Tawhid

Tawhid (also Tawheed or Tauhid; Arabic توحيد), meaning "declaring God one," is the Islamic concept of monotheism. Its opposite, comprehending the sins of polytheism and idolatry, is shirk.

Tawhid has three aspects: Tawhid ar-Rububiyya, Tawhid al-Asma wa as-Sifat and Tawhid al-ibada.

Tawhid ar-Rububiyya is the conviction that God, and only God, creates and sustains the universe, that without his will the universe could not continue to exist. Failure to hold this conviction results in either polytheism or atheism.

Tawhid al-Asma wa as-Sifat is the conviction that God has certain names and characteristics which He mentioned in the Qur'an or in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah). It is the belief that nothing resembles God, nor does He resemble any of His creation.

Tawhid al-ibada means "declaring God one through our service," to worship God and only God both in those actions that are visible to others and in those actions and thoughts that are hidden from other men. This requires one to worship God alone, with pure and sincere intent and dedication. Worship includes any action done in servitude to God which He commanded, such as prayer, supplication, sacrifice, vowing, love and fear.

Thus, true monotheism in Islam requires one to have the correct knowledge (tawhid ar-rububiyya), the correct understanding (tawhid al-asma wa as-sifat), and the correct motivation (tawhid al-ibada).

External link

• An Introduction to Islamic Monotheism (from Al-Muhajabah's web site)
• What is Tawheed? (Islamic Monotheism)
• Tawheed - Monotheism