Tawheed in Islam - Its Meaning and Importance.

TAWHEED
Its Meaning and Importance
(Part 1 of 2)

Prepared by: Um Abdullah al-Misawi

TAWHEED THE ONENESS OF GOD.

Tawheed: Its importance.

- It is the purpose of the creation of Man and Jinn.
Allaah Ta'aala said: {And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} [51: 56]

- It is the actual message of the Prophets alayhem assalam.
Allaah Subhaanahu Wa Ta'aala said: {And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."} [21:25]

- Good deeds are not accepted without Tawheed.
Rasoolullah Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam said: ”Allah Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala said: "I am the One Who does not stand in need of a partner. If anyone does anything in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him with one whom he associates with Allah."“ [Saheeh Muslim]
Yahya Ibn Sallaam Rahimahullah (d. 200 H.) said commenting on the Aayah: {And speak words which are Sadeed – 33: 70} “Sadeed means: Just, and that is "Laa Ilaaha Illallaah", {He will [then] amend for you your deeds – 33:71}, good deeds are not accepted except from one who says: La ilaha illa Allah (None is worthy of worship but Allah), sincerely from his heart.” (1)

- Jannah is forbidden upon one who associates partners (commits shirk) with Allaah.
Allaah Ta'aala said: {Indeed, he who associates others with Allaah - Allaah has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire.} [5: 72]

- Whoever associates partners with Allaah his deeds are worthless.
Allaah Subhaanahu Wa Ta'aala said: {But if they had associated others with Allaah, then worthless for them would be whatever they had done.} [6:88]

- It (Tawhid) is the greatest reason for the forgiveness of sins.
It comes in a Hadeeth Qudsi: ”And whoever meets Me with an earth full of sins without associating any partners with me, I will meet him with a similar amount of forgiveness.“ [Saheeh Muslim]
And other than that.


Tawheed: is Laa Ilaaha Illallaah

Allah Ta'ala said: {And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "La Ilaha Illallah”} [21: 25]
The Prophet -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- said: ”Whoever says: "La Ilaha illa Allah", and rejects whatever is worshipped besides Allaah, his blood and wealth becomes forbidden, and his reckoning is upon Allaah.“ [Saheeh Muslim]
And in another narration: ”Whoever professes Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah)…“, then he mentioned like the previous hadeeth. [Saheeh Muslim]

Uthman Ad-Darimi (d. 280 H.) said: «And the explanation of At-Tawheed according to the Ummah, and the correct view; is: La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu la sharika Lahu * » (2)
Abu Ja`far An-Nahhas (d. 338 H.) said: “The words of Allaah 'Azza Wa Jal: {Indeed they, when it was said to them "La Ilaha Illallah", were arrogant}.[37:35] meaning: arrogant in (accepting) the Tawheed of Allah 'Azza Wa Jal. (3)

Abu Abdullah Al-Qurtubi (d. 671 H.) said: “And in {Say, "He is Allaah, [who is] One,} ([12: 1] is complete Tawheed. And in this meaning comes the statement of Rasoolullaah Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam to Ubayy (Radhiallaahu 'Anhu) ”Which Aayah (verse) in the Qur'aan is the greatest?" he said: {Allaah - la ilaha illa Huwa, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence.} [2: 255]“, and it is the greatest verse because it is complete Tawheed, like how the Messenger of Allah -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- saying: ”The best (word) which I and the Prophets -'Alayhimus Salaam- before me had said is: "La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu, la sharika Lahu” * was the best Dhikr, “ because it is words which encompass all the knowledge of Tawheed. (4)
Ibn Katheer (D. 774 H.) said: {And it was not for us to associate anything with Allaah. That is from the favor of Allaah upon us and upon the people.} [12: 38] This is Tawheed, and that is declaring that "La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu, la sharika Lahu" * (5)
Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (D. 795 H.) said: And perhaps the one who says: The intended meaning by uprightness on Tawheed; meant the complete Tawheed which saves its owner from the Hell fire, and that is fulfilling the meaning of "La Ilaha Illallah", because al-ilah (god; deity) is the one who is worshipped, who is obeyed and not disobeyed, who is feared, revered, venerated, loved, has hope in, has reliance upon, and supplicates to. (6)


Tawheed: Its meaning and purpose is worshipping Allah alone.

The meaning of the word of Tawheed "La Ilaha Illallah", as the people of knowledge have explained, is: There is no one worthy or deserving of worship but Allaah.

From the Qur'an:
Allaah Ta'aala said: {And they were not commanded except to worship one God; La Ilaha Illa Huwa (None is worthy of worship but Him). Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.} [9: 31]
He also said: {And they were not commanded except to worship Allaah, (being) sincere to Him in religion, (and) upright.} [98: 5]
And other verses.

