INTRODUCTION TO MONOTHEISM (TAWHEED)

Salaamun Alaykum wa rohmotulloh wa barokaatuh! we greet our audience with the best of greetings, may Allah in his mercy greet you for us.

It is well known that the first of the five pillars of Islam is Tawheed (which comprises testifying that Allah is one and the Prophet Muhammad (may the peace of Allah be upon him) is his messenger). That Tawheed is inevitably what makes an individual a Muslim. So the subject has to be well taught and by the grace of Allah, ALHARUDY will keep the knowledge up to date on our blog weekly.

What is Tawheed

“Tawheed” linguistically means monotheism. In the Islamic context, it is referred to as the affirmation of the non-existence of any other god that is worthy of worship (any act of worship) except Allah, meaning that there is no other god but Allah, as stated in the shahadah formula: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet.” Tawheed also refers to the nature of that God—that he is a unity, not composed, not made up of parts, but simple and uncompounded. Tawheed is an Arabic word that means “making one,” or “asserting oneness,” in Islam. Throughout the majority of Islamic history, the idea of the oneness of God and the challenges it raises—such as the relationship between God’s essence and his attributes—recur. However, Tawheed has a pantheistic connotation in the vocabulary of Muslim mystics (Sufis); all essences are divine, and the only absolute existence is that of God. The Sufis believe that knowledge of God can only be attained through direct vision and religious experience, in contrast to the majority of Muslim scholars who view the science of Tawheed as a systematic theology that leads to a fuller understanding of God.

Types of Tawheed

Three different varieties of Tawheed exist, Tawheed al-Ilaahiyyah, Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah, and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat.

Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is the act of praising Allaah the Exalted for His creation, provision of sustenance, infliction of life and death, and for all manner of control and management over the dominion of the heavens and the earth, as well as for His right to judge, pass laws, send messengers, and reveal books. “Verily, to Him belongs the creation and the command, praised be Allaah, the Lord of the worlds,” declared Allaah the Exalted (al-A’raaf 7:54).

Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah is the act of single-outing Allah in worship so that He alone is worshipped, invoked, and looked to for assistance or rescue. To ensure that He is the only one offered as a sacrifice, the only one to be killed, the only one to be sworn to. The Almighty Allah declared: “Say, “Allah, the Creator of the universe, is the object of my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death.” The man is alone. I am the first of those who submit (to him with Islaam and Tawheed), and this is what I have been instructed with (al-An’aam 6:162), and He added, “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him alone)” in al-Kawthar 108:2.

And Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat is describing and naming Allaah the Highest with whatever He described and named Himself with, and with whatever His Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) described and named Him within the authentic narrations – and to affirm that for Allaah without likening (to the creation) or resembling (it), and without (false) interpretation (of (of any of that). He is the All-Hearer and the All-Seer, and nothing compares to Him. And may Allah salute and send prayers to the family and companions of our Prophet Muhammad.