The acknowledgement of the Oneness of Allah, this pure belief which is the Tawhid, so important for the Muslim, should be understood in its entirety in order to reach pure monotheism and to keep away from any form of shirk (associating partners with Allah). Without this understanding and this sincere acceptance of the Attributes and powers of Allah, any believer may even unintentionally fall into the denial of the Islamic principles that make of him a being in search of the Good Pleasure of our Creator.
So how are we to understand the Tawhid? What does it mean and what does it truly encompass? That is what we are going to see in this article.
Tawhid definition
The Tawhid is a foundation of the creed of Islam according to which the believer acknowledges that Allah is One Unique God. From this results the belief and the testimony that Allah is One without associating anything with Him but also the worship of Allah according to the three principles of Tawhid:
To believe in Allah in:
- His Lordship, Tawhid Rububiyah
- In our worship, without associating anything with Him, nor giving Him any equal, Tawhid Ilahiyah
- In His Attributes and His Names, Asma Allah el Husna wa Sifatih
Let us now come back to each of these points.
1)
When the believer embraces Islam, it is because he acknowledges that Allah is his Lord. Indeed, he admits in his heart and in his mind that Allah is the One who created him and who created everything in the Universe. He believes in Him and knows that it is He who grants him his sustenance and that He is the One who manages all the affairs of each of the creatures on Earth and in the Heavens. Thereby he also believes in his return to Him on the Day of Resurrection.
It is a belief that was not even called into question by the polytheistic worshippers, even at the time of the prophets Ibrahim or Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them. Indeed, they acknowledged that Allah is God but gave Him partners to intervene on their behalf, for example.
2)
By believing in Allah in His Lordship, the Muslim thus acknowledges that Allah is the Only One Worthy of being worshipped, and this is a point on which religious conflicts have always been based. It is for this reason that the Meccans at the time of the prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, relentlessly persecuted the beloved. They did not want to abandon their deities.
With this principle of Tawhid in worship, the servants of Allah acknowledge that He, Exalted be He, is the Only One whom one must:
- love more strongly than anything, and than any person
- fear more than anyone else
- worship without giving any power to anyone or anything whatsoever
- from whom one must seek Help
- in whom one must have certainty regarding the outcome of our affairs since they are in His Hands
- toward whom one must seek refuge and protection
- from whom one must desire good and success only in Him and only by His grace
To believe in Allah with a flawless Tawhid is to acknowledge that even if everyone were to unite to harm us, no one would be able to, and that if everyone were to gather to bring us any benefit, no one would be able to! Since any harm that touches us or any good that comes to us does so only by His Will.
The fear of disappointing Him is greater than that of any harm on Earth and one does everything to worship Him in such a way that He does not turn away from us.
When one seeks help, one seeks it in Him. When one needs to ask, one asks Him. One feels tranquillity only in His Presence, even when one is alone against all.
Tawhid is to turn one's face toward Him in all situations and on all occasions or periods, being convinced that He Alone can and knows everything.
3)
In acknowledging these principles of Tawhid, the Muslim acknowledges that he can reach a real pure monotheism only by learning to know Him. How can one love someone one does not know? How can one seek refuge or help from someone whose powers one does not fully grasp? And to Allah belong the most beautiful analogies!
Tawhid is therefore also to sincerely acknowledge that Allah has the most Beautiful Names and Attributes. To acknowledge that He is Equal to nothing and no one imaginable and therefore not to give Him any human resemblance.
To know Him, what better than the Quran?
Tawhid in the Quran
Here are some verses containing the principles of Tawhid:
Tawhid in worship
- Surah 11 Hud Verse 123
- Surah 39 Az-Zumar Verse 66
Tawhid in Lordship
- Surah 3 Ali Imran Verse 26
- Surah 8 Al-Anfal Verse 17
- Surah 33 Al-A'raf Verse 54
Tawhid in His Names and Attributes
- Surah 112 Al-Ikhlas Verse 1
- Surah 29 Al-Ankabut Verse 22
Tawhid in His Lordship
- Surah 18 Al-Kahf Verse 110
Tawhid in worship
- Surah 31 Luqman Verse 22
Tawhid in His Names and Attributes
- Surah 35 Fatir Verse 2
Tawhid in His Lordship
- Surah 43 Az-Zukhruf Verse 84
Putting Tawhid into practice
In summary, Tawhid is to reform one's heart so that it expects nothing from anyone because all our needs come from Allah and the answer to all our questions is found in Him.
It is to put the good pleasure of Allah before one's own and to worship Him as if one saw Him. And if our soul integrates the Tawhid within it, the body obeys only Allah and all our limbs bow before the Greatness and the Power of its Creator.
When the heart has been reformed thanks to pure monotheism, the intentions tend only to seek the divine Good Pleasure, that of Allah Alone without any fear of anyone, without any expectation toward anyone, without any love other than the one one devotes to Him.
Allah, azza wa jal, becomes the Center of interest in our life and our whole schedule revolves around Him and not the other way around. One no longer seeks to fit our prayers and our worship somewhere in time, at a moment that suits our material interests, that does not upset those we believe to be our superiors, whereas they are our fellow beings.
When the Tawhid is understood, the believer is not afraid that someone might know his faults or reveal them because he knows that Allah knows them too, and no one can be more important in his eyes than Him. He is far more afraid that Allah might not accept his worship because of his faults, and he strives to correct them out of love for Him.
Allah then becomes what He must and should always be in our heart (and what He already is whether we want it or not): Superior to all fear, to all interest, to all love or desire.
May Allah grant us sincere Tawhid. Amin!
Shirk, may Allah preserve us from it
The unforgivable and dreaded sin, if one moves away from the Oneness of Allah, is called associating partners with Allah (Shirk), and it is found in several areas:
- shirk in invocation: it corresponds to giving partners to Allah when one calls upon Him and asks of Him, when one prays to Him
- shirk in obedience: it is found in obedience to other than Allah in worship, such as worshipping Jesus, Son of Maryam (Mary), or as is explained in verse 31 of Surah At-Tawbah, obeying the monks and the rabbis in disobedience to Allah. Thus Allah says: “They have taken their rabbis and their monks, as well as the Christ son of Mary, as lords besides Allah, whereas they were commanded to worship only One God. There is no deity except Him! Glory be to Him! He is above what they associate [with Him].”
- shirk in love “Among mankind are some who take, besides Allah, equals to Him, loving them as one loves Allah.” Verse 165 Surah 2 Al-Baqarah
- shirk in intentions and will: it means to want something other than the good pleasure of Allah, to have a sincere goal other than meeting one's Lord on the Day of Resurrection with Him being pleased with us. May Allah preserve us from it, for He said: « Those who desire the present life with its adornment, We shall repay them exactly according to their deeds on earth, without anything being diminished for them. Those are the ones who have nothing, in the Hereafter, but the Fire. What they did here below will come to nothing, and vain will be what they used to do.” Verse 15 Surah 11 Hud
In conclusion
The Tawhid is the sincere and pure belief that drives us to better know Allah in order to better worship Him.
It corresponds to the maintaining of pure monotheism, the acknowledgement of the Oneness of Allah in His Lordship, His Divinity and His Names and Attributes, which brings happiness and tranquillity of the heart as results in the life of the believer.
A healthy life thanks to the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) in all circumstances, and what more beautiful and incredible way to worship and love Allah other than by holding fast to the Quran?
May Allah, Azza wa Jal, bring us this earthly happiness through the reading and the learning of the Quran, and may He grant us Firdaus among His Sincere Servants in the Hereafter. Amin
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