From the Sunnah:
1. Imam Bukhari said in his Sahih: «The chapter regarding what has come in the Messenger of Allah -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam-'s calling his nation to the Tawheed of Allaah» And he mentioned in there some Ahaadeeth, amongst it are:
Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal (Radhiallaahu 'Anhu) said that the Prophet -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- said: ”O Mu'aadh, do you know what is the right of Allaah upon His servants?“ He said: "Allaah and His messenger know best."
He -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- said: ”That they should worship Him and not associate any partners with him. Do you know what their right upon Him is?“ He said: "Allaah and His messenger know best."
He -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- said: ”That he shall not punish them.“

2. The Messenger of Allah -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- told Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal when he sent him to Yemen: ”You will be going to a nation of People of the Book **, so when you get there then call them to testify “La Ilaha Illallah” and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and if they obey you in that, then inform them that Allaah has made obligatory upon them five prayers every morning and evening…“ [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
In another narration it says: "And let the first thing that you ( them towards be the worship of Allaah 'Azza Wa Jal, and if they know Allah…. " [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
And in another narration: "Then let the first thing you call them towards be that they profess the oneness of Allaah Ta'aala (Tawheed), and if they learn (know) that.…." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari]

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani said concerning these three narrations: “And joining them together would be by saying that the intended meaning is that worshiping Allaah is Tawheed of Him, and His Tawheed is testifying to that (that none is worthy of worship but Him :“La Ilaha Illallah”) and (testifying) to the Message of His Prophet (Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam), and it commenced with these two, because they are the basis of the Religion, which without it no deed is accepted. (7)

And he said on another page: “And joining them is to say that the intended meaning by worship: is At-Tawheed, and the meaning of At-Tawheed is: the declaration of the two testifications of faith, and that saying of his (The Prophet’s -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam is pointing to Tawheed. And his saying ”and if they know Allah“ means «if they know the Tawheed of Allah», and the intended meaning of "knowledge” is affirmation and obediance”. (8)

3. Al-Bayhaqi (D. 458 H.) said: «Chapter one concerning the Tawheed of Allaah in His worship without (associating) anyone else» then he mentioned the saying of the Prophet -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- : ”Whoever professes Tawheed, and rejects whatever is worshipped besides Allah, his blood and wealth becomes inviolable and his reckoning is upon Allaah.“ (9) [Saheeh Muslim]


From the sayings of the Salaf and the Scholars:

Qatadah (d. 117 H. –a Tabi'i) said concerning the verse: {And he made it a word remaining among his descendants} [43:28] «Tawheed and Ikhlaas (sincerity), there will always remain in his descendants who will profess the Tawheed of Allah and worship Him.» (10)
Yahyaa Ibn Sallaam (D. 200 H.) said: “So He said: {O my people, worship Allaah} profess Tawheed of Allaah {you have no deity other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood].} [11:50] Whoever worships anything besides Allaah Subhaanahu Wa Ta'aala then he has fabricated a lie upon Allaah Ta'aala, because Allaah 'Azza Wa Jal commanded His servants to worship Him alone and not to associate anything with Him.” (11)

Ibn Jarir At-Tabari (d. 310 H.) said in the interpretation of the words of Allaah Ta'aala: {And Ibraaheem enjoined it upon his sons and [so did] Ya'qoob} [2:132], Abu Ja`far said: “What Allaah Ta'aala means by {enjoined it} is: enjoining this word. And what is meant by 'the word' is {I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.} [2:131], and that is Islam, the one which Allaah had commanded His Prophet -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- with, and that is having sincerity in worship and Tawheed for Allaah, and submission of the heart and limbs to Him." (12)

Abu Ja`far An-Nahhas (d. 338 H.) said: “Ma`mar narrated that Qatadah said concerning the verse: {the highest description.} [16: 60] : ‘(It is) La Ilaha Illallah.’
And Sa'eed narrated that Qatadah said concerning the verse: {the highest description.}: ‘It is Ikhlas and Tawheed..’
And the meaning of both is the same: for Allaah 'Azza Wa Jal is Tawheed and rejection of all that is worshipped besides Him.” (13)

Ibn Katheer (d. 774 H.) said in his Tafseer: “Then Allaah Ta'aala said, informing that he is Al-Ahad (The One) As-Samad (The Eternal), the One who there is no ilah besides Him, and He said: {Allaah – La Ilaha Illa Huwa, And upon Allaah let the believers rely.} [64:13], the first part is informing about Tawheed, and it is in the meaning of seeking, i.e. profess Ilaahiyyah (14) for Him, and keep it solely/sincerely for Him, and have reliance upon Him.” (15)

And there are many others besides them.



