CHAPTER TWO

2.1 THE BELIEF IN ALLAH

The belief in Allah means that affirming with certainty that Allah exists, that He possesses
all attributes of perfection and glory. He alone deserves to be worshipped.1 In fact
acceptance of such rights exclusive for Him as are integral part of His attributes and a
disregard of which renders the belief in His attributes meaningless.

2.2 UNITY OF ALLAH (TAWHID)

Tawhid literally means: to believe, to uphold, and to declare the Oneness of Allah.

It derived from the Arabic word ‘wahhada’ means to unite, unify or consolidate,
unification or asserting oneness.

Terminologically, Tawhid means affirming Allah to be One and Singular. One means
there is no God besides Allah, and Singular means that God cannot be divided or
compartmentalized into different personalities.

There are three important aspects of Tawhid:

1. To believe that Allah is the Creator, Nourisher, and Provider for all (Rububiyyah)
2. To believe that worship is the exclusive right of Allah (Uluhiyyah)
3. To believe that Allah is Being (zat) and has many attributes (Asma’ wa al-Sifat)

1
Abdullah al-Athari, Islamic Beliefs, (International Islamic Pubishing House,2005), p.69
2.3 CLASSIFICATIONS OF TAWHID

1. TAWHID RUBUBIYYAH

This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah alone caused all things to
exist when there was nothing; He sustains and maintains creation without any need
from it or for it. He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any real
challenge to His sovereignty.2

In Arabic, the word used to describe this creator-sustainer quality is Rububiyyah which
is derived from the root ‘Rabb’(Lord).

According to this category, since God is the only real power in existence, it is He who
gave all things the power to move and to change. Nothing happens in creation except
what He allows to happen.

It means the belief in the Oneness of Allah as the Lord, Sustainer, Creator, Controller,
Master, Owner, and Provider of the world.

So, it is the acknowledgment of God’s lordship. The basis for the Rububiyyah concept
can be found in many Qur’anic verses, for example:

“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs”. (al-Zumar : 62)

“And Allah created all of you and whatever you do”. (al-Saffat:96)

2Abu Ameenah Bilal Phiplips, The Fundamentals of Tawheed, (International Islamic Publishing House: Saudi
Arabia, 2006), p.22.
 2. TAWHID ULUHIYYAH (TAWHID AL-IBADAH)

It derived from the word ‘ilah’ which literally means the capacities to fulfill the needs of
others and the capacities to give shelter and protection.

Tawhid Uluhiyyah is the concept which rejects the claims of all other ilahs besides Allah.
It differentiates a Muslim from the non-Muslims.

It is the acknowledgement about the Oneness of Allah alone who deserved to be

worshipped due to His absolute power, majesty and sovereignty.

And it is Allah who is [the only] deity in the heaven, and on the earth [the only] deity. And He
is the Wise, the Knowing. (al-Zukhruf: 84)

The most important aspect of Tawhid is that of Tawhid al-Ibadah, maintaining the unity of
Allah’s worship.

All forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserves worship,
and it is He alone who can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship.

Furthermore, there is no need for any form of intercessor or intermediary between man
and God. Allah emphasized the importance of directing worship to Him alone by pointing
out that this was the main purpose of man’s creation and the essence of the message
brought by all the prophets. Allah says:

“I did not create the Jinn and Mankind except to worship Me”. (Al-Zhariyaat: 56)
3. TAWHID AL-ASMA’ WA AL-SIFAT

It means: oneness of the names and attributes of Allah. So, Tawhid al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat
means the acknowledgement of the Oneness of Allah through His names and attributes.

All the names and attributes of Allah are the absolute qualities of Him. In contrast, human’s
attributes are not absolute.

There are no tahrif (change), ta’til (deny), takyif (how), tamthil (equalize) for all attributes
of Allah.

[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves,
mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like
unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (al-Shura: 11)

The key principle which should be followed when dealing with Allah’s attributes is “There is

nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. The attributes of hearing and seeing

are among of human attributes, but when they are attributed to the Divine Being they are

without comparison in their perfection.3

3Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, The Fundamentals of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism), Kuala Lumpur: A.S
Noordeen, 2003, p.13.
2.6 THE IMPACTS OF TAWHID ON HUMAN PERSONALITY

Tawhid plays very vital role in the Muslim life. It shapes the Muslim mind, action and
thought.

It could free all men from being controlled by others in all aspects. (e.g: ideas, principles,
perspective, behavior).

In fact Tawhid also can prevent man from doing evil deeds.

This prevention is come from the inner dimension that builds the strength to avoid wrong
doings and to promote good deeds.

Furthermore Tawhid leads human beings towards the light of truth from the state of
darkness and ignorance.

Then Tawhid also encourages people to be good person instead of good citizen.