Lesson 1 - The Three Fundamental Principles
Abû Firdaws ʿAbdurRahmân Al-Muaʾlimî - حفظه الله
Lesson Summary:
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1. What is Tawhîd?
As the ʿUlamâʾ mention is - to single out Allâh (ﷻ) with worship and to leave off worshipping any deity apart from Allâh.
2. Tawhîd is the first foundation of Islâm.
3. Thalâthat-ul-Usûl is a small treatise, with tremendous benefits. This text covers the three affairs the Muslim must have knowledge of in order to correctly establish his or her religion. The tremendous work also addresses the answers to the questions that will be asked in one's grave.
4. Tawhîd is divided into 3 categories:
Tawhîd-ul-Uluhiyyah - to single out all worship for Allâh alone.
Tawhîd-ur-Rubūbiyyah - to single out Allâh in His Lordship i.e. in the actions that are specific to Allâh - e.g. giving and taking life.
Tawhîd Al-Asmâ wa Siffât - to single out Allâh in all His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes.
5. What Scholars of Sunnah mention is that the most appropriate definition of Tawhîd is to single out Allâh in all acts that are specific to Him - this is a more comprehensive definition of Tawhîd.
6. Tawhîd was the call of all the Prophets and Messengers. From the first messenger to the last, and the foundation of all of their calls was to worship Allâh (alone) and to turn away from Shirk (polytheism).
Just as Allâh mentioned:
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِAnd We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) but We revealed to him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allâh)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)."
Sûrah Al-Anbiyâʾ:25
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
Indeed, We sent Nûh (Noah) to his people and he said: "O my people! Worship Allâh! You have no other Ilâh (God) but Him. (Lâ ilâha illallâh: none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh). Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!"
Sûrah Al-Âʾrâf:59
7. Tawhîd is the origin of Islâm. The Messenger of Allâh (ﷺ) stayed in Makkah for 13 years (after prophethood), and while in Makkah he (ﷺ) focused on calling the people to Tawhîd and warning them against Shirk (polytheism). He (ﷺ) called to Tawhîd before all the other pillars of Islâm.
8. When the Messenger (ﷺ) sent his companion Muʾâdh b. Jabal (May Allâh be pleased with him) to Yemen, he (ﷺ) sent him away with a methodology that he should use in giving Daʾwah (calling to Allâh). The Messenger (ﷺ) said to him:
Indeed you will meet a group of people of the book, so let the first thing you call them to be “Lâ ilâha ilâ Allâh” (and in some narrations: so let the first thing you call them be to the Tawhîd of Allâh). If they accept this (i.e. Tawhîd) let them know Allâh has prescribed upon them to observe the Ṣalâh (prayer)..(and other acts of worship).
9. It is a mistake to learn the Ṣalâh without learning Tawhîd, as actions will not be accepted unless they are built upon the foundation of Tawhîd.
10. All callers to Islâm who truly want goodness for the people will teach them Tawhîd first; they would take the beautiful prophetic methodology in letting their first call be to Tawhîd. If the people accept Tawhîd, and they are now sincere to Allâh and leaving off Shirk, then we teach them other affairs. This is the methodology of Islâm!
11. Nûḥ (عليه سلام) called to Tawhîd for 950 years. We should likewise be patient upon Tawhîd and calling the people to it. Many of those upon false ʿAqîdah (core beliefs) today love to spread doubts about rectifying people's ʿAqîdah. For example - 'why are we teaching Tawhîd and ʿAqîdah when the people are already Muslims', 'why do you teach ʿAqîdah it only divides people’.
True unity in the religion is unity upon the truth (the way of the Qurʾân, the way of the Sunnah and the way of the Ṣahâbah - May Allâh be pleased with them).
How do we respond?
One can never be a Muslim truly until they hold the sound methodology of Tawhîd and ʿAqîdah. For everyone to claim to be Muslims merely because they perform Ḥajj or pray meanwhile they worship graves and whatnot is a great error. Rather, we are Muslims due to our fundamental belief in Tawhîd and our implementation of Tawhîd. These same individuals will say we should not teach people Tawhîd. Should we leave people to fall into the same error?
12. We must all learn Tawhîd (whether you are a revert or a practising Muslim), so we can implement it. And we also learn it so we do not get deceived by shayṭān and perform Shirk unknowingly. We learn Shirk not to perform Shirk, but to stay far away from it.
13. On the deathbed of the Prophet of Allâh (ﷺ) he gave a reminder regarding Tawhîd - "May the curse of Allâh be upon the Jews and the Christians, they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship" - He was addressing the Ṣahâbah (the companions) who had so much knowledge of Tawhîd already.
14. The example of Al-Allâmah (The Scholar), Shaykh Taqî-ud-Dîn al–Hilâlî [رحمة الله عليه]: He would finish reading Kitâb At-Tawhîd (The Book of Tawhîd of Shaykh Muḥammad b. ʿAbdilWahhâb) then start reading it from the beginning again - and this was so he would deeply understand the affair of Tawhîd.
15. Leaving people upon Shirk, innovations and misguidance and justifying it by saying 'they are still Muslims so we don't have to correct them' is harmful, and it is deceiving. It is not permissible to sugarcoat this affair of Tawhîd and Shirk to please the people, this is pretence.
16. As a caller to Tawhîd; a Student of Knowledge; as a Muslim, it is incumbent upon us to clarify the truth to people. The Messenger of Allâh (ﷺ) mentioned:
"Whoever sees evil then let him change it with his hand, and if he cannot let him change it with his tongue, and if he cannot let him hate it with his heart and that is the lowest of true faith"
Note: "Hand" in this Hadîth scholars have mentioned means those in power: government, the king, the ruler etc.
Despite the trials and attacks, the Muslim should be patient in the path of calling to Allâh and clarifying the correct ʿAqîdah and Manhaj (methodology).
17. The books of history show us how the Imâms of the past were patient upon calling to Tawhîd, despite the many challenges that they faced. Later on success was for them, because they stuck to the truth so Allâh aided them.
وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
And the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2)."
Sûrah Al-Âʾrâf:128
18. The root of Islâm is the ʿAqîdah of Tawhîd. Anyone who establishes this blessed ʿAqîdah then he or she is a Muslim even if the person has some sins and mistakes because the person is upon the sound ʿAqîdah.
19. For a person to perform the prayer, give Sadaqah and Zakâh and the other actions from the established acts of worship with no Tawhîd then he is not a Muslim.
Allâh mentioned:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا
Verily! Allâh forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allâh, has indeed strayed far away.
Sûrah An-Nisâ':116
The person of Tawhîd does not spend eternity in the hellfire, even if he or she goes to the hellfire for a period of time. As for the people of Shirk, Allâh mentioned:
إِنَّهُۥ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَىٰهُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ
Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers.
Sûrah Al-Mâʾidah:72
Whoever dies upon Major Shirk will abide in the Hellfire forever. But whoever dies upon Tawhîd and free from Shirk then s/he will be from the people of Jannah whether Allâh forgives his/her mistakes or not. If Allâh wills he may forgive the one with sins coupled with Tawhîd, and grant him Jannah. Also, if Allâh wills he may punish the individual and grant him Jannah afterwards.
This is the promise of Allâh for the people of Tawhîd.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allâh), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided.
Sûrah Al-Anʾâm:82
