Kitaab at-Tawheed Explained
On Tawheed
Allah (swt ), says:
" And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship me. I seek not any provision from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Verily, Allah is the All-provider, Owner of Power - Most Strong" (Qur'an 51:56)
Allah (swt ), informs us that it is He (swt ) Who created the jinn and mankind, and that the wisdom behind that creation was that they worship Him (swt ), Alone and reject the worship of any other, and that He (swt ) did not create them for any benefit for Himself, but in order that they should worship Him (swt ); and He (swt ) has undertaken to provide sustenance for them, and He (swt ) is the Most Truthful in keeping His (swt ) Promises and Able to fulfill them, for He (swt ) is Strong.
Benefits Derived from This Verse
1. That the wisdom behind Allah's creation of the jinn and mankind is that they worship Him Alone.
2. Confirmation of the presence of the jinn.
3. Allah's complete independence from His creation.
4. That the source of all sustenance is Allah, but the slave is commanded to do all in his power to attain his needs.
5. Confirmation of two of Allah's names:
Ar-Razzaaq (the All-provider),
Al-Mateen (Owner of Power).
Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed
That these Qur'anic verses show the wisdom behind the creation of the jinn and mankind is worship of Allah (swt ), Alone and the rejection of all objects of worship besides Him.
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Allah (swt ), says:
" And verily, We have sent among every community a Messenger [proclaiming]: "Worship Allah [Alone] and avoid the Taaghoot .1 Then of them were some whom Allah guided, and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied [the truth]" (Qur'an 16:36)
Allah (swt ), informs us in these Qur'anic verses that He has sent to every community of mankind a Messenger (saas ), who conveyed to them the Message and ordered them to believe in only One God � Allah (swt ) and to reject all those false gods besides Him (swt ). And the people who heard from these Messengers (saas ) are divided into two groups: The first, those whom Allah (swt ) guided to goodness and who responded positively to the guidance of the Messenger (saas ) and abstained from all that was forbidden to them; the second group were forbidden from success and rejected the truth, and therefore they were losers, both in this world and the Hereafter. And whoever travels throughout the earth, seeking to learn from it, will see the evidence of Allah's Retribution upon some of those who stubbornly rejected the Guidance of Allah (swt ) and His Messengers (saas ), such as `Aad, Thamood 2 and Fir'aoun.3
Benefits Derived From This Verse
1. Evidence that mankind has not been neglected and left without guidance.
2. The universality of the Message to all nations, and the fact that the Message brought by each new Messenger abrogated that of the previous Messenger.
3. That the mission of the Messengers was to call the people to the worship of Allah and to reject all false deities.
4. That the Guidance of Success is through Allah, Alone.
5. That the fact that Allah has ordained something for a person does not necessitate His liking for it.
6. The desirability of travelling througout the earth, with the intention of taking heed of the example of the communities of old, whom Allah has destroyed because of their disbelief.
Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed
That these Qur'anic verses prove that worship of Allah (swt ) is of no benefit if the worship of others besides Him is not rejected.
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Allah (swt ), says:
" And your Rabb has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect [uff!], nor shout at them, but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Rabb! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was a child."" (Qur'an 17:23-24)
Allah (swt ), commands all those obligated to obey Him to worship Him, Alone and to observe filial piety and devotion; and He affirms the right of parents upon their offspring immediately after mentioning His right upon His slaves. Then He describes some of the types of filial piety, especially when they become frail and elderly, such as not displaying annoyance with them and not raising one's voice or scolding them, speaking to them in tones of gentleness and kindness and supplicating Allah (swt ) on their behalf - both while they are alive and after their death.
Benefits Derived from These Verses
1. The obligation of worshipping Allah (swt ) Alone.
2. The obligation upon every Muslim of filial piety and devotion towards both his parents.
3. The communal responsibility of the whole Muslim society to ensure the rights of parents upon their offspring.
Relevance of These Verses to the Subject of Tawheed
That these Qur'anic verses prove the obligation of worshipping Allah (swt ), Alone, without partners.
