The Linguistic and Religious Meaning of `Ibadah
Linguistically, `Ibadah means subdued. For instance, a road is described as Mu`abbadah, meaning, `paved’. In religious terminology, `Ibadah implies the utmost love, humility and fear.
The Merit of stating the Object of the Action before the Doer of the Act, and the Merit of these Negations
“You…”, means, we worship You alone and none else, and rely on You alone and none else. This is the perfect form of obedience and the entire religion is implied by these two ideas. Some of the Salaf said, Al-Fatihah is the secret of the Qur’an, while these words are the secret of Al-Fatihah,
(5 You we worship, and You we ask for help from.)
The first part is a declaration of innocence from Shirk (polytheism), while the second negates having any power or strength, displaying the recognition that all affairs are controlled by Allah alone. This meaning is reiterated in various instances in the Qur’an. For instance, Allah said,
(So worship Him (O Muhammad ) and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you (people) do.) (11:123),
(Say: “He is the Most Gracious (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust.”) (67:29),
((He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He).
So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and,
(You we worship, and You we ask for help from).
We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly;
(You we worship, and You we ask for help from).
So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and,
(You we worship, and You we ask for help from).
We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly;
(You we worship, and You we ask for help from).
Al-Fatihah indicates the Necessity of praising Allah. It is required in every Prayer.
The beginning of Surat Al-Fatihah contains Allah’s praise for Himself by His most beautiful Attributes and indicates to His servants that, they too, should praise Him in the same manner. Hence, the prayer is not valid unless one recites Al-Fatihah, if he is able. The Two Sahihs recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(There is no valid prayer for whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah of the Book.)
Also, it is recorded in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Allah said, `I divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, one half is for Me and one half for My servant. My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When the servant says,
(All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.’ When the servant says,
(The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.’ When the servant says,
(The Owner of the Day of Recompense), Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.’ If the servant says,
(You we worship, and You we ask for help), Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.’ If the servant says,
(Guide us to the straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (that) of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray), Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.’)
Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah
Ad-Dahhak narrated that Ibn `Abbas said,
(You we worship) means, “It is You whom we single out, Whom we fear and Whom we hope in, You alone, our Lord, and none else.
Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah
(And You we ask for help from), to obey you and in all of our affairs.” Further, Qatadah said that the Ayah,
(You we worship, and You we ask for help from) “Contains Allah’s command to us to perform sincere worship for Him and to seek His aid concerning all of our affairs.” Allah mentioned,
(You we worship) before,
(And You we ask for help from), because the objective here is the worship, while Allah’s help is the tool to implement this objective. Certainly, one first takes care of the most important aspects and then what is less important, and Allah knows best.
Allah called His Prophet an `Abd
Allah called His Messenger an `Abd (servant) when He mentioned sending down His Book, the Prophet’s involvement in inviting to Him, and when mentioning the Isra’ (overnight journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven), and these are the Prophet’s most honorable missions. Allah said,
(All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant (Muhammad ) the Book (the Qur’an)) (18:1),
(And when the servant of Allah (Muhammad ) stood up invoking Him (his Lord ู Allah in prayer)), (72:19) and,
(Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) (above all that they associate with Him) Who took His servant (Muhammad ) for a journey by night) (17:1).
Encouraging the Performance of the Acts of Worship during Times of Distress
Allah also recommended that His Prophet resort to acts of worship during times when he felt distressed because of the disbelievers who defied and denied him. Allah said,
(Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)) (15:97-99).
Why Praise was mentioned First
Since the praise of Allah, Who is being sought for help, was mentioned, it was appropriate that one follows the praise by asking for his need. We stated that Allah said,
(One half for Myself and one half for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.)
This is the best method for seeking help, by first praising the one whom help is sought from and then asking for His aid, and help for one’s self, and for his Muslim brethren by saying.
(Guide us to the straight path.)
This method is more appropriate and efficient in bringing about a positive answer to the pleas, and this is why Allah recommended this better method.
Asking for help may take the form of conveying the condition of the person who is seeking help. For instance, the Prophet Moses said,
(My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!) (28:24).
Also, one may first mention the attributes of whoever is being asked, such as what Dhun-Nun said,
(La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that they associate with You)! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers) (21:87).
Further, one may praise Him without mentioning what he needs.