19. The verse seeks to suggest that God has nothing to do with their foolish
rituals. So far as the religion truly prescribed by Him is concerned, its fundamental
principles are the following:
( 1 ) That man should base his life on justice and righteousness.
(2) That man's worship should have the right orientation, i.e. that it should
he directed to God alone and should be free of every trace of devotion to others
than God, that man should reserve his absolute enthralment and bondage for the
One True God alone. All these should have only one direction - the One that
is truly worthy of worship.
(3) Man should invoke God alone to keep him rightly directed, to grant him help
and succour, to favour him with protection and security. This should be done
provided one's life is oriented to serving God. Invoking help from God would
be ludicrous if man's life is based on unbelief, polytheism, disobedience to
God, or serving a variety of gods other than the One True God. Such a prayer
would amount to asking God's help in strengthening one in one's rebellion against
Him.
(4) That man should have full conviction that in the same way as God caused
him to he born in the world, He will also restore him to life after death and
will make him stand before Himself so as to render an account of his life.