Tushen wannan kalma ya ƙunshi harrufa uku, alif, laam da haa, kuma ma'anonin nau'o'in samuwarta, kamar yadda ake samunsu a ƙamusai, sune kamar haka:

The root of this word consists of the three letters, alif, laam, and haa and the connotations of various derivations, as one finds in lexicons are as follows:

• Ya rikice ko ya shiga ruɗani.

• Became confused or perplexed.

• Ya samu natsuwa da kwanciyar hankali ta hanyar neman mafaka wurin wani ko kuma kulla alaka da shi.

• Achieved peace and mental calm by seeking refuge with someone or establishing relations with him.

• Ya firgita saboda wata masifa ko bala da ke tafe, sai wani ya ba shi mafaka da ake bukata.

• Became frightened of some impending mishap or disaster, and someone gave him the necessary shelter.

• Ya juya zuwa wani da sha'awa, saboda tsananin soyayyar da yake masa.

• Turned to another eagerly, due to the intensity of his feelings for him.

Ɗan raƙumin da ya ɓace ya garzaya ya manne da uwarsa bayan ya same ta.

• The lost offspring of the she-camel rushed to snuggle up to its mother on finding it.

• Ya zama ɓoye, ko a ɓoye.

• Became hidden, or concealed.

An ɗaukaka.

• Got elevated.

Abin bautawa.

• Adored.

• Ibadar da aka miƙa wa.

• Offered worship to.

Idan muka yi tunani a kan waɗannan ma'anoni na asali, za mu iya samun cikakkiyar fahimta game da yadda kalmar aiki ta zo da ma'anar aikin ibada, sunan kuma ya zama abin da ake bautawa. Akwai abubuwa huɗu da ya kamata mu kiyaye a wannan batu:

If we reflect upon these original meanings, we can gain the necessary idea of how the verb came to mean the act of worship and the noun to denote the object of worship. There are four considerations to bear in mind in this connection:

Mafi muhimmanci daga cikin abubuwan da ke haifar da wani matakin girmamawa ko ibada ga wani mutum shi ne yanayin mutum kansa na wahala ko buƙata. Mutum ba zai ma yi tunanin bautar wani ba sai idan yana da dalilin yin imani cewa wannan mutumin yana da ikon kawar da wahalarsa, biyan buƙatunsa, ba shi mafaka da kare shi a lokacin haɗari, da kuma kwantar da zuciyarsa da ke cikin damuwa. Babu buƙatar a faɗi cewa wannan imani yana tare da imani cewa ɗayan ya fi shi daraja, iko da ƙarfi. Haka kuma gaskiya ne cewa inda aka biya wata buƙatar ɗan adam ta hanyar cinikayya ta yau da kullum, wadda ke faruwa a gaban idanunmu a fili, hakan ba ya haifar da wata ji ta girmamawa, balle ibada, ga ɗayan. Misali, idan ina buƙatar kuɗi, na nemi aiki, aka ba ni, aka biya ni saboda shi, tun da dukkan wannan ciniki yana faruwa a gaban hankalina gaba ɗaya, kuma zan san yanayin ko dalilin da ya sa aka ba ni kuɗin, ba zan ji ko ƙaramin sha'awar yin ibada ga maigidana ba. Wannan ji yana tasowa ne kawai idan akwai wani abu na asiri da ke kewaye da halayen ɗayan, ko ikonsa, ko iyawarsa ta biyan buƙatun mutane ko yin tasiri a kan al'amura. Shi ya sa kalmar da aka zaɓa don nuna abin bauta ta ƙunshi cikin ma'anarta jin asiri, ruɗani, da girma a matsayi, da sauransu. A ƙarshe, abu ne na halitta cewa idan mutum ya yi imani cewa wani yana da ikon biyan buƙatunsa, bayar da mafaka da kariya, kwantar da zuciyar da ke cikin damuwa da cika ta da salama da nutsuwa, sai ya juya da sha'awa zuwa ga wannan mutumin a matsayin al'amari na al'ada.

Foremost among the factors which engender a sentiment of some degree of adoration for some one is a person’s own state of being in distress or need. He cannot even conceive of worshipping someone unless he has reason to believe that someone to be in a position to remove his distress, to fulfil his needs, to give him shelter and protect him in time of danger, and soothe his troubled heart. It goes without saying that the above belief is accompanied by a belief also in the superiority of the other in status, power, and strength. It is also a matter of fact that where any of the needs of a human being are met under the ordinary process of give and take, which takes place perceptibly before one’s own eyes, it leads to no sense of reverence, much less of adoration, for the other. For example, if I should be in need of money and, having applied for, and been given a job, am paid for it, since the whole transaction would take place within the full ken of my senses, and I would be fully aware of the circumstances or the reason for giving me the money, I would experience not the slightest desire to offer my employer any adoration. That sentiment arises only when there is some element of mystery surrounding the personality, the power, or the ability of the other to fulfil peoples’ needs or to influence events. That is why the word chosen to denote an object of worship includes in its meanings the senses of mystery, perplexity, and superiority in status, etc. Lastly, it is only natural that if one believes another to be in a position to fulfil one’s needs, to provide shelter and protection, to soothe a disturbed heart and fill it with peace and calm, one turns eagerly to that person as a matter of course.

Saboda haka za mu iya kammala cikin aminci daga abin da ya gabata cewa ma'anar kalmar ilaah ta haɗa da iya biyan buƙatun wasu, da ba su mafaka da kariya, da kwantar musu da hankali daga damuwa da ɗimuwa, da girma, da ikon da ake buƙata da iko don yin duk waɗannan, da kasancewa a ɓoye ta wata hanya ko ɓoye daga idanun mutane, da kuma mutane suna juyawa zuwa gare shi cikin marmari.

We may therefore safely conclude from the above that the connotation of the word ilaah includes the capacities to fulfil the needs of others, to give them shelter and protection, to relieve their minds of distress and agitation, superiority, and the requisite authority and power to do all these, to be mysterious in some way or hidden from men’s eyes, and the turning of men eagerly to him.