In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatuallahi wa barakatuhu Tawheed http://www.alkhilafah.net/differences.html By Faraaz Hussain Tawheed The First Pillar of Islam & the Fundamental part of Faith in Islam. Literal meaning-combination, conjunction, monotheism, integration It is the Essence of Deen, on which all other matters of Faith are build upon. Here, Inshallah, we shall see in brief the meaning & shades of Tawheed in Islam. Tawheed is in fact expressed in Basic form as La Ilaha Ill-Allah= There is no god except Allah(swt = subhanawt'ala Glory br to Him), which is expressed here: 3:62. This is the true account: There is no god except Allah (La Ilaha Ill-Allah). and Allah-He is indeed the Exalted in Power, the Wise. But this in fact enshrines within it a much Deeper & profound meaning which has been organised into a Science of Tawheed by scholars of Islam. Tawheed in Islam is divided as: 1]Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah = Unity of Lordship It means that Allah(swt) alone is the Rabb of the whole of Creation, & He needs NO sustenance, but Provides Sustenance to all. He is Alone in having this Universal Lordship & is ONE Rabb. Here Rabb is a comprehensive Arabic word, meaning = cherishing, sustaining, bringing to maturity, both in the sense of Material & Spiritual. Usually translated as Lord, but the English word is not as complete. The Qur'anic verses: 1: 2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer (Rabb) of the worlds; This part of Tawheed also includes the understanding that Allah(swt) alone is the Ultimate Reality. He who Himself was Always there & shall Always be, but Has Created all things. Nothing happens but by His permission, no Power exists but through His Sustenance. It is on Him that the Universe depends in totality. There is NO chance or Luck as people hide it under, His authority alone exists as the Reality. 39:62. Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs. And 57:21. Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding. 57:22. No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah: 57:23. In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,- 2]Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat = Unity of Allah's(swt) Names & Attributes This category involves that one refers to Allah(swt) only by those names which Allah(swt) Himself has told us about, either in the Qur'an or in Sahih Hadith. 59:24. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory:and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. We are NOT to coin a Name for Him, even though it may seem logical at some part, for that Name is NOT sanctioned by Allah(swt) & hence should NOT be used to denote Him. Moreover, we are NOT to make out meanings & corollaries from His known Names & Attributes ,other than those specified by His Prophet(saw). This also implies that we do not say things of Him without surety of Knowledge,Ex: talking of His presence/location in a Pantheistic attitude is Haraam. We should only speak from Knowledge of the Qur'an & Sahih Hadith: 2:255. Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). Neglecting all this would in fact amount to speaking a Lie about Allah(swt) which is Severely condemned here: 6:21. Who doth more wrong than he who inventeth a lie against Allah or rejecteth His sings? But verily the wrong-doers never shall prosper. And here: 16:74. Invent not similitudes for Allah: for Allah knoweth, and ye know not. 7:180. The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in his names: for what they do, they will soon be requited. This is because we are limited in knowledge, but His knowledge Is Infinite, so we cannot even remotely come close to Define Him or His Attributes on our own, & hence we are ONLY allowed to use those which Allah(swt) has given to Himself.Another part of this category is that we are NOT to attribute abilities/characters of His Creation to Allah(swt), for there is NONE like unto Him, & hence denoting Him with the characters of His creatures is obviously Incorrect. 112: 1. Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; 112: 2. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; 112: 3. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; 112: 4. And there is none like unto Him. What should be clarified here is the fact that His Abilities like Seeing & Hearing are NOT similar to that of His Creation. 42:11. (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). Here it is clarified that His Sight & Hearing are Perfect & beyond our Imagination, hence they are different from the Blessings we have from Him. Same is the case in other such Attributes.
