Someone may say, and it actually has been said, “What is it with you that you always focus on towheed and you talk so much about it?! You don’t even take into consideration the condition of the Muslims in our day and time, those who are being killed and exiled all over the earth, those being persecuted by the empires of disbelief in every place?!”

So we say, and with Allaah lies success:

Towheed is the foundation upon which this upright religion has been built, so focusing on it means to focus on the very core itself. For if we were to reflect over the Noble Qur’aan we would find that it expounds on issues of towheed repetitively, so much so that there does not exist a single soorah in the Qur’aan that does not mention towheed, clarifying it and prohibiting what opposes it. It was Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim who pointed out that the entire Qur’aan is about towheed, since it is only made up of the following:

* Information about Allaah and His Names and Attributes – This is the towheed that we are to have knowledge of, called towheed ar-ruboobiyyah.

* Commands to worship Allaah alone without partners and prohibitions of worshipping other than Him – This is the towheed that we must put into action, called towheed al-uloohiyyah.

* Commands to obey Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) and prohibitions of disobeying Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) – These are the ways that towheed is actualized and completed.

* Information about what Allaah has prepared for the people of towheed, the delights, success, salvation, and triumphs in this life and the Next, and the punishments that are in store for the people of shirk in this life, and the eternal torture prepared for them upon their one-way entrance into the Hellfire – The first is for those who actualize towheed, the latter is for those who do not. [1]

Therefore the entire Qur’aan is centered around towheed. If you were to think about the soorahs revealed in Makkah, you would find that most of them focus entirely on towheed. That is because the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) stayed in Makkah for 13 years calling to towheed and warning against shirk. The vast majority of the religious obligations like zakaat, fasting, Hajj, the affairs of halaal and haraam, business transactions, etc. were not revealed until after the emigration to Al-Madeenah. The legislation of the prayer is an exception to this, as it was made an obligation while the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) was still in Makkah on the Night of Al-Mi’raaj, when he (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) was taken by night (to Jerusalem) [2], but that was only a short time before the Emigration.

So the majority of the soorahs revealed before the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) emigrated were focused entirely on towheed, thus showing how truly important the subject is. Furthermore, the religious obligations were not revealed until towheed was presented and grounded within the souls of the people, and the proper ‘aqeedah had taken root. Verily, actions can not be correct except with towheed, nor can they have other than towheed as their foundation.

The Qur’aan has illustrated that the Messengers (‘alayhim As-Salaatu was-Salaam) all began their missions by inviting the people to towheed before anything else, as Allaah says [3]:

( And We sent a messenger to every nation (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah and shun false deities!’ )

Allaah also says [4]:

( And We never sent any messenger before you, except that we revealed to him that ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me!’ )

And every prophet used to say to his people [5]:

( O my people – Worship Allaah as you have no other deity worthy of worship! )

So this was the affair of the messengers – they all began with towheed.

Similarly the callers and revivalists who followed the messengers used to begin by focusing on towheed. That is because every single da’wah that is not built upon towheed is a fruitless call that does not fulfill its purpose, and there is no positive result to it. Every da’wah that does not focus on towheed is a lost call, with regards to its end results. This is something well known and witnessed all over.

On the other hand, every da’wah centered around towheed is a truly successful call, by Allaah’s Permission, a call that benefits the society and bears many fruits. History bears witness to this.

So we are not neglecting the issues of the Muslims, rather we are very concerned about them. We are assisting them and trying to prevent every harm from reaching them using all our resources. It is not something light on us that the Muslims are being killed and exiled, but it is not true concern for the situation of the Muslims that we force ourselves to shed tears insincerely, or that we fill the world with speeches and writings, screaming and wailing… for verily this does not accomplish a thing.

Finding the real solution to the Muslims’ problems requires us to seek out the reasons that have led to the punishments afflicting the Muslims at the hands of their enemies.

What is causing the enemies of the Muslims to gain and hold authority over them?

When we look to the Muslim world, we do not see any serious commitment to Islaam with most of those who ascribe to it, except the few that Allaah has had Mercy on. They are (mostly) Muslims by name only, the ‘aqeedah of most of them is lost. They worship other than Allaah, calling on saints and righteous people, clinging to graves and tombs, not establishing the prayer, not paying zakaat, not fasting, etc. They are not fulfilling the basic obligations Allaah asked of them, nor are they even preparing physically to engage in combat against the disbelievers! This is the case with the majority of those who ascribe themselves to Islaam – they have lost their religion, so Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, caused them to be lost.

The most significant factor that has led them to be subjected to these punishments is their heedlessness regarding affairs of towheed and their falling into major forms of shirk, to the point that they do not prohibit each other from it, nor do they even show any contempt for it! Those who do not fall into it themselves still condone it or do not consider it shirk. An explanation of this is forthcoming, in shaa’ Allaah. So know that this is the primary reason that the Muslims have been subjected to such punishments.

If they were to hold firmly to their religion, actualizing towheed and establishing their ‘aqeedah upon the Book and the Sunnah, holding together to the Rope of Allaah, shunning division, then verily what has been allowed to befall them will not be allowed to befall them anymore, as Allaah says [6]:

( And verily Allaah will make those who aid His Cause victorious, for verily He is All-Powerful and Mighty. (They are) those who, when given power in the land, establish the prayer, pay zakaat, command what is good, and forbid what is evil, and with Allaah is the end result of all affairs. )

So Allaah has made it clear that victory will not be given to the Muslims unless they focus on what He mentioned – establishing the prayer, paying zakaat, commanding what is good, and forbidding what is evil.

Where are these affairs with the Muslims and their current situations today? Where is the establishment of the prayer by most of the Muslims? Or even more importantly, where is the correct ‘aqeedah for most of those who claim Islaam as their religion?!

Allaah says [7]:

( Allaah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will cause them to rule the earth just as He caused those who came before them to rule it, and He will grant them the ability to practice their religion, the one He chose for them, and He will change their fears into safety… )

But where is the very first condition for this promise? [7]

( …they worship Me without ascribing a single partner to Me )

So He clarified that this gaining of authority and fortification will only come to pass when this condition is fulfilled – that they worship Him alone without any partners, and this is the essence of towheed. These generously promised things will not be granted except to those who understand and apply towheed, worshipping Allaah alone with no partners, with acts of worship including prayer, zakaat, Hajj, and all other acts of obedience.

Note that Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, did not say, “They worship Me,” only, rather He followed that up with His Statement [7]:

( …without ascribing a single partner to Me )

That is because worship is of no benefit with the presence of shirk. All forms of shirk must be avoided, no matter what shape, form, or name. Shirk simply means to perform an act of worship for other than Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.

This is what brings about true salvation, safety, victory, and strength in the land – correcting the ‘aqeedah and then correcting the deeds. Without this, disasters and punishments will continue to befall whoever does not completely fulfill the condition (for Allaah’s Aid). Being conquered by the enemies is only the result of the Muslims not fulfilling this necessary condition, their lack of proper concern for their ‘aqeedah and Religion, and their contentment with carrying Muslim names and nothing more.

Part 2 – The Meaning of the Word Towheed…

FOOTNOTES