Understanding ‘Ibadah’

The final and perhaps most prominent verse in this context is: “So whoever hopes to meet their Lord, let them do righteous work and not associate anyone in the worship of their Lord.” (Quran, 18:110) In the book, the last phrase of this verse is translated as: “and not associate the worship of anyone else with the worship of their Lord,” from which it is concluded that “the Quran is presenting its complete message here” (p. 84), meaning that in every aspect, from worship to social and political life, one should follow divine commands. However, both this translation and its interpretation are incorrect. The correct translation of the verse is not, “and not associate the worship of anyone else with the worship of their Lord,” but rather, “and not associate anyone with their Lord in worship.” This conveys that the verse does not command you to divide the complete and detailed system of worship into separate parts. Instead, it emphasizes that in the worship of God which you perform, there should be no intention of pleasing anyone else; your worship must be directed solely to Allah. This interpretation is further supported by narrations and the explanations of scholars of Quran. I will quote just one example: Al-Mawardi and all commentators state that “not