Translate "عبد" as "Slave"

Not "servant", and not "worshipper". None of that.

It is: slave.

"But that's degrading!".

So it was in al-Jāhiliyyah. Then Islām came and taught them that being a slave of Allāh is a high rank.

English does not naturally carry this concept.

Christians are the ones who use "servant", which is wrong. Very wrong.

We do not serve Allāh.

We are His slaves.

They do not have this framework, which is why the Qurʿān affirms that ʿĪsā is His slave and messenger.

Also, "servant" is "خادم".

Anas bnu Mālik رضي الله عنه was a servant of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

As for worshipper, it appears clever at first, until you look closely.

It only covers one meaning of "عبد".

Its equivalent in Arabic is "عابد". The act of worship. "اسم فاعل". That is all.

You say:

"عابد الشمس"

not:

"عبد الشمس"

The same applies to other forms of shirk.

Instead of pushing to introduce this Islamic meaning of "slave", you chose to cave in to the pressure.

This is one reason why I encourage actually reading about the Salaf and absorbing their biographies, not merely sharing quotations from them.

Read Tārīkh al-Islām.

Note:

I do not rely upon the opinion of a shaykh regarding English terminology and Arabic translation merely because he appears to "know" English well. He still needed a translator.

رحمه الله رحمة واسعة.

But do not mix domains.

The only possible case where another term such as "worshipper" may be used is when you know with certainty that the audience would be completely repelled by the word slave.

Only then.

And even then, that is merely a matter of weighing which option causes less harm.

That is all.

But among seekers of knowledge, this excuse does not stand.

You have no reason to throw away an entire beneficial framework.

Even in situations where the audience may initially resist the term, you can still retain "عبد" in Arabic, and explain it properly:

Someone who worships Allāh, submits to Him, belongs to Him, and to Him shall return.

And similar explanations.

No, these explanations are not too heavy. They can be integrated naturally into speech, just like any other clarification.

هذا، والله أعلم.