Worshiping Allaah upon Ma`rifah

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Question: Which is the first Command in the Qur'aan, according to the order of recitation (and not according to the order of Revelation)?

Answer: The very first Command in the Qur’aan (according to the order of recitation) is to worship Allaah upon Ma`rifah (sure knowledge, understanding and certainty); and this is what is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah (2): 21.

This is the priority in the Qur’aan: To know Allaah and to worship Him alone.

As much as it is important to worship Allaah, it is also important to know who we are worshiping.

Our whole Da`wah revolves around:

a) Who to worship? (i.e. Tawheed)

b) How to worship? (i.e. Sunnah)

Allaah تعالى says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ * الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖفَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّـهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

{O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous * Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allaah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped)} [Surah al-Baqarah (2): 21-22]

A) We are commanded to worship Allaah تعالى because:

1) He has created us and those before us.

2) He spread out the earth for our comfort.

3) He made the sky as a ceiling (making the atmosphere livable for us and as a protection from cosmic radiations).

4) He sends down the rain from the sky for our benefit.

5) He provides us with vegetation for our sustenance.

B) So when we have ACKNOWLEDGED all this; all our obedience, worship and loyalty be to Allaah alone, and that we should not set up rivals unto Allaah in worship.

The more we learn about Allaah, by learning Tawheed, the more eager we will be to worship Him sincerely.