This article includes:
1– The Meaning of Tawheed
2– The Types of Tawheed
2.1–
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah
2.2–
Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah
2.3–
Tawheed al-Asmaa wa’l Sifaat
2.4–
The Permissibility of this Division
2.5– The Connection between these Divisions
1.1.
THE MEANING OF TAWHEED
Linguistically, the word Tawheed
comes from Wahhada Yuwahhidu and it means “to unify or single out etc”
Tawheed in Arabic means
attributing oneness to Allaah and describing Him as being One and Unique, with
no partner or peer in His Essence and Attributes.
The Arabs say waahid, ahad and
waheed, all meaning one. Allaah is Waahid, meaning that He has no rivals or
peers in any way. So Tawheed means knowing Allaah is One, with none like unto
Him. Whoever does not acknowledge Allaah in these terms and does not describe
Him as being One with no partner or associate does not believe in Tawheed.
With regard to the shara’ee
definition of Tawheed, it means believing in Allaah alone as God and Lord and
attributing to Him alone all the attributes of Lordship and divinity.
It may be defined as follows:
Believing that Allaah is One with no partner or associate in His Lordship
(ruboobiyyah), divinity (uloohiyyah) or names and attributes (al-asma’
wa’l-sifaat).
1.2.
THE TYPES OF TAWHEED
The Scholars of Ahl us-Sunnah
have varied in the articulation of the types of Tawheed, but despite the
variation in wording, they all are agreed upon its derivative. Perhaps the
reason behind this variation is because these divisions are extracted from a
thorough examination of the scriptures, and no exact wording of it has been
mentioned by the texts. And that is why there are Scholars
()
who divided the Tawheed into three types:
1- Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah (The belief that Allaah alone is the Lord
and Creator of every Creation)
2- Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (The belief that Allaah alone is the
deserving of all types of worship) &
3- Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat
And among the later Scholars,
some added one more division to these previous three and named it:
4- Tawheed al-Ittibaa or Tawheed al-Haakimiyyah (The belief that
Allaah alone deserves to be obeyed or He alone is to be considered the
legislator and commander of all affairs)
However, it should be noted that
this type, in actuality, falls under Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah, for indeed the
worship of any kind is not accepted but with two conditions:
1- Ikhlaas (Sincerity) &
2- Ittibaa (Obedience)
As Allaah says:
فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
“So whoever would hope for
the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work, and not associate in the
worship of his Lord anyone” ()
And among the Scholars, there
are some who divided the Tawheed into two categories, and this is prevalent
more in the speech of early People of Knowledge because they combined Tawheed
ar-Ruboobiyyah with Tawheed Al-Asmaa was-Sifaat and that is in accordance with the view that they both together constitute having the knowledge of Allaah and His
awareness and so they combined both together due to that, whereas, Tawheed
al-Uloohiyyah is focused towards committing actions for the sake of Allaah.
The division of Tawheed into
three categories is preferable with regard to its relevance to Tawheed, and the
division of Tawheed into two categories is preferable with regard to what
necessitates a Muwahhid.
Hence, among the Ulama who
divided the Tawheed into two categories, said
():
1- The first category is: Tawheed al-Ma’rifah wal Ithbaat:
And they
intended by it the two: Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat
and they named it “Tawheed al-Ma’rifah” that is because the Ma’rifah
(awareness) of Allaah is all about awareness of His Names, His Attributes, and
His actions.
And
“Al-Ithbaat (affirming)” referred to affirming what Allaah had affirmed for
Himself from the Asmaa (names), Sifaat (attributes), and Af’aal (actions).
2- And the second category: Tawheed al-Qasd wal Talab (Tawheed of
object and aim):
And they
intended by it the Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah and they named it as such because a
worshipper aims all his heart, tongue, and organs, towards the worship for
Allaah alone in love and fear and he seeks the face of Allaah and His pleasure.
And some Ulama have divided the
Tawheed into the following two categories
():
1- The first category: Tawheed al-Ilmi al-Khabri:
And they
intended by it the Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat. And
they named it “Tawheed al-Ilmi (Tawheed of knowledge)” because it deals with
the awareness of Allaah hence, Ilmi means “Ilm of Allaah”.
And
“Al-Khabri”, because it is restricted to the Khabr (report) i.e. The Book and
the Sunnah
2- The second category: Tawheed al-Iraadi al-Talabi (Tawheed of
willfulness and aim)
And this
refers to Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah and they named it ‘Tawheed al-Iraadi’ because
in Ibaadaat, a servant has an Iraadah (will) whether to establish it or not,
and ‘Talabi (pursuit)’ because the servant seeks with those Ibaadaat the face
of Allaah and His pleasure.
