There are two issues which create the problem your question addresses. The first is that, in posing the question this way, one is discussing Allah as if He is a creature. Not only is Allah the Creator, entirely distinct from myriad creatures, but there is nothing at all similar to Him. If you think about this more deeply, and it sounds like you could, you will discover that to “know” Allah requires some seriously abstract thinking.
Think of Allah as having no similars, as distinguished from the Christian idea of humans being created “in His image,” which is usually thought of as meaning “similar to Him.” In fact, this mistranslation leads to the mistake; God by any name has no similitude and the distinction between Creator and created/ creation is a core truth. The original Gospel text would have been what means He created humans “in the image He wanted” or as He likes, as the Quran is in the same “line” of all previous divine revelations, making it clear as below.
The Quran puts it this way:
Holy Quran 24:45
------------------ وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ
رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ ۚ يَخْلُقُ اللَّهُ
مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And Allah created every animal on earth, from water; so among them is
a kind that moves upon its belly; and among them is a kind that moves
upon two legs; and among them a kind that moves upon four legs; Allah
creates whatever He wills; indeed Allah is Able to do all things.
The expression “whatever He wills” could also be understood “whatever He wants.” The Creator’s will and wants are one.
So the question takes the idea of God as a kind of “glorious” person-like being, which is how most people think of God. “Person-like” beings would have personalities, and with them, psychologies. But Allah (God) is, in Islam and true monotheism, decisively not personlike at all, and the ideas of psychology cannot and do not apply to Him. In fact, as I say “Him” I’m reminded that Allah has no gender either. Remember: in no way similar to anything in creation.
He must be all-powerful, eternal with no beginning or end (no manger story with shepherds and kings, no crucifixion-torture-demise, nothing even close), encompassing all things, Almighty, All-Merciful (the true meaning of Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem, as well as the sonically matching yang/ yin concepts), and creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. And we, the heavens, and the earth and everything in between, are His creatures. But those endowed with higher intellect, such as humans, are given free will, and as such, our worship is a matter of choice, albeit one with great consequence. To glorify Allah, in our case, must be coming freely from ourselves as a result of realizing the import of who Allah is. So it is not something Allah “needs” or “wants” in the creaturely sense of desire. Rather it is evidence we offer to Him of our true and actual devotion to Him. It is for our benefit, not His.
Holy Quran 29:6
------------------ وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ
And whoever strives in Allah's cause, strives only for his own
benefit; indeed Allah is Independent of the entire creation.
It should be noted that although Allah is “independent” of the entire creation — by definition — this does not mean “disconnected.” Indeed, the meaning of salat is from the root connection — the word for “get in touch with” or “contact” by phone or other means comes from the same root. But the “connection” here is in a class by itself, a form of worship which is daily, continuous, having time/space perimeters, and in which the Quran is read.
These perimeters are also for our benefit. But we seem to have trouble thinking of Allah in His own terms. We read the Quran oblivious to its message and ask “Why does He want to be glorified and praised?” Where in the Quran does He say he wants anything at all from us? Nowhere. Stating that He created humankind to worship Him does not imply a “need” — His stated purpose is for our benefit, not His. It is simply the nature of Supreme Power, Creator, to be worshipped. In fact, such worship is the supreme fulfillment of our heart’s desire. But you can only understand this when you use your mind/ intelligence/ intellect to try and grasp the full meaning of His message. You have to aim towards Him with your thoughts, itself a beginning act of faith.
The intellect is our guide to understanding what is His “straight path.” All earthly paths are uneven, which is the nature of physical existence, to be without straight lines. A straight line is an abstract concept. Think about that when you read about “al-siratt al-mustaqeem” in al-Fatiha. The “straight path” to Allah is an understanding and direction without mental turbulences or misdirections. The Quran is “kitab al-mubeen” or the “perspicuous book,” the book that is clear and evident and without hidden messages or occult directives. The needle on a compass points to a very specific and clear direction. An example of “straight” here.
Because the very nature of Supreme Power is singularity, the One with no similars or equals, no power-sharing whatsoever.
Which brings us to the second issue with your question, translation issues, first in this case, the word “glorify.” In English the word implies to “make greater.” “Praise” is a little different, more like expressed recognition of great worth in another — but it too is used to mean “buttering up,” heaping possibly false compliments on someone who may or may not deserve them. People praise those in power to gain possible influence, a touch of that power. But Allah does not want, need, or like flattery or even its spirit in discourse. What Allah wants and wills is that human beings, of their own free will, recognize there is a chasm of difference between Creator and creation, and that to be Allah’s servants/ worshippers (the word ‘abd as used in the Quran usually means “worshipper” not merely “servant”) means we seek to connect with Him and His will above all others. That means we would strive for the greater good and have courage to stand against the tide of corruption and cruelty around us.
The difference between “worshipper” and “servant” needs clarification as well: we are by nature ’abaad or worshippers, in need of a direction and something to be devoted to. And so if we do not worship Allah, we will worship something else. But Allah as Creator is unlike anything else, and really nothing/ no one could be more worthy of worship. But it has to come from us by our own conscious and informed choice. He wants us to know whom we are worshipping, because it is in our best interest.
So in this case worship must come out of our own free will, not imposed. This is a critical difference. If it is not from the heart, He doesn’t want it. If it is grudging and if the whole abstract idea of Creator and God is something we don’t want to hear about, then this is not Islam. Rather than being a demand that we glorify God, said praise and glorifying is something we desire and will to do by ourselves after realizing by our minds the truth of what He said in His revelations. It is the natural outpouring of response from someone who finally realized the Truth about Allah. It is an emotionally powerful thing. It is enlightening and uplifting. It the fulfillment of our very creation, made greater and more daunting at the same time by free will. Here the idea of narcissism is absurd and demeaning. But one must first understand who Allah is and who we are in relationship to Him to even see that.
