Tawheed: The Foundation of Islam and Purpose of Creation
﷽
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, his family, and his companions.
Tawheed (التوحيد) — affirming the absolute Oneness of Allah — is the central message of Islam, the mission of every Prophet, and the very purpose for which humans and jinn were created.
Allah ﷻ declares in the Qur’an:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)
What Is Tawheed?
Islamically, Tawheed means singling out Allah in His Lordship, His worship, and His Names & Attributes. Scholars explain it under three clear categories to make understanding easier.
1️⃣ Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah – Oneness of Lordship
It means believing with certainty that Allah alone is:
- The Creator
- The Sustainer
- The Provider
- The One who gives life and causes death
- The Controller of all affairs
Qur’anic References
“Allah is the Creator of all things.”
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:62)
“Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days.”
(Surah Al-A’raf 7:54)
“There is no creature on earth except that its provision is from Allah.”
(Surah Hud 11:6)
Even the polytheists of Makkah acknowledged Allah as Creator:
“If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say: Allah.”
(Surah Luqman 31:25)
2️⃣ Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah – Oneness of Worship
This is the essence of Islam.
It means directing all forms of worship—prayer, dua, hope, fear, love, reliance—to Allah alone, without partners.
Qur’anic References
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.”
(Surah Al-Isra 17:23)
“So worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion.”
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:2)
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, making the religion sincere for Him.”
(Surah Al-Bayyinah 98:5)
“Do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you.”
(Surah Yunus 10:106)
Prophetic References
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The right of Allah over His servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.”
(Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
When he sent Mu‘adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه to Yemen, he instructed:
“Let the first thing you call them to be the worship of Allah alone.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
3️⃣ Tawheed al-Asma wa Sifaat – Oneness of Allah’s Names & Attributes
This means affirming everything Allah described Himself with, without:
- Distortion (تَحْرِيف)
- Denial (تَعْطِيل)
- Asking “how” (تَكْيِيف)
- Comparison (تَشْبِيه / تَمْثِيل)
Qur’anic References
“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”
(Surah Ash-Shura 42:11)
“And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.”
(Surah Al-A‘raf 7:180)
“He is Allah, besides whom there is no god — Knower of the unseen and the seen…”
(Surah Al-Hashr 59:22–24)
Prophetic References
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah has ninety-nine names; whoever memorizes them will enter Paradise.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Why Tawheed Is the Heart of Islam
1. It was the message of every Prophet
“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, saying: Worship Allah and avoid Taghut.”
(Surah An-Nahl 16:36)
Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and all prophets called to Tawheed.
2. It is the first obligation upon every human
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ spent 13 years in Makkah teaching Tawheed before any other command.
3. No deed is accepted without Tawheed
“If you associate partners with Allah, your deeds will surely become worthless.”
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:65)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever dies while associating anything with Allah will enter Hellfire;
and whoever dies without associating anything with Him will enter Paradise.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The Danger of Shirk (Polytheism)
Shirk is the greatest sin, the only sin Allah has declared unforgivable if one dies upon it.
“Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.”
(Surah An-Nisa 4:48)
Major Shirk
Examples:
- Dua to others besides Allah
- Tawaf around graves
- Sacrificing to saints or jinn
- Believing someone other than Allah controls destiny
This nullifies all deeds if committed knowingly.
“Whoever calls upon another god besides Allah with no proof has his judgment only with his Lord.”
(Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:117)
Minor Shirk
Examples:
- Showing off in worship (riyaa’)
- Swearing by someone other than Allah
- Believing charms or amulets protect independently
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk.”
He was asked: “What is minor shirk?”
He said: “Showing off.”
(Musnad Ahmad)
How to Strengthen Tawheed in Our Lives
1. Study the Qur’an and Sunnah regularly
Every verse of the Qur’an affirms Tawheed.
2. Make dua only to Allah
Dua is worship — only Allah hears and responds.
3. Put complete trust in Allah (Tawakkul)
“And whoever relies upon Allah — He is sufficient for him.”
(Surah At-Talaq 65:3)
4. Purify intentions
A deed done for people will receive its reward from people, not Allah.
5. Avoid superstitions & innovations
Horoscopes, charms, numerology, fortune telling — all weaken Tawheed.
6. Frequent dhikr
A heart connected to Allah remains safe from hidden shirk.
Tawheed is not simply a belief – it is a life-transforming reality.
It purifies the heart, strengthens faith, brings peace, and connects us directly with our Creator without intermediaries.
May Allah make us firm upon Tawheed, protect us from all forms of shirk, and grant us sincerity in every word and action. Aameen.
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
(Qur’an 20:114)
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ،
وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهُ،
وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ مُلْتَبِسًا عَلَيْنَا فَنَضِلَّ
“O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it. Do not make it unclear to us, lest we go astray.”
اللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ كَمَا أَمَرْتَ،
وَكَمَا صَلَّى نَبِيُّنَا مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ
وَارْزُقْنَا الْخُشُوعَ وَالْإِخْلَاصَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ.
🌸 Jazakumullahu Khayran for reading.
🌙 May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
✍️ Written By:
Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah
Student of Islam and Science | Researcher | Thinker | Against Sectarianism | Reviving Ummah | Qur'an and Sunnah
© 2019– Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah. All Rights Reserved.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment