What does worship mean and into how many categories is it divided?

Worship means “to obey, to submit, to serve, to show humility, to deify.” As a religious term, it refers to “conscious obedience that is rewarded when performed with the right action and intention, expressing reverence and closeness to Allah.” Worshipping Allah is the highest form of obedience and respect. The Qur’an states that humans were created to worship Allah (Zariyat, 51/56) and that all prophets called people to worship Allah (al-Baqara, 2/83).

In the Qur’an, the concept of worship is used in various senses such as monotheism (tawhid) (an-Nisa, 4/36), obedience (al-Baqara, 2/172), supplication (al-Mu’min, 40/60), submission (al-Fatiha, 1/5), faith and righteous deeds (an-Nisa, 4/172-173), glorifying and prostrating to Allah (al-A’raf, 7/206), and knowing and recognizing Allah (az-Zariyat, 51/56). Based on these meanings, worship in its broadest sense refers to observing the commands and prohibitions of Islam and maintaining the boundaries set by Allah.

For an act to be considered worship, a person must have faith, intention, and sincerity. Worship must be performed for the sake of Allah’s pleasure and in accordance with Islam.

In terms of practice, worship in its broad sense is divided into four categories:

1. Acts of the heart such as faith, sincerity, intention, contemplation, knowledge of Allah, patience, and piety.

2. Acts performed with the body such as prayer, fasting, remembrance and supplication with the tongue, kindness to parents, good treatment of people, and maintaining family ties.

3. Acts performed with wealth and property such as zakat, charity, helping relatives and the poor, and spending in the way of Allah.

4. Acts performed with both wealth and body such as pilgrimage and striving (jihad).

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu