The Pleasure of Ibadah or Worship R B&S in Islam,

All the delights of the world provide only one type of

R B&S in Islam, pleasure which soon fades away, except for the worship of
There are many things in which people get pleasure and find Allah (swt), which results in 3 types of pleasure:
delight, but such pleasures and delights are transient,  the pleasure you feel while performing the ibadah;
temporary and live for very short period,  the pleasure you feel when you remember performing it,
and some of them even end in remorse and regret.  & the pleasure you will have when you will get reward for
The true pleasure is the spiritual pleasure; it is the it.
pleasure that the heart finds in worship, which makes a When the heart finds the sweet taste of worshipping Allah,
Muslim experience the highest degree of happiness and joy. nothing else will be better, sweeter, or more pleasurable than
The Messenger of Allah (sm) said: this taste.
 ٌ‫ا َذ ْع َذى اٌ َذً ِن‬ ‫“ َذ َذ‬He has found the taste of faith Indeed, loving Allah and drawing nearer to Him by doing
 ّ‫ض َذً بِن هلل َذرب‬ ‫ َذيٍْع َذر ِن‬who is content with Allah as his Lord, what He loves overwhelm the heart with total delight and
 ً ٌُ‫سالَذ ِنو ِند‬‫ َذٔ ب ْع ِنا ْع‬with Islam as his religion, never-ending pleasure.
 ‫ ٔ بِن ًُ َذح ًّ ٍد رسٕال‬and with Muhammad as his Prophet.”  Experiencing the delight of worship & obedience to
In this hadith, the Prophet informs us that faith has a taste Allah and the pleasure of talking privately to Allah, one
that the heart can feel, just as the tongue tastes food and of the righteous predecessors once said,
drink. “I was in a state in which I said:
‫إ ك ٌ أْم نجُت فى يثم ْذ إَٓى نفً عٍش ٍب‬
The Messenger of Allah (sm) also said, ‘If the people of Paradise have this feeling, then they will be
‫“ َث َث ٌث َث ْن ُك َّن ِف ِفي َث َث َث َث َث َث َث ْن ِفا َثي ِف‬There are three qualities that living in great bliss.‟”
whoever possesses will taste the sweetness of faith …”
 Describing how imaan creates pleasure and blissful joy
R B&S in Islam, in the heart, another Imam ibnu Taimia said,
Imaan or Faith has sweetness and pleasure that ‫ليعز ة‬ ‫ل س ي ل ن نع م شبي نع م آلخز إال نع م ا ي‬
make the heart happy & make the soul calm & peaceful, “Nothing in this worldly life is parallel to the delights of the
& with this feeling of pleasure, Aakhirah except the bliss of imaan and true knowledge.”
believers can reap the true fruits of his deeds & find eternal
happiness. R B&S in Islam,
Such feeling of pleasure sets the heart right, Our beloved Prophet always found comfort and peace of
makes it successful, joyful, and sound, mind in performing salat. He would say:
‫علت قز ع ني ي لص‬
and causes it to find peace and tranquility.
“Prayer has been made the comfort of my eyes.”
Nothing else could give the believer this feeling,
even if he got all that can cause pleasure to people.
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 Standing in prayer at night provides pleasure and sweetness
that none can taste or describe except for those who spend
the night worshipping Allah.
One of the righteous predecessors said,
،‫ُكقبل‬ ‫“إني أل زح ب لل ل‬I rejoice at the night when it falls
،‫ لي لتذ بي ع شي‬Because the night is the delight of my life
،‫أ ب‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ تقز بي ع ني‬and the comfort of my eyes and it
makes me able to talk privately to the One I love.
،‫ أغتم للفجز إذ طلع‬I feel sad when the dawn breaks,
‫" لي أشتغل بي ب لنه ر ع ذلك‬because the daily tasks distract me from
all that joy.”
R B&S in Islam,
 One also finds pleasure, joy, beauty, and majesty in
reciting the Qur‟an. When the words of Allah are
recited and reach the ears,
the souls become humble,
the hearts become soft, and
the body becomes calm, out of fear, submission, love, and
joy.
For those who love Allah, there is nothing sweeter than the
words of their Beloved,
because Allah is the delight of their hearts.
How can a lover feel that, he has had enough of the words
of the One he seeks?
„Uthman ibn „Affan (ra) said,
‫“نٕ ٓزث قهٕبُ ي شب ج يٍ كالو هللا‬If your hearts were pure, they
would never feel they had enough of Allah’s words.”
R B&S in Islam,
There is also pleasure in giving charity.
This the pleasure that Abud-Dahdah (r) found when he spent
