Part 7 of a series of translated articles from the book, Lessons from the Noble Quran (pp.21-25) by Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan (may Allaah preserve him), translated by Moosaa Richardson.
[ In the Name of Allaah, the Lord of all the worlds, may His Most Complete Salaah and Salaam be upon His final Prophet and Messenger, and upon all his family members and companions, to proceed… ]
We have previously stated that the three categories of towheed are taken directly from the Noble Qur’aan. The categories are taken from many verses, so let us look to some of them now.
The very first chapter found in the mus-haf, Soorah Al-Faatihah, mentions all three categories of towheed. Allaah says [1]:
( All the praise is due to Allaah, the Lord (Creator, Sustainer) of all that exists )
Here is towheed ar-ruboobiyyah, as the verse establishes Allaah’s Lordship over the ‘aalameen, which means everything except Allaah, and the Rabb (Lord) means the Owner and Controller of Affairs. Allaah then says [2]:
( The Bestower of Mercy, the All-Merciful, the Owner of the Day of Judgement )
Towheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat is present in these verses, as Allaah establishes for Himself the attributes of Mercy and Ownership. He also establishes some of His Names – Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem, and Al-Maalik. Then He says [3]:
( You alone we worship, and You alone we seek help from )
And here is towheed al-uloohiyyah, as the verse demonstrates the obligation to single out Allaah with acts of worship, and to seek help from Him alone.
Similarly, the three categories oftowheed are also found in Soorah An-Naas, the very last chapter to be found in the mus-haf. Towheed ar-ruboobiyyah is found in His Statement [4]:
( Say: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind’ )
And towheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat is found in His Statement [5]:
( the King of mankind )
And lastly, towheed al-uloohiyyah is found in His Statement [6]:
( the God worshipped by mankind )
Likewise, the very first command issued in the mus-haf contains the categories of towheed [7]:
( O mankind! Worship your Lord who created you and those who came before you, so that you might attain taqwaa. (He is) the One who made the earth a bed for you and the sky a mighty structure, and He sent water down from the sky that brings forth many fruits for your provisions. So do not ascribe partners to Allaah while you have knowledge! )
After mentioning the three kinds of people, the believers, the disbelievers, and the hypocrites, and then turning His Servants to the Qur’aan as a source of guidance [8], He followed that up saying [9]:
( O mankind! Worship your Lord! )
This is a general call, a command to the entire creation, to single out Allaah with acts of worship, and a command to avoid ascribing a single partner to Allaah. This istowheed al-uloohiyyah.
Then Allaah comes withtowheed ar-ruboobiyyah, as something to back up the fact that He deserves to be worshipped alone [10]:
( The One who made the earth a bed for you and the sky a mighty structure, and He sent water down from the sky that brings forth many fruits for your provisions )
Aren’t these the actions of Allaah, Most High and Magnificent? This is towheed ar-ruboobiyyah. Allaah, Most Glorified and Exalted, mentions it here as a proof and something that leads to towheed al-uloohiyyah. Just as He alone does these things, then no one other than Him deserves worship, rather this is a right that is purely and solely for Him, Most Glorified.
He mentions two of the categories of towheed in these verses. Towheed al-uloohiyyah is mentioned since it is the greatest thing sought from mankind, and towheed ar-ruboobiyyah is mentioned as a proof for it, and something that can not be separated from it. He orders all of mankind with the same order found in another verse [11]:
( And I have not created the Jinn nor mankind
for any purpose other than worshipping Me )
So He has informed us that these two great creations, the Jinn and mankind, have not been created for a purpose other than worshipping Allaah, singling Him out with towheed al-uloohiyyah.
Then He forbade shirk in the last part of the verse [12]:
( So do not ascribe partners to Allaah while you have knowledge )
Meaning that you are not to perform a single act of worship for other than Allaah, while you know that no one shares in His Ruboobiyyah, His Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, His sending of the rain, His causing the plants to grow forth, etc. Since you know that no one shared with Him in these affairs, then how could you worship someone along with Him?!
Allaah, Most Glorified and Exalted, says [13]:
( And your God is one God, there is no God except Him )
This is towheed al-uloohiyyah. A god is something that is worshipped, so uloohiyyah is worship and complete love. The verse means that the one who rightfully deserves your worship is only one, there is no God except Him, there is none to be worshipped other than Him. Later in the verse, Allaah says [14]:
( The Bestower of Mercy, the All-Merciful )
This is something from towheed al-asmaa’ was-sifaat, as it contains proof for two of Allaah’s Names, along with His Attribute of Mercy.
