as life goes on

"People who think ibadah is just for deeds are like people who think life is just for breathing. they're missing something.."

I quoted this one from a friend, Yusri Jamaluddin, who posted it on facebook. It was like one month ago that he posted it but recently I felt the burning desire to write something regarding this post. I cannot agree more with this statement.  Especially the last sentence. They are missing something. Before I continue on my post, this is the comment from my other friend. 

"Life is not just for breathing. its for filling those breaths with good things(actions,words,etc). ibadah is not just for deeds. its for shaping u up and making u a better muslim. know the ibadah, understand it, and feels it. correct me if i am wrong." 

This words are given by my roommate, Firdaus Razali. In my view, he get it right. Ibadat is not only about worshipping the god. If we understand the hidden meaning behind each ibadat that we do, we can apply it in our life.

"Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do." Al-Ankabut (29:45)

It is stated in the Quran that our prayer can help us in avoiding immorality and wrongdoings. Thus, five prayers per day are not meant to be a form of ibadat only. By performing our prayer, we can behave better and avoid doing things that are not supposed to be done in our daily life. 

" Wahai pada pemuda, barangsiapa yang mempunyai kemampuan dari kalangan kamu, maka berkahwinlah, kerana kahwin itu boleh menjaga pandangan dan boleh menjaga kehormatan. Jika kamu tidak mampu maka berpuasalah, kerana pada puasa itu ada penjagaan "

Fasting, like prayers, are divided into two, compulsory and optional. Both have their own meaning. In the hadith, both men and women are asked to marry if they are able to do so. If they are not, they are asked to fast because fasting can weaken the desire for sex. There are some meanings and reasons for the deeds that Allah asked us to do.
Getting to my point, I really feel that it is important for us to understand the meaning for each ibadat that we do. This will help us in getting more sincere in performing them. By that, I am not saying that we need not to be sincere if we do not understand the meaning behind every ibadat. By all means, we should. 
Wearing hijab is a form of ibadat. For those who cover their aurat for fear of disobeying Allah, they will be rewarded for their deed. However, covering aurat for the sake of doing it is not something that we should do. Again, I'm not saying that if that is the case, we should not do it. By all means, we should. However, it is important for us to understand the meaning behind wearing hijab, or for that matter, covering aurat. It is a form of protection.A protection to protect us from our nafsu and others as well. Thus if one wears hijab but at the same time, she is wearing a tight jean, or maybe the hijab is not covering her chest, her hijab is not protecting her from others. And it does not protect her from herself too. And, god forbid, her action might become a slander for Islam. Thus, understand that, our ibadat is not just for the sake for deeds but there are some meanings behind them.
And do not get me wrong. I am not saying that women are the only wrong party here. Men have a big responsibility. 

Dari Ammar bin Yasir berkata, ia mendengar dari Rasulullah SAW berkata : " Tiga yang tidak memasuki syurga sampai bila-bila iaiatu Si DAYUS, si wanita yang menyerupai lelaki dan orang yang ketagih arak" lalu sahabat berkata : Wahai Rasulullah, kami telah faham erti orang yang ketagih arak, tetapi apakah itu DAYUS? , berkata nabi : "IAITU ORANG YANG TIDAK MEMPERDULIKAN SIAPA YANG MASUK BERTEMU DENGAN AHLINYA (ISTERI DAN ANAK-ANAKNYA) - ( Riwayat At-Tabrani ; Majma az-Zawaid, 4/327 dan rawinya adalah thiqat)

and in another hadith,

 Apakah dayus itu wahai Rasulullah? Jawab Nabi : Iaitu seseorang ( lelaki) yang membiarkan kejahatan ( zina, buka aurat, bergaul bebas ) dilakukan oleh ahlinya ( isteri dan keluarganya)  

Last but not least, 

And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me                                        (Az-Zariyat 51:56)