This category also involves the fact that we are NOT to give His Divine Names & Attributes to His Creation. This is specially important when names are concerned. Hence the Muslim practise of using Abd before the names of those which contain His Attributes. Ex : Abd-ur-Rehmaan = Slave of Rehmaan(Most Gracious- an Attribute of Allah). It must be noted that Allah(swt) has called His Messenger as Most Kind & Merciful here: 9:128. Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that ye should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind (Ra'oof) and merciful(Raheem). But what must be understood here is that these are only Indefinite forms of the words which form the Attributes of Allah(swt), so it is NOT the Definite form which is applied to any Creature, including the Last Prophet(saw). As an example, one is NOT to call someone as Ar-Raheem or The Raheem (Most Merciful-an Attribute of Allah) , for that is ONLY meant for Allah(swt). 3]Tawheed al-'Ebaadah = Unity of Worship due to Allah(swt) This category in fact Completes the Tawheed, & involves Worship of The ONE & ONLY God- Allah(swt). It implies absolutely NO prayer being directed to any one else but Allah(swt), for Allah(swt) has clearly warned us in the Qur'an: 12:106. And most of them believe not in Allah without associating (other as partners) with Him! 12:107. Do they then feel secure from the coming against them of the covering veil of the wrath of Allah,- or of the coming against them of the (final) Hour all of a sudden while they perceive not? This clearly implies that many in fact do believe in a Supreme God, but along with Him associate things during Worship & Prayer. The fact is Stressed daily by Muslims as part of the Seven Oft-repeated verses: 1: 5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. So its quite obvious that ALL Worship should be directed to Him ALONE. We are also to place all our Trust & Hopes in Allah(swt) alone, that is included in worship as well. We are not to Invoke anyone else, nor yet to take an Oath by anyone/anything else. The importance of Worship as a Duty upon man is expressed here: 51:56. I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. 51:57. No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. 51:58. For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance,- Lord of Power,- Steadfast (for ever). Here it must be understood that Worshipping Allah(swt) is the Need of man, it does not benefit Allah(swt) when we worship Him, He Needs no Sustenance, but Sustains all. The Duty of Serving Him is ours, it our Need for our Spiritual Sustenance, and its a great Blessing that humanity has the opportunity to do so. Here Worship is Translated from 'Ebaadah, which is more comprehensive and involves the absolute recognition of the Authority of Allah(swt) in all matters of our Lives, not just the external rites. Worship in the Islamic Sense is in fact a Continuous process, which involves the Living of our Entire Life the Way in which Allah(swt) Wishes us to. 5:44. It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers. This tells us of the importance of using Divine Guidance for all our activities. And it specifically includes: 2:177. It is not (just) righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- -to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; -to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; -to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; -to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing. And this as well: 98: 5. And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight. One should remember that such a division was not done by the Prophet(saw) or the Sahabas(ra), but these are evident from the Qur'anic verses & the Sahih Hadith. The necessity of organizing this knowledge came due to the fact that when Islam spread to new Lands at a very rapid rate in its early years, it was important to establish this fundamental aspect of Faith into a clear Study so that the New People embracing Islam would have proper concepts regarding its basics.The need for a proper understanding of Tawheed is very important in our own times. It cannot be stressed greatly enough as to how necessary the First Pillar is, for if we fail to observe Tawheed properly, then our other Pillars would automatically become weak. I hope this brief information helps us to understand this important facet of Islam better. References: -All Qur'anic verses are from Translation & Commentary of Yusuf Ali. -The Fundamentals of Tawheed by Bilal Philips. -http://www.muttaqun.com/shahada.html -Allah(swt) Knows Best, May He accept this work & Forgive any mistakes. -June 2007(CE Gregorian Calender)/Jumada I 1428(Hijri Calender) -This work has been completed by the Grace of Allah(Glory be to Him) & I pray that He accepts this work. And may He forgive any mistakes that may have occurred. - Servant of Allah. Surah Isra 17 verse 80 Say: "O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)." Ameen,Thumameen. Transliteration :Wa qur rabbi adkhilni mudkhala sidqiw wa akhrijni mukhraja sidqiw wa-j'al li mil ladunka sulta_nan nasira_(n). __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