At-Tawheed: The actual message of all the Prophets -`alayhem as-Salam-:

All the Messengers:
Allaah Ta'aala said:
{And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "La Ilaha Illa Ana, so worship Me."} [21:25]
{And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, (saying), "Worship Allaah and avoid Taaghoot (16)."} [16:36]
{When the messengers had come to them before them and after them, (saying), "Worship not except Allaah."} [41:14]


Individually:

Nooh (Noah) 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And We had certainly sent Nuh to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allaah; you have no God other than Him; then will you not fear Him?"} [23: 23]

Ibraheem (Abraham) 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And Ibrahim, when he said to his people, "Worship Allaah and fear Him. That is best for you, if you should know. You worship besides Allaah only idols, and you only invent falsehood. Indeed, those you worship besides Allaah have no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allah, and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him you will be returned."} [29:16-17]

Hud 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And to the 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allaah (Alone); you have no God other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?"} [7: 65]
{They said, "Have you come to us that we should worship Allaah alone and leave what our fathers have worshipped? Then bring us what you promise us, if you are of the truthful ones."} [7: 70]

Saalih 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And to the Thamood [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allaah (Alone); you have no God other than Him.} [7: 73]

Shu`ayb 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And to (the people of) Madyan (We sent) their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allaah; you have no deity other than Him.} [7: 85]

Ya`qoob (Jacob) 'Alayhis Salaam:
{Or were you witnesses when death approached Yaqub, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your Ilah (God) and the God of your fathers, Ibraaheem and Ismaaeel and Is'haaq - one God. And to Him we submit (in Islam)."} [2:133]

Eesaa (Jesus) 'Alayhis Salaam:
{And the Maseeh (Messiah) had said, "O Children of Israeel, worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allaah - Allaah has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.} [5:72]

Muhammad Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam:
{Say, (O Muhammad), "Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allaah, (being) sincere to Him in religion. And I have been commanded to be the first (among you) of the Muslims." Say, "Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day." Say, "Allaah (alone) do I worship, sincere to Him in my religion.} [39: 11-14]


From the Sunnah:

Ibn 'Abbas Radhiallaahu 'Anhu said: When the Prophet Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam sent Mu'adh Radhiallaahu 'Anhu to Yemen he (Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam) told him: ”You are going to people of the Ahlul Kitaab,. so let the first thing you invite them to be that they profess Tawheed, and when they come to know Allaah, inform them that Allaah has enjoined on them, five prayers in every day and night …."“The Hadeeth. [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

From the sayings of the Pious Salaf and the Scholars:

Qatadah (d. 117 H.) said concerning the verse: {For each of you We prescribed a law (Sharee'ah) and a method (Minhaaj).} [5: 48] «i.e. a Sabeel (path) and a Sunnah (way). And the Sunan (ways) are different: for the Tawrah (Torah) there was a Sharee'ah (laws), for the Injeel (Bible) there was a Sharee'ah, for the Qur'aan there was a Sharee'ah, Allaah permitted therein whatever He wished, and He forbade therein whatever He wished as a trial, so that it may be known who are those that obey Him from those who disobey Him. But the one Religion that none is accepted but it: is Tawheed and Ikhlaas for Allaah, that which the Messengers came with.» (17)

Ibn Jarir At-Tabari (d. 310 H.) said: "The meaning of what Allaah Ta'aala said (is): And We have not sent before you O Muhammad a messenger to one of the nations but that We revealed unto him that there is no worshipped being in the heavens or on earth besides Me who is worthy of worship, so worship Me, He said: So keep your worship purely for Me, and single only me with Uloohiyah (worship).” (18)

Ibn Katheer (d. 774 H.) said: “Then He explained it with His saying: {that we worship none but Allâh (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him,.} [3:64] No idol, image, cross, taaghoot, fire, or anything, but we keep our worship purely for Allaah alone, He has no partners. And this was the call of all the Messengers.”

He also said: “The call of all the Messengers before him (Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam) was towards Islaam, and its basis is worshipping Allaah alone, He has no partners.” (19)
And he said: “And the Messenger of Allah -Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam- said: "We the Prophets are (like) Awlaadu 'Allaat (20) our religion is one." Meaning:. the purpose is worshipping Allaah alone, He has no partners, with varying laws (Sharee'ah) for His Messengers, like how Allaah Ta'aala said: {For each of you We prescribed a law (Sharee'ah) and a method (Minhaaj).} [5:48] (21)

Mulla 'Ali Al-Qaari (d. 1016 H.) said in his Sharh (commentary) of Fiqh Al-Akbar (Page 49): “And the Imam (Abu Haneefah) had turned away from discussing the issue of (Allah’s) existence sufficing by what is apparent in the rank of observation, for it comes in the Revealed Book (The Qur'aan): {Can there be doubt about Allaah, Creator of the heavens and earth?} [14: 10], {If you asked them, 'Who created the heavens and earth…} [29: 61] so the existence of Al-Haqq (Allaah) is firmly established in the Fitrah (natural disposition) of the creation, as is indicated in Allaah -Subhaanahu Wa Ta'aala- saying: {

