3. So they should worship the Lord(3) of this House (the Ka'bah).
3. It means, O Quraish of Makkah! People render service to you because you are the servant of the Holy Ka'bah. Then it becomes your obligation to worship the Lord of the Ka'bah (Tafseer Azizi). From this we learn that the one whom Allah Almighty grants religious honour, he should serve the religion, as is the example of the Ulama, the religious guides, the Sayyeds, etc. Since they are enjoying the benefits of the name of the Holy Prophet they should be loyal to him, as well. It should be remembered that this Surah is Makkan and was probably revealed before Me'raaj, when Salaah, Fasting, etc. had not been made obligatory. Here, worship signifies reciting the names of Allah Almighty and His Beloved Rasul, i.e. reciting the Kalimah. To see the blessed face of the Holy Prophet, with love, is the first act of worship of Islam and is superior to all other acts of worship.
From this, emerge a few issues:
1. The infidels, too, are obligated to religious worship. They should accept Islam and perform these worships.
2. In the state of infidelity no pious act is a true act of worship, because the infidels of Makkah would perform Tawaaf, Hajj, and Umrah and render service to the pilgrims, but these have been declared as null and void.
3. The Sacred Ka'bah is the manifestation of Divine splendour.
4. Although Allah Almighty is the Lord of everyone, lofty and low, His Divinity should be linked with His lofty creation. You should therefore say: "O Lord of Mustapha, O Lord of the Sacred Ka'bah."
5. Although the Ka'bah is built like other homes, having been built of stones, wood, walls, roof, etc., it is not like them. Although the Holy Qur'aan is printed with ink on paper like other books, it is not like them. Likewise, although the Prophets eat and drink, they are totally different from us.