Some other Scholars have divided
the Tawheed into the following two categories
():
1- The first category: Tawheed al-Qawli (Tawheed of Speech)
This refers to
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat and they named it
‘Tawheed al-Qawli’ because it is the opposite of Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah which
denotes towards Amal (actions) in Tawheed, and as for this types then it is
restricted only to the speech and knowledge.
2- The second category: Tawheed al-Amali (Tawheed of Actions)
And this
refers to Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah and it is named ‘Tawheed al-Amali’ because it
includes the actions of the heart, the actions of the tongue, and the actions
of the organs which all together constitute the actions of Tawheed. Hence the
tawheed has two aspects: one aspect is affirmation and knowledge, and the other
is obedience and action.
Some Scholars also divided
Tawheed into the following two categories:
1- The first category: Tawheed as-Siyaadah (Tawheed of Sovereignty)
This is meant
to be Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat and it is named as
such because the oneness of Allaah in His actions, His names, and His
attributes necessitates His absolute sovereignty.
2- And the second category: Tawheed al-Ibaadah (Tawheed of Worship)
This refers to
Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah and the reason behind its names is apparent which
requires no further explanation.
[See, Mu’taqad Ahl us-Sunnah wal
Jamaa’ah fi Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat by Muhammad bin Khaleefah (P. 37)]
1.2.1.
TAWHEED AR-RUBOOBIYYAH
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah refers to
having the firm belief that Allaah alone is the Lord and Sovereign of all
things, He has no associate, He is the only Creator, He is the Absolute Planner
and Governor of the Universe, He is the Creator of all People, He is the One
who gives them sustenance, life, and death; and to have Eemaan (belief) in
Allaah’s Will, His Decree (Al-Qadaa wal Qadr), and His oneness in His Dhaat.
To summarize all this, it is:
The oneness of Allaah in His actions.
The Shara’ee proofs for the
obligation of having the belief in Allaah’s Ruboobiyyah (Lordship) have been
established as in the sayings of Allaah:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“[All] praise is [due] to
Allaah, Lord of the worlds” ()
أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“His is the creation and the
command; blessed is Allaah, Lord of the worlds” ()
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً
“It is He who created for you
all of that which is on the earth” ()
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ
“Indeed, it is Allah who is
the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength” ()
This is the type of Tawheed
which even the Kuffaar of Quraysh and other nations and religions did not
dispute in, as they all believed that the Creator of the Universe is Allaah
alone. Allaah the Exalted the Most High says about them:
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ
“And if you asked them, ‘Who
created the heavens and the earth?’ they would surely say, ‘Allaah’” ()
And He says:
قُل لِّمَنِ الأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهَا إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلا تَتَّقُونَ قُلْ مَن بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ بَلْ أَتَيْنَاهُم بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ
“Say [O Muhammad], ‘To whom
belongs the earth and whoever is in it if you should know?’ They will say, ‘To
Allaah.’ Say, ‘Then will you not remember?’ Say, ‘Who is Lord of the seven
heavens and Lord of the Great Throne?’ They will say, ‘[They belong] to
Allaah.’ Say, ‘Then will you not fear Him?’ Say, ‘In whose hand is the realm of
all things - and He protects while none can protect against Him - if you should
know?’ They will say, ‘[All belongs] to Allaah.’ Say, ‘Then how are you
deluded?’ Rather, We have brought them the truth, and indeed they are liars.” ()
And that is because the hearts
of the people are naturally inclined towards the Ruboobiyyah of Allaah (May He
be glorified and exalted). And that is why the one who merely believes in this
type cannot be called a Muwahhid until he also holds firm to the second type of
Tawheed which is Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah.
[See, Al-Wajeez fi Aqeedah
as-Salaf as-Saalih by Abdul Hameed al-Athari (P. 55)]
1.2.2.
TAWHEED AL-ULOOHIYYAH
This refers to the singling out
of Allaah with the actions of the worshippers and it is also called “Tawheed
al-Ibaadah”. Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah means, having a firm belief that Allaah –
Exalted is He, the Most High – is: The True God and there is no god besides
Him, and every other Ma’bood (the one that is worshipped) is Baatil (false).
