What are the benefits of worship for the individual and for the community?
1. One of the important benefits of worship is that it makes the decrees related to creed and belief settle in hearts and spirits and remain there.
As it is known, knowledge increases, develops and becomes steady through practice and experience. It is difficult to maintain the knowledge that is not practiced and applied; they will not be very useful to man. The same thing is valid for the knowledge and decrees related to belief and creed. They become steady in man only through worship because worship, which means to fulfill the orders of Allah and to avoid His prohibitions, is like the practice and application of belief.
Abandoning worship causes the positive effect of belief on human behavior to weaken and fade away in the course of time. As the positive effect of belief on human behavior weakens, negative feelings, bad habits and harmful desires cover his realm of feeling and forces man to commit various sins and evil deeds. Therefore, belief and worship are closely interrelated. If we liken belief to a lamp, worship is like the glass of that lamp that protects it from being extinguished by the wind and that increases its light. Pointing to the role of worship to protect belief, the Prophet said, "Belief is naked; its garment is taqwa." As it is known, taqwa means to avoid the prohibitions of Allah and to keep away from harams and sins; we have mentioned above that it means worship.
2. Worship plays an important role in arranging the life of the individual because worship makes the thoughts turn toward God Almighty and places the magnificence and greatness of Allah into the minds of people. This makes a person think of the consent of Allah in everything he does and obey the divine orders and prohibitions.
Thus, the personal life of an individual is arranged by the instructions of the religion and it is disciplined both materially and spiritually.
3. Worship plays an important role in binding people together and ensuring peace and harmony in the community, too. Worshipping by turning to the same qiblah establishes an unbreakable loyalty and an unending relationship among Muslims. This loyalty and relationship bring about an unshakable fraternity, a serious love and sincere friendship.
Thus, the life in the community becomes peaceful and tranquil; material and spiritual development are attained.
4. As for the effect of worship on the moral and spiritual world of man:
A believer who fulfills his worship becomes peaceful and comfortable. He becomes strong spiritually. He lives in peace and happiness throughout his life with the psychology of a person who fulfills his duty.
He will not feel stressed, bored or disappointed. He will not feel depressed and hopeless when he faces obstacles, difficulties and impossibilities; he will not lose his endurance and confidence. The inner world of a person who worships is settled and stable. Psychological storms, controversies and conflicts do not take place in him.
5. Worship is the greatest means for personal perfection and maturity.
As it is known, man is a small and weak being in terms of his body. However, he owns a lofty spirit and a great talent. His inclinations and desires reach eternity; his feelings were not delimited when he was created.
What elevates and widens the spirit of man, who has such a nature, is worship.
What develops his abilities and talents is worship.
What elevates his inclinations and desires is worship.
What realizes his ambitions and what renews his hopes is worship.
What ensures correct thoughts and healthy reasoning by disciplining his ideas is worship.
What controls feelings and emotions, what saves man from extremism and excessiveness is worship.
To sum up, what makes man attain the perfection, and ethical and spiritual maturity is worship.
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