“So know that there is no god but Allaah”
“So know that there is no god but Allaah”
None is truly worthy of worship except Allaah
He is only one God:
Worship is entirely a right for Allaah The Almighty Alone:
It was narrated on the authority of Mu‘aath ibn Jabal, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him: "Do you know what is Allaah's right on His slaves?" I replied, "Allaah and His Messenger know better." He said, "Allaah's right on His slaves is that they should worship Him and not worship anything besides Him." He then said, "Do you know what is (Allaah's) slaves' (people's) right on Allaah if they did that?" I replied, "Allaah and His Messenger know better." He said, "The right of (Allaah's) slaves on Allaah is that He should not punish them (if they did that)."[1]
Love belongs wholly to Allaah The Almighty Alone[2]:
God is the greatest beloved one by the heart and soul. He is the only truthful worshiped One by the body and the tongue:
Allaah The Almighty is truly worthy of the saying of the poet:
I love the One whom I cannot be blamed for his love,
And you have loved instead of Him those who are full of shortcomings.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allaah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allaah.}[Al-Baqarah: 165]
Love should also be for the sake of Allaah The Almighty alone. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith: “The one to whom Allaah and His Messenger become dearer than anything else, who loves a person and he loves him only for Allaah's sake and who hates to revert to disbelief (Atheism) after Allaah has brought (saved) him out from it, as he hates to be thrown in fire.”[3]
Fear should be from Allaah The Almighty alone:
Benefit and harm, giving and withholding, and reward and punishment are all only determined by Allaah The Almighty alone. Therefore, fear from missing good or having harm should be from Allaah The Almighty alone. Simply because other than Him can harm or benefit nothing even for the least.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{[Allaah praises] those who convey the messages of Allaah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allaah . And sufficient is Allaah as Accountant.}[Al-Ahzaab: 39]
Allaah The Almighty also says:
{The mosques of Allaah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allaah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allaah , for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.} [At-Tawbah: 18]
Du‘aa’ (supplication) should be dedicated for Allaah The Almighty alone:
No one can answer the supplications of the needy except Allaah The Almighty and no one responds to the desperate except Him. So whoever is invoked apart from Allaah The Almighty does not possess anything for the one who invoked him and does not hear his supplication and even if he heard him, in no way he would respond to him.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed. If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters].}[Faatir: 13-14]
Allaah The Almighty also says:
{Say, [O Muhammad], "I only invoke my Lord and do not associate with Him anyone.}[Al-Jinn: 20]
Ibraaheem, peace be upon him, said to his people (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf):
{And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allaah and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy.}[Maryam: 48]
Mosques are for Allaah The Almighty alone:
Mosques are the houses of Allaah The Almighty. They are built for the remembrance and worship of Allaah The Almighty. So how other than Him The Exalted can be invoked and sought in them?
Allaah The Almighty says:
{And [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allaah, so do not invoke with Allaah anyone.} [Al-Jinn: 18]
Prayers and sacrifice should be done for the sake of Allaah The Almighty alone:
Allaah The Almighty created man and created for him cattle. The blessings of Allaah The Almighty can only be responded to by giving thanks and appreciation. Amongst the forms of appreciation that one can give to Allaah The Almighty are that worship and prayer should be ascribed for Allaah The Almighty alone. As for giving thanks for the cattle, they should be slaughtered for and by mentioning the name of Allaah The Almighty alone on it.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].} [Al-Kawthar: 2]
This is exactly what Al-Ahnaaf (those who were on the religion of Ibraaheem) used to do.
