The Obligation of Tawheed
﷽
Know, may Allâh bless you, that the first obligation upon each and every human being is to establish at-Tawhîd (Islâmic Monotheism).
Tawhîd is to single out all your worship for Allâh alone, while freeing the worship from being for anyone besides Allâh. More specifically, Tawhîd is to single out Allâh (i.e to make Him unique) in all that is specific to Him. For example in our worship; only Allâh is deserving of our worship, so we should single all our worship for Him alone.
Shaykhul Islâm Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) mentioned that Islâm is: to submit to Allâh with Tawhîd, to draw close to Him by way of actions of obedience, and to free oneself from Shirk (polytheism) and its people - This definition was also mentioned by Shaykul Islâm Muhammad b. ʿAbdil-Wahhâb (رحمه الله) in his Three Fundamental Principles. After having mentioned this definition, it is clear that in order for the Muslim establish Islâm correctly they must come with Tawhîd.
Know, may Allâh have mercy on you, that Tawhîd can only be established by way of two pillars:
Affirmation - we must affirm that all worship belongs to Allâh (ﷻ) alone.
Negation - we must negate our worship being for anyone or anything besides Allâh (ﷻ).
We see examples of this affirmation and negation in the Qurʾân:
[وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ] - And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)
Affirmation : [ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ] - Worship Allâh (Alone)
Negation : [ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ ] - And avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût
— Sûrah an-Nahl:36
[يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ] - “O my people! Worship Allâh, you have no other ilâh (god) but Him”
Affirmation : [ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ] - O my people! Worship Allâh
Negation : [ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ] - You have no other ilâh (god) but Him
— Sûrah Hûd:84
Allâh informed us that He did not create us for mere play:
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَـٰعِبِينَ مَا خَلَقْنَـٰهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play. We created them not except with truth (i.e. to examine and test those who are obedient and those who are disobedient and then reward the obedient ones and punish the disobedient ones), but most of them know not.
Sûrah ad-Dukhân, Âyah 38-39
So, why were we created? All humans were created for the purpose of establishing Tawhîd and staying away from Shirk (polytheism), the proof of this is Allâh’s statement:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
Sûrah adh-Dhâriyaat, Âyah 56
And we should remember the statement of Ibn ʿAbbaas (رضي الله عنه), narrated by Imâm al-Baghawi in his Tafsir:
“Everything that has been mentioned regarding the Qurʾân from the acts of worship, its meaning is at-Tawheed”
Tafsîr Al-Baghawaî commentary on Sûratul Baqarah Âyah 21
Additionally, we must know that Allâh sent the messengers and the revealed text for the purpose of calling to Tawhîd, Allâh mentioned:
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ
And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh).
Sûrah an-Nahl, Âyah 36
Now it is clear that all Allâh’s messengers, from Nuh (Noah) - عليه سلام - to Muhammad (ﷺ) were sent to establish and call to Tawhîd, not just that but also to warn against Shirk. Allâh (ﷻ) also mentioned:
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِ
And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad ﷺ) 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-Anbiyaa, Âyah 25
From The Benefits of Tawhîd; Rectification of the Ummah
Allâh made a promise to the believer in Sûrah an-Nur Âyah 55:
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَمَا ٱسْتَخْلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱرْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
Allâh has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).
The rectification of the Ummah can only be brought forth through establishing the Tawheed of Allâh - worshipping Allâh alone, and turning away from Shirk.
Imâm Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzîyah (d. 751 A.H.) - may Allâh have mercy upon him- said:
'Whoever reflects over the state of the world finds that the means for all rectification on the earth is the Tawhîd of Allâh, worshipping Him and obedience to His Messenger.
The reasons for all evil in the world, trials, tribulations, droughts, being overpowered by the enemy and other things are opposing Allâh's Messenger and the invite to other than Allâh and His Messenger.
Whoever truly reflects upon this and ponders over the situation of the world since it was established until now and until Allâh inherits the earth and those who are upon it, and Allâh is the best of the inheritors, finds this matter specifically in his own self and truly in other than himself generally and specifically.
And there is no power or might except from Allâh the most High the Most Great.'
[Badai' al-Fawaid 3/525-526 - Translated by Ustaadh Abbas Abu Yahya]
Tawhîd Is The Key to Jannah
Jannah is every Muslim’s goal. Weʾre all striving in the Dunyâ, and striving to perform righteous deeds seeking the Face of Allâh. As a matter of fact, our acts of worship (e.g. our prayer, our fasting, our Hajj, ʿUmrah etc) cannot be established without Tawhîd, the same way our prayers cannot be established without Tahârah (being in a state of purity). Allâh mentioned:
وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ ٱلْقَيِّمَةِ
And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give Zakât, and that is the right religion.
Sûrah al-Bayyinah, Aayah 5
Imâm Ibn al-Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah (d. 751 A.H.) - may Allâh have mercy upon him - said:
'So the Mushrik (polytheist) will not enter Paradise, rather only the people of Tawhîd will enter it, because Tawhîd is the key to its door.
So whoever does not have with him a key then its door does not open and likewise if one comes with a key which has no teeth then the door will not open.'
[Al-Wabbil as-Sayyib p.41 Translated by Ustaadh Abbas Abu Yahya]
We ask Allaah to make us from the people of Tawhîd.
AMMAN CIRCLE Editorial.
30/Dhul-Hijjah 1443 (هــ),
29/July/2022.
Note: Âyât translated by Dr. Muhsin Khân & Shaykh. Taqî-ud-Dîn al–Hilâlî
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