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Allah (swt ), says:
" Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinfolk, orphans, the poor, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer and those [slaves] whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not love those who are proud and boastful" (Qur'an 4:36)
Sincerity is the foundation upon which true religion is built and Allah (swt ) has commenced this Surah by commanding sincerity in worship and rejection of all false deities and He has followed this up by mentioning the obligation of filial piety because they (our parents) are the means by which we are brought into the world; and He (swt ) has not neglected the rights of the kinfolk for they are the most deserving of his (the Muslim's) benevolence and kindness. And in order that the rest of his brothers and sisters in Islam be not downhearted, Allah (swt ) has enjoined upon him kindness to the orphans and poor, whether close relatives or not. Then Allah (swt ) has made clear the rights of those close to him in this life, mentioning first the neighbour who has Islamic rights and familial rights over the Muslim, then the nearby resident who has rights of a neighbour only - and he is the zimmi .4 Then Allah (swt ) mentions the rights of the close relatives such as the wife, the travelling companion etc. And Islam has encouraged the Muslim to travel in the land with the intention of doing business and of taking heed of the punishment meted out to former peoples, and because of this Allah (swt ) has obliged the Muslim to help the traveller who is in need of it - whether it be material or otherwise. He (swt ), also affirms the obligation of fairness and justice in dealing with other Muslims; but Islam has not forgotten the slaves: In fact, Allah (swt ) requires us to give them all their rights, to treat them with gentleness and mercy and to recognize their human rights. And because these deeds are righteous deeds, they bring about a fear of Allah (swt ), and prevent the Muslim from becoming proud and self-absorbed because these two attributes would cause the reward of the deeds to be lost.
Benefits Derived From This Verse
1. The obligation of worshipping Allah (swt ), Alone.
2. The obligation of filial piety and obedience - so long as it does not entail disobedience to Allah (swt ) and His Prophet (saas ) nor harm the one so ordered, for Allah's Messenger said: "Do not harm others nor reciprocate (when harm is done to you)." 5
3. The legal obligation of maintaining close family ties according to the closeness of the relationship.
4. The duty of treating well the orphans in one's care, bringing them up and investing their wealth.
5. The virtue of kindness to the poor and needy - and the varieties of kindness are numerous.
6. The obligation of giving the neighbour his rights.
7. The exhortation to help all one's companions who request assistance, whether travelling companions, or resident.
8. The duty to help the lost wayfarer.
9. The obligation of kindness to the slaves.
10. The forbiddance of pride and vanity.
11. Affirmation of Allah's attribute of Love.
Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed
That these verses prove the obligation of sincerity and purity of worship for Allah (swt ) Alone, and the rejection of all other objects of worship.
Note:- The neighbour falls into three categories:
1. The first has three rights: (i) The right of a Muslim upon his brother, (ii) The right of kinship, (iii) the right of a neighbouring resident.
2. The second has two rights: (i) The right of a Muslim upon his brother, (ii) The right of a neighbouring resident.
3. The right of a neighbouring resident only - and he is the zimmi.
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Allah (swt ), says:
" Say [oh, Muhammad!]: "Come, I will recite what your Rabb has prohibited for you: Join not anything in worship with him; be good and dutiful to your parents; kill not your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not near to shameful sin [adultery, fornication etc.], whether committed openly or in secret, and kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden except for a just cause [in accordance with Islamic Law]. This has He commanded you that you may understand" (Qur'an 6:151)
Allah (swt ), orders His Prophet Muhammad (saas ) to call the people to come forth and listen to the Commands of Allah (swt ), concerning what has been prohibited for them; and because it is the idolator who most often opposes all good deeds, Allah (swt ) has begun by warning them to abstain from associating partners with Him, then He (swt ) has mentioned many of the evil deeds which they are wanted to commit and forbade them from doing so. He (swt ), orders them to be kind and dutiful to their parents and forbids them from killing their offspring, for such acts are evil and result in the cutting of the family tree - and He has mentioned poverty here because the fear of poverty was the most common reason for the killing of children in the days of ignorance. And the extra-judicial killing of any person is a great sin, whatever the reason. And because fear of poverty was the most common reason for the killing of one's young, Allah (swt ) has undertaken the responsibility of sustaining them and their children; then He (swt ), has prohibited all acts of disobedience - both open and secret. And because unlawful killing causes many problems in society, such as breakdown of law and order, social unrest, revenge killing, vigilantism, etc., Allah (swt ) has laid great stress upon the prohibition of unlawful killing, by His saying:
" This has He commanded" - that His slaves may understand and act in accordance with it.