Allaah also says [15]:
( Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships that sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water that Allaah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive with it after its death, and the many animals of all kinds scattered therein, and in the various winds, and in the clouds that are held between the sky and the earth, truly all of these are evidences for people of intellect. )
This verse is about towheed ar-ruboobiyyah. Allaah mentions these things as proofs for His Right to be worshipped alone, as He called these things aayaat, meaning proofs and evidences for His Right to be worshipped alone.
In these verses, all three categories of towheed have been mentioned, and likewise you find them mentioned all throughout the rest of the Qur’aan.
Part 8 – The Wisdom Behind the Repetitive Affirmation of Towheed ar-Ruboobiyyah in the Qur’aan…
FOOTNOTES
[1] The meaning of Soorah Al-Faatihah (1):2
[2] The meaning of Soorah Al-Faatihah (1):3-4
[3] The meaning of Soorah Al-Faatihah (1):5
[4] The meaning of Soorah An-Naas (114):1
[5] The meaning of Soorah An-Naas (114):2
[6] The meaning of Soorah An-Naas (114):3
[7] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):21-22
[8] Translator’s note: In the first 20 verses of Soorah Al-Baqarah.
[9] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):21
[10] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):21-22
[11] The meaning of Soorah Ath-Thaariyaat (51):56
[12] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):22
[13] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):163
[14] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):163
[15] The meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):164
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Moosa,
In the footnotes for 11 and a few of the footnotes after are slight mistakes. The 11th footnote is mixed with 12 and 13 is mixed with 14. Also the 12th footnote is missing the verse it belongs to or am I mistaken. جزاكم الله خيرا
Wa ‘alaykas-salaamu wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Jazaak Allaahu khayran, it has been fixed.
Assalaamu alaykum. I have a question related to the story of Prophet Ibrahim when he was thrown into the fire. There was a lizard that was trying to cause him harm while the other animals tried to save him…. I need some clarification. Taking into account the affair of this lizard and its disobedience, are there any from among the untested species (non-human and non-jinn) that are an exception to the ayaat in which Allaah informs us of everything in the heavens and earth glorifying Him? [Message truncated by admin]
Wa ‘alayk as-salaamu wa rahmatullaah. The wazagh (house lizard, gecko) is described in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, in the hadeeth of Umm Shareek (no.3359) as a creature that was trying to blow on the fire to fan it and increase its heat upon Ibraaheem. Furthermore, in the two Saheehs is the order to kill it, and a reference to it as a “fuwaysiq” (a little faasiq). A fuwaysiq, or faasiq, as a description of an animal, refers to things which attack from behind walls or from inside of holes or other places of ambush. Fa-sa-qa literally means to exit from something. When used to describe people, it refers to exiting out of obedience into disobedience. Here is means: jumping out from behind something. Other faasiqs from the animal kingdom have been named in the authentic narration of ‘Aa’ishah in both Saheehs, and we have been ordered to kill them, even in the Haram, even in a state of ihraam. They are: Rats, scorpions, crows, kites (its a bird, look it up), and aggressive wild animals (dogs, wolves, tigers, lions, etc.). Regarding these creatures and others and their praises of Allaah, then you simply do not understand their tasbeeh (praises), as Allaah has stated clearly. See: Quran 17:44. This is not connected to whether they harm people or not. And Allaah knows best.
السلام عليكم
My question is related to the comment above. Regarding the house lizard specifically, I understand that we find an encouragement to kill it, in the sunnah. My question is whether I can kill the lizard if I see it in my house even if it doesn’t harm me? Like is it a condition that it must do some harm, only then can I kill it or I can kill it straightaway, just like that, hoping for the reward and seeking nearness to Allāh?
جزاك الله خيرًا
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركته
You kill harmful insects and pests, like the house lizard, because of their potential harm, and you do not wait to see if each one will harm you. It is in Bukhaaree and Muslim from the hadeeth of Umm Shareek (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) ordered that house lizards be killed. So they are killed on sight, seeking reward from Allah, in obedience to His messenger, and Allah knows best.