The fitrah of Allaah upon which He has created [all] people.} [30: 30], and is also indicated in the hadeeth: ”Every child is born upon the Fitrah of Islaam“ (22), for the Anbiyaa –peace be upon them- came to explain Tawheed, and to make clear the Oneness of Allaah, and that is why their words and their proofs were united upon the word: “La Ilaha Illa Allah”, and they were not commanded to order their people to say: Allaah exists, but they intended to make it clear that besides Him (Allaah) there is nothing worthy of worship, as a reply to those who assume and fancy it as such, as they said: 

"These are our intercessors with Allaah" (Surah Yoonus: 18), and "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allaah in position." [10: 3], though Tawheed does inform of His existence with extra support.”


PART 2: What Tawheed comprises of

( * ) Translation: None is worthy of worship but Allah, Alone, He has no partners.
( ** ) People of the Book are the Jews and Christians.
(1) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan Al-'Azeez by Ibn Abi Zamanin – it is an abridged version of the Tafseer of Yahyaa Ibn Salaam (3/415)
(2) Naqadh Al-Imaam Abi Sa'eed 'Uthman Ad-Darimi (1/152).
(3) Ma'aani Al-Qur'aan Al-Kareem by Abu Ja'far An-Nahhas (6/23)
(4) Al-Jaami' Li-Ahkaam Al-Qur'aan by Al-Qurtubi (1/171)
(5) Tafseer Ibn Katheer (4/389)
(6) Jaami' Al-'Uloom Wa Al-Hikam by Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (2/605)
(7) Fath Al-Baari (3/419)
(8) Fath Al-Baari: (13/367)
(9) Al-Arba'oon As-Sughraa by Al-Bayhaqi (p. 23)
(10) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan by 'Abdur Razzaaq As-San'aani (2/196), and Jaami' Al-Bayaan (Tafsir) by At-Tabari (21/589)
(11) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan Al-'Azeez by Ibn Abi Zamanin (2/295)
(12) Tafsir At-Tabari (3/93-94)
(13) Ma'aani Al-Qur'aan (4/77)
(14) Al-Ilaahiyyah, and Al-Uloohah, and Al-Uloohiyyah, all mean 'Ibaadah (worship). (Al-Muhkam Wa Al-Muheet Al-A'zam by Ibn Sayyideh – 4/358)
(15) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan Al-A'zeem (8/138)
(16) Taaghoot are the devils, idols, and all those things which are worshipped besides Allaah.
(17) Tafsir At-Tabari [Jaami' Al-Bayaan] (10/385)
(18) Tafsir At-Tabari (18/427)
(19) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan Al-'Azeem by Ibn Katheer (2/55-56) and (3/382)
(20) Awlaadu/Ikhwatu 'Allaat: are brothers from one father but different mothers, the meaning of the Hadeeth is that the religion of all the Anbiyaa 'Alayhimus Salaam was one, but their Sharee'ahs (ahkam; rulings) were different. The hadeeth is reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari with a difference of wording.
(21) Tafseer Al-Qur'aan Al-A'zeem (5/371)
(22) Reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari and others with a difference of wording.

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TAWHEED
What it consists of
(part 2 of 2)

Prepared by: Um Abdullah al-Misawi

The One and Only God

PART 1: Tawheed: Its Meaning and Importance


We have explained previously that the wisdom behind creation is to worship only Allaah and denounce all deities besides Him. This is the meaning of Tawheed which is the foundation of the call of all Messengers.

The call to Tawheed of worship includes other things as well, all of them are included in the concept of Tawheed, from amongst these things is having faith in the complete Lordship of Allaah, as He has established the proof of His sole right of being worshipped by being the only Creator, Owner, and Sustainer/Controller (of the Universe). Numerous verses in the Holy Qur'an bear witness to this, and from amongst them is His saying: {O mankind, remember what Allaah has blessed you with. Is there any creator other than Allaah who provides you from the sky and the earth? There is no true deity but Allah, so how come do you turn away?} [35:3], and {Such is Allah Your lord. There is no true deity but Him, the Creator or everything, so worship Him.} [6:102]

Allaah has proven false the claim of the existance of other rightly worshipped deities by establishing the falsehood of there being other creators other than Him. He said -translation of the meaning-: {Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) âlihah (gods) besides Allâh, then verily both would have been ruined} [21:22]. This is because of the fact that were there other deities worthy of worship they would also be partners in creating things: {(If there had been many gods), then each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah above all that they attribute to Him} [23:91] There are many other similar Qur'anic verses, and we will dedicate a seperate article just for them, if Allaah so wills.

