Worshipping your Creator makes you Pious

The Holy Quran directs mankind in Surah 2 and Verse 21 to worship the Lord who created man and all those who were before you so that you may become pious. When you hear the Azaan and the call to prayer, it is an act that you dutifully obey by worshipping Allah. You are fulfilling your duties not only by praying five times in a day but fasting during the holy month of Ramazan and sharing a fraction of your wealth with the poor and the needy. By doing these acts, you are worshipping your Creator as you are fulfilling your oath to Him. All these acts are regarded as the foundations for practice of faith. They are known as the `Arkanul Islam’. Devotion to Allah extends beyond these basic deeds in faith. Worship of Allah will consist of everything that a person does or says towards the pleasure of Allah. It could be to abide by the necessary rituals or to live by the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Following the Holy Prophet perfects your Akhlaq (your behavior). Allah has created us to worship Him and has laid the religion of Islam for us by making it a complete way of life with recommendations and tenets that may help us govern our physical, emotional, social and spiritual lives. The way of life is clearly outlined in the Holy Quran. By practicing good deeds in addition to worship, you can achieve a constant state of devotion to Allah and this is an ideal which is not impossible to achieve. When people are faced with heavy demands at work, school or in family affairs, you may wonder as to how we can engage in the ongoing act of devotion. The answer to this doubt lies in a phrase that helps people by making everything possible - where there is a will, there is a way. If you have the pure intention, it will elevate your deeds from an act of pure habit to divine worship. The Holy prophet Muhammad has laid a stress on the importance of intentions. He has asked people to judge their actions by their intentions and has promised his Ummah that every person will be rewarded according to his or her intentions, as mentioned in one of the hadith in Al Bukhari. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet have set out clearly defined manners and morals that can help people in achieving a constant state of worship. All these acts have the potential to draw us nearer to our Creator: • Cleanliness and grooming. • Modesty in behavior and dressing. • Pursuit of knowledge. • Respecting elders and exchanging of gifts. • Kindness shown to animals. • Expression of gratitude.