Benefits Derived From This Verse
1. That Shirk 6 is the greatest of sins and that no other deed will be accepted by Allah (swt ) if there is any association of partners involved in it; and because of its importance, Allah (swt ) has mentioned it first.
2. The obligation of filial piety.
3. The prohibition of killing one's children - and this includes abortion if carried out after forty days from the start of the pregnancy. 7
4. That Allah (swt ) has undertaken the responsibility of providing for all mankind.
5. Attempting to prevent pregnancy due to fear of poverty is an act from the days of ignorance.
6. The forbiddance of committing shameful sins, such as adultery and fornication and all that leads up to them (flirting, dating, kissing, caressing etc.)
7. The prohibition of killing any person has been forbidden by Allah (swt ), except by judicial means.
8. Allah (swt ) has not defined here what is meant by judical means, but the Prophet (saas ) has mentioned something about it in an authentic Hadith, concerning adultery after chastity, disbelief after belief and the taking of a life for a life.8
The Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed
That the verse warns against Shirk in any shape or form.
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It is reported on the authority of Mu`aaz Ibn Jabal (ra ) `May Allah be pleased him', that he said:
"I was riding behind the Prophet (saas ) on a donkey when he said to me: "Oh, Mu`aaz! Do you know what is the right of Allah (swt ) upon His slaves and what is the right of the slaves upon Allah (swt )?" I said: "Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas ) know best." He (saas ) said: "The right of Allah (swt ) upon His slaves is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him; and the right of the slaves upon Allah (swt ) is that those who do not associate anything with Him will not be punished." I said: "Oh, Messenger of Allah (saas )! Shall I not inform the people (of this)?" He (saas ) said: "Do not inform them, in case they rely upon it." (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Mu`aaz Ibn Jabal (ra ) informs us that one day he was riding behind the Prophet (saas ) on a donkey, and he (saas ) wished to favour him with the answers to certain important questions: In order to do this, he (saas ) chose to ask Mu`aaz some rhetorical questions to arouse his curiosity. Mu`aaz did not venture an opinion on a matter of which he had no knowledge, and so he replied that Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas ) know best. So the Prophet (saas ) explained to him two important Truths: The obligation which Allah (swt ) has placed upon His slaves, and the Bounty and Grace which He has made incumbent upon Himself. And because Mu`aaz cared so much about the welfare and happiness of the Muslims, he asked the Prophet's permission to inform them of this good news, but the Prophet (saas ) refused his request for he feared that the Muslims might depend upon this promise and stop competing with each other in the performance of good deeds which wipe out their bad deeds and elevate them in status. However, eventually, Mu`aaz informed them of this, fearful of concealing anything of the Guidance from them although the reason for the Prophet's warning his people against depending upon these words is clear.
Benefits Derived From This Hadith
1. The legitimacy of riding behind another, if it does not overtax the riding beast.
2. The humility of the Prophet (saas ) in sharing his donkey with another.
3. That the sweat of the donkey is not impure.
4. The virtue of Mu`aaz Ibn Jabal (ra ).
5. That asking rhetorical questions is an Islamic way of teaching.
6. The forbiddance of a person venturing to discuss matters about which he has no knowledge.
7. That the first obligation of the slave towards Allah (swt ) is to worship Him Alone.
8. That the one who dies believing and practising Tawheed is saved from the torment of the Hell-fire - so long as he does not commit any of the major sins which would cause him to be punished in the Fire.
9. Although it is mentioned in an authentic Hadith that the Prophet (saas ) said: "Whoever concealed knowledge, Allah (swt ) will make him wear a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection,"9 there is no contradiction here, because the forbiddance of concealing knowledge in the above Hadith is general, while the first Hadith contains an exception to that forbiddance in special circumstances: For it permits one to conceal knowledge if there is a fear that revealing it will cause disorder or strife in the Muslim community.
Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed
That the Hadith proves that the right of Allah (swt ) upon His slaves is that they worship Him, and do not associate any partners with Him.