So we know now that believing in Allaah's sole right to be worshipped includes believing in His existence and that He alone is the Lord and the Creator. After all, a person who doesn't believe in this will not worship Allaah due to not believing in His existence in the first place.

Belief in the oneness of His lordship necessitates believing that He is One and that nothing is like Him. Just as there are no creators but Him, there are no deities worthy of worship but Him. Based on this, we conclude that everything besides Him is created and under His lordship and He is One without any partners. And it becomes clear that all of the aforementioned things are intertwined.

We know that the Arab polytheists used to affirm the basis of Allaah's Lordship and say that He is the Creator, the Owner, the Provider and the Disposer of everything. Knowing this, Allaah established the proof on them to worship Him alone by that belief of theirs. From amongst the proofs that the Arab polytheists indeed affirmed Allah’s Lordship in general is Allah’s saying: {Were you to ask them who created the heavens and the earth and who subjected the sun and the moon, they would surely say 'Allaah’. So what makes them turn away?} [29:61] The following has also been narrated about them: ”The polytheists would make talbiya and say: 'Here I am! No partners do You have except a partner belonging to You. Him and all that he owns You Own.' They would say this while going around the House (Ka'bah).“ [Sahih Muslim]

Qatada, one of the successors of the Prophet's companions (Tabi`ee), has said: «His saying: {And most of them believe not in Allâh except that they attribute partners unto Him} [12:106] is in this belief of theirs, y ou will not meet any one of them except that he tells you that Allaah is His Lord, and that He is the one who created him and provided for him, and yet still associates partners with Him in worship.» (1)

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 310 H.) said: ”Allaah rebuked these polytheists who make deities of things He created and worship them along with Him, while affirming that these things (that they worship) are His creation and that they (the polytheists) are His slaves.” (2)

It should be noted that even though the Arab polytheists used to affirm the fundamentals of Allah’s Lordship, which includes creating, owning and providing ... etc, they still committed polytheism in some individual issues in Allah’s Lordship. They would, for example, believe that some shootingstars caused rain to fall or played a role in it, and that some of their idols had the power to benefit and harm and so forth.

The fact, however, remains that they affirmed Allaah's Lordship in general and believed that He is the Creator and Owner of everything including the deities they used to worship, and this was a proof against them regarding worshipping Him alone. The Lord of The Worlds who created all things and owns that which they worship besides Him is the one who truly deserves to be worshipped. After all, how can something created, owned, and is under His Lordship be worshipped with the Him, the One Who Created him and Owns him?


Allaah said -translation of the meaning-: {“… Or do they assign to Allâh partners who created the like of His creation, so that the creation seemed alike to them?" Say: "Allâh is the Creator of all things...} [13:16]
The meaning of this verse is that they did not set up partners thinking that they are creators like Him to the point that the creation would all seem similar to them and they would say: ”These things have created just as Allaah has, so they deserve to be worshipped just as He does.” They did not do this, but instead set up partners incapable of even doing things the creation themselves can do, not to mention things that their Creator can do.

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: ”The meaning of His saying: {Say: 'Allaah is the Creator of everything} is as follows: Allaah is saying to His Prophet Muhammad: 'Say to these polytheists when they affirm to you that their idols which they associate with Allaah do not create a thing: Allaah is your Creator, the Creator of your idols and the Creator of all things, so on what basis do you associate with Him something that cannot create or cause harm?'.” (3)

Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H.) said: ”These polytheists only worshipped along with Him idols whom they admit were created things and slaves of His, as is evident from their talbiya: 'Here I am! No partners do You have except a partner belonging to You. Him and all that he owns You own.' Allaah also said the following about them: {We only worship them so that they may bring us closer to Allaah.} [39:3] So, He rebuked them because of this as this was what they believed, while the fact is that nobody can intercede with Him without His permission. Allaah says: {Intercession with Him is of no benefit except for those whom He permits to do so.} [34:23] and: {How many indeed are the angels in the heavens whose intercession is of no avail except after Allaah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with} [53:26], and: {Everything in the heavens and the earth only come to the Most Merciful as a slave. He knows every one of them and has counted them fully. Each one of them will come to Him on the day of resurrection alone} [19:93-95] . Since everyone is a slave (of Allaah), why do they worship one another without having any proof to bring forth for it except their reliance on mere opinion and invention? After knowing this, we also know that He sent every single one of His messengers to rebuke them because of this polytheism, forbidding them from worshipping anything other than Him. Their reaction was denial and contradiction so punishment became their inevitable faith.” (4)


