Does Allah want to be praised?

- Does Allah need to be praised?
 How can we refute the statement “I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time”?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Allah is not in need of anything, nor is He in need of praise. Allah’s desire to be praised can generally be thought to stem from two things: the aspect related to Allah and the aspect related to man. We will try to explain this in a few points:

a. Every owner of art and skill loves his own art and skill; likewise, Allah loves His own art and skill. Anyone who does not love and value his own wonderful art and unique skill is judged to be too ignorant to know himself and appreciate his beautiful art. Is it conceivable that the Almighty Creator, who is the owner of unique beauty and perfection, the owner of unparalleled art and skill, does not see these beauties and does not value them?

b. Anyone who loves and admires his own art and skill is pleased when those wonderful arts are appreciated by others. Anyone who does not have such a feeling is lacking something. Even if this is a necessity for human beings, it is certainly not a necessity for Allah. However, Allah, too, has His own holy satisfaction and His own holy flavor, befitting His existence, which is not in need of anything.

c. Since Allah’s attributes are infinite, His holy satisfaction is also infinite. The sharing of this infinite satisfaction - simply as a favor, as a measure of appreciation - with human beings, whom He created as the most perfect beings in the universe and whom He accepted as the addressees of the messages of revelation, will also take place in a wide range and in all periods of time.

If anyone cannot accept it, let him listen to the deep voice of his conscience; he will hear the “confirmation” signals.

d. The whole universe glorifies Allah with the tongue of disposition, declaring that He is an impeccable, perfect artist. The eyes, ears, stomach, intestines, digestive system, teeth, palate and brain of human beings also participate in this harmony of glorification. Perfect art shows the perfection of the artist.

What is it, if not a value given to man, to save man from loneliness, to invite man, who is created as the most honorable, the most venerable being in the whole universe, and should be the most loving, kind and gentle toward his Creator, to participate in this universal harmony of the glorification?

That is to say, Allah’s desire to be praised is not based on His own need, but on the need of human beings. The maxim “Man is the servant and slave of goodness/favors” points to this fact. Just as it is a beautiful truth to be full of respect for Allah to whom one owes everything, to thank Him for His infinite blessings, and not to cover up His goodness with ingratitude but to declare it by praising Him, so too is it a beautiful truth to guide man on how he should make these delicious thanks and praises and to teach him the form of praise so that he can feel this conscientious pleasure.

e. Moreover, Allah reveals His morality in His Quran and through His Prophet (pbuh). Those who do not like this morality of Allah have the arrogance to want Allah to be as they want Him to be, not as He is. However, praise, which consists of glorifying Allah and thanking Him, is a symbol of His unity and a declaration that He has no partner. He who praises Allah testifies that Allah alone is the owner of all blessings. Those who do not know how to thank Him, inevitably and out of ignorance, allocate Allah’s blessings to causes. This is contrary to the principles of belief and means that a person whose true nature is based on tawhid will fall into the pit of polytheism (shirk) and lose his value.

f. It is indeed exemplary that such people, who do not hesitate to kiss even the feet of the devil for the sake of a pittance of worldly benefits, refrain from kissing the hand of Allah’s mercy.

The fact that those who cannot stop praising a painting done by an artist - in imitation of Allah’s art - and yet they are too bored to praise the Creator of the universe is nothing but a delirium of ingratitude.

Besides, it should not be forgotten that it is the job of the devil to tempt people’s minds with such thoughts and to arouse doubt. If Allah “had not wanted to be praised, or even had forbidden it”, Satan would be suggesting, “You cannot believe in a God who does not want to be praised, who does not even know His own worth, who does not lay a stone for His own worth...”.

What can we do? Paradise wants humans and Hell wants humans. These thoughts show us that Paradise is not cheap and Hell is not unnecessary...

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