The Definition Of Tawheed:
To single out Allah with worship, love, fear, obedience, submission, hope; and with seeking protection and help. To believe that He is One in His Self and in His Attributes, that He is One in His Sovereignty and in His actions. Indeed, He is One in His Self, in His Names, and in His Attributes; there is none that is equal, comparable, or similar to Him.
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. [42:11]
He is One in His Sovereignty and actions, as Creator, Planner, and Sustainer of all that exists, He has no partner:
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will. [3:26]
As the One Who deserves worship alone, He is One, for there is none that deserves to be worshipped but Him. Allah Almighty says:
Say, [O Muhammad], "Verily, I have been commanded to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion. [39:11]
There Are Three Categories Of Tawheed
- Tawheed Ar-Rububiyyah
- Tawheed Al-Uluhiyyah
- Tawheed Al-Asma' was-Sifat
First, Tawheed Ar-Rububiyyah
It is to believe in the oneness of Allah's actions, such as creating the creation, providing for them, giving life, causing death, sending down rain, causing crops to grow. The monotheistic Muslim believes that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the One Who brings benefit, and the only One Who can harm, the One Who brings to life, the One Who causes death, the King of the entire dominion — in His Hand are the reins of the heavens and the earth.
The polytheists believed in this category of Tawheed, for Allah Almighty says about them:
Say (O MuhammadSAW ): "Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?" They will say: "Allah." Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allah's Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?" [10:31]
Second, Tawheed Al-Uluhiyyah
This means to single out Allah with those actions that His worshipper performs as a form of worship — in ways that Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ have legislated. It means to believe that Allah alone is the One Who has the right to be worshipped and obeyed, and that there is none that deserves to be worshipped other than Him. Therefore, all acts of worship must be performed purely for Him. So, when one prays, he must pray only to Allah; when one supplicates, one must supplicate only to Him. When one slaughters an animal, it must be done by Allah's Name only. When one makes a vow, one must do it only for Allah. When one seeks help, one must seek it from Allah — in those matters that only Allah is capable of. When one calls out for help, one must call out for help from Allah — in those matters that only Allah is capable of. To believe and apply Tawheed in this sense requires one to:
- Worship none but Allah.
- Fear none but Allah.
- Submit to none but Allah.
- Seek refuge in none but Allah.
- Seek help from none but Allah.
- Trust in none but in Allah.
- Seek judgement from none but Allah's Legislation.
- To not make permissible except that which Allah has made permissible.
- To not make forbidden except that which Allah has made forbidden.
In an authentic Hadith, 'Adi bin Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him — who was a Christian in the Days of Ignorance — heard the Prophet ﷺ recite this verse:
They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary). [9:31]
‘Adi said, "O Messenger of Allah, they wouldn't worship them (i.e., the rabbis and monks).” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«بَلَى إِنَّهُمْ حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمُ الْحَلَالَ، وَأَحَلُّوا لَهُمُ الْحَرَامَ، فَاتَّبَعُوهُمْ. ْفَذَلِكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ إِيَّاهُم»
"Indeed, they (the rabbis and monks) would forbid them from that which was lawful, and they would permit them to do that which was forbidden. They (the Christians and Jews) followed them (in that): that was their worship of them."
The Tawheed With Which The Messengers Were Sent
Tawheed Al-Uluhiyyah is the Tawheed that the Messengers invited people to accept, and it is that category of Tawheed that people rejected, from the time of Nuh, peace be upon him, until that of Muhammad ﷺ. Allah Almighty says:
And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad SAW) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)." [21:25]
And Allah Almighty says:
And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Taghut besides Allah)." [16:36]
Whosoever worships Allah alone, leaving the worship of all else, has indeed followed the straight path and has grasped the most trustworthy handhold:
Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. [2:256]
And Allah said:
And Allah said (O mankind!): "Take not ilahain (two gods in worship, etc.). Verily, He (Allah) is (the) only One Ilah (God). Then, fear Me (Allah) much [and Me (Alone), i.e. be away from all kinds of sins and evil deeds that Allah has forbidden and do all that Allah has ordained and worship none but Allah]. [16:51]
The polytheists among the Arabs acknowledged that Allah created all things, while their gods neither created nor provided nor brought things to life nor caused death; Allah says:
And indeed if you ask them, "Who has created the heavens and the earth?" They will surely say: "The All-Mighty, the All-Knower created them." [43:9]
Nevertheless, they were polytheists because along with Allah Almighty they worshipped other gods, gods that in their thinking, were intermediaries between them and Allah. So, because they rejected Tawheed Al-Uluhiyyah, their belief in Tawheed Ar-Rububiyyah didn't benefit them at all:
And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him [i.e. they are Mushrikun -polytheists - ] [12:106]
They didn't single out Allah for worship and for supplication and for seeking help; rather, they associated partners with Him in their worship:
"We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah." [39:3]
"These are our intercessors with Allah." [10:18]
So again, it becomes clear that although one may believe in Tawheed Ar-Rububiyyah, one is a polytheist and not a Muslim as long as one doesn't believe in Tawheed Al-Uluhiyyah.
Who Is Allah?
Indeed Allah is the One True God: He has no partner and there is none that is equal or similar to Him, not similar to His Self, to His Attributes, or to His actions. With this belief, we are different from those who ascribe a wife or a child to Allah:
Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)): "He is Allah, (the) One.
"Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks).
"He begets not, nor was He begotten;
"And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him." [112:1-4]
With our belief that is explained above, we are different from those who claim that Allah is the third of three — far, far above is Allah Almighty from the evil they ascribe to Him:
Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)." But there is no ilah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilah (God -Allah). [5:73]
And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), La ilaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. [2:163]
With that same belief, we are opposite of those who believe that a god other than Allah Almighty has any power in the universe:
Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! [21:22]
Third, Tawheed Al-Asma' was-Sifat (Names and Attributes)
Under this category, we affirm for Allah all that He has affirmed regarding Himself and all that His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ affirmed for Him – in terms of His Beautiful Names and the Attributes that those Names indicate; but we do not compare His Qualities to those of creation, we do not exemplify those qualities, we do not distort their meanings, and we do not effectively negate their implications. what we do believe is that Allah has Names and Attributes that indicate His Perfection and Greatness, and no one is similar to Him in those Names and Attributes.
Allah's Names and Attributes are mentioned in the Qur'an and in the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and we must believe that they are real, for Allah Almighty says:
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. [42:11]
Examples Of Allah's Names And Attributes
- Some Of His Names: Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Al-Qahir, Al-Qadir, As-Sami‘, Al-Basir, Al-Quddus.
- Some Of His Attributes: The Highness, the Hearing, the Seeing, the Ability, that He has a Face and Hand, and that He Descends (during the last third of every night).
The Messengers
After clarifying the different kinds of Tawheed, we move on to the Messengers and the wisdom behind their being sent. Allah sent the Messengers to the people, so that they could call them to His religion, to worshipping Him alone — without associating partners with Him, and to avoiding the worship of others. The first Messenger was Nuh, peace be upon him, and the last one was Muhammad ﷺ.
The Wisdom Behind Sending The Messengers
Allah sent them as a proof upon mankind, to convey the message of the religion to the people, to give glad tidings of Paradise and of a great reward to the obedient one, and to warn the disobedient one of a severe punishment and the Hellfire. Allah Almighty says:
Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. [4:165]
