Tauheed (monotheism)

Definition:
Lexicology: Tauheed - (Root w-h-d means action of unifying and of conferring
unity)

The doctrine of Tauheed affirms the belief in absolute unity and oneness of a
unique, transcendent, omnipotent, compassionate and merciful God. Tauheed is
the very essence of Islam.
Tauheed constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession of
submission. The first part of the shahadah (the Islamic declaration of faith) is the
declaration of belief in the oneness of God. To attribute divinity to anything or
anyone else, is shirk – an unpardonable sin according to the Qur'an, if repentance
is not sought afterwards. Islamic monotheism does not begin with the
proclamation of unity of God rather with the unequivocal and absolute negation
of all concepts, ideas and illusions of God other than the one and only dive.
“There is no God but God” (Surah Ikhlas)
It is a revolutionary concept, especially during the time when it was revealed, and
the starting point of Islam. It eliminates all doubts and revokes all sorts of
adulterations to the idea for all time.

Kinds of Tauheed: (Tauheed al-Dhat, Tauheed al-Sifat, Tauheed al-Alfaal)

1) Unique in person and worship:
The oneness of His person means that there is neither plurality of Gods, nor
plurality of persons in Godhood.
Allah has no offspring, no partners, not born from anyone. He alone deserves to
be worshipped.
“Say: He is God, the One and only! God, The Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not
nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto him.” (Surah 112)
“Yet they have taken besides Him, gods that can create nothing but are
themselves created”
Refutation of polytheistic adulterations to the concept of Tauheed
“Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah , they both
would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what
they describe.” (21:22)
2) Unique in name and attributes:
Islam emphatically proclaims that the almighty God is far above possessing any of
the limitations of the human beings or any of his other creations. He has neither
form nor body, nor physical attributes, features or characteristics. He is far above
any limitations, deficiencies and defects such as having a beginning or an end,
having physical needs (food and rest).
His oneness in names and attributes also implies that no other being possesses
divine attributes in their perfection. No one can possess the attributes of Allah to
the same level of perfection. For instance, a man may be forgiving but cannot be
as forgiving as Allah. Similarity of traits exists in name, but not in degree. He is
Eternal, Self-sufficient, Omni-potent and Omni-present.
3) Unique in action and lordship:
His unity in actions means that no one can do or does the works which Allah has
done or does or which Allah will do in the future. For example Allah has created
his entire universe, all-living things on earth, rivers and mountains, but no human
being or other creation can do it.
“Allah is the creator of all things and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all
affairs”
“Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all]
existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs
whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can
intercede with Him except by His permission?”
The concept of Tauheed is composed of the following attributes of Allah:
1) Oneness/Unity
2) Sovereignty of Allah (Absolute)
3) Omnipotence
4) Eternal and Immortal
5) All-Knowing
6) All mighty
7) Perfect
· Quran: “There is none like unto Him…”

Proof of Unity of Allah:

 Vast, complicated universe beyond human comprehension and
understanding but everything in it is well coordinated and working
smoothly. Seasons come and go, sun rises and sets, earth revolving and
rotating, day and night etc. All this implies that there must be one
“supreme” authority in control, because had there been more than one,
there would have been chaos and conflict. (Intelligent design)

Impacts of Tauheed on individual life:

1. Tauheed creates a sense of responsibility:
Tauheed is a responsibility rather than something to merely profess. It
encourages man to work towards transforming himself according to the will
of God. The fear of God and his power to hold oneself accountable keeps
the man upright and righteous.
2. Tauheed gives purpose of existence of man and universe:
Acknowledging God as the creator and the sustainer of all living things
entails acceptance of Him as the sole deity and master who alone can
determine the purpose of the existence of all.
The one God answers the purpose of man and his fundamental questions
of who am I? and what is the purpose of my life?.

“your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a
successive authority.” (2:30)
“have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. And I (Allah)
created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me
(Alone).” (51:56)

3. Tauheed infuses self-respect and freedom from slavery:

“Indeed, We created humans in the best form.”
God’s proclamation that man is created in the best of statures boosts the
esteem of every individual with regards to his relation to the universe and
other creations. The story of angels prostrating to Adam because of the will
of God is a manifestation of this promise. Similarly, acknowledging God as
the sole sustainer and worthy of worship man transcends from any worldly
subservience and slavery. He relies solely on God and through Him on
himself.

