Why should we worship God if He does not need it?

Precisely because God needs nothing from us. Worship gives Him nothing, but it gives us something, because it is we who need Him.

The question starts from a correct observation. God really needs nothing. Even if everything He created were to turn away from Him, it could not harm Him in the slightest. He would remain the Master of the universe. The hadith above says this very plainly.

But it does not follow that worship is pointless. It only follows that worship is not for God's benefit. Whoever prays gives God nothing, but seeks something from Him. We pray for our own sake, not for His.

This matches a principle we can see everywhere. Good always flows from the perfect to the imperfect, from the higher to the lower. When someone comes into contact with what is higher, it is always the one who stands lower who gains. A student listening to a great teacher does not make the teacher richer, but himself.

It is the same with prayer. When a person turns to God, they open themselves to what comes from Him, guidance, strength, comfort and purity of heart. The verses above say exactly this. Human beings are in need, God is the Self-Sufficient, and every effort benefits the one who makes it.

Worship is therefore not a service God demands in order to gain something for Himself. It is an invitation to us to draw from a spring that never runs dry.