And it is to single out Allaah the Most High with worship, submission, absolute
obedience, not to associate any partners with Him, not to do any thing from the
Ibaadah (worship) whatsoever for anyone other than Him such as Salaah (Prayer),
Siyaam (Fasting), Zakaah (Charity), Hajj (Pilgrimage), Du’aa (Supplication),
Isti’aanah (seeking help), Nazr (vow), Zabah (sacrifice), Tawakkul (reliance),
Khawf (fear), Rajaa (hope), Hubb (love), and other forms of outward or inward
worships, and to worship Him with ultimate love, fear, and hope altogether.
Worshipping Allaah with only part of those aspects is a form of astray.
Allaah the Most High said:
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
“You (Alone) we worship, and
you (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” ()
And He said:
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً آخَرَ لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ
“And whoever invokes besides
Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with
his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed” ()
It is Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah that
all the Messengers of Allaah called the people towards, and its rejection by
the previous nations caused their destruction. It is the foremost in religion
and the last most, it is its inward and the outward, and it is the very first
call of the Messengers and the very last of them. It is due to this that the
Messengers were sent, Books were revealed, and it is the distinguishing element
between a Mu’min (Believer) and a Kaafir (Non-Believer), and between the People
of Paradise and the People of Fire.
And it is the meaning of
Allaah’s saying, “Laa Ilaaha Illallaah (There is no deity but Allaah)”
Allaah the most high said:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ
“And We sent not before you
any messenger except that We revealed to him that, ‘There is no deity except
Me, so worship Me.’” ()
[See, Al-Wajeez fi Aqeedah
as-Salaf as-Saalih by Abdul Hameed al-Athar (P. 56)]
1.2.3.
TAWHEED AL-ASMAA WAS-SIFAAT
This refers to the firm belief
that Allaah the mighty and sublime has beautiful names and lofty attributes. He
is described with all the perfect attributes and He is free from all the faults
and shortcomings; unique is He from the entire universe.
The Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah
know their Lord with His attributes that are mentioned in the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, and they describe their Lord what their Lord has described Himself
with, and what His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has described Him
with. They do not alter the words from their position nor do they deny His
names and verses. They affirm for Allaah what Allaah has affirmed for Himself
without making its Tamtheel (resemblance), Takyeef (discussing how), Ta’teel
(denial), and Tahreef (alteration). And their principle in all these is the
saying of Allaah:
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
“There is nothing like unto
Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing” ()
And His saying,
وَلِلَّهِ الأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“And to Allah belong the best
names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice
deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have
been doing” ()
And the Ahl us-Sunnah wal
Jamaa’ah do not specify a condition (kayfiyyah) of the Sifaat of Allaah the
mighty the most high because He did not inform us about their condition and
that is because no one is more knowledgeable of Allaah the glorified than
Allaah Himself. Allaah says:
قُلْ أَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمْ اللَّهُ
“Say, ‘Are you more knowing
or is Allaah?’” ()
And Allaah the most High says:
فَلا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الأَمْثَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ
“So do not assert
similarities to Allaah. Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know” ()
And there is none more
knowledgeable of Allaah than His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
concerning whom Allaah the exalted said:
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنْ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ وَحْيٌ يُوحَى
“And he does not speak from
[his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed” ()
[See, al-Wajeez fi Aqeedah
as-Salaf as-Saalih by Abdul Hameed al-Athar (P. 60)]
1.2.4.
THE PERMISSIBILITY (MASHROO’EEYYAH) OF THIS DIVISION
Ash-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah Muhammad
al-Ameen ash-Shanqeeti rahimahullah said in ‘Azwaa ul-Bayaan’ (3/410):
"وقد دل استقراء القرآن العظيم على أن توحيد الله ينقسم إلى ثلاثة أقسام:
الأول: توحيده في ربوبيته.
الثاني: توحيده جل وعلا في عبوديته.
النوع الثالث: توحيده جل وعلا في أسمائه وصفاته"
“The thorough examination of
the Glorious Qur’aan denotes that the Tawheed of Allaah is divided into three
types:
First: His Tawheed (oneness)
in His Ruboobiyyah (Lordship).
Second: His Tawheed in His
worship.
Third: His Tawheed in His
names and attributes”
Ash-Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
rahimahullah said:
هذا التقسيم الاستقرائي لدى متقدمي علماء السلف أشار إليه ابن منده وابن جرير الطبري وغيرهما وقرره شيخا الإسلام ابن تيمية وابن القيم، وقرره الزبيدي في تاج العروس، وشيخنا الشنقيطي في (أضواء البيان) وآخرين رحم الله الجميع، وهو استقراء تام لنصوص الشرع، وهو مطرد لدى أهل كل فن، كما في استقراء النحاة كلام العرب إلى اسم وفعل وحرف، والعرب لم تفه بهذا، ولم يعتب على النحاة في ذلك عاتب، وهكذا من أنواع الاستقراء
“This division is derived
from analysis/study (from the texts of Qur’aan) according to the early Scholars
of Salaf; Ibn Mandah, Ibn Jareer at-Tabari, and others have pointed towards it.
