Book Of Tawhid (Oneness of Allah or Monotheism in Islam) Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Allah--Ta'ala--has said:

"I have not created jinn and mankind except to serve Me."
(Quran 51:56)

 

"And to every people We sent a prophet to convey to them that they ought to serve Allah and avoid at-taghut."
(Quran 16:36)

 

"Your Lord has decreed that you shall serve none but Him, and show kindness to your parents."
(Quran 17:23)

"Serve Allah and do not associate aught with Him."  (Quran 4:36)

"Come, let me tell you what your Lord has forbidden you; namely, that you do not associate aught with Him."
(Quran 6:151-153)

Ibn Mas'ood said: "Whoever wishes to ascertain the will of the Prophet Mohammed--peace be upon him --a will on which the Prophet had set his seal, let him read the following words of Allah:
'Come, let me tell you what your Lord has forbidden you, namely, that you do not associate aught with Him . . . And that is My straight path."
(Qur'an 6:151-153)

Mu'ath ibn Jabal related: "I was riding behind the Prophet-- peace be upon him --when he said to me:
 

'O Mu'ath! Do you know what is due to Allah from His creatures, and what is due them?'

I responded: 'Allah and His Prophet know best.' He continued:  

'What is due to Allah from His creatures is to serve Him alone and never to associate any other being with Him. What is due them is not to punish any person who does not associate aught with Him."
 

I said: 'O Prophet of Allah, may I not then give the glad tidings to the people?' He replied:
'No! Do not reassure them lest they rely on the promise and lapse in their service to Him.'"

The foregoing hadith is reported in the two Sahihs (Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslims "Sahih").

Further Issues

1. The wisdom of creating jinn and mankind.
2. That service to Allah consists of tauhid.
   For, in the opposite of tauhid [i.e., association or polytheism] lies alienation from Allah (shirk)..
3. That whoever does not fulfill the requirements of tauhid has not served Allah.
   For, only in tauhid may the meaning of the verse be sought:
   "Nor will you serve the Allah whom I serve."
   (Qur'an 109:3)
4. The wisdom of sending prophets.
5. That the message of prophecy has reached all the members of every people on earth.
6. That the religion of all the prophets is one and the same.
7. Important: That service to Allah is not complete except with the denunciation of at-taghut (false worship or idols). Here lies the meaning of the verse,
   "Whoever denies at-taghut . . ."
   (Qur'an 2:256)
8. That generally, at-taghut is anything served other than Allah.
9. That the fathers have attached great importance to the above mentioned three unequivocal (mohkamat) verses from Surah al-An'am (Qur'an 6:151-153), a fact which subsumes ten other problems, first of which is the prohibition of shirk or association.
10. The unequivocal verses of Surah al-Isra (Qur'an 17:22-39), and their implications, which are eighteen in number.
    The first is in the verse,
    "And do not set up with Allah another Allah, lest you be doomed to guilt and defeat."
    The last is the verse,
    "And do not set up with Allah another Allah lest you be consigned to Hell, guilty and vanquished."
    (Qur'an 17:39)
    Allah, subhannah, has called our attention to the gravity of these problems, in the verse,
    "That is wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you."
    (Qur'an 17:39)
11. The implication of the verse in Surah an-Nisa'', which is known as the verse of the ten duties of man, the start of which is:
    "And serve Allah alone. Do not associate anything with Him
    (in worship)."
    (Qur'an 4:36)
12. Attention should be paid to the will of the Prophet of Allah--peace be upon him--at his death.
13. Our duty to Allah.
14. Our right with Allah if we fulfill our duty to Him.
15. This last problem is unknown to most of the Prophet's companions.
16. Permissibility of keeping this matter secret in order to maximize men's service to Allah.
17. Worthiness of passing the glad tidings to the Moslem.
18. Fear of reliance on the promise of Allah's great mercy.
19. Responding to questions without knowledge of the answer,
    "Allah and His Prophet know best."
20. Possibility of granting knowledge to some and not to others.
21. The Prophet's modesty in mounting a donkey with a second rider.
22. Legitimacy of two persons riding on the beast of burden.
23. The virtue of Mu'ath ibn Jabal.
24. The great importance of this matter.