It was narrated that Zaid ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufail, who was one of Al-Ahnaaf, said to the disbelievers: “I do not eat anything which you slaughter in the name of your stone idols. I eat none but those things on which Allaah's Name has been mentioned at the time of slaughtering. He used also to say to them: "Allaah has created the sheep and He has sent the water for it from the sky, and He has grown the grass for it from the earth; yet you slaughter it in other than the Name of Allaah The Almighty. He used to say so, for he rejected that practice and considered it as something abominable.[4]
It was narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “May Allaah curse those who offer sacrifices to anything other than Allaah.” [Reported by Muslim]
Seeking refuge is to be from Allaah The Almighty alone:
Allaah The Almighty says: {Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The Sovereign of mankind. God of mankind.”} [An-Naas: 1-3]
Whoever seeks refuge from other than Allaah The Almighty will be increased nothing except worry, grief and distress. Allaah The Almighty says:
{And there were men from mankind who sought refuge in men from the jinn, so they [only] increased them in burden.}[Al-Jinn: 6]
One is to call upon Allaah The Almighty alone:
At the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, there was a hypocrite who rendered so much harm to the companions so that some of them summoned the others to seek the help of the Messenger of Allaah, peace and blessings be upon him, against him. Upon that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “No man may call upon me. Only Allaah is worthy of being called upon.”[5]
Seeking help is to be from Allaah The Almighty alone:
It was narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If you ask anyone for anything, then ask Allaah; if you seek help from anyone, then seek help from Allaah.”[6]
Allaah The Almighty says:
{It is You we worship and You we ask for help.}[Al-Faatihah: 5]
Tawassul (seeking to draw close) is to be for Allaah The Almighty Alone:
Allaah The Almighty says: {O you who have believed, fear Allaah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.} [Al-Maa’edah: 35]
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “Al-Waseelah is the means of approach.”[7]
It was also narrated that Qataadah said: “It means seeking the means of approach to Him by obeying Him and performing the acts that please Him.”[8]
Ibn Katheer said: “It is a means of approach to achieve something.”[9]
Tawassul to Allaah The Almighty are of three types:
Firstly, seeking to draw close to Allaah The Almighty by means of His Names and Attributes for they are the best elements of answering supplications.
For example: The saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “O Ever Living One, O Eternal One, by Your mercy I call on You to set right all my affairs...”[10]
Another example is the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “O Allaah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.”[11]
Secondly, seeking to draw close to Allaah through righteous deeds:
It is permissible as a way of worshiping Allaah The Almighty and one can draw close to Him through it.
For example, seeking to draw close to Allaah through Imaan (faith):
Such as the saying of the believers (as Allaah The Almighty says on their behalf):
{¡Our Lord!, we have believed, so, forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the Best of the merciful.}[Al-Mu’minoon: 109]
And such as their saying:
{Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.} {Aal-‘Imraan: 193}
Another example: seeking to draw close to Allaah through sincerity in the righteous deeds:
It is very clear in the Hadeeth of the three people who entered a cave, and a rock fell and blocked their way out. So they said: “Nothing could save you from this rock but to invoke Allaah The Almighty by giving reference to the righteous deed which you have done (for Allaah's sake only).”
Therefore, the first made Tawassul by referring to his dutifulness to his parents, the next made Tawassul by referring to him refraining from committing prohibited action, and the third made Tawassul by referring to his safekeeping of trusts and render back rights to their owners. Everyone of them used to say: “O Allaah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the present suffering.” So, that rock shifted completely and they got out walking. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Thirdly, seeking to draw close to Allaah by seeking supplication from righteous living person:
For example: The companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to supplicate for them during his life. Amongst that are:
It was reported by Al-Bukhaari in the Hadeeth of the seventy thousand that will enter Paradise without being brought to account. ‘Ukhaashah ibn Mihsan stood up and said, ‘Pray to Allaah to make me one of them!’ He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘O Allaah, make him one of them.’ and in another narration the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “You are of them.”
