The Importance of Tawheed - Qari Zakaullah Saleem

Khutbah al-Ula — Opening

Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and you will not die except as Muslims.

O you people, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah in Whom you ask for help and mercy. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will amend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.

As for the rest, the words of Allah are the truest. And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations. And every innovation is a newly-invented matter. And every newly-invented matter is a misguidance. And every misguidance is in the Fire.

The First Pillar: The Declaration of Tawheed

It is a matter for us all to affirm that we are Muslims. There is only one way, which is the declaration of the oneness of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

If a non-Muslim wants to enter into the fold of Islam, he or she has to declare the oneness of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. Someone who is non-Muslim, and they are convinced with the message of Islam, and they want to enter into the fold of Islam, and they want to embrace this peaceful religion of Islam — we do not ask them to establish their five daily prayers, or give zakah, or fast during the month of Ramadan.

Before all these things, we ask them to testify. To testify and to declare that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram alone. This is the very first thing that we ask them to do. Shahada — testimony of the oneness of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. And along with this, the testimony of the prophethood of the last prophet, Muhammad Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him.

Tawheed: The Most Important Part of Our Religion

My dear brothers and sisters, the oneness of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram — Tawheed — is the most important part of our religion. It is more important than prayer. It is more important than zakah. It is more important than fasting during the month of Ramadan. It is more important than performing Umrah and Hajj. It is more important than showing good manners and akhlaq.

All these acts of worship can only be accepted by Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram if you declare the oneness of Allah. You say: I bear witness, I testify, I declare that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram alone —

Tawheed al-Rububiyyah — Oneness of Lordship

Why? Because Allah alone is the one who has created everything. Allah is the creator of everything. No one has created anything other than Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. He is the one who has originated the heavens and the earth. He has created the heavens and the earth, and He has created the sun and the moon, and the mountains and the rivers and the trees. He alone created everything.

My dear brothers and sisters, we must declare, we must testify that He alone is the creator. He alone is the sustainer. He alone is the nourisher. He alone is the provider.

When you declare this, it is called Tawheed al-Rububiyyah. You have declared the oneness of Allah as being Rabb and Khaliq — creator, sustainer, nourisher. And this is something that Allah has mentioned in the Quran repeatedly.

Allah is the creator of everything — creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the one who has created the night and the day, the sun and the moon. Allah is the one who created you, then gave you sustenance, then He will cause you to die, then will bring you back to life. Is there anyone besides Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram who can do any of these things?

Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah — Oneness of Worship

This Tawheed al-Rububiyyah necessitates declaring the next part of the Tawheed of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, which is called Tawheed al-Ibadah. And Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram has presented Tawheed al-Rububiyyah — the first part of His Tawheed — in the Quran as an evidence for His Tawheed al-Ibadah and Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah.

If we were to study the Quran, the book of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, we find so many places that the pagans of Arabia, the mushrikeen of Arabia, they never refused and they never denied the first part of the Tawheed of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. Rather, they admitted and they used to declare, they used to accept, they used to admit that Allah alone is the creator.

Allah has said in Surah Yunus: Say, O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him — ask them: who provides you from the heavens and the earth? And who owns, who has the full and ultimate power over your hearing and your sight? And who brings forth the dead from the living and the living from the dead? And who manages the affairs of this whole universe? They all — the pagans and the mushrikeen — all of them, they will definitely say: Allah alone.

If you ask them who has created the heavens and the earth and who has subjected the sun and the moon, they will definitely say: Allah alone. The mushrikeen, the disbelievers — Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab and his companions — all of them, they admitted and they declared and they accepted that Allah alone is the creator and He alone is the provider.

And then Allah has taken this as an evidence: if you admit and you accept that He alone is the creator and He alone is the provider, then how can other than Him deserve any act of worship? If He alone is the creator, then He alone deserves to be worshipped. He alone deserves to be called upon. He alone deserves that we must have hope in His mercy. He alone has the right that we have the fear of His punishment.

