IT IS ALLAH ALONE WHO IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP
A STATEMENT OF TRUTH REVEALED TO THE MUSHRIKS

Continuing and inshallah the last post in the explanation of the poem, we will now we move into the third aspect of tawheed: maintaining the oneness, uniqueness, and exclusiveness of Allah’s rights to be worshipped (tawheed al-uloohiyyah)

The grand importance of tawheed al-uloohiyyah is evident in the fact that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam was commissioned to a nation that confirmed many aspects of the first two categories of tawheed but rejected worshipping Allah alone. His mission was to bring people back to the pure worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala as He says to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam:

Say, “Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter?” They will say, “Allah,” so say, “Then will you not fear Him?” [Surah Yunus V. 31]

The idolaters (mushriks) at the time of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam acknowledged that Allah was their rabb who has the power and ability to cause death and life yet they were considered disbelievers because they denied His oneness and uniqueness to be worshipped alone. Allah says:

 And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him. [Surah Yusuf V. 106]

Mujaahid rahimuhallah (the most outstanding student of Ibn Abbas radhiAllah anhu) comments on this verse by stating:

“Their belief in Allah, represented by their statement, ‘Allah created us, provides for us and takes our lives’, did not stop them from worshiping other deities along with Allah”

The grand importance of this type of tawheed is also evident in the fact that Allah has made this the sole purpose of our creation, as He says:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. [Surah Dhariyat V.56]

This was where the idolaters in the time of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam fell into error. They failed to understand that indeed the prayers , sacrifices, and supplications they were offering to those idols was worship and worship is only due to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. The people had strayed so far away from the pure tawheed that Allah sent our Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam to bring them back. He subhanahu wa ta’ala sent the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam to bring these people back from the worship of  stones and idols to the worship of Allah alone; to bring them back towards pure tawheed.

Even today, we have Muslims who have failed to understand the concept of worship. They acknowledge Allah as their Lord yet they pray and supplicate to other than Him. They fall into the same error as the mushriks of the time of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam fell into. When the mushriks were asked why they supplicated and worshipped idols, they would say to come closer to Allah. They would use the idols as intercessors between themselves and Allah and it is this very concept that Allah rebukes the mushriks for in the Qur’an. Allah says:

Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him [say], “We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position.” Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever. [Surah az-Zumar V.3]

He said, “Then do you worship instead of Allah that which does not benefit you at all or harm you? [Surah al-Anbiya V. 66]

It’s clear that those who worship saints and supplicate to dead people are the same as the mushriks in the time of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam. The saints and the dead, just like the idols, cannot benefit nor harm anyone for verily that power only belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and beyond that, worship is only due to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accept this work. Anything good that comes out of this is only from Him and anything wrong is from myself and the whispers of the accursed shaytaan.

HE IS ALLAH, THE MOST HIGH WHO DOES NOT SLEEP
NOR DOES HIS CREATION TAKE PART IN HIS MAJESTY

Continuing in our explanation of the poem and our discussion of the five points relating to tawheed al-asma was-sifat:

4) We do not Ascribe the Qualities of Creation to the Creator

It is not befitting the majesty of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that we ascribe to Him characteristics and weaknesses of creation. To Allah belongs the quality of Highness; Highness in His Essence, in His Attributes and esteem, and in His Strength and Power. He is far above His creation and there is no likeness to be made because Allah says:

[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 All-Hearing, the All-Seeing [Surah ash-Shura V. 11]

The Jews and the Christians claim that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala spent the first six days creating the universe and then slept on the seventh . This claim is absurd and it is not befitting the majesty of Allah because to Him belongs the most beautiful Names and Attributes that are of perfection. Sleep is a weakness that is a characteristic of creation and it is not befitting to ascribe this weakness to the Lord of the heavens and the earth.

Also, the attributes of hearing and seeing are among the human attributes, however when they are ascribed to Allah they are without comparison. Allah hears and sees in a manner that befits His Majesty and we do not compare that to the hearing and seeing of his creation.

5) We do not Ascribe the Qualities of the Creator to His Creation

In the same manner that we do not lower the majesty of Allah by describing Him with qualities of creation, we do not exalt the status of creation by giving them qualities of Allah. By doing so we deify these objects of creation and seek from them that which we should be seeking only from Allah. For example, to turn to an idol or a saint, thinking that they have the ability to grant you what you want, or answer your supplication, or grant you forgiveness is incorrect. It is only Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala who has the ability to answer your supplication, it is only Allah who has the power to grant you what want, and it is only Allah who has the ability to grant you forgiveness. Therefore, no creation can claim to have a share in Allah’s Names and Attributes. If one were to do so then indeed they have committed a crime against Allah, they have ascribed partners to Him, they have made themselves equal to Him, they have gone astray in establishing His rights to be worshipped Alone, and if they die upon it they will be the companions of the eternal Fire.

Also, it is important to note that it is not permissible to give creation the definite forms of Allah’s names unless it is preceded with the prefix ‘abd meaning “slave of”. However, some divine names in their indefinite forms can be used for man because Allah has used them to describe the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam as He says:

There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind (ra’uf) and merciful (raheem) [Surah at-Tawba V. 128]

Stay tuned for part 4…

ALLAH IS AS HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF WITH NO ADDITIONS
BEYOND WHICH WE DO NOT PONDER NOR PUT CONDITIONS

Continuing in our explanation of the poem and our discussion of the branches tawheed, we now move into the second branch which is the oneness, uniqueness, and exclusiveness of Allah’s Names and Attributes (tawheed al-asma was-sifat). There are five points we will discuss; three points in this post and the remaining two in the next post.

1) All of Allah’s Names are taken from the Sacred Texts

The beautiful names and attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala are those that have been revealed to us in the Qur’an or through the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam. It is not correct for anyone to make additions and call Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala by a Name that He has not named Himself with.

2) The Names and Attributes are Understood according to their Apparent Meaning

We do not re-interpret the names of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to give them a meaning that goes beyond that which is obvious and apparent. For example, Allah says:

 And [that] He may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women, and the polytheist men and polytheist women – those who assume about Allah an assumption of evil nature. Upon them is a misfortune of evil nature; and Allah has become angry with them and has cursed them and prepared for them Hell, and evil it is as a destination. [Surah Fath V. 6]

It is not correct to use our intellects and assume that anger in the above verse means punishment since anger is a sign of weakness in man. Allah uses different words for ‘punishment’ (‘adzaab) and ‘anger’ (ghadab) and thus they cannot be the same. Rather, we accept that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has an attribute of anger, which is perfect and majestic, without asking the how of it and without making it similar to anger of creation.

3) We do not create New Names for Allah

It is clear that Allah has an attribute of anger however we cannot give him a name such as: ‘The Angry One’ (al-ghadib) because to do so would not be befitting His Majesty and neither is it found in the sacred texts. An important principle to keep in mind is that every name of Allah denotes an attribute. For example, Allah is the Most Merciful (ar-rahman) and thus He has the attribute of mercy (rahma). However, as we already saw above, not every attribute denotes a name of Allah.

Stay tuned for part 3…

Let me first introduce the complete poem and then we’ll discuss it one or two lines a time.

ALLAH, THE LORD OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
THE CREATOR, SUSTAINER, ABOVE GIVING BIRTH
ALLAH IS AS HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF WITH NO ADDITIONS
BEYOND WHICH WE DO NOT PONDER NOR PUT CONDITIONS
HE IS ALLAH, THE MOST HIGH WHO DOES NOT SLEEP
NOR DOES HIS CREATION TAKE PART IN HIS MAJESTY
IT IS ALLAH ALONE WHO IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP
A STATEMENT OF TRUTH REVEALED TO THE MUSHRIKS

“ALLAH, THE LORD OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. THE CREATOR, SUSTAINER, ABOVE GIVING BIRTH”

The Arabic word ‘Allah’ denotes the meaning of exclusiveness and uniqueness. In its linguistic sense, it means The One and Only deity (al-ilah). ‘Allah’ is also one of the perfect and infinite Names that our beloved Lord has chosen to name Himself with. The greatest name of the Lord of the heavens and the earth is Allah and it is the grand name to which all His other Names and Attributes are attributed to. As He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, says in the Qur’an:

He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity (worthy of worship), Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful [Surah Hashr V. 22]

He is Allah, the One who sent down the Qur’an, to make clear a fundamental concept in Islam known as tawheed, which literally means “making something one”. When we use this word in reference to Allah it means making Allah one, unique, and exclusive in three things:

1. His Lordship (Ruboobiyyah)
2. His rights to be worshipped (Uloohiyyah)
3. His Names and Attributes (Asma was-Sifat)

So grand is this principle that Allah revealed His words to our beloved Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam, created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, life and death, provided fruits and cattle, for no other reason but to make clear His oneness, uniqueness, and exclusiveness amongst all the worlds.

Continuing on with the explanation of the poem, we begin to touch upon the first branch of tawheed by mentioning that Allah is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. He says in the Qur’an:

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists) [Surah Fatiha V.2]

This quality which belongs to Allah, that of Lordship (Ruboobiyyah), is something we find throughout the Qur’an. We are witness to it as soon as we read the first page, in which Allah refers to Himself as the Rabb of the ‘Alamin.

The word rabb has a multitude of meanings: master, owner, controller, nourisher, and provider . Islamically, rabb

has three precise definitions, which makes clear the concept of tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah:

• To know and believe that Allah is the True and Complete Owner of the Dominion
• To know and believe that Allah is the One worthy of fully being obeyed
• To know and believe that only Allah creates, sustains, and owns the entire creation. He alone is the Master, Controller, and Nourisher

Allah is the only deity that is the rabb of everything because it is only He who has the ability to create, sustain, and nourish all of creation. He is the Creator and Owner, the one who rectifies mankind and nurtures them from His blessings by sending His Messengers and revealing His Books. He is the Self-Sufficient (as-Samad), to whom all creation turns to in need. Shaykh ibn Naasir as-Sa’dee rahimuhallah says in his explanation of this beautiful name of Allah:

[He is] The One who is turned to for all needs. For all those who are in the heavens and Earth are in the uttermost need of Him. They ask Him for all of their needs and they turn to him for their purposes. This is because He is complete in is His attributes, [He is] Al ‘Aleem (The Most Knowledgeable) who is complete in His knowledge. Al Haleem (The Most Forbearing) who is complete in forbearance, Ar Raheem (The Most Merciful who is complete in His Mercy] which encompasses all things. And [He] is likewise in the rest of His attributes.

This name of Allah proves His Majesty over His creation as He is independent of them while they are completely and utterly dependent upon Him.

It is from His completeness that He does not have sons or daughters, as the pagans claimed, because of his complete self-sufficiency. Ascribing Allah with sons and daughters would diminish His quality of oneness, uniqueness, and exclusiveness in Lordship, which would not befit the One who is Perfect and Self-Sufficient. Beyond that, Allah makes clear He is far above having sons and daughters in the Qur’an:

And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son [Surah Maryam V.92]

Stay tuned part 2…