Does man worship God to save himself and attain reward and recompense, or does he worship Him simply because He is God, without regard for any return? And if the motive for worship is reward from God, such as in His saying, "And fear Allah, and Allah teaches you," does this undermine sincerity and monotheism? If so, why do scholars use such motives to encourage obedience? And does punishing oneself by refraining from sin out of concern for money, such as giving charity after backbiting, constitute shirk (associating partners with God)?

Seeking knowledge and adhering to the Sharia in pursuit of God's promised happiness and salvation does not contradict sincerity. Allah the Almighty said: "Then whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer, but whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a difficult life." A Muslim worships Allah the Almighty to escape punishment and attain reward, and because Allah alone is worthy of worship. Worship combines love for Allah, hope for His mercy, and fear of His punishment, with love being the greatest. The Qur’an contains verses of encouragement and warning, such as His saying: "And invoke Him with fear and longing." The prophets were described as "hastening to good deeds and invoking Us with hope and fear," meaning hope in His mercy and fear of His punishment. The saying of some sheikhs, "I did not worship You out of longing for Your Paradise nor out of fear of Your Hellfire," is a deficiency in understanding the meaning of Paradise, for seeing Allah is from Paradise. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to ask Allah for Paradise and seek refuge in Him from Hellfire.