The Concept of Worship in the Holy Quran: A Terminological Study

Abstract

This research aims to clarify the concept of ‘worship’ in the Holy Quran. It has been divided into: an introduction, three sections, and a conclusion. In the three sections, the researchers compiled the recurrence of the term ‘worship’ in the Holy Quran with all its derivatives, and traced its connotations through the different contexts in which it was mentioned, as well as, its collocations associated with it. The researchers used the viewpoints of different scholars. They concluded that the concept of ‘worship’ is comprehensive and complete in itself in the sense that it should not be divided. It includes all human beliefs and their verbal and actual behaviors, positive they were or negative. The meanings that scholars have given to this concept are nothing but semantic features of it; and the first of these features is to recognize the Deity, the One Who is worthy of worship, to believe in His oneness, to follow all His teachings, and to avoid all that He prohibited.