❖ Does Allah Need Our Worship? Understanding a Common Misconception ❖
✍ By Dr. Zahid Mughal
This question often arises from individuals unfamiliar with the Islamic worldview.
Both Qur’an and Hadith repeatedly emphasize that Allah is free from all needs:
“And whoever strives, he only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free of need from the worlds.”
(Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt, Verse 6)
Hence, it is absolutely clear that Allah has no need for our worship.
Our worship neither increases His greatness, nor does our neglect diminish His majesty.
Allah created us for worship so that we may benefit from His wisdom and pursue our own physical and spiritual well-being.
Allah is the source of all goodness and loves virtue.
Every righteous deed is considered an act of worship, and those who perform good deeds will become deserving of His mercy and Paradise.
Thus, Allah commands us to worship Him not for His benefit, but because He wants what is best for us.
Allah possesses the most beautiful names and perfect attributes, and their manifestation is essential.
For example, an artist expresses his skill through his creations.
Similarly, since Allah is the object of worship (Maʿbūd),
a creation that worships Him was necessary —
not due to any need, but for the expression of His attributes.
Human knowledge is limited, and cannot fully comprehend Divine wisdom.
If we were capable of fully grasping Allah’s wisdom,
we would either become like God ourselves or reduce God to human level — both of which are impossible.
Allah created man with wisdom, and gave us only as much knowledge as necessary for our understanding.
Imagine a person is thrown into the sea, where sharks are present,
but he is also given a map and an oxygen tank to help him reach a beautiful island.
If he wastes time asking, “Why was I thrown here?”, he may fall prey to the sharks or run out of oxygen.
But if he uses the tools provided, he can safely reach the island.
Likewise, for Muslims, the Qur’an and teachings of the Prophet ﷺ are like a map and oxygen tank —
tools that lead us to a successful and secure life in this world and the Hereafter.
This question usually arises when people fail to understand the link between an attribute and its expression.
The “why” in this context is irrelevant.
Examples:
– Sight implies the act of seeing, and that act expresses the attribute.
– Hearing implies the act of listening, and that expresses the attribute.
– Allah’s attribute “Creator” (Khāliq) necessitates creation as its expression.
Here, asking “why” is meaningless.
– Allah is al-Ḥaqq (The Truth) and al-ʿAdl (The Just).
Therefore, the test of truth and falsehood, and the system of reward and punishment, are manifestations of these attributes.
All Divine attributes work together, and questioning their manifestation is based on a misunderstanding of their nature.
It is unnecessary to question the reason or wisdom behind the expression of Allah’s attributes.
Their expression is intrinsically tied to His Essence, not to any external purpose or need.
Allah has introduced Himself as:
“He does what He wills.”
Therefore, bringing existence from non-existence and creating beings is a manifestation of His attribute of Will (Iradah).
Allah is complete and self-sufficient.
None of His actions are dependent on any external goal.
To seek a “purpose” behind the expression of His attributes would be to deny His Ṣamadīyyah.
Many questions about Allah are inappropriate, such as:
“Why is Allah the way He is?”
Such questions contradict His self-sufficient nature (Ṣamadīyyah).
To judge Divine attributes through the lens of limited human logic is itself a fundamental error.
Allah created us to worship Him so we may follow His guidance for our own well-being
and become deserving of His mercy in the Hereafter.
The question of “why” behind the expression of His attributes is misplaced,
as it stems from not understanding the nature of Divine attributes and their manifestation.
✍ By Dr. Zahid Mughal
◈ Allah Does Not Need Our Worship
This question often arises from individuals unfamiliar with the Islamic worldview.
Both Qur’an and Hadith repeatedly emphasize that Allah is free from all needs:
“And whoever strives, he only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free of need from the worlds.”
(Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt, Verse 6)
Hence, it is absolutely clear that Allah has no need for our worship.
Our worship neither increases His greatness, nor does our neglect diminish His majesty.
Allah created us for worship so that we may benefit from His wisdom and pursue our own physical and spiritual well-being.
◈ Why Did Allah Create Us to Worship Him?
① Worship for Human Benefit
Allah is the source of all goodness and loves virtue.
Every righteous deed is considered an act of worship, and those who perform good deeds will become deserving of His mercy and Paradise.
Thus, Allah commands us to worship Him not for His benefit, but because He wants what is best for us.
② Manifestation of Divine Attributes
Allah possesses the most beautiful names and perfect attributes, and their manifestation is essential.
For example, an artist expresses his skill through his creations.
Similarly, since Allah is the object of worship (Maʿbūd),
a creation that worships Him was necessary —
not due to any need, but for the expression of His attributes.
◈ Allah’s Wisdom vs. Human Limitation
Human knowledge is limited, and cannot fully comprehend Divine wisdom.
If we were capable of fully grasping Allah’s wisdom,
we would either become like God ourselves or reduce God to human level — both of which are impossible.
Allah created man with wisdom, and gave us only as much knowledge as necessary for our understanding.
◈ Example: The Ocean and the Island
Imagine a person is thrown into the sea, where sharks are present,
but he is also given a map and an oxygen tank to help him reach a beautiful island.
If he wastes time asking, “Why was I thrown here?”, he may fall prey to the sharks or run out of oxygen.
But if he uses the tools provided, he can safely reach the island.
Likewise, for Muslims, the Qur’an and teachings of the Prophet ﷺ are like a map and oxygen tank —
tools that lead us to a successful and secure life in this world and the Hereafter.
◈ The Link Between Attributes and Their Expression
This question usually arises when people fail to understand the link between an attribute and its expression.
The “why” in this context is irrelevant.
Examples:
– Sight implies the act of seeing, and that act expresses the attribute.
– Hearing implies the act of listening, and that expresses the attribute.
– Allah’s attribute “Creator” (Khāliq) necessitates creation as its expression.
Here, asking “why” is meaningless.
◈ Expression of Other Divine Attributes
– Allah is al-Ḥaqq (The Truth) and al-ʿAdl (The Just).
Therefore, the test of truth and falsehood, and the system of reward and punishment, are manifestations of these attributes.
All Divine attributes work together, and questioning their manifestation is based on a misunderstanding of their nature.
◈ Is It Necessary to Ask “Why”?
It is unnecessary to question the reason or wisdom behind the expression of Allah’s attributes.
Their expression is intrinsically tied to His Essence, not to any external purpose or need.
Allah has introduced Himself as:
“He does what He wills.”
Therefore, bringing existence from non-existence and creating beings is a manifestation of His attribute of Will (Iradah).
◈ Allah’s Self-Sufficiency (Ṣamadīyyah)
Allah is complete and self-sufficient.
None of His actions are dependent on any external goal.
To seek a “purpose” behind the expression of His attributes would be to deny His Ṣamadīyyah.
◈ Invalid and Irrelevant Questions
Many questions about Allah are inappropriate, such as:
“Why is Allah the way He is?”
Such questions contradict His self-sufficient nature (Ṣamadīyyah).
To judge Divine attributes through the lens of limited human logic is itself a fundamental error.
◈ Conclusion
Allah created us to worship Him so we may follow His guidance for our own well-being
and become deserving of His mercy in the Hereafter.
The question of “why” behind the expression of His attributes is misplaced,
as it stems from not understanding the nature of Divine attributes and their manifestation.
