shari'ah consists of physical movements and heart movements, and the crux is what? The heart movements. The physical movements undoubtedly have pillars and conditions intended in them, but the most important thing is the soundness of the heart. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, many people worship Allah, but their worship is hollow, like actions they perform without their heart feeling them. I give an example of this: we all pray, praise be to Allah, but some of us, when we say the takbir for entering ihram, feel that we are standing before Allah, speaking to Him in intimacy إذا قال : الحمد لله رب العالمين قال الله إيش ؟ حمدني عبدي وإذا قال : الرحمن الرحيم قال: أثنى علي عبدي وإذا قال : مالك يوم الدين قال : مجدني عبدي وإذا قال : إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين قال : هذا بيني وبين عبدي نصفين ولعبدي ما سأل وإذا قال : اهدنا الصراط المستقيم إلى آخره قال الله : هذا لعبدي ولعبدي ما سأل When he says, “All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,” Allah says, “What? My servant praised Me.” And when he says, “The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,” He says, “My servant praised Me.” And when he says, “Master of the Day of Judgment,” He says, “My servant glorified Me.” And when he says, “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,” He says, “This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he asked.” And when he says, “Guide us to the straight path” and so on, Allah says, “This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asked.”. And some of us recite, saying the takbir and reciting al-Fatihah, but their tongue speaks while their heart is not present. The prayer of this second person is valid according to the Shari'ah, but it is very deficient compared to the prayer of the first person. For this reason, it came in the hadith:
A man may leave his prayer, and only half of it, or a tenth, or a quarter of it is recorded for him.
إن الرجل لينصرف من صلاته وما كُتب له إلا نصفها عشرها ربعهاThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.