All praises are due to Allah the Most High.

May Allah the Almightys peace and blessing be upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Spiritual Growth Through Knowledge and Action

Series

Tawheed
First, when studying Islam, understand that words have a literal meaning and then they have a meaning as applied to Allah the Almighty or to principles of the Quran or Sunnah. Taking this into account, one should first understand that the meaning of tawheed is unification or making something one or asserting oneness. It comes from the Arabic verb wahhada, which itself means to unite, unify or consolidate. What is the overall theme of this term tawheed?

Using Tawheed in Reference to Allah the Most High

When the word tawheed is used in reference to Allah the Exalted, it means realizing and affirming Allah the Most Highs unity in all of mans actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him. This particular action involves 3 recognitions to be complete, and one may not disbelieve in any one of these: Allah the Almighty is One without partner in His dominion. Allah the Almighty is One without similitude in His essence and attributes. Allah the Almighty is One without rival in His divinity and in worship.

First of all invite them to worship Allah (alone)

The word tawheed does not actually occur in the Quran or in Hadith, however, the principle itself is the first thing that we should invite people to when inviting them to true Islam: Narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): When Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) sent Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen, he said (to him), "You are going to people of a (Divine) Book. First of all invite them to worship Allah (alone) and when they come to know Allah, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, five prayers in every day and night; and if they start offering these prayers, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, the Zakat. And it is to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them; and if they obey you in that, take Zakat from them and avoid (don't take) the best property of the people as Zakat." So from this hadith, we actually see that even before we inform people about the other requirements of the pillars of Islam, such as the prayers, fasting, Zakat and hajj, the most important thing they must understand and know is who Allah the Almighty is. Note that if a person does not know Who Allah the Most High is, then telling them His commandments will not make any sense to them or any difference in their lives. A person must first be called to worship Allah the Almighty Alone and then they must know Him. Only after this will such a person understand the things that Allah the Most High has commanded of them.

Tawheed is not Monism

Tawheed does not mean monism or the principle that everything that exists is Allah and Allah is everything. Why? Here are just a few reasons: Allah tells us in the Quran, in Surat Ikhlaas (112), that He has no equivalent. This being said, logically, He cannot be everything, nor can everything be Him because He has no equivalent: Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent." We know that Allah the Most High is The Pure One and so there is no way that He could be present in everything, because everything is not pure, only Allah the Most High is. Allah the Most High is separate and distinct from His creation, so He could not be present in His creation. Everything that exists cannot be Allah, because Allah is One. Logically speaking One and Everything are contradictions. Allah is not everything, because He is separate and distinct from everything else. Again, it is the principle that One and Everything are contradictions.

Lessons About Tawheed

When inviting others to Islam, the first thing that we should call them to is understanding the principle that Allah the Most High is One. Additionally, we all need to know who Allah the Most High is before we can understand the commands that He has given us. Allah the Most High is not everything and everything is not Allah. Allah is One, Alone, without partner.

Tawheed As Action

As noted prior, tawheed is realizing and affirming Allah the Most Highs unity in all of mans actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him This is the complete action of Tawheed. This action requires 3 steps in order to complete this action. First, one must affirm that Allah the Most High is One, without partners in his sovereignty. Second, one must affirm that Allah the Almightys names and attributes are incomparable and unique. Third, one must affirm that Allah is alone in his right to be worshipped.

Step 1: Affirming that Allah the Most High is One, without partners in his sovereignty

This is known as Tawheed arRuboobeeyah It means to maintain the Oneness of Lordship. This is based on the following concepts: Allah alone caused everything to exist when there was nothing. He is the only One who sustains and maintains His creation. He has no need from it or for it. He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants. He has no real challenge to His Lordship.

Understanding

Based on this understanding, one must understand that there is truly nothing and no one who can assist them in good nor afflict them with evil, except by the permission of Allah the Most High. Likewise, one may not truly seek help from anyone or anything, except Allah the Most Merciful: Allah created all things and He is the agent on which all things depend. AzZumar 39:62 And no calamity strikes except by Allahs permission. At-Taghabun 64:11 Based on this understanding, know that it is only the Creator who truly knows what is good for the Creation. Only the One who created us can truly know what is good and bad for us. Other human beings may give us advise, but it is only Allah the Most High alone who is aware of what is good or bad for us. It is possible that you dislike something that is really good for you, or like something bad for you, but Allah knows (what is best for you), and you do not. Al-Baqarah 2:216

Case Study 1

Abdur-Rahman is so appreciative to this mother and father for paying for him to go to college. He just cannot believe that they have been so generous to pay for him to attend one of the top universities in the nation. In appreciation of this, he goes out to buy them special gifts and increases his cleaning of the house. His friend Omar exclaimed to him one day, Wow, arent you lucky that your parents are able to pay for you to go to college? Abdur-Rahman replied, Yes I really am lucky, arent I. My parents are really awesome for making it possible for me to attend one of the best schools! I just know that this is going to be so good for me because going to one of the best colleges in the nation just has to be good!!
Questions: Is Abdur-Rahmans response accurate or is there a better response as to who made it possible for him to attend one of the best schools? Does Abdur-Rahman know for sure that going to one of the best colleges in the nation is going to be good for him? Why or why not?

Case Study 2

Laila has just enrolled in the Peace Corp because she really wants to help humanity. She is so excited to be able to make a difference in the world. When her sisters asks her what was her #1 motivation for enrolling in the Peace Corp, Laila replies, Well Allah really needs me to do this right now. So many people in the world are hurting and I just know that Allah needs me to do this so I can increase His goodness on this Earth.
Question:

Is Lailas response correct? Why or why not?

Case Study 3

Brittanys parents have told her that she does not have to pray 5 times per day if she does not want to and that it is more important and good for her that she spend her time studying for the MCAT exam so that she can get into a top medical school. They tell her that she can start thinking about practicing Islam once she has completed medical school and become a great doctor and that Allah needs her to become a good Muslim doctor more than anything.
Questions:

Should Brittany listen to her parents and not feel that she should pray 5 times a day? Is Brittanys parents advice correct that Allah the Almighty needs her to become a doctor?

Action Steps

Take time to review the requirements for Step 1 of putting Tawheed into action.

Dua O Allah, You are pure, I praise You and testify that there is none worthy of worship besides you. I seek forgiveness and pardon from You.