It is also attested to by Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim, and
also by az-Zubaydee in Taaj ul-Uroos, and our Shaykh Ash-Shanqeeti in Azwaa
ul-Bayaan and others (may Allaah have mercy on them all) and it is a result of
a thorough examination of the Shara’ee texts and it is prevalent among the
experts of all fields, just as the grammarians, after thorough examination,
have divided the speech of Arab into Ism (Noun), Fi’l (Verb), and Harf
(Particle) and the Arabs did not take it seriously due to that, nor did anyone
admonished the grammarians concerning that. This is (only) from the from of an analysis”
()
Ash-Shaykh Al-‘Allaamah Saalih
al-Munajjid hafidhahullah said:
أولا :
لابد أن نعلم أن القاعدة تقول " لا مشاحة في الاصطلاح " ، وهذه قاعدة معروفة عند الفقهاء والأصوليين .
قال ابن القيم -رحمه الله- :
والاصطلاحات لامشاحة فيها إذا لم تتضمن مفسدة . " مدارج السالكين " ( 3 / 306 ) .
ومعنى لا مشاحة أي لا تنازع .
ثانيا :
إن للعلماء من قديم الزمان تقسيمات للأحكام الشرعية ، وهذا التقسيم إنما هو للتيسير وتسهيل الفهم للنصوص والأحكام الشرعية وخصوصا مع تأخر الزمان وضعف المعرفة باللغة العربية واختلاط اللسان العربي بالأعجمي .
فرأى العلماء أن وضع قواعد ومسائل وتقسيمات لتسهيل وتيسير الفهم لا مشاحة فيه بل ذلك من الأمور المستحسنة لما يترتب عليه من تقريب العلم للمسلمين ، فهذا الشافعي واضع علم الأصول في الفقه الإسلامي وقد لاقت تقسيماته قبولا حسنا وعليه درج الأصوليون مع إضافات وتعقب على ما ذكره ، وهكذا جميع العلوم الشرعية كعلم التجويد وتقسيماته وترتيباته وعلوم القرآن وغيرها ومنها علم التوحيد .
“Firstly:
We must understand the
principle which says that there is nothing wrong with using new terminology.
This principle is well-known among the Fuqaha’ and scholars of Usool. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
‘There is nothing wrong with
new concepts and new words, unless there is something bad about them.’
Madaarij al-Saalikeen,
3/306
Secondly:
From early times the scholars
have categorized the rulings of sharee’ah. This has only been done to make it
easier to understand the texts and rulings of sharee’ah, especially as time
goes by and knowledge of Arabic language becomes weaker and the language gets
mixed with foreign languages.
The scholars thought it wise
to set out principles, issues and categories to make it easier to understand.
There is nothing wrong with this; in fact it is a good thing because it makes
knowledge more accessible to the Muslims. Al-Shaafi’ee set out the principles
of fiqh and his categorization was well-received and was followed by the scholars
of Usool who wrote commentaries on what he said and added to it. This was done
in all branches of Islamic knowledge such as tajweed (recitation of Qur’aan),
Qur’aan and others, including Tawheed.” ()
This division has been prevalent
since the beginning of the authorship and compilation of the masaail of Aqeedah
and from the proofs that denote to that, are some of the texts that have been
mentioned by the Salaf in its explanation:
The first occurrence: From Imaam
Abu Abdullah Ubaydullah bin Muhammad bin Battah al-Ukburi (D. 387) rahimahullah
when he said in his book “Al-Ibaanah” that:
أن أصل الإيمان بالله الذي يجب على الخلق اعتقاده في إثبات الإيمان به ثلاثة أشياء:
أحدها: أن يعتقد العبد ربانيته ليكون بذلك مباينا لمذاهب أهل التعطيل الذين لا يثبتون صانعا.
والثاني: أن يعتقد وحدانيته ليكون مباينا بذلك مذاهب أهل الشرك الذين أقروا بالصانع وأشركوا معه في العبادة غيره.
والثالث: أن يعتقده موصوفا بالصفات التي لا يجوز إلا أن يكون موصوفا بها من العلم والقدرة والحكمة وسائر ما وصف به نفسه في كتابه ..
