Abstract

The tendency of man towards worship results from his need to his true beloved and there should be a desire within it; on the other hand, religious texts have specified strongly on the obligatory character of devotional practices. The question is that on the basis of Ibn Sina’s idea on philosophy and the nature of worship what relation exists between a desire to worship with its obligatory character? On the basis of Ibn Sina’s philosophical foundations the nature and truth of worship is the perception and recognition of God; so that the philosophical reflections in – itself is considered as a kind of worship. On the relation of pleasure and worship Ibn Sina speaks of a kind of coneomitance between these two concepts. He considers pleasure, like perception, as having of fourfold sensual, imaginative, illusory and rational degrees, which the most complete of it is rational perception and rational preference has preference over the sensual pleasure, because the person seeking rational preference has preference over the person who seeks sensual pleasure. Rational perception is the stage of perception and knowledge of God most high and seeking pleasure in this stage is obtained through obedience and worship of God most high and reflection on divine attributes. On Ibn Sina’s view worship has different orders; so that the crust and form of worship is obligation and its gist and kernel is the very strong desire and rational pleasure and for those who are engaged in non-rational and sensual pleasures and ignore rational pleasure. The obligatory character of components of devotional practice brings about hardship; for they should turn their attention from sensual pleasure to rational pleasure. In the strategy that Ibn Sina offers,obligation is not removed and human being by practicing religious obligation goes from crust to kernel and likewise one should go beyond layers and repeat it so that one leave behind the superficial layers of worship and attain to the kernel of it.