Tawhid (Oneness) The first ‘Usul ad-Din is the belief in Tawhid (Oneness of Allah), which includes Him as being eternal, all-knowing and all-powerful who is the originator of all of creation. For many scholars, it is the heart of Islam. Islam can therefore be seen as the religion of strict monotheism.
Allah as One
The foundation of Tawhid is stressed several times in the Qur’an: “Say, ‘He is Allah, the One. Allah is the All-embracing. He neither begat, nor was begotten, nor has He any equal.’” (Qur’an 112:1-4) This Qur’anic chapter itself is called Tawhid. The message contained in the chapter is fivefold:
- There is only one God;
- He is self-sustaining and does not need to be supported by others;
- He does not have offspring or children;
- He is not the child of someone else;
- He is unique and nothing in the universe compares to His uniqueness.
Allah as Unique
When looking at the nature of Allah, the Qur’an is very clear in highlighting Allah’s unique nature as a part of His Oneness: “Nothing is like Him.” (Quran 42:11)
Allah as Transcendent, Immanent and Omnipotent
Although Allah’s uniqueness clearly demonstrates His transcendence, Allah is also immanent. He is still involved in the universe too through sustaining the world and answering prayers:
Allah as Merciful
Another aspect of the nature of Allah is Him as Al-Rahman (the all-Merciful). Muslims hold to the view that nothing good is possible without the mercy of Allah and this is something we take for granted. Hence remembrance of Allah’s mercy, and sustenance, is imperative. Every Surah (chapter) in the Qur’an (except one) begins with the words “In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful”. This indicates the extent of Allah’s Mercy and some have referred to this as the ‘signature of Allah’ since it is everywhere in the Qur’an and emphasises how important this attribute of Allah is.
Shirk
Shirk is the opposite of Tawhid: “Do not ascribe any partners to Allah. Polytheism is indeed a great injustice.” (Qur’an 31:13)
There are three aspects of Shirk:
- Shirk in lordship where one associates a partner with Allah in His Lordship;
- Shirk in names and attributes where one believes that created beings independently possess Allah’s attributes, thereby elevating others to the status of Allah;
- Shirk in worship where one worships another entity besides Allah.