The three categories of Tawhid

1.Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah

What this means to single out regarding His actions. For example, creating, providing, giving life, causing death, sending down rain, causing crops to grow. The monotheistic Muslim believes that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the One Who brings benefit, and theOnly One Who can harm, the One Who brings to life, the One Who causes death, the King of the entire dominion - in His Hands are the reins of the heavens and the earth.

The polytheists believed in this category of Tawhid, for Allah Almighty says about them:

'Say: "Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?" They will say: "Allah." Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allah's punishment?” (Surah Yunus 10:31)

2. Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah

This means to single out Allah with those actions that His worshippers perform as a form of worship - in ways that Allah and His Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) have legislated. It means to believe that Allah alone is the One Who deserves to be worshipped and obeyed, and that there is none that deserves to be worshipped other than Him. Therefore, all acts of worship must be performed purely for Him. So when one prays, he must pray only to Allah; when one supplicates, he must supplicate only to Him. When one slaughters an animal, it must be done by Allah's Name only. When one makes a vow, one must do it only for Allah. When one seeks help, one must seek it from Allah in those matters that only Allah is capable of. When one calls out for help, one must call out for help from Allah - in those matters that only Allah is capable of.

To believe and apply Tawhid in this sense requires one to: -

Worship none except Allah

Fear none except Allah

Submit to none except Allah

Seek refuge in none except Allah

Seek help from none except Allah

Rely upon none except in Allah

Seek judgement from none except Allah's Shari'ah

To not make lawful except that which Allah has allowed

To not make forbidden except that which Allah has prohibited

It is confirmed that 'Adi bin Hatim - who was a Christian in the Days of Ignorance - heard the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) recite this verse:

They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah, and the Messiah, son of Maryam.(Surah At-Taubah 9: 31)

'Adi said, "0 Messenger of Allah, they did not worship them." The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

"Indeed, they (the rabbis and monks) would forbid them from that which was lawful, and they would permit them to do that which was forbidden. They followed them: that was their worship of them. "


The Tawhid with which the Messengers were sent

Tawhid AI-Uluhiyyah is the Tawhid that the Messengers invited people to accept, and it is that category of Tawhid that people rejected, from the time of Nuh, (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam), until that of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) Allah Almighty says:

And We did not send any Messenger before you but We inspired him (saying): "Laa Ilaha Illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I], so worship Me. (Surah Al-Anbiya’ 21: 25)

And Allah Almighty says:

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid the Taghut (all false deities) ... (Surah An-Nahl 16: 36)

Whosoever worships Allah alone, leaving the worship of all else, has indeed followed the straight path, and has grasped the most trustworthy handhold:

Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 256)

"Take not Ilahain (two gods in worship, etc.). Verily, He is only One Ilah (God). Then, fear Me much.” (Surah An-Nahl 16: 51)

The polytheists among the Arabs acknowledged that Allah created all things, while their gods neither created, nor provided, nor brought things to life, nor caused death; Allah Almighty says:

And indeed if you ask them, "Who has created the heavens and the earth?" They will surely say: "The All-Mighty, the All-Knower created them.” (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43: 9)

Nevertheless, they were polytheists because they worshipped other gods along with Allah, gods that in their estimation were intermediaries between them and Allah. So, because they rejected Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah, their belief in Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah didn't benefit them at all:

And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him. ((Surah Yusuf 12: 106)

They didn't single Allah out for worship, supplication and seeking help; rather, they associated partners with Him in their worship:



So again, it becomes clear that although one may believe in Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah, one is a polytheist, not a Muslim, as long as one doesn't believe in Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah.


To continue Insha Allah

Who Is Allah?

Indeed Allah is the One True God: He has no partner and there is no one who is equal or similar to Him, not similar to His Self, to His Attributes, or to His actions. With this belief, we are different fromthose who ascribe a wife or a child to Allah:

Say: "He is Allah, (the) One, Allabus-Samad (Allah - the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten, And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.(Surah Al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4)

With our belief that is explained above, we are different from those who claim that Allah is the third of three - far, far is Allah above the evil they ascribe to Him:

Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allah is the third of the three." But there is no Ilah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilah (God - Allah) (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5: 73)

And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), La Ilaha Illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 163)

And with that same belief, we are opposite of those who believe that god other than Allah has any power in the universe:

Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! (Surah Al-Anbiya’ 21: 22)




3. Tawhid Al-Asma' was-Sifat (Names and Attributes)

Under this category, we affirm for Allah all that He affirmed about Himself and all that His Messenger Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) affirmed about Him - all of His Beautiful Names, and all of the Attributes that those Names indicate, without resembling them to the attributes of creatures, without comparisons, without distortions and without denying those attributes. Allah Almighty has Names and Attributes that indicate His Perfection and Greatness, and no one is similar to Him in those Names and Attributes.

Allah's Names and Attributes are mentioned in the Qur'an and in the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and we must believe that they are real, for Allah said:

There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. (Surah Ash-Shura 42: 11)


Examples Of Allah's Names And Attributes

1) Some Of His Names: Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Qahir, Al-Qadir, As-Sami', Al-Basir, Al-Quddus.

2) Some Of His Attributes: Highness, Hearing, Seeing, Ability, that He has a Face and Hand, and that He descends (during the last-third of every night).

After explaining the different categories of Tawhid, we can now explain the objective of sending the Messengers and the wisdom of their Messages.


The Messengers

Allah sent the Messengers to the people to call them to His religion, to worship Him alone - without associating partners with Him, and to avoid the worship of others. The first Messenger was Nuh (Alayhi Salam) and the last one was Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam)


The Wisdom behind sending the Messengers

Allah sent them as a proof upon mankind, to convey the message of the religion to the people, to give glad tidings of Paradise and of a great reward to the obedient one, and to warn the disobedient one of a severe punishment and the Hellfire. Allah Almighty says:

Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers. (Surah An-Nisa’ 4: 165)