Verses from Surah al-Naml

My dear brothers and sisters, this is something that is very clear in the book of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. If we were to ponder and contemplate on the verses of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram — let us look at some of the verses of Surah al-Naml, in which Allah says:

Is he not better than your gods? The one who has created the heavens and the earth, and then sends down the rain and the water, and then He alone caused the vegetation to grow from the earth. You had no ability whatsoever to grow one tree on this earth. Is there any god? Is there anyone who is worthy of worship? Is there any god with Allah? Rather, they are the people who associate partners with Allah.

Is he not better than your gods? The one who has made this earth a place of stay and safety for you. And he has placed and created the rivers in the midst of this earth. And then he has created and placed firm mountains on this earth. And he is the one who has created the barrier between the two seas — between two waters, sweet and salt. Is there any god beside Allah? Rather, many of them do not know.

Is he not better than your gods? The one who responds to the call of the distressed ones. And then he is the one who removes hardship, evil, and difficulty. And he is the one who makes you inheritors of this earth, generations after generations. Do you still believe there is any god beside Allah? Very little you remember.

Is he not better than your gods? The one who guides you during the darkness of the land and the sea. And the one who sends the winds bearing glad tidings before His mercy — meaning rain. Is there any god besides Allah? He is exalted above all what you associate to Him.

Is he not better than your gods? The one who originates the creation, and then He repeats it. And the one who provides you from the heavens and the earth. Is there any god besides Allah? Clearly and explicitly bring forth your proof, if you have any. If you are truthful, then bring any proof.

The Challenge of Allah Against Shirk

Allah has challenged and said: Show me those who you call upon besides Allah. Those who you think can help you besides Allah. Those you think can hear your call when you call upon them. Those who can remove your hardships and your difficulty. Show me — show me what they have created from the earth or from the heavens. Or show me if they have any partnership in the heavens and in the earth besides Allah. Bring forth any book of knowledge, any book or any traces of knowledge, if you are truthful.

Believing that Allah alone is the creator — He alone is the provider — is the evidence, and the strongest evidence, that He alone deserves to be called upon. He alone has the right that you stand before Him for worship. He alone has the right that you bow down before Him. He alone has the right that you prostrate before Him.

And anything other than this — if you stand before anyone other than Him for worship, then it is called shirk. If you bow down before anyone other than Allah, it is called shirk. If you make sajdah before anyone other than Allah, it is called shirk. And shirk is something that Allah is not going to forgive if you die without repenting. If you die in the state of committing shirk, then Allah has clearly said:

A Warning to the Ummah

My dear brothers and sisters, the oneness of Allah is the most important part of our religion. But unfortunately — unfortunately — the vast majority of the Ummah of Muhammad Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, has fallen into shirk. They have fallen into shirk without realizing it, or sometimes justifying their acts of shirk. They make sujood to other than Allah. They call upon other than Allah. They slaughter in the name of other than Allah. And then they still call themselves Muslims.

Wallahi, these people have not understood the Tawheed of Allah. And it is more unfortunate when many of those who have understood the oneness of Allah, those who understand the true meaning of the Tawheed of Allah — they feel shy to discuss this point. This matter, which is the most important matter of our religion.

People usually say: in the Ummah we have so many problems. Our youth are involved in drugs — we need to address this problem. Our youth are involved in haram — we need to address this problem. Why do you people all the time try to bring the matter of Tawheed and aqeedah?

The Prophet's 13 Years of Tawheed in Makkah

My dear brothers and sisters, remember — my beloved Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, spent 13 years after he was appointed Prophet of Allah in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Bring me any proof that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called the people of Makkah — the mushrikeen, the non-Muslims and disbelievers — to give up drinking alcohol, or to avoid fornication. Did this problem exist amongst the mushrikeen of Makkah or not? They were there. Allah has mentioned in the Quran many proofs that they had all these types of evils in their society.

But the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, focused on one message — the message of the Tawheed of Allah — for 13 years in Makkah al-Mukarramah. And this matter was the only reason that my beloved Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, was forced to leave his homeland Makkah al-Mukarramah. If the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was to discuss any other matter other than Tawheed, the mushrikeen of Makkah, the people of Makkah, they themselves approached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and asked him to work on many other common issues — but do not discuss the matter of Tawheed and aqeedah.

