There are so many verses and hadiths on loving, free and passionate worship that it would be difficult even to compile a list. This article mentions only a few examples. It hardly needs saying that assigning rewards to acts of worship is simply a way to encourage those who are new to faith and to remind them of worship’s value, importance and worth. Surely, true worship is that which is offered without seeking any reward.
Al-Insān, verse 9 إِنَّما نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لا نُريدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزاءً وَ لا شُكُوراً
“(And they say:) We feed you only for the sake of God; we seek from you neither reward nor thanks!”
Āl ʿImrān, verse 15 قُلْ أَ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ ذلِكُمْ لِلَّذينَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْري مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهارُ خالِدينَ فِيها وَ أَزْواجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَ رِضْوانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ اللَّهُ بَصيرٌ بِالْعِبادِ
Say, “Shall I tell you of something better than these (worldly riches)? For those who are mindful of God and use these riches in lawful, righteous and just ways, there are gardens with rivers flowing beneath their trees, where they will abide forever; and pure spouses, and God’s pleasure.” And God sees all that His servants do.
Al-Tawbah, verse 72 وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِناتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْري مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهارُ خالِدينَ فِيها وَ مَساكِنَ طَيِّبَةً في جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ وَ رِضْوانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ذلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظيمُ
God has promised believing men and women gardens beneath whose trees rivers flow, where they will abide forever, and pure dwellings in everlasting gardens. But God’s pleasure is greater than all of this. That is the supreme triumph!
وَ قَالَ ع إِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ رَغْبَةً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ التُّجَّارِ وَ إِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ رَهْبَةً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْعَبِيدِ وَ إِنَّ قَوْماً عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ شُكْراً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْأَحْرَار
Nahj al-Balāghah (ed. Ṣubḥī Ṣāliḥ), p. 510
قالَ الصّادِقُ عليه السلام: الْعِبَادَةُ ثَلَاثَةٌ: قَوْمٌ عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ خَوْفاً فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْعَبِيدِ، وَ قَوْمٌ عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ طَلَبَ الثَّوَابِ فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْأُجَرَاءِ، وَ قَوْمٌ عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ حُبّاً لَهُ فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَةُ الْأَحْرَارِ، وَ هِيَ أَفْضَلُ الْعِبَادَةِ. وَ رُوِيَ بَدَلَ حُبّاً شُكْراً.
Hidāyat al-Ummah ilā Aḥkām al-A’immah عليهم السلام, vol. 1, p. 40
Imam al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him, said: “Servants fall into three groups. Some worship God out of fear; this is the worship of slaves. Some worship God Most High in the hope of receiving a reward; this is the worship of hired workers. And some worship God Most High out of love and devotion. This is the worship of the free, and it is the best kind of worship.”
رسولُ اللّه ِ صلى الله عليه و آله: أَفْضَلُ النَّاسِ مَنْ عَشِقَ الْعِبَادَةَ فَعَانَقَهَا وَ أَحَبَّهَا بِقَلْبِهِ وَ بَاشَرَهَا بِجَسَدِهِ وَ تَفَرَّغَ لَهَا فَهُوَ لَا يُبَالِي عَلَى مَا أَصْبَحَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى عُسْرٍ أَمْ عَلَى يُسْرٍ.
Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 2, p. 83
The Messenger of God صلى الله عليه و آله said: “The best of people is one who falls in love with worship, clings to it, cherishes it wholeheartedly, embraces it with his whole being, and devotes himself to it. Such a person need not care whether life in this world is hard or easy for him.”
َ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَا عِبَادِيَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ تَنَعَّمُوا بِعِبَادَتِي فِي الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّكُمْ تَتَنَعَّمُونَ بِهَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ
*Al-Kāfī* (Islamic edition), vol. 2, p. 83
Imam al-Sadiq عليه السلام said: God, Blessed and Exalted, has said: “O My devoted servants! Enjoy the blessings of worshipping Me in this world, for through it you will enjoy blessings in the Hereafter.”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَا زَالَ الْعَبْدُ يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ فَكُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ وَ بَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ وَ يَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا وَ رِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا وَ لَئِنْ سَأَلَنِي أَعْطَيْتُهُ وَ إِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّه
God, Exalted is He, says: “My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary prayers until I love him. Then I become the ear with which he hears, the eye with which he sees, the tongue with which he speaks, and the heart with which he understands. Whenever he calls upon Me, I answer him; whenever he asks Me for something, I grant it to him.”