the best & most precious of his property in the cause of
Allah, then he came to his wife and said,
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‫ٌَذ أُ َّو ند ْعَّح َذد ِن‬.
‫ح ْعخ ُز ِنجً ِنيٍَذ ْعن َذح ئِن ِنط‬
“O Umma Dahdah! Get out of the farm,
‫ فَذ ِنَِّنً قَذ ْعد بِن ْع خُُّ بِنَُذ ْع هَذ ٍت فِنً ْعن َذجَُّ ِنت‬،
Because I sold it for the sake of Allah.”
Upon that his wife said,
‫“ربع نبٍع‬What a profitable deal!”
She went out of the farm all delighted and overjoyed,
because instead of the farm, Allah has given her a great
reward and made her feel the pleasure of spending in Allah‟s
cause and taste the sweetness of faith which makes the
servant delighted with joy while donating his most precious
property.
Similarly, scholars and seekers of religious knowledge, stay
up late at night reading and studying facing all the
difficulties, because of the pleasure they find in searching
for knowledge.
In fact, ‫ أبو عبيد القاسم بن سالم الهزوي‬spent forty years on writing a
single book called Gharibul Hadith.
It is through knowledge & the pleasure of learning, that
scholars rise in higher ranks of virtue and perfection of
character.
Most people are unaware of this sweetness and the great
value that is associated with learning; otherwise, they would
fiercely compete with one another to obtain such pleasure.
As this pleasure is surrounded by hardships and most people
are ignorant of it, they are unaware of its great value, and
Allah chooses to bestow His great favours upon whom He
wills from among His servants.
R B&S in Islam! pleasure in dhikr brings about rest and
inner peace, and for this reason majalisus dhikr (the
gatherings for remembering Allah) are called the Gardens of ‫ أنٍس قد حزيخك حالٔة يُ ج حً؟‬Have I not deprived you from the
Paradise. sweetness of munajaat ( privately talking to Me)?‟”
Indeed, there is nothing more delightful to the soul than the
remembrance of Allah, SWT. One of the righteous predecessors was asked,
Truly, there is no Ibadah that is simpler to perform and ‫أٌجد نذة نط عت يٍ ٌ صً؟‬
more pleasurable, joyful & delightful to the heart than “Can a person who disobeys Allah feel the pleasure of
dhikrullah (the remembrance of Allah). obedience to Him?”
‫ ٔال يٍ ْ َّى‬،‫ ال‬:‫ق ل‬
ٍ ‫“ إِنٌَّ ْعاَذ ْعب َذز َذر نَذفِنً ََذ ِن‬Verily,
Allah says in Surah al-Infitar: 13: ‫ٍى‬
the Abrar (the pious believers) will be in Delight.” He said, “No. Nor can the one who intends to do so.”
Such delight is not confined to the Day of Resurrection
Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah (R) said:
alone, but the pious are in delight in all the three places: ّ‫إ نى ِنحجد نه ًم حالٔةً فً قهبِنك ٔ َشز ح ف ّثِّ ي‬
 In this worldly life, “If you do not feel in your heart the sweetness and joy of a
 In the grave, and good deed that you have done, then doubt its sincerity,
 In the hereafter. ‫ف ٌ نزب شكٕر‬
R B&S in Islam! Because the Lord, is Appreciative of good deeds.”
Is there any delight in this worldly life that is more sublime Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
than that of righteousness, soundness of the heart, ‫ب‬
‫عًمِ فً ندٍَ يٍ حالٔ ٍة ِنٌجدِ فً قه ِِن‬
‫ِن‬ ‫أٌِ ال بُّد أٌ ٌُذيث ن و َذل عهى‬
knowledge of the Lord, and love for Him? “Allah will definitely reward the good-doer for his deeds in
this worldly life by granting him sweetness which he feels in
R B&S in Islam! his heart, in addition to great joy and comfort in Aakhirah.
It is a sign of suffering, deprivation, pain, and loss for a .‫ فحًد لو ِنٌجد نك ف ً ُمِ يدخٕل‬If the servant does not experience
servant to be denied the pleasure of obedience and worship. this, then his deed has not been done purely for the sake of
Ibn Al-Jawzi in his book Saidul Khatir said: Allah.”
“One of the monks of the Children of Israel said: Permanent pleasure, is the pleasure which is not mixed with
‫ ٔال ح قبًُ؟‬،‫ٌ رب! كى أعصٍك‬ sorrow, not followed by pain, and
‘O Lord! I have disobeyed You so many times, but You have not diminished by worry and sadness,
never punished me! that is the pleasure of the hereafter.
It was said to him, This is the best and greatest of all pleasures and delights.
‫ ٔأَج ال حدري؟‬،‫ كى أع قبك‬I have punished you so many times, but Allah says in Surah Yusuf: 57:
you do not know it.