“The foundation of Eemaan in
Allaah, which is obligatory upon the creation to believe therein, rests on
believing in three things:
One: For the servant to believe in His Lordship, in order to distinguish
himself from the negators, those who do not believe in a creator.
Two: To believe in his oneness, in order to distinguish himself from the people
of Shirk, those who believe in The Creator, yet associated partners unto Him in
worship
Three: To believe in Him having Attributes that He must be described with, such
as knowledge, power, wisdom, and the rest of the attributes He described
Himself with in His Book… This is because we find that Allah Ta’ala addressed
His servants by calling them to believe in each of the three and to have faith
therein” ()
This speech of Ibn Battah is
explicit in that the Eemaan in Allaah and His Tawheed is based on these three
matters; hence, he named the first as “I’tiqaad ar-Rabbaaniyyah (Belief in
Allaah’s Lordship)”, the second “I’tiqaad al-Wahdaaniyyah (Belief in Allaah’s
oneness)”, and the third “I’tiqaad Al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Belief in his Names and
lofty Attributes which necessitate the perfectness of Allaah the sublime the
most high)”.
The second proof of occurrence
is from Al-Imaam al-Haafidh Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ishaaq bin Yahya bin
Mandah rahimahullah (D. 395) when he named the chapters in his beneficial book
“Kitaab at-Tawheed”, he divided the tawheed into three categories. From the
names of his chapters, include:
1-
ذكر ما وصف الله عز وجل به نفسه ودل على وحدانيته عز وجل وأنه أحد صمد لم يلد ولم يولد ولم يكن له كفوا أحد
“Mention of what Allaah the
exalted and majestic described Himself with, and indicates towards his oneness,
and that He is alone, the eternal refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is
there to Him any equivalent”
2-
ذكر معرفة بدء الخلق
“Mentioning the awareness of
the beginning of creation”
3-
ذكر معرفة أسماء الله عز وجل الحسنة التي تسمى بها وأظهرها لعباده للمعرفة والدعاء والذكر
“Mention of the awareness of
Allaah’s beautiful names which He Himself names and made them apparent to His
slaves for awareness, du’aa, and Dhikr”
And he has many other chapters
like these, so whoever wants to read them should read his book mentioned above.
That is why the Muhaqqiq of this
book, Doctor Ali al-Faqeehi, has described the book and its topics of
discussions, with his saying:
"قسم المؤلف التوحيد إلى أربعة أقسام حيث جعل أسماء الله الحسنى قسما مستقلا ثم أتبعها بالصفات، وأقسام التوحيد الذي ذكرها هي:
الوحدانية في الربوبية.
توحيد الألوهية وهو تحقيق شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله.
توحيد أسماء الله الحسنى.
الصفات"
“The author has divided the
Tawheed into four categories wherein he made the beautiful names of Allaah as
one separate category, then he followed it with His Sifaat (attributes) and
made it a separate category. The categories of tawheed that he mentioned are as
follows:
Oneness (Tawheed) in Allaah’s
Lordship
Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah and it
is the outcome of the testimony that there is no deity but Allaah
Tawheed of Allaah’s Beautiful
names &
Tawheed of Allaah’s
Attributes” ()
()
Further on, these two Imaams
have a precedence of Imaam ul-A’immah Abu Bakr bin Khuzaymah rahimahullah (D.
311) in a book of his completely dedicated to Tawheed and affirmation of
Allaah’s attributes named “Kitaab at-Tawheed wa Ithbaat Sifaat ar-Rabb
Azza-wa-Jall”.
And they all are preceded by
Al-Imaam Muhammad bin Ismaa’eel al-Bukhaari rahimahullah (D. 259) in the
authorship of Kitaab at-Tawheed in refutation of the Jahmiyyah under his book
“Al-Jaami as-Saheeh” famous as “Saheeh al-Imaam Bukhaari”.
[See, Qawaa’id fi Bayaan
Haqeeqat al-Eemaan Ind Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah by Aadil ash-Shaykhaani (P.
97)]
Ash-Shaykh al-Allaamah Ibn Baaz
rahimahullah was asked about the permissibility of this division of tawheed, so
he replied:
الحمد لله
فهذا التقسيم مأخوذ من الاستقراء والتأمل . لأن العلماء لما استقرءوا ما جاءت به النصوص من كتاب الله وسنة رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم ظهر لهم هذا ، وزاد بعضهم نوعا رابعا هو توحيد المتابعة ، وهذا كله بالاستقراء .
