Tawhid Totally Explained

Everything about Tawhid totally explained

"Oneness of God" redirects here. For the concept of monotheism, see monotheism. Tawḥīd (Arabic: ; also transliterated Tawheed and Tauheed; Turkish: Tevhid) is the Islamic conception of monotheism. Tawhid refers to the act of believing and affirming that God (Arabic: Allah) is one and unique (wāḥid). In Islam, recognition of this principle is achieved by the first of five pillars of Islam, the Shahadah (testification of faith). The opposite of Tawhīd is Shirk (polytheism), which means "associating partners" or "making something as comparable" (to God) in Arabic, referring to idolatry.

Etymology

In the Arabic language, Tawhīd means 'unification' and is derived from the root word, ahad, which made of three Arabic letters. Al-Wahid, one of the 99 Names of Allah, is made of the root word and describes wihdat or the oneness of Allah. Tawhidullah means the literal assertion of Allah's oneness and monotheistic existence.

Definition

Muslims believe that Allah can't be held equal in any way to other beings or concepts. This monotheism is absolute, not relative or pluralistic in any sense of the word. It is for this reason that Muslims reject the concept of the Trinity held by most Christians. Tawhid means:
Belief in the oneness of Allah and His creation.

Verses from the Qur'ān

Many passages of the Qur'an refer to Tawhīd.
This passage is commonly recited as part of the five daily prayers, known as salat.
   Muslims agree that the most fundamental aspect of Islam revolves around the total acceptance of an "Absolute and Perfect Creator". The Muslim profession of faith, or Shahadah (Lā 'ilāha 'illā lāh -- There is no god but Allah" is an expression of Tawhīd.
Sunni View
Sunni Muslims regard Tawhīd as one of six major aspects of Aqidah. According to the Quran, Tawhid has three categories:
(i) Tawheed Ar Ruboobiyeh (Belief in the Oneness of the Divine Lordship of ALLAH) (ii) Tawheed Al Uloohiyah (Belief in the Oneness of the Worship of ALLAH) (iii) Tawheed wa Asmaa Was Sifaat (Belief in the Oneness of the Names and Attributes of ALLAH)
Seeing God
Sunni Muslims believe that Allah can't be seen, imagined or perceived in any way in the present life of this world. Rather, they believe that only the righteous believers will see Allah on Judgment Day (after they've died).
   The Qur'an says: ť "Some faces that Day shall be Nâdirah (shining and radiant). Looking at their Lord (God)."

    "Nay! Surely, they (evil-doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day." In a hadith, Abu Huraira reports: ť The people said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? Muhhamad said, "Do you feel any trouble in seeing the moon on the night when it's full?" They replied, "Messenger of Allah, no." Muhammad continued, 'Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun, when there's no cloud over it?" They said, "Messenger of Allah. no." Muhammad said: Verily you'd see Him like this (as you see the sun and the moon).

Qur'an and Tawhid

According to the Quran, Tawhid has three categories:
(i) Tawheed Ar Ruboobiyeh (Belief in the Oneness of the Divine Lordship of ALLAH) (ii) Tawheed Al Uloohiyah (Belief in the Oneness of the Worship of ALLAH) (iii) Tawheed wa Asmaa Was Sifaat (Belief in the Oneness of the Names and Attributes of ALLAH) Sunnis believe that the Qur'an is uncreated, and that this view is fully compatible with Tawhid. The Hanbalis hold the view that ť "Not only were the words and sounds of the Quran eternal, so that even its recital was uncreated, but its parchment and binding shared the same qualities''.

Abu Hanifa expressed: ť We confess that the Quran is the speech of Allah, uncreated, His inspiration, and revelation, not He, yet not other than He, but His real quality, written in the copies, recited by the tongues. The ink, the paper, the writing are created, for they're the work of man."

Following Qur'anic literalism, Ibn Taymiya taught that God doesn't have body parts, but also that he's features loosely corresponding to hands, eyes and a face. Sunnis believe that God is above the heavens and above his "throne".

Shi'a view

Tawhīd is among the five Shia Roots of Religion. According to Ali, the first Shi'a Imam:

Attaching attributes

Shi'a don't believe that God can or will ever be seen, and also reject the notion of him having body parts, or any parts whatsoever.
Some verses of the Qur'an that seem to ascribe God body parts, for example verse (28:88) of which says: "Every thing is mortal except His face", Shi'a interpret as meaning "except His person". Shi'a argue that the verse isn't to be taken literally, arguing that it can't be said that only the face of God will remain, while his other so-called limbs (either physical or not) will die. Similarly, Shi'a argue that God has used the word 'hand' (Arabic: Yad) in several places in the Qur'an, where it means his power and his mercy, as in the verse (5:64): "But His hands are outspread". Shi'a quote in support of the verses being allegorical:
Shi'a believe that "those who are firmly rooted" are the Ahl al-Bayt, meaning that they're the ones need to consulted for detailed information One of the most respected Shi'a collection, the Nahj al-Balagha, contains a sermon where Ali is quoted as giving a long and detailed account of Tawhid, part of it being:
The sermon is one of the most complicated description of God, it maintains attributes shouldn't be attached to God, since it would create a duality. However, Shi'a don't understand this as the notion that God lacks attributes. A modern similitude to energy would be that attributes can not be attached to energy, for example saying that energy has redness, creating a duality between energy and the color red; rather it should be said that energy can be red. In the same way, Shi'a maintain that it shouldn't be said that God has strength or wisdom, creating a duality and nullifying Tawhid. Rather, it can be said that God is strong and wise. The thought of God having body parts is completely rejected and seen as shirk. Shaykh Saduq, one of the most distinguished of Shi'a scholars expressed:

List of attributes

Shi'a list some positive attributes to God:

Qadím: God is eternal, with neither a beginning nor an end.
Qadir: God is omnipotent.
'Alim: God is omniscient.
Hai: God is alive and will remain alive forever.
Muríd: God has his own discretion in all affairs and doesn't act out of compulsion.
Mudrik: God correctly perceives everything in the universe.
Mutakalim: God is the "Lord of the Worlds". He can create speech in anything: the burning bush for Musa and the curtain of light for Muhammad.
Sadiq: God is honest.
Sharík: God has no partners.
Murakab: God is neither made, nor composed, of any material.
Makán: God isn't confined to any place and has no body.
Hulúl: God doesn't incarnate into anything or anybody.
Mahale hawadith: God is immutable.
Marí: God isn't visible.
Ihtiyaj: God isn't dependent; he's no needs.
Sifate zayed: God doesn't have added qualifications. The attributes of God are not separate from his being.

Non-eternal actions

Shi'a distinguish between eternal and non-eternal attributes of God: first those attributes which denote his person, and second, those attributes which denote his actions. Shaykh Saduq says:

Qur'an and Tawhid

Shi'a further say that God creating and sending the Qur'an is of the non-eternal acts of God, hence Shi'a believe the Qur'an to be a creation, in contrast to Sunnis. Shi'a quote a Hadith where Muhammad is quoted as: ť "(There was a time when) God existed, and there was nothing beside Him".

Even so, Shi'a believe the Qur'an to be perfect, in the same way that they believe God created other perfect objects, for example, the angels and the prophets.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Tawhid'.

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