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‫“ َوَ َ ْج ُ ْجا ِ َ ِ َ ْجْي ٌ ِ َّل ِ َي َآُ َوَ اُ َْيَّلْي ُ َن‬And verily, the reward of the 6. :‫ أحمد به حزب‬said:
Hereafter is better for those, who believe and used to fear :‫د ح ت ت ث ثة أ ا‬ ‫دت هلل مس ي س ة م و دت ح و‬
ُ
Allah and keep their duty to Him.” ،‫س ح درت أت م حق‬ ‫ ت تر‬
The greatest pleasure and ever-lasting bliss is that of looking
at the Countenance of Allah. ،‫وت ت صح ة ف س ي ح و دت صح ة ل ح ي‬ 
‫ى‬ ‫ وت ت ح و دا ح و دت ح و‬
Therefore, the Prophets (sm) used to say in his supplication,
،‫ك‬ َ ِ ‫ُك َ َّل َ َّل َ ِ َِ َو ْج‬
َ َ‫َسأ‬
‫َوأ ْج‬ We ask Allah May Allah make us among those who worship
And I ask You [O Allah!] to grant me the pleasure of Him with pleasure.
looking at Your Countenance,
ٍ ‫ك ِ َ ِ َ َّل ا آ ِ َّل‬ َ ِ‫َو َ ْج ً َِ ِ َ ا‬ 
َُ ‫ْج‬
and the longing to meet You, without any harmful adversity ‫ بارك اهلل لىا ولكم في القزآن العظيم ووفعىا وإياكم بما فيه مه‬
or deluding trial.” ....
‫ أقىل قىلي هذا واستغفز اهلل‬
What help you get pleasure of Ibadah?

1. Bear hardship of Ibadah:

Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah, v.45:
‫ل َ ِ َوِاْيَّل َ َ َ ِ َ ٌ َِّل َ َ ْج َ ِ ِ َي‬ ‫ َو ْجسَ ِ ُ ِ َّل‬And seek assistance
‫ل ْج ِ َو َّل‬
through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard
thing except for the humble ones.
‫ ث ت ني‬said: ‫ش ي س ة‬ ‫دت ل ش ي س ة وت مت‬
2. Offering more nawafil ibadah: Allah said in a Hadih
qudsi:‫ه‬ ‫ل ح أحب‬ ‫وآ ز ل دي تب َّل‬
3. Reciting Quran with understanding:
4. Fixing a special time for Allah:
‫أاس س ه و س حش آعه‬ ‫آ ت مح ي هلل أن‬ ‫آي‬
5. Giving up all kind of sins: ‫ " َس َ ُم جسد‬:‫ل ح ي آ ذ‬
،‫ط م د س مه‬ ‫وس َ ُم ب ا ب؛ م جد جسد‬ َ ،‫و ع‬
‫د آع ا ب‬ ‫ك ب جد ح و‬
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