Conscious Worship

Abdullah ibn Umar narrates that the Prophet once observed: “Man apparently performs namaz, fasting, zakat, hajj, and umra.” The Prophet went on to mention all the good acts, then he said, “But on the Day of Judgement he will be rewarded in accordance with his reason or understanding (aql).” (Shu‘ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi, Hadith No. 4316)

In this hadith, the word aql is used in the sense of understanding. In this tradition aql means what we may call consciousness. And the hadith means that if a person engages in the remembrance of God and His worship, he will be rewarded for his acts not by measuring the quantity but by gauging the quality. The reward for all these acts will be given as is commensurate with their spirit. One who has worshipped with full consciousness will be fittingly rewarded.

For instance, a person performs some form of worship but that worship according to the Quran is done in a state of absent-mindedness. So, apparently, he is engaged in acts of worship but, so far as mental awareness is concerned, his focus is elsewhere. Such a person does the worship which is not desirable. The requisite form of worship is one in which a person is in a state which has been expressed thus in the Quran: “The true believers are those whose hearts tremble with awe at the mention of God” (8:2) and “their worship causes the skins of those in awe of their Lord to creep.” (39:23) Such a believer worships with full consciousness. All the great rewards will be given by God to those who have performed worship with full consciousness.