?WHAT IS TAWHID?

Do you know the fundament of Islam, the most important main principle, that the Holy Qur’an emphasises most, which all prophets throughout history struggled for, and which our Prophet Muhammad (saws.) presented as salvation for humankind? Do you know the Tawhid?

Furkan Nesli Magazine