وَ عَنْهُ ص قَالَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى إِذَا عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الْغَالِبَ عَلَى عَبْدِي الِاشْتِغَالُ بِي نَقَلْتُ شَهْوَتَهُ فِي مَسْأَلَتِي وَ مُنَاجَاتِي فَإِذَا كَانَ عَبْدِي كَذَلِكَ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْهُوَ حُلْتُ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ أَنْ يَسْهُوَ أُولَئِكَ أَوْلِيَائِي حَقّاً أُولَئِكَ الْأَبْطَالُ حَقّاً أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُهْلِكَ أَهْلَ الْأَرْضِ عُقُوبَةً زَوَيْتُهَا عَنْهُمْ مِنْ أَجْلِ أُولَئِكَ الْأَبْطَالِ
*Al-Taḥṣīn fī Ṣifāt al-ʿĀrifīn*, p. 26
It is related from the Noble Prophet (PBUH) that he said: God, Blessed and Exalted, says: “When I know that My servant is for the most part occupied with Me, I incline him to ask of Me and commune with Me. When My servant has reached this state, if he intends to commit a wrong, I prevent him. They are truly My friends; they are the genuinely valiant. Whenever I intend to destroy the earth and punish its people, I avert destruction and punishment on account of these valiant ones.”
ٍ وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ مِنْ كُلِّ لَذَّةٍ بِغَيْرِ ذِكْرِكَ وَ مِنْ كُلِّ رَاحَةٍ بِغَيْرِ أُنْسِكَ وَ مِنْ كُلِّ سُرُورٍ بِغَيْرِ قُرْبِكَ وَ مِنْ كُلِّ شُغُلٍ بِغَيْرِ طَاعَتِكَ إِلَهِي أَنْتَ قُلْتَ وَ قَوْلُكَ الْحَقُّ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْراً كَثِيراً وَ سَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَ أَصِيلًا
*Biḥār al-Anwār* (Beirut edition), vol. 91, p. 151
O God, were it not for Your command, I would consider You too exalted for me to mention You, for my remembrance is measured by my capacity, not by Your station ... O God, inspire us to remember You in private and in public, by night and by day, outwardly and inwardly, in ease and in hardship; make us intimate with the remembrance of the heart ... O God, I ask Your forgiveness for seeking any pleasure other than the pleasure of remembering You.
اللَّهُمَّ ارْزُقْنِي حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ وَ طَعْمَ الْمَغْفِرَةِ وَ لَذَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ بَرْدَ الْعَيْشِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَمْلِكُ ذَلِكَ غَيْرُك
َ إِلَهِي وَ إِنَّ كُلَّ حَلَاوَةٍ مُنْقَطِعَةٌ وَ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ تَزْدَادُ حَلَاوَتُهَا اتِّصَالًا بِكَ إِلَهِي وَ إِنَّ قَلْبِي قَدْ بَسَطَ أَمَلَهُ فِيكَ فَأَذِقْهُ مِنْ حَلَاوَةِ بَسْطِكَ إِيَّاهُ الْبُلُوغَ لِمَا أَمَّلَ إِنَّكَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِير
ِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِلَهِي مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي ذَاقَ حَلَاوَةَ مَحَبَّتِكَ فَرَامَ مِنْكَ بَدَلًا وَ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي آنس [أَنِسَ] بِقُرْبِكَ فَابْتَغَى عَنْكَ حِوَلًا إِلَهِي فَاجْعَلْنَا مِمَّنِ اصْطَفَيْتَهُ لِقُرْبِكَ وَ وَلَايَتِكَ وَ أَخْلَصْتَهُ لِوُدِّكَ وَ مَحَبَّتِكَ وَ شَوَّقْتَهُ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ وَ رَضَّيْتَهُ بِقَضَائِكَ وَ مَنَحْتَهُ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ وَ حَبَوْتَهُ بِرِضَاك