Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 196
191 12 Justice (‘Adl) , Benevolence ( I h s a n ) & Kinship ( I t a ’i Dhil- Qurb a ) in Worship. Prayer is the cornerstone of all other forms of worship and it is also modelled according to the three principles of absolute justice, benevolence and kinship. Justice is found in the following Quranic teaching: And when My servants ask you about Me, say : 'I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way. ' (S u rah al-Baqarah; Ch. 2: V. 187) Along with the glad tidings (that Allah is near the sincere worshipper) the Quran mentions the relationship of justice that is established between God and man. Prayer is not a one way street. The worshipper cannot treat God like a slave who stands ever ready to obey his master! Rather, the worshipper should also himself submit to God and obey His