Understanding ‘Ibadah’

THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION “The term Ibadah (worship) is derived from abd (servant/slave). The meaning of abd can refer to either a servant or a slave, thus, the meaning of Ibadah is servitude and slavery.” (Khutbat by Abul A’la Maududi, Lahore, 2012, p. 104) In reality, the word Ibadah is not derived from abd; rather, it is the opposite—the word abd is derived from Ibadah. Abd (meaning servant or slave) merely, reflects the essence of worship rather than defining it. However, the interpretation under discussion placed greater emphasis on the outward manifestation, which is why it regards abd as the primary concept and based the explanation of worship upon it. In this way, not only was the original order completely reversed, but despite trying to make it comprehensive, the true spirit of worship and its inherent demands were both lost. This is because a demand always arises once the essential reality is established. If the essence itself is displaced, then where will the result come from? Putting a demand in place of the essence is like planting a tree upside down. Naturally, if the branches are buried in the ground and the roots are pointing upward, neither will survive—the branches will lose their life, and so will the roots. In the book, five meanings of Ibadah are given based on the famous Arabic dictionary Lisan al-Arab, of which the author considers three to be “primary and