4. Tauheed induces sense of modesty and humility:

Tauheed instills the belief that all the wealth and qualities or success a
person achieves and attains is because of the will and grace of God thus
leaving no room for pride, haughtiness and arrogance. Instead the believer
becomes humble and modest. Perfect example of this is Prophet (PBUH)
entering Makah in front of all his enemies, doubters yet his head was
bowed down as he entered. This is the ultimate manifestation of Tauheed
in a man.
5. Tauheed makes one virtuous and upright:
The foremost implication of Tauheed is that man’s existence is not
meaningless rather he was granted this life as a test. Man by his nature has
the potential to do both good and evil and the straight path or guide is
granted to man in the form of Halal and haram so that a person may
become virtuous and pious. For the attainment of eternal rewards and
further incentivized by the fear of eternal punishment.

“And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] that the land [of
Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants.”

6. Tauheed imparts consolation, satisfaction and hope/Peace of mind:

The believer does not become despondent and broken hearted under any
circumstance. He has a firm faith in God and his ability to sustain him (all
the treasures of the Heavens and the Earth belong to Him). This faith
imparts extraordinary consolation and peace to the heart such a profound
coincidence can result from no other belief than in one God.
God’s name: Al-wali (Friend, Dependable)
“and never give up hope of mercy of Allah. Certainly no one despairs of
Allah’s mercy, except the people who disbelieve (Qur’ān 12:87)”

7. Tauheed produces determination and trust in God:

A firm believer in Tauheed is determined to gain the pleasure of his lord
and fulfill his responsibilities and the divine will. This objective helps him
remain resolute and transcend from humanly weaknesses of self-doubt and
lack of resolve.

8. Tauheed is a source of bravery:

There are two things that make man cowardly (i) fear of death and (ii) the
idea that there is someone else besides God who can take away life.The
belief in one God purges man of both these beliefs no one other than God
controls life and death of a man and that death is merely a transition for
 the righteous people of God. This invigorates superhuman acts of valor
among men since they are not hesitant to sacrifice their lives for God.

Example: Prophet and His companions despite being outnumbered had a

firm faith in oneness of God which helped them prevail and subsequently
succeed in wars and against all tribulations. (Battle of Badr/ Starvation)

9. Obedient:
The fear of Allah and his ability of Omni-science that he knows everything
and that he will hold to account all mankind for all their actions coupled
with the belief that the fate of man rests in God’s hand and in His mercy A
man is more likely to be obedient and subservient to divine ill.

10.Reaffirms belief in other articles of faith:

Articles of faith like belief in angels, the unseen world and the life after
death all deal with knowledge that is beyond man’s capability of
comprehension. Therefore, man is reluctant to believe in winged angels,
paradise and resurrection of self in this regard the concept of One God who
is all powerful, all-knowing grants an associative faith to the other articles
of faith. Nothing is beyond the capabilities of God and since He is unique
and perfect in all regards this affirms the possibility of all the unseen
knowledge in Quran.

Impacts of Tauheed on Society/Collective Impacts:

1. Human equality and social equality:
Tauheed is directly related to the moral sphere of human life. Its essence
cannot be achieved without actualizing its demands for universality of
truth, quality and equity among humans. Since there is One God and He
created all mankind therefor no one has any distinction or superiority over
the other. Tauheed eradicates discrimination along the lines of ethnicity,
race, wealth and physical strength instead replacing it with a universal law
or truth of righteousness equally accessible to all.
 “He is dearer to God who is more pious (the one who fears God)” (49:13)

On the day of Hajjat-ul-Wida Prophet delineated this clearly:

“O people! Your lord is one, and certainly your father is one. There is no
preference to an arab over non-arab and non-arab over an arab, white
over black, and black over white but only due to Taqwa.”

2. Islamic unity and brotherhood:

The belief in Tauheed creates unity and cooperation among all the
believers.
Firstly, all the believers belonging to different tribes and races wre united
under the banner of monotheism and a single diverse Ummah was created.
Example: Ansaar and Muhaajir shared their wealth, status and homes with
each other. / Analogy of body and body-part (Prophet)
“Certainly, all Muslims are brothers.” (49:10)
Secondly, all the Muslims are striving towards a common goal the pleasure
of God hence there is no sense of rivalry and envy instead believers
cooperate with each other in order that aal of them may excel in the next
life.

3. Promotes collective peace and social justice:

Islam is the only Deen which connects the traditional ethical monotheism
to a socio-political and economic ideology. Since this ideology delineates
from a single infallible source of One God believers are able to establish an
objective reality based on universal humanism and equity.

“We did send our apostles with manifest signs; and We did send down
among you the Book and the balance, that men might stand by justice.”
(57:25)
The goal of all prophetic missions and scriptures was to establish ultimate
justice – God’s justice.

4. Global unity and coexistence among major monotheistic religions: