Many people ask this question related to five-time prayers and other forms of worship that why does God need them. Many atheists raise this question that isn’t persuading people for self- praise, worship, and prayers unethical?
The reality is that praising God, worshipping Him, and praying to Him is an ethical action worthy in itself. There are two realities which are evident about man. One is that man is a dependent being. He is neither capable of having any control over his own life nor he possesses the ability to control the life support systems – Sun, wind, water, food, in fact, any and everything that is a necessity for the survival, continuity, and protection of life. Man cannot be a provider of these things. It is the being of Almighty God who provides all these things to him.
The second truth about man is that he is an ethical entity. He comprehends favors, benefits, and kind-heartedness and responds to them in the form of acknowledgment, gratitude, service, and obedience. In this perspective, it is God who has bestowed all these favors in order to compensate for man’s dependency. Therefore, his ethical sense forces him to be grateful to God, to acknowledge His favors, to obey, and worship Him. This is an ethical act in itself.
When the prayers are performed while keeping in mind the moral and ethical perspective, then such a person becomes very careful about the rights of other people. The one who understood the rights of an unseen God, how can that person be careless about the rights of others. Therefore, if the acts of worship are performed in spirit then they enable a human being to be sensitive and aware about the rights of not just the creator but the creation as well. These are the deeds that create a superior human in this world and the paradise in the hereafter where such distinguished people will live in the companionship of their creator.