The word ibādah ((Arabic: عبادة, also ibada ) is Arabic for service or servitude. In Islam, ibadah is usually translated as "worship", and Ibadat -- the plural form of ibādah -- refers to Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) of Muslim religious rituals.
In Arabic ibadah is connected with related words such as "Ubudiyyah" ("slavery"), and has connotations of obedience, submission, and humility. The word linguistically means "obedience with submission".
In Islam, ibadah is usually translated as "worship" and means to obedience, submission, and devotion to Allah. refers to the "religious duties of worship incumbent on all Muslims when they come of age and are of sound body and mind". These include what are known as the "pillars of Islam":
According to Oxford Islamic Studies, "because they are of central importance to the Muslim community, the ibadat form the first subject matter of Islamic jurisprudence and most collections of prophetic traditions (hadith)."
Other sources (noted Islamist author Abul A'la Maududi and others) give a broader definition of ibadah, including keeping speech free "from filth, falsehood, malice, abuse", and dishonesty, obeying Islamic Shariah law in "commercial and economic affairs" and in "dealings with your parents, relatives, friends", and everyone else.
Ibadat (عبادات ) is the plural form of ibādah. In addition to meaning more than one ibādah, it refers to Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) on Muslim worship/religious rituals (particularly the pillars of worship mentioned above), or "the rules governing worship in Islam." It is distinguished from other subjects of jurisprudence in Islam which are usually known as muʿāmalāt. This subject is especially important in Islam (according to author Faleel Jamaldeen) because without these relgious laws, "Muslims would likely create their own rituals and prayers, and the religion of Islam would falter and eventually disappear."