Tawhid: The Oneness of Allah and Who Allah Is in the Qur'an

Tawhid means declaring and believing that Allah is one. The word comes from the Arabic root for one and linguistically means to make something one; a SeekersGuidance answer defines the religious meaning as declaring Allah's oneness in His essence, attributes and actions and singling Him out in worship. Britannica notes that the Qur'an stresses above all Allah's singularity and sole sovereignty, the doctrine indicated by the term tawhid.

Tawhid is the first half of the Shahada, la ilaha illallah. When the Prophet sent Mu'adh to Yemen, Sahih al-Bukhari 7372 records that the first thing he was to invite people to was the tawhid of Allah, before prayer and zakat. The Qur'an presents it as the message of every prophet: 21:25 states that no messenger was sent without being told that there is no god but Allah, so worship Him.

Sources: [1] [6] [7] [8]

In the Qur'an, Allah is the one God: the Creator of everything, living and eternal, all-knowing and all-merciful, and unlike anything He created. Surah Al-Ikhlas (112:1-4) says: He is Allah, the One; Allah, on whom all depend; He neither begets nor was begotten; and there is none comparable to Him. Sahih al-Bukhari 5013 reports the Prophet saying that this short chapter is equal to a third of the Qur'an.

Other passages fill in the picture. Qur'an 2:163 declares one God with no god but Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) describes Him as the Living, the Eternal, whom neither slumber nor sleep overtakes, who knows what is before and behind His creatures while they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills, and who is never wearied by preserving the heavens and the earth. Qur'an 42:11 adds that nothing is like Him, yet He is the Hearer, the Seer.

Sources: [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Shirk means associating partners with Allah: worshipping something besides Him, or ascribing to a created thing what belongs only to Him. In Qur'an 31:13, Luqman tells his son not to ascribe partners to Allah because doing so is a tremendous wrong, and 4:48 states that Allah does not forgive partners being ascribed to Him, while He forgives other sins to whom He wills.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2856 describes Allah's right over His servants as being worshipped alone, with nothing associated with Him. The SeekersGuidance answer on tawhid lists what contradicts it: believing in other gods, believing that Allah is made of parts, that anything shares His attributes, or that any creature brings about effects independently of His will. Qur'an 39:53 keeps the door of repentance open for everyone, and this guide describes beliefs rather than judging people; questions about a particular practice belong with a qualified teacher.

Sources: [15] [16] [17] [1] [18]

Scholars have used different teaching frameworks to explain the same belief. A widely taught one divides tawhid into three: lordship (rububiyyah), believing that Allah alone creates, owns and governs everything; worship (uluhiyyah), directing all worship to Allah alone; and names and attributes (al-asma wa al-sifat), affirming Allah's names and attributes while believing that nothing is like Him in them. IslamQA presents this division, and in a separate answer explains that such categories exist to make the subject easier to understand, noting that some scholars use two or four.

Ash'ari and Maturidi theologians, whose two schools SeekersGuidance describes as valid to follow, teach the same core belief with a different framework and emphasis. In the answer by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch, Allah is one in His essence, which is not made of parts; one in His attributes, which no creature shares; and one in His acts, since everything happens by His knowledge, will and power; and He alone is worshipped. Both frameworks rest on verses such as 112:1-4 and 42:11. For a beginner, it is better to study one recognised creed carefully with a teacher than to start with the debates between approaches.

Sources: [4] [5] [3] [1]

The beautiful names are the names by which Allah describes Himself, and the Qur'an tells believers to call on Him by them. Qur'an 7:180 says that the fairest names belong to Allah, and 59:24, after a sequence of names, says: His are the most beautiful names. Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 reports that Allah has ninety-nine names and whoever knows them will enter Paradise, and Sahih Muslim 2677a speaks of committing them to memory.

The commonly circulated list of ninety-nine is found in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3507, which sunnah.com grades da'if (Darussalam), so the examples below are taken directly from Qur'anic verses. Britannica notes that Muslim scholars collected the names from the Qur'an and hadith and that they became objects of devoted recitation and meditation.

Sources: [19] [14] [20] [21] [22] [6]

Belief in one God is lived out as sincerity, trust, gratitude and prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 1 teaches that deeds are judged by their intentions, so worship is done for Allah alone rather than to be seen. Every prayer repeats Qur'an 1:5 in Surah Al-Fatihah: You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

Trust in Allah (tawakkul) means relying on Him while taking the means He has provided. Qur'an 65:3 promises that whoever puts their trust in Allah, He will suffice them, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 2516, graded hasan (Darussalam), teaches: when you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek it from Allah. When a man asked whether to tie his camel or leave it loose and trust Allah, Jami at-Tirmidhi 2517, also graded hasan, records the reply: tie it and rely on Allah.

Gratitude and patience follow from the same belief. Sahih Muslim 2999 describes the believer thanking Allah in good times and being patient in hardship, with good in both. Supplication is itself worship, as Sunan Abi Dawud 1479, graded sahih by al-Albani, reports, citing 40:60: call on Me and I will answer you.

• Begin actions with a sincere intention for Allah.
• Call on Allah directly, in any language and at any time.
• Thank Allah for blessings and turn to Him with patience in difficulty.
• Take practical means while trusting that outcomes are in His hands.

Sources: [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

Allah is the Arabic word for God. Britannica explains that it is the standard Arabic word for God and is used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews as well as by Muslims, and that the God of the Qur'an proclaims Himself to be the same God who communicated with humanity through earlier messengers, including the Jewish and Christian prophets.

The Qur'an addresses the People of the Scripture directly: 29:46 asks Muslims to discuss matters with them in the best way and to say that our God and your God is one, and 3:64 invites agreement to worship none but Allah and ascribe no partner to Him. Muslims hold that God is strictly one, neither begetting nor begotten, as 112:3 states, and this is where Muslim belief differs from some other theologies; the Qur'an's own instruction is to discuss such differences courteously.

Sources: [6] [30] [31] [9]

Questions readers often ask

Put this into practice