فلا شك أن من تدبر القرآن الكريم وجد فيه آيات تأمر بإخلاص العبادة لله وحده ، وهذا هو توحيد الألوهية ، ووجد آيات تدل على أن الله هو الخلاق وأنه الرزاق وأنه مدبر الأمور ، وهذا هو توحيد الربوبية الذي أقر به المشركون ولم يدخلهم في الإسلام ، كما يجد آيات أخرى تدل على أن له الأسماء الحسنى والصفات العلى ، وأنه لا شبيه له ولا كفو له ، وهذا هو توحيد الأسماء والصفات الذي أنكره المبتدعة من الجهمية والمعتزلة والمشبهة ، ومن سلك سبيلهم .
ويجد آيات تدل على وجوب اتباع الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم ورفض ما خالف شرعه ، وهذا هو توحيد المتابعة ، فهذا التقسيم قد علم بالاستقراء وتتبع الآيات ودراسة السنة ، ومن ذلك قول الله سبحانه :( إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ )( الفاتحة : 4 )
وقوله عز وجل :( يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ) ( البقرة :21 )
وقوله جل وتعالى:( وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ )( البقرة : 163 )
وقوله سبحانه :(وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (56) مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ (57)( الذاريات :56 ، 57)
وقوله سبحانه :(إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ )( الأعراف :54 ) .
وقال سبحانه :( لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ )( الشورى :11)
وقال عز وجل :( قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1) اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2)لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3)وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4) ( الإخلاص ).
وقال جل شأنه:( قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ) ( آل عمران :31 ).
وقال سبحانه :( قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ وَعَلَيْكُمْ مَا حُمِّلْتُمْ وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلا الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ )( النور :54 ) والآيات الدالة على ما ذكر من التقسيم كثيرة .
ومن الأحاديث : قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في حديث معاذ رضي الله عنه المتفق على صحته(خ/ 2856، م/ 30) : " حق الله على العباد أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئا "
وقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام :" من مات وهو يدعو من دون الله ندا دخل النار " رواه البخاري ( 4497) ومسلم ( 92).
وقوله لجبريل عليه السلام لما سأله عن الإسلام قال : "( أن تعبد الله ولا تشرك به شيئا وتقيم الصلاة المكتوبة وتؤدي الزكاة المفروضة .. الحديث " متفق عليه (خ/ 50، م/ 9).
وقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : " من أطاعني فقد أطاع الله ومن عصاني فقد عصا الله " متفق على صحته (خ/ 2957 ، م/ 1835 ).
وقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام : " كل أمتي يدخلون الجنة إلا من أبى قيل يا رسول الله ومن يأبى؟ قال من أطاعني دخل الجنة ومن عصاني فقد أبى " رواه البخاري في صحيحه (7280) والأحاديث في هذا الباب كثيرة .
قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله :" الإله هو المعبود المطاع فإن الإله هو المألوه ، والمألوه هو الذي يستحق أن يعبد ، وكونه يستحق أن يعبد هو بما اتصف به من الصفات التي تستلزم أن يكون هو المحبوب غاية الحب المخضوع له غاية الخضوع " .
وقال :" فإن الإله هو المحبوب المعبود الذي تألهه القلوب بحبها وتخضع له وتذل له وتخافه وترجوه وتنيب إليه في شدائدها وتدعوه في مهماتها وتتوكل عليه في مصالحها وتلجأ إليه وتطمئن بذكره وتسكن إلى حبه ، وليس ذلك إلا لله وحده ، ولهذا كانت لا إله إلا الله أصدق الكلام ، وكان أهلها أهل الله وحزبه ، والمنكرون لها أعداءه وأهل غضبه ونقمته ، فإذا صحت صح بها كل مسألة وحال وذوق ، وإذا لم يصححها العبد فالفساد لازم له في علومه وأعماله " .
نسأل الله أن يوفق المسلمين جميعا من حكام ومحكومين للفقه في دينه والثبات عليه والنصح لله ولعباده ، والحذر مما يخالف ذلك ، إنه ولي ذلك والقادر عليه ، وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه أجمعين .
“This division is taken from
study and analysis. When the scholars analyzed the texts of the Book of Allaah
and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
this became clear to them. Some of them added a fourth category, which
is Tawheed al-Mutaaba’ah (oneness of following). All of that is
derived from study and analysis.
