Part 2 of a series of translated articles from the book, Lessons from the Noble Quran (pp.11-12) by Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan (may Allaah preserve him), translated by Moosaa Richardson.
[ In the Name of Allaah, the All-Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam be upon His final Messenger, and upon all his family members and companions, to proceed… ]
What exactly is this towheed that is so important, that which holds such a high position?
Liguistically, the word towheed comes from the word wah-hada, which means to make something waahid (singular). Waahid is the opposite of two, three, etc., the opposite of plurality. So waahid is something that will continue to be singular and never become a partner of something else.
As for the Sharee’ah’s definition, the towheed means to single out Allaah with all forms of worship, so that you make all of your worship for Allaah alone. Allaah says [1]:
( …and the religion will be entirely for Allaah )
The word religion in this verse means worship, as Allaah says [2]:
( and I have not created the Jinn nor Mankind except to worship Me )
And Allaah says [3]:
( and worship Allaah, and do not ascribe a single partner to Him )
Allaah also says [4]:
( So call on Allaah, making the religion entirely for Him, even if the disbelievers detest it )
This is the meaning of towheed – to single out Allaah in all acts of worship and to abandon the worship of anything else.
FOOTNOTES
[1] The meaning of Soorah Al-Anfaal (8):39
[2] The meaning of Soorah Ath-Thaariyaat (51):56
[3] The meaning of Soorah An-Nisaa’ (4):36
[4] The meaning of Soorah Ghaafir (40):14
Assalamualaykum akhii moosa.
We read in thalathatul usool, in the matn that shaykhul islaam defines shirk as:
و هو دعوة غيره معه
It is to make dua to other than Him along with Him.
So we know that if someone believes that Allah and so and so ALONG WITH HIM creates, provides or disposes affairs, this is associating partners with Allah in His rubuubiyyah and shirk akbar.
Similarly we know if a man prays, fasts, give zakaah and on other hand sacrifices and makes dua to dead or absent, this man has associated partners with Allah in His worship and is a mushrik.
But what about people of other religions like Hindus for example?
They worship other than Allah like animals, humans, their idols, but they do not worship them alongside Allah.
Rather they completely worship their طواغيت.
So here ‘معه’ doesnt appear.
Is this still termed as ‘shirk’ legislatively?
Please clarify this for me in sha Allâh.
And if you could also tell the linguistic and legislative meaning of shirk to clarify this issue for me.
Baarakallahu feek.
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Those people who direct worship to other than Allāh سبحانه و تعالى absolutely (they do not worship Allāh سبحانه و تعالى whatsoever) are undoubtedly guilty of shirk in the legislative sense. Tell me, would you label someone who directs worship to other than Allāh سبحانه و تعالى absolutely as a mushrik (polytheist)? If your answer to my question is in the affirmative, can you tell me why you would give that label to them? Is it not because they are guilty of shirk (in the legislative sense)? If they were not guilty of shirk in the legislative sense, would we apply that label of mushrik to them?
Allāh سبحانه و تعالى says (what in English means):
“And if anyone of the Mushrikūn (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allāh) seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of Allāh (the Qurʾān), and then escort him to where he can be secure, that is because they are men who know not.” Qurʾān 9:6
Allāh سبحانه و تعالى labeled those people who had not even heard the Word of Allāh سبحانه و تعالى (the Qurʾān) as mushrikūn. Now I ask you, if there is some Hindu alive today who has not heard a single verse of the Qurʾān, based on the verse I just cited, would any Muslim hesitate to label that Hindu as a mushrik? The truth is that Hindu is undoubtedly a mushrik because that Hindu worships other than Allāh سبحانه و تعالى. We label that Hindu as a mushrik because they are guilty of shirk in the legislative sense, otherwise, what other reason do we have to label that Hindu as a mushrik?
In summary, regardless of whether a person directs some or all of their worship towards other than Allāh سبحانه و تعالى, that action of theirs is undoubtedly labeled as shirk in the legislative sense and they are correspondingly labeled as mushrikūn (polytheists).
May Allāh سبحانه و تعالى guide the Muslims to all that is good.
If you are still confused, refer to these additional resources in shāʾ Allāh:
https://www.troid.org/an-introduction-to-shirk-and-its-divisions/
https://abukhadeejah.com/ahmad-an-najmees-kitaab-at-tawheed-chapter-3-fear-of-falling-into-shirk/