Is it not something that we are doing the same? This is the most important part of our religion. We need to study this. We need to discuss this. We need to understand this in detail, explicitly and clearly. And we need to teach this matter of our religion in detail. Because Allah has revealed — at least — one third of the Quran directly addressing this issue.

Surah al-Ikhlas: A Third of the Quran

Do you not remember the hadith of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, in which he said that Surah al-Ikhlas — قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ — the surah that every one of us knows — the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said this one single surah is equal to one third of the Quran.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5015; Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1922)

And if you just look at the simple meaning and translation of this surah, you will come to know that this surah contains nothing other than the Tawheed of Allah. Otherwise the whole Quran is about the Tawheed of Allah.

So my dear brothers and sisters, the Tawheed of Allah — our belief, our iman, our aqeedah — is the most important part of our religion. We must understand this. We must discuss this. We must study this and we must spread this message.

May Allah allow us to understand His Tawheed in a way that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has taught us. And may Allah allow us to live on this path of Tawheed and may Allah allow us to die on the path of Tawheed.

Khutbah al-Thaniyyah — Second Sermon

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

My dear brothers and sisters, Tawheed of Allah is something for which Allah has created us — the jinn and mankind — as He has said in Surah al-Dhariyat:

Tawheed of Allah is something for which Allah sent all the prophets. Tawheed is the only thing that, if you die upon it, then paradise is guaranteed for you.

Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: whoever upon departing this dunya says لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ and his last words that he utters are لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: such a person deserves paradise.

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3116; authenticated by al-Albani)

And this is Tawheed of Allah that can save you from the hellfire. Even if you have no other good deeds, but because Tawheed is the best and the most important good deed, Allah will eventually allow you to enter paradise. And if He wills, He can forgive your sins and He can allow you to enter paradise without even punishment.

But this is if you truly understand لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. If you understand the meaning of لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — not just by doing dhikr of لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ or doing the tasbih of 100 times or 1000 times لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. No — you must understand the message of Tawheed, the true meaning of the Tawheed of Allah. And if you understood this properly and you never associated any partners, anyone, anything with Allah, then there is glad tidings for you and me.

The Hadith of the Scales on the Day of Judgment

In a hadith that is reported by Imam al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Sayyiduna Amr ibn al-Aas — pay attention to this hadith, my dear brothers and sisters — Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, says:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2639 — Hasan, authenticated by al-Tirmidhi)

Allah will distinguish or exclude one man from my Ummah on the Day of Judgment before all His creation. And Allah will lay down 99 registers of his deeds before him. And every single scroll, every single register will be as long as the eyesight can reach. And then Allah will ask him: Do you deny any of these registers, anything that is recorded in these registers and scrolls? He will say: No, my Lord. Allah will ask again: Those who are appointed to record your deeds — have they wronged you? He will say: No. Allah will ask him: Do you have any excuse, any reason for committing all these sins? He will say: No, my Lord.

Then Allah will say: Rather, you have one good deed with us. Today, you will not be oppressed. You will not be wronged. And then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: From amongst those scrolls and registers, a very small slip or card will be brought forth. And it will be written on that slip:

And then Allah will say to him: Witness the weight of your deeds. Your deeds and these registers are going to be weighed now — so witness them. He will say: O my Lord, what is this small slip going to do anything before these 99 registers and scrolls? Allah will say: You will not be wronged today.

Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: Then all 99 registers will be placed in one pan of the scale. And then this small slip — which has the declaration of the oneness of Allah — will be placed on the other side of the scale. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: All 99 scrolls and registers will become lighter than that one slip. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Nothing is heavier than the name of Allah.

This is the importance of Tawheed that we need to bear in mind, that we need to understand, that we need to discuss and we need to preach.

May Allah allow us to understand our aqeedah and to rectify any errors and mistakes that we might have in our aqeedah. May Allah allow us to study His book. May Allah enable us to understand His Tawheed the way the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has taught us.

Du'a — Closing Supplications

Salah — Prayer

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.