Undoubtedly the one who
ponders the meanings of the Qur’aan will find that it contains verses which
enjoin devoting worship sincerely to Allaah alone. This is Tawheed
al-Uloohiyyah (Oneness of the Divine Nature). And he will find verses
which indicate that Allaah is the Creator and the Provider; that He is in
control of all things. This is Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (oneness of the
Divine Lordship), which the Mushrikoon affirmed, but that did not make them
Muslims. He will also find other verses which indicate that Allaah has the Most
Beautiful Names and the most sublime Attributes and that He has no equal or
peer. This is Tawheed al-Asmaa wa’l-Sifaat (Oneness of the Divine
Names and Attributes), which was denied by the innovators such as the
Jahmiyyah, Mu’tazilah, anthropomorphists and those who followed in their
footsteps.
There are verses which
indicate that it is obligatory to follow the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to reject whatever goes against his laws.
This is Tawheed al-Mutaaba’ah (Oneness of Following). This
categorization is known from study and analysis of the relevant aayahs and the
Sunnah. For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“You (Alone) we worship, and
You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)”
[Al-Faatihah 1:5]
“O mankind! Worship your Lord
(Allaah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”
[Al-Baqarah 2:21]
“And your Ilaah (God) is One
Ilaah (God — Allaah), Laa Ilaaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to
be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” [al-Baqarah
2:163]
“And I (Allaah) created not
the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
I seek not any provision from
them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they
should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures).
Verily, Allaah is the
All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong”
[Al-Dhaariyaat
51:56-58]
“Indeed, your Lord is Allaah,
Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose over
(Istawa) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He brings the
night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun,
the moon, the stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the creation and
commandment. Blessed is Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and
all that exists)!”
[Al-A’raaf 7:54]
“There is nothing like Him,
and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”
[al-Shoora 42:11]
“Say (O Muhammad): “He is
Allaah, (the) One.
Allaah-us-Samad [Allaah
— 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”
[Al-Ikhlaas 112:1-4]
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind):
If you (really) love Allaah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism,
follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your
sins”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:31]
“Say: “Obey Allaah and obey
the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad) is only
responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allaah’s Message) and
you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right
guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way
(i.e. to preach in a plain way)”
[Al-Noor 24:54]
And there are many aayahs
which point towards this categorization.
In the ahaadeeth:
The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, according to the hadeeth of Mu’aadh
whose authenticity is agreed upon (al-Bukhaari, 2856; Muslim, 30):
“It is the right of Allaah
upon His slaves that they should worship Him and not associate anything with
Him.”
And he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever dies invoking anything other than Allaah
as a rival to Allaah will enter Hell.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4497; Muslim,
92).
And he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said to Jibreel (peace be upon him), when he asked him
about Islam: “It means to worship Allaah and not associate anything with Him,
to pray the prescribed prayers, to pay the obligatory zakaah…” (Agreed upon;
al-Bukhaari, 50; Muslim, 9).
And he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever obeys me obeys Allaah, and whoever
disobeys me disobeys Allaah.” (Agreed upon; al-Bukhaari, 2957; Muslim, 1835)
And he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “All of my ummah will enter Paradise except those
who refuse.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allaah, who are those who refuse?” He
said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me has
refused.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, 7280)
And there are many similar
ahaadeeth.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “God is the One Who is worshipped and
obeyed. God is the One Who is loved, and the One Who is loved is the One Who
deserves to be worshipped. The reason why He deserves to be worshipped is
because of His Attributes which imply that He is the Most Beloved to Whom the
utmost submission is due.”
And he said: “God is the One
Who is loved and worshipped, Whom hearts love, to Whom they submit, before Whom
they humble themselves, Whom they fear and hope, to Whom they turn at times of
difficulty, calling upon Him with regard to their concerns, putting their trust
in Him with regard to their interests, seeking refuge in Him, finding
tranquility in the remembrance of Him and peace of mind in love for Him. That
is only for Allaah, therefore the phrase Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god
except Allaah) is the most truthful of speech. Those who believe this are the
people of Allaah and His party, and those who deny it are His enemies who are
subject to His wrath and vengeance. If a person gets this right his entire
situation will be good, and if he fails to achieve this then his knowledge and
actions will inevitably be corrupt.”
We ask Allaah to help all the
Muslims, rulers and ruled alike, to understand His religion, to adhere
steadfastly to it, to be sincere towards Allaah and His slaves and to beware of
that which Allaah has forbidden, for He is Able to do that. May Allaah
bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions” ().
