The criterion of the «worship» (‘ibada) concept from the point of view of Islamic dogma

Abstract

This article is a study of the term ‘ibada (worship) through the prism of Sunni dogma, or rather a study of a criterion or measure, with the help of which it can be determined that some act or mental aspiration of a person is considered to be or not to be a worship from the point of view of Theology. This is important in order to correctly assess a person's actions in the context of monotheism and polytheism. A review of the sources and literature on this topic indicates that Sunni theologians from the time of al-Salaf al-Salih to the present day knew about this criterion, which is the conviction of the divinity of someone with respect to whom humility is manifested. Unfortunately, the medieval theologian Ibn-Taymiyya, whose legacy became the foundation for the followers of Salafism (Wahhabism), ignored this criterion in his definition of worship. This in turn led to fact that some masses of Muslims were accused of disbelief (kufr) and polytheism (shirk). Their particular actions were judged as worship of someone else except Allah. Currently, similar accusations against Muslims by the supporters of the Wahhabi doctrine still happen to occur. However, even among them there are those who are critical of the heritage of their authorities and admit the fallacy of the absence of this criterion in their works.