Belief in Allah
Belief in Allah requires the ultimate belief in His oneness, His rule over all the worlds and that He created us. It is belief in all of His attributes as mentioned to us in the Qur'an and from the Prophet (pbuh). It requires tawheed.
The first part of the shahada professes this.
To believe Allah (swt) includes singling out Allah for His lordship; He (swt) is the sole creator, provider and sustainer in charge of all the affairs of all creation. We must realize that we live to worship Him. All worship is for Allah and Allah alone. Every deed of worship is for His sake; all acts of obedience (like the pillars of Islam, for example,) are a means to become closer to Him, to please Allah (so they are for His sake). Furthermore, we may not liken any one attribute or characteristic of Allah to that of creation or vice versa. Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in all that with which He has described Himself in His Book or with which His Prophet (ﷺ) has described Him without any distortion, negation, speculation, doubt, nor analogy (like comparisons, as aforementioned, between Allah and His creations; using the same terms to describe each without realizing there is a difference; likening creation to Allah even though there is a clear difference between any creation and our Creator: we, as creation, have limitations to our attributes and abilities, whereas Allah is Omnipotent and limitless in power and skill; He is the One who granted us our status, abilities and attributes).
To believe Allah (swt) includes singling out Allah for His lordship; He (swt) is the sole creator, provider and sustainer in charge of all the affairs of all creation. We must realize that we live to worship Him. All worship is for Allah and Allah alone. Every deed of worship is for His sake; all acts of obedience (like the pillars of Islam, for example,) are a means to become closer to Him, to please Allah (so they are for His sake). Furthermore, we may not liken any one attribute or characteristic of Allah to that of creation or vice versa. Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in all that with which He has described Himself in His Book or with which His Prophet (ﷺ) has described Him without any distortion, negation, speculation, doubt, nor analogy (like comparisons, as aforementioned, between Allah and His creations; using the same terms to describe each without realizing there is a difference; likening creation to Allah even though there is a clear difference between any creation and our Creator: we, as creation, have limitations to our attributes and abilities, whereas Allah is Omnipotent and limitless in power and skill; He is the One who granted us our status, abilities and attributes).
Worship is a basic human need because we were created with one true purpose in this life: to worship Allah and to serve Him.
Our acts of worship are only valid if we are aware of Allah and His Oneness.
Allah is free of need for others and is the sole Creator of all of us--everything in the world and beyond it. Allah created us and ordered us to do good, serving as guidance for us to please Him, forbidding things that which displease Him, following such orders would only be in our best interest. Allah sent to us Messengers as a way to guide us, and the books with the truth and 'ilm al-ghaib (knowledge of the unseen/unknown). Allah alone can guide us to imaan, and alhamdulillah He has brought us to Islam. Only Allah can forgive us our sins and guide us from our misgivings. Only Allah can grant us knowledge for the right path.
It is forbidden to worship any other but Allah. Again, to do so is called shirk, and this is the antithesis of tawheed. Allah's power and rule is indivisible. Instinctively, all beings call to Allah in times of dire need, even idolators, when facing crisis, turn to the one true God, leaving their false ones forgotten. We all were created to worship Him-this is our natural state of being.
Shirk is unforgivable.
There are different forms of shirk-greater shirk, which is blatantly expressed and/or apparent, associating others with Allah (turning to them for help or intercession or believing in more gods than one, which negates tawheed), and lesser minor) shirk, which is concealed (i.e. in thoughts, doubts, overpraising others, forgetting to give credit to our being and status to Allah, Who has written such things for us, self-praise or showing off, etc.). Minor and specifically, hidden, shirk, many scholars note, is extremely dangerous as it is muddy and hard to often decipher as one may fall into it without realizing it. May Allah strengthen our imaan and let us not stray from the straight path. May He protect us from all forms of shirk, granting us clarity and purity of mind and heart. May Allah forgive us our errors, guiding us to only what pleases Him. Ameen.
Shirk is unforgivable.
There are different forms of shirk-greater shirk, which is blatantly expressed and/or apparent, associating others with Allah (turning to them for help or intercession or believing in more gods than one, which negates tawheed), and lesser minor) shirk, which is concealed (i.e. in thoughts, doubts, overpraising others, forgetting to give credit to our being and status to Allah, Who has written such things for us, self-praise or showing off, etc.). Minor and specifically, hidden, shirk, many scholars note, is extremely dangerous as it is muddy and hard to often decipher as one may fall into it without realizing it. May Allah strengthen our imaan and let us not stray from the straight path. May He protect us from all forms of shirk, granting us clarity and purity of mind and heart. May Allah forgive us our errors, guiding us to only what pleases Him. Ameen.
Allah, Exalted, says in the Qur'an:
Surah al-Ikhlas
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful Say! He is Allah, (who is) One. Allah (is) as-Samad (the Eternal Refuge; the Self-Sufficient Master who all beings need; He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten (born), And there is none co-equal (or comparable) to Him. |
This surah, in and of itself, proclaims the oneness of Allah - it is a surah about tawheed.
Coming soon: Summary of Kitaab at-Tawheed
- The Book of Tawheed --> Monotheism
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Please contact me about any discrepancies found, errs in information, etc. May Allah guide us and forgive us our shortcomings!
Please contact me about any discrepancies found, errs in information, etc. May Allah guide us and forgive us our shortcomings!