1.2.5.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THESE FORMS OF TAWHEED
These divisions altogether form
the Eemaan (Belief) of Allaah which we call “Tawheed”. Hence, one of these divisions,
on its own, cannot complete the Tawheed, until all the three types of Tawheed are
combined together. They are all joined and correlated with each other, each of
whom completes the other, and it is not possible to suffice one from the other.
Therefore, Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah would not benefit without Tawheed
al-Uloohiyyah and Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah would not be correct and firm without
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah; and likewise, the Tawheed of Allaah in His Ruboobiyyah
and His Uloohiyyah would not stand alone without the Tawheed of Allaah in His names
and His attributes. With that, deviation and negligence from any one of these
forms would be a deviation from the Tawheed in its entirety. As Shaykh Bakr Abu
Zayd said:
فمعرفة الله لا تكون بدون عبادته، والعبادة لا تكون بدون معرفة الله، فهما متلازمان
“Thus the awareness of Allaah
is not possible without His worship, and worship is not possible without the
awareness of Allaah, so both are interrelated.” ()
Hence, Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah
necessitates Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah.
And Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah
implies Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah.
And Tawheed al-Asmaa wa’l Sifaat
is included in both forms.
Meaning: The one who attests to
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and knows that Allaah is the Rabb (Lord) and He has no
associates in His Ruboobiyyah (Lordship), then it necessitates that He also
attests to the uniqueness of Allaah alone with Ibaadah (worship); because it is
not correct that a person worships but the One who is the Lord, the Creator,
the Sovereign, and the Planner. As long as all these are for Allaah alone, it necessitates
that He be worshipped alone.
That is why, the Qur’aan
al-Kareem has followed the method of mentioning the verses of Ruboobiyyah along
with the verses of Da’wah (call) to Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah, such as the
following saying of Allaah:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا للهِ أَنْدَادًا وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“O mankind, worship your
Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous – [He]
who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent
down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you.
So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing
similar to Him]” ()
And as for Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah
then it entails Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah because the one who worships Allaah and
does no associate any partners with Him, then it necessitates and implies that
he believes Allaah to be His Lord and Sovereign besides whom, there is no Lord.
And this matter is observed by a
Muwahhid in himself that he singles out Allaah for Ibaadah (worship) and does
not set any of that for other than Allaah, it is only for the purpose of his
attestation to Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and that there is no Rabb (Lord), nor
Maalik (Sovereign), nor governor other than Allaah alone.
And as for Tawheed al-Asmaa wa’l
Sifaat then it is included in both forms together and that is because it is
established upon the uniqueness of Allaah with all His Beautiful names and
attributes which are not befitting except for Allaah and among these are names
like: Ar-Rabb (The Lord) – Al-Khaaliq (The Creator) – Ar-Raaziq (The Sustainer)
– Al-Malik (The Sovereign), and these relate to Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah.
And among the names are: Allaah –
Al-Ghafoor (The Forgiving) – Ar-Raheem (The Merciful) – Al-Tawwaab (The
Superbly Relenting), and these relate to Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah.
()
Benefit:
The Qur’aan in its entirety is a
call to Tawheed.
Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah said:
“Each Soorah (Chapter) of the
Qur’aan implies the Tawheed; rather we say that every single verse in the Qur’aan
is an implication to Tawheed, attests to it, and calls towards it.
For indeed the Qur’aan includes:
1- Either a report about Allaah, His names, His attributes, and His
actions, which is Tawheed al-Ilmi al-Khabri,
2- Or a call to the worship of Allaah alone without any associates
and the falsehood of all that is worshipped besides Him, which is Tawheed
al-Iraadi al-Talabi (Tawheed of willfulness and aim),
3- Or a command, and prohibition, and obligation of His obedience
in His command and prohibition, which is the right of Tawheed and that which
completes it,
4- Or a report about the blessings of Allaah for the People of His
Tawheed and His Obedience, and what He did with them in the world, and what He
blessed them with in the hereafter, and that is the reward of His Tawheed,
5- Or a report about the People of Shirk, what He afflicted them
with in the world from the punishments, and what He prepared for them from the
punishments (of the hereafter), which is a report about those who neglected the
command of His Tawheed.
Hence the entire Qur’aan talks
about Tawheed, its rights, its rewards, and the matter of Shirk, those who do
it, and their punishments.” End Quote of Ibn al-Qayyim
()
[See, Mu’taqad Ahl us-Sunnah wal
Jamaa’ah fi Tawheed al-Asmaa wa’l Sifaat by Muhammad bin Khaleefah al-Tameemi (P.
40)]
