Chapter :4 Section: The Order to Worship Allah Alone and to Be Dutiful to Parents

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Allah orders that He be worshipped Alone without partners, because He Alone is the Creator and Sustainer Who sends His favors and bounties on His creation in all situations and instances. Therefore He deserves to be singled out, without associating anything or anyone from His creation with Him in worship. Indeed, the Prophet said to Mu`adh,

«أَتَدْرِي مَا حَقُّ اللهِ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ؟»

(Do you know what Allah's right on His servants is) Mu`adh replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better.'' He said,

«أنْ يَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا يُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا»

(That they should worship Him and should not worship any others with Him.) The Prophet then said,

«أَتَدْرِي مَا حَقُّ الْعِبَادِ عَلَى اللهِ إِذَا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ؟ أَنْ لَا يُعَذِّبَهُم»

(Do you know what the right of the servants on Allah is if they do this He should not punish them.) Allah then commands the servants to be dutiful to their parents, for Allah made parents the reason for the servants to come to existence, after they did not exist. Allah joins the order to worship Him with being dutiful to parents in many places. For example, He said,

﴿أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَلِدَيْكَ﴾

(give thanks to Me and to your parents), and,

﴿وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـناً﴾

(And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents). After Allah ordained being dutiful to parents, He ordained kind treatment of relatives, males and females. A Hadith states,

«الصَّدَقَةُ عَلَى الْمِسْكِينِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَعَلى ذِي الرَّحِمِ صَدَقَةٌ وَصِلَة»

(Charity given to the poor is Sadaqah, while charity given to relatives is both Sadaqah and Silah (keeping the relations).) Allah then said,

﴿وَالْيَتَـمَى﴾

(orphans), because they lost their caretakers who would spend on them. So Allah commands that the orphans be treated with kindness and compassion. Allah then said,

﴿وَالْمَسَـكِينُ﴾

(Al-Masakin (the poor)) who have various needs and cannot find what sustains these needs. Therefore, Allah commands they should be helped in acquiring their needs in a sufficient manner that will end their inadequacy. We will further elaborate on the matter of the destitute and the poor in Surah Bara'h (9:60).


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