…regarding worship. The Exalted says: “I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they worship Me; I seek from them no provision” (Surah al-Dhariyat 51:56-57). Allah did not create you so that you might earn for Him, practise trades, and amass wealth on His behalf, as human beings hire workers to make profits for them. No—Allah is free of all need, the Self-Sufficient Lord of the worlds. That is why He also says: “I seek from them no provision, nor do I ask them to feed Me” (51:57). Allah—majestic and sublime—feeds but is not fed; He has no need of food and is absolutely independent in His very essence. Nor does He need your worship: were you to disbelieve, His kingdom would not diminish in the least. It is you who need Him; you who need worship. Out of His mercy He commanded you to worship Him for your own benefit, for when you do so He honours you with reward. Worship, therefore, is the cause for Allah’s favour in this world and the next; the one who truly benefits from worship is the worshipper himself, whereas Allah is independent of His creation. The author continues: “Know, then, that worship is not called worship unless it is accompanied by tawhid (pure monotheism), just as prayer is not called prayer unless it is accompanied by ritual purity.” Realise that Allah created you for worship, and that worship is only sound and acceptable to Him when two conditions are present; if either one is missing, the act is null: 1. Sincerity: it must be performed solely for Allah’s sake, free of shirk (association of partners). Should shirk mix with an act of worship, it is invalid, just as ablution is broken by impurity. Thus, if you worship Allah and then associate others with Him, your worship is void. 2. Conformity: it must follow the Messenger ﷺ. Any act of worship not sanctioned by him is invalid and rejected, for it is an innovation and a delusion. Hence the Prophet ﷺ said…