Sense of Purpose

Most of us would have frequently heard the following verse: " Dan Aku tidak ciptakan jin dan manusia kecuali untuk beribadat kepadaKu " (Ad-Dzariyat: 56) At times, we might wonder whether what we are doing in our life is in accordance with the above verse. Most would normally believe that ibadah is only restricted to a number of acts, such as pray (solat), fasting, zakat and hajj. This understanding is not uncommon, and it is widely accepted in our society. But the above verse might suggest a wider definition of ibadah. Examine the following verse, for instance: " Hai orang-orang yang beriman! Makanlah rezeki yang baik yang Kami berikan kepadamu. Dan bersyukurlah kepada Allah jika kepadaNya kamu beribadah ". (Al-Baqarah:172).

Back to basic, ibadah is defined as "...taat, tunduk, patuh dan merendah diri kepada Allah (maksud dari segi syara') (Asas-asas Islam, Sayyid Abul A'la al-Maududi). The key here is total submission to Allah. As such, any act that we do is ibadah when the intention (niat) is for Allah and done in ways according to the syariah. Ibadah is not limited to solat, fasting etc but covers a wide range of our daily activities, whether at work place or at home.

(Written on 6th April 2001)