What is the essence of worship, and what are its pillars?

Worship encompasses complete submission to Allāh, humbling oneself before Him, recognizing one’s helplessness, and acknowledging His might and power over all. Imām al-Qurṭubī said:¹

A true Muslim submits himself entirely to Allāh—the Creator, the Provider, the Bestower of all blessings and guidance, the Lord of the Worlds, and the Master of the Day of Judgment. Allāh says: {Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly} (Qurʾān 7:55). Allah also says: {Remember your Lord inwardly with humility and reverence} (Qurʾān 7:205). Worship is founded upon three pillars: love, fear, and hope. Some scholars have added veneration of Allāh as a fourth pillar. There is no contradiction between the two views, as hope stems from love, for one hopes only in the one whom one loves, and fear stems from veneration, for one fears only one who is truly great. Allāh praised the Prophets and Messengers who worshipped Him with fear and hope.² He also praised His believing servants who maintain hope and fear.³ These verses illustrate that the key to Paradise and salvation from Hellfire is to combine both fear and hope. Thus, a true believer must combine love, veneration, fear, and hope in worship. If you ask a Muslim why they refrain from drinking wine, even though they are able to, and why they observe the five obligatory prayers, their immediate answer would be that they love and fear Allāh and hope for His reward. The point is that a believer should love and fear Allāh at the same time. That is, it is not enough to worship Allāh through love alone or through fear alone. Worshipping Allāh through love alone is insufficient and misguided because it lacks veneration and fear of Him. A believer who relies on love alone in worshipping Allāh pays no heed to His commands and does not refrain from what He has forbidden on the pretext that Allāh would not torment those whom He loves. This is what the Jews and Christians said: {The Jews and the Christians each say, “We are the children of Allāh and His most beloved!”} (Qurʾān 5:18). Worshipping Allāh out of love without any fear of Him has harmful consequences, namely feeling secure from the punishment of Allāh and indulging in sins while seeking His mercy without repentance, which leads to delusion, arrogance, and false hope. Likewise, relying on fear alone in worshipping Allāh without love or hope is neither sufficient nor correct. Worship is the fruit of a Muslim’s love for Allāh. To love Allāh is to love munājāt (intimate, private conversations with Allāh), drawing close to Him, and practicing spiritual seclusion (withdrawing oneself, even if only for an hour, to devote oneself to the worship of Allāh through remembering Him, reciting the Qurʾān with reflection, or offering prayers with humility). A true believer gives absolute priority to seeking Allāh’s pleasure and considers nothing too precious to sacrifice for His sake. Allāh says: {Still there are some who take others as Allāh’s equal—they love them as they should love Allāh—but the ˹true˺ believers love Allāh even more} (Qurʾān 2:165). Those who do not worship Allāh with love do not find pleasure in worshipping Him. Rather, they come to view Him as an oppressor or a tyrannical ruler. As a result, they fall into despair and lose hope in Allāh’s mercy, which ultimately leads to thinking ill of Him and to disbelief. Thinking well of Allāh—that is, believing that He will answer supplications, accept repentance, forgive sins, and grant reward—motivates the believer to do more righteous deeds. However, persisting in sin while thinking well of Allāh is nothing but ignorance, arrogance, and foolishness. Hence, hope must be accompanied by fear of Allāh; otherwise, it becomes a false sense of security from His punishment and vengeance. Likewise, fear must be accompanied by hope; otherwise, it may lead to despair. In short, true servitude to Allāh—the purpose of our creation—consists of worshipping Him through love, fear, and hope.