Also the woman that was suffering from epilepsy and becoming uncovered, she said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “Pray to Allaah that I will not become uncovered.” So he prayed for her.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Another example, it was narrated on the authority of ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The best amongst the successors would be a person who would be called Uwais. He would have his mother (living with him) and he would have (a small) sign of leprosy. Ask him to beg pardon for you (from Allaah). [Reported by Muslim]
Decree and judgment are for Allaah The Almighty alone:
Decree of Allaah The Almighty is the most just decree and His judgment is the greatest judgment. His decree is free from any form of injustice and high above any form of oppression. Allaah The Almighty says:
{Indeed, Allaah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight.}[An-Nisaa’: 40]
Therefore, Yoosuf, peace be upon him, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf):{Legislation is not but for Allaah . He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.} [Yoosuf: 40]
It was narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Allaah is the Judge (Al-Hakam) and to Him alone
Judgment belongs.”[12]
So whoever knows the wisdom of Allaah The Almighty in His decrees, the mercy of Allaah The Almighty in His judgment and the justice of Allaah The Almighty in His religion, he cannot help but refer to Him alone in judgments.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair.}[Al-Ahzaab: 36]
Dedicating religion wholly for Allaah The Almighty alone:
O you, those who go to the houses of Allaah The Almighty to call upon others than Allaah The Almighty, seek blessings in graves and shrines of the dead and sacrifice for them! Do you not listen to the words of Allaah The Almighty:
{And that you maintain yourselves [in worship of Him] at every place [or time] of prostration, and invoke Him, sincere to Him in religion." Just as He originated you, you will return [to life]}[Al-A‘raaf: 29]
He The Almighty also says:
{So worship Allaah, [being] sincere to Him in religion. Unquestionably, for Allaah is the pure religion.} [Az-Zumar: 2-3]
He The Almighty also says:
{And they were not commanded except to worship Allaah , [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion.}[Al-Bayyinah: 5]
Seeking reward from Allaah The Almighty alone:
It was narrated in the Al-Qudsi Hadeeth that Allaah The Almighty says: “I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for the sake of someone else as well as for My sake will have that action rejected by Me to the one whom he associated with Me.”[13] And in another narration: He The Exalted: “…thus he who does an action for the sake of someone else as well as for My sake, I will disassociate Myself from him and leave him to the one whom he associated (with Me).”[14]
Swearing should be by Allaah The Almighty alone:
It was narrated on the authority of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever swears by anything other than Allaah has committed Kufr or Shirk.”[15]
Even life and death is for Allaah The Almighty alone:
Allaah The Almighty says:
{Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.}[Al-An‘aam: 162-163]
Allaah The Almighty created the live and death. Allaah The Almighty says:
{[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.}[Al-Mulk: 2]
So life should be entirely for Allaah The Almighty on the religion and command of HimThe Almighty. Also, death should be entirely for Allaah The Almighty such as being martyred in the way of Allaah The Almighty, or dying on Islam while you are worshiping Allaah The Almighty alone.
Allaah The Almighty says:
{O you who have believed, fear Allaah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].}[Aal-‘Imraan: 102]
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[1] Reported by Al-Bukhaari (10/5967).
[2] Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: love of Allaah The Almighty has four conditions:
It should be from the kind of worship that is accompanied with humiliation, submissiveness, fear and obedience.
Such kind of love should be dedicated entirely for Allaah The Almighty alone and no atom’s weight of it can be ascribed to others than Him.
Loving nothing other than Him except for His sake.
Hating what separates him from Allaah The Almighty and belief in Him. He also should hate the most abhorrent thing He has; the Hellfire.
[3] Reported by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
[4]Reported by Al-Bukhaari (3826).
[5]At-Tabaraani in “Al-Mu‘jam Al-Kabeer” as in Majma‘ Az-Zawaa’id (10/159) and said: Its chain of narrators meets the criteria of the Two Saheehs, but not Ibn Lahee‘ah whose Hadeeth is Hasan (good), and reported also by Ahmad in Al-Musnad (2/317). Ibn Taymiyyah said in “Al-Istighaathah” (152): It can be supported and its meaning was indicated in the Book and Sunnah.
[6] Reported by At-Tirmithi and said: Hasan Saheeh (good and authentic) Hadeeth.
[7] Tafseer Ibn Khatheer (5/2).
[8] Tafseer Ibn Khatheer (5/2).
[9] Tafseer Ibn Khatheer (5/2).
[10] Reported by An-Nasaa’i in ‘Amal Al-Yawm wal Laylah (570), Ibn As-Sunni in ‘Amal Al-Yawm wal Laylah (48) and Al-Haakim said: Its chain of narrators meets the criteria of the Two Saheehs and Ath-Thahabi agreed upon that with him.
[11]Reported by Ahmad, At-Tirmithi and others. Refer to Saheeh Jaami‘ At-Tirmithi (2789).
[12] Reported by Al-Bukhaari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (811), Abu Daawood (4955) and refer to Saheeh Sunan Abu Daawood (4145).
[13] Reported by Muslim.
[14] Reported by Ibn Maajah.
[15] Reported by At-Tirmithi and deemed it Hasan (good) and Al-Haakim deemed it Saheeh (authentic).