After mentioning the wonders of His creation and His arrangement of things Allaah says: {Is then He who creates like the one who does not create? Will you not remember? Were you to count the blessings of Allaah you would not be able to do so. Truly, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [16:17-18]
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 H.) said: ”Allaah says to the idol worshippers: Is He who creates these amazing things that we have pointed out to you and He who gives you these great blessings like the one who doesn't create anything at all and doesn't bless you with anything – not with anything big or anything small either? He is saying: Do you associate this (i.e. idols) in the worship of this (Allah) ? “
Then at-Tabari said: “He (Allah) rebuked them saying: {Will you not remember?} O people. Meaning: Do you not remember the blessings Allaah has given you, and His mighty power and ability to do whatever He wishes, and the inability, weakness and worthlessness of your idols? Would you just remember their inability to even benefit themselves or harm anybody, so that you may know the error in your ways of worshipping them and affirming the right of being worshipped for them?'” (5)

This is how Musa (Moses) established his proof and argued his case with the Pharaoh. Allaah tells us what took place between them when Musa called Pharaoh and his people to worship none but Him: {The Pharaoh said: 'And what is The Lord of The Worlds?' He (Musa) said: 'Lord of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, if you seek to be certain' He (Pharaoh) said to those around him: 'Are you not listening?' He (Musa) said: 'Your lord and the lord of your forefathers.' He (Pharaoh) said: 'Truly the messenger who has been sent to you is a madman!' He (Musa) said: 'Lord of east and west and what is between them, if you did but understand.' He (Pharaoh) said: 'If you take a deity besides me I will surely throw you in prison.} [26:23-29]
The Pharaoh was an extremely rebellious tyrant, so much so that he claimed lordship, ridiculing the intellect of his people and calling them to misguidance. Despite this his people obeyed him and denied Musa. The Pharaoh kept the children of Israel weak and lowly, enslaving them, so none of them had the courage to denounce his claim or oppose it publicly in any way. After all, this kind of behavior was bound to lead to a harsh punishment and a brutal killing. Due to this, among his people there were some who really believed in his claim and others who disbelieved in it and rejected it in their hearts, unable to announce the truth publicly.

When Musa called them to worship only Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, their Lord and their fathers' Lord, the Pharaoh told his people that Musa, who claims to carry a message from Allaah, is a madman due to his saying things that they are not aware of and things they cannot comprehend. This was because his people, the Copts, had been brought up believing that the Pharaoh, who was their king, was also their lord. Their fathers had held this belief concerning their kings and held that nobody in his right mind could believe anything contrary to that. (6)
But Musa replied to them and clarified who exactly the Lord of The Worlds really is, describing Him in a way nobody else can be described: {Lord of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, if you seek to be certain} and {Lord of east and west and what is between them, if you did but understand.} This means that He is the Creator and Owner of the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, and the Creator and the owner of the east and the west and everything in between them. (7) In another verse: {He (Pharaoh) said: ’Who then, O Mûsâ, is the Lord of you two?’ He (Musa) said: 'Our lord is He who gave everything its created form and then guided.} [20:49-50].

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari said: ”When He informed them of that which they knew to be the evident truth - since the kingdom of the Pharaoh and the kings before him did not reach beyond Egypt, and it had become clear to the Pharaoh and the people around him that He who Musa is calling them to worship is the King who owns all other kings - the Pharaoh was too proud to accept the truth and said in his utter misguidance to Musa: {If you take a deity besides me I will surely throw you in prison.}” (8)

By this, it is evident that anybody who claims lordship and enslaves people based on this will be proven a liar by his own deficiency in lordship and the absolute Lordship of Allaah. This will also be proven by the fact that He is the lord of each and everything that exists including the claimants of lordship, and from this, His sole right to be worshipped is concluded.


In addition to this, the verses that Allah refuted the polytheists with are evidence for His existence due to them (the verses) mentioning the orderly conduct of the universe, the design of the creation and other such things. So they are a proof against the Dahriyya (i.e. Athiests) and everyone who denies Allaah's existence and position as the Creator.

After all this, whoever contemplates the speech of Allaah will find that all that has been mentioned is connected with each other.



Everything that we have mentioned concerning Tawheed and what it consists of, is mentioned in one verse of the Qur'an, namely, the ayah of Al-Kursi: {Allaah. There is no true deity but Him, The Ever-Living, The Sustainer and Protector. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is that which is in the heavens and the earth. Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what lies ahead of them and what is behind them. They cannot compass anything of His knowledge except what He wills. His footstool reaches over the heavens and the earth and He feels no fatigue in preserving them. He is The High, The Great.} [2:255]

This is the greatest ayah in the Book of Allaah, containing information on His Lordship, His worthiness of worship alone, and Oneness in His Names and Attributes. Allaah has combined negation and affirmation in it, negating that He has any flaws and affirming perfection for Him, Exalted and Most High.
To keep it brief, here are some parts of this verse that talk about the definition of Tawheed:
Tawheed of worship: {Allaah. There is no deity worthy of worship but Him (La ilaha illa Huwa)}
Tawheed of lordship: {His is that which is in the heavens and the earth},
Tawheed of names and attributes: {The Ever-Living, The Sustainer and Protector} and {He is The High, The Great}

