Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

Renew the life of the heart with the Quran so that the soul may find tranquility in faith, and recite it at all times and seek its rain and clouds of forgiveness.

Peace be upon you and the mercy of God, dear brothers. In the previous episode, we mentioned that God Almighty has commanded us with ten commandments in Surah Al-An'am, and that these commandments are a great answer for those who ask about Islam from non-Muslims. Let us review these commandments briefly.

The First Commandment: Monotheism and the Right of God Almighty

God Almighty says: {Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited for you: that you do not associate anything with Him."}

So the first commandment is: Do not associate anything with Him. It begins with the right of God Almighty, who created us only to worship Him. Imagine again this non-Muslim person who wants to know about Islam and finds that the ten commandments begin with the right of God, then move to the right of parents, then children, then the right of society, orphans, and the weak, with no mention of Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

This listener, who may have thought that Muslims worship Muhammad just as Christians worship Christ - peace be upon them - and that Muhammad is the one who wrote the Quran to glorify himself; now this listener sees that these are commandments for the worshippers that improve their relationship with their Lord and then their relationship with each other. Muhammad is only a messenger conveying from his Lord, claiming no rank for himself other than this.

And as Christ, peace be upon him, said: {O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates others with Allah has certainly forbidden Paradise for himself, and his abode is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.}

The Second Commandment: And to Parents, Do Good

The second commandment: {And to parents, do good.} Notice, my brothers, God Almighty did not say, "And do not disobey your parents," but here is a commandment beyond leaving disobedience, which is to do good to the parents, to strive to please them and bring joy to their hearts. It is not enough to avoid disobeying them, but we must do good to them.

It is as if the Quran elevates the addressed human being to a level where disobedience is not even conceivable, so as not to need to be forbidden, but it is required of him to do good to his parents.

The Connection of the Right of God with the Right of Parents

We also notice that God Almighty mentioned the right of parents after mentioning His right directly, glorifying the right of parents, and this connection is frequent in the Quran. It is sufficient to say what God Almighty says: {And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the final destination.}

Compare gratitude to God with gratitude to parents, and it is no wonder; for whoever is accustomed to denying the good to his parents should not be expected to be grateful to God Almighty, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "He who does not give thanks to people does not give thanks to God," and the first of people to be grateful to, my brother, are your parents.

So this second commandment is: {And to parents, do good.} We will continue with the ten commandments in the upcoming episodes, God willing. Peace be upon you and the mercy of God.