All of Tawheed is covered also in the following verse: {Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, so worship Him and be constant and patient in that. Do you know anything similar to Him?} [19:65]
Lordship: {Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them}
Worship: {so worship Him and be constant and patient in that}
Names and Attributes: {Do you know anything similar to Him?}


It is also contained in the first surah/chapter of the Quran, Al-Fatihah :
{Praise be to Allaah, The Lord of The Worlds} This affirms His lordship over the whole creation.
{The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful} This mentions His Names/Attributes,
{You alone do we worship and from You alone we seek aid} This means singling Him out in worship.

Also, in the last surah of the Quran, An-Nas :
{Say: 'I see refuge from the lord of mankind} Lordship,
{The king of mankind} Attributes,
{The deity of mankind} Worship.

And many more other verses and chapters of the Quran.


As for the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition), the issues of Tawheed are combined in the test of the Prophet, which he put forward to a number of female slaves. There are a number of Hadiths where a need to free a believing slave occurs. In these Hadiths, the questions our Prophet asks the slaves vary, and from amongst them are the following:

1. ”Do you bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah (La Ilaha Illa Allaah)?”
`Ubaid Allah ibn `Abd Allah ibn `Utba ibn Mas'ud narrated:
A man from the Ansar came to the Messenger of Allaah with a black female slave of his, saying: “Allaah's Messenger, I have to free a believing slave, so if you deem this one a believer I shall set her free.” The Messenger of Allaah said to her: ”Do yo bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allaah?“ She said: ”Yes.”
He said: ”Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah?“ She said: ”Yes.” He said: ”Are you certain of resurrection after death?“ She said: ”Yes.”
So the Messenger of Allaah said: ”Set her free.“ (9)

2. ”Who is your lord?”
Al-Shuraid ibn Suwaid al-Thaqafi narrated that His mother bequested him to free a believing slave for her, so he asked Allaah's Messenger (saws) about it, saying: “I have a black Nubian female slave should I free her?”
He (The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: ”Bring her here“ so I called her and she came.
He said to her: ”Who is your lord?“ She said: ”Allaah.”
He said: ”Who am I?“ She said: ”You are the Messenger of Allaah.”
He said: ”Set her free for she is indeed a believer.“ [Musnad of Imam Ahmad] (10)

3. "Where is Allah?”
Mu'awiya ibn al-Hakam narrated: “I had a female slave who used to look after my sheep at the direction of Uhud and Jawwaniyyah. One day I noticed that a wolf had snatched a sheep from her flock, and I'm just a man from the sons of Adam so I regret things as they do, but the case remains that I slapped her due to what happened. I went to Allaah's Messenger, and he informed me of the gravity of what I had done, so I said: “O Messenger of Allaah, should I not free her?”
He said: ”Bring her.“ So I brought her to him, and he said to her: ”Where is Allaah?“ She said: ”Above the heaven (fi as-sama).”
He said: ”Who am I?“ She said: ”You are the Messenger of Allaah.”
He said: ”Set her free for she indeed is a believer.“ [Sahih Muslim]

The first Hadeeth mentions a question about the belief of the slave concerning Allaah's Oneness in worship, the second one has a question about the slave’s Lord, and the third one has a question about one of His attributes, namely, His elevation above His creation.


What we have mentioned here has been mentioned by some of the Pious Predecessors as well in their sayings about Tawheed. Some of these statements are as follows:

- Imam Al-Bukhari (d. 256 H.) said in his Sahih: «Chapter: What has been narrated about the Prophet's call of his nation to the Tawheed of Allaah”
In this chapter he brings the saying of the Prophet: ”Mu'adh, do you know what is the right of Allaah from His slaves?“ He said: ”Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He (the Prophet –sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: «That they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him».
What is mentioned here is tawheed of Allaah in worship.
He also quoted the hadith: ”The Prophet once sent a man to lead a group of soldiers. When he would lead his companions in prayer he would always finish with {Say: He, Allaah, is One.} When they returned they informed the Prophet about this so he said: ”Ask him about his reason for doing that“ They asked him and he replied: ”It is a description of the Most Merciful and I love to read it.” The Prophet said: ”Tell him that Allaah loves him.“ This hadith is talking about lordship and names and attributes as is evident from the Surah of al-Ikhlaas and it being a description of the Most Merciful Allaah.

- Muhammad bin Nasr al-Marwazi (d. 294 H.) said in the intro of his book "Ta`dhim Qadr As-Salat": «Praise be to Allaah whose believing slaves should be grateful to Him for granting them knowledge of Him, directing them towards it, and opened their hearts to believe in Him have sincerity by singling Him out in Lordship and abandoning everything that is worshipped besides Him.»
In another place he said, while discussing Islam and Iman: «However, it has a foundation and branch. It’s foundation is affirming the knowledge with the heart, which means submitting to Allaah's right of being worshipped and to His lordship. Submitting by the tongue is also necessary, which happens by affirming His right for worship and testifying with sincerity of heart that He is One, without any associates. Branches of these two is submiting to Him by performing all obligatory acts of worship.» (11)

- Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 310 H.) said: ”He is saying: 'Worship Allaah who is described in this way. Direct all worship to Him alone and single Him out in deserving worship (Uloohiyah) and having the attributes of Lordship (Ruboobiyyah). Do this submissively to Him, not to your idols and others you associate with Him in worship.” (12)
He also said: ”As for His saying: {There is no other true deity but Him}, it is a statement from Him that there is no Lord of the Worlds but Him and that He does not obligate His servants to worship anything else but Him.” (13)
- Abu Ja'far at-Tahawi (d. 321 H.) said in his famous work ”Al-Aqidah At-Tahawiyyah”: ”We say about Allaah's Tawheed with conviction - by Him making it possible -: That Allaah is One and has no partners, nothing is like Him [This is tawheed in Names & Attributes], nothing incapacitates him [Lordship] and there is no true deity but Him [tawheed of worship].”
- Abu Mansur al-Azhari (d. 370 H.) said: ” Al-Wahid (i.e. The One) as an attribute of Allaah has two meanings
The first one is that He is One, nothing is similar to Him and nothing is like Him. The Arabs say: 'So and so is the waahid (literally: one) of his people” when nobody is equal to him.
The second meaning is that He is the One deity and One lord and has no associates in His right of being worshipped or in His Lordship.” (14)

- Ibn Battah al-'Ukbari (d. 387 H.) said: ”This is because the core belief in Allaah that everyone must have conviction of when affirming belief in Him, has three parts:
1. That the slave believes in His existence, and this is in order to contradict the people of ta'til, or negation, who don't affirm a creator for this existence,
2. That the slave believes in His Oneness, and this is in order to contradict the polytheists who affirmed the Creator and associated partners with Him in worship,
3. That the slave believes that He (Allah) is described with attributes that He absolutely must be described with such as knowledge, ability, wisdom and the rest of the attributes He has mentioned in His book. This is because we know that many of those who affirm His existence, and completely single Him out in worship by their tongues have actually deviated from the correct belief in His attributes, and this harms their tawheed.
We also find that Allaah has addressed His servants by calling them to believe in all three. (15)

Abu Bakr al-Baqillani (d. 403 H.) said: “Tawheed of Him means affirming that He is affirmed and existent: One diety that is worshipped, nothing is like Him.”
He also said: ”Similarly our saying 'He is One' and 'the unique one in existence': All we want to say by this is that nothing resembles Him and nothing is like Him. What we intend by this is that there is nothing that deserves to be worshipped except Him. Allaah said: {Allaah is but one deity} and it means: la ilaha illAllaah means (i.e. None is worthy of worship but Allah).” (16)

And there is more, but what me mentioned is sufficient.

(1) Tafsir At-Tabari (Jami` Al-Bayan) 13/375
(2) Tafsir At-Tabari (20/ 96) - Tahqiq Shakir
(3) Tafsir At-Tabari (13/496)
(4) Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Adheem) 4/446-447
(5) Tafsir At-Tabari (14/195)
(6) Tafsir At-Tabari (19/344), and Tafsir Al-Baghawi (Ma`alim At-Tanzil) 6/111
(7) Tafsir At-Tabari (17/564), and Tafsir Al-Baghawi (6/111)
(8) Tafsir At-Tabari (17/564)
(9) Muwatta Malik (5/1129-1130); Musnad al-Imam Ahmad (25/19)
(10) Musnad Imam Ahmad (29/465) Tahqiq Shu`aib Arnaut, and he (Arnaut) said: "The chain is hasan".
(11) Ta`dheem Qadar As-salat by Muhammad Al-Marwazi (1/85) & (2/702)
(12) Tafsir At-Tabari (12/114)
(13) Ibid (2/746)
(14) Sharh Aqidat Ahl Assunnah wal Jama`ah (sharh Tahawiyyah) by Al-Babrti - Tahqiq `Arif Ayetken (pg. 29)
(15) Al-Ibanah 'an Shari`at Al-Firqa An-Najiyah by Ibn Battah Al-`Ukbari, Book # 3 "Rad `Ala Al-Jahmiyyah" (2/172-173)
(16) Al-Insaf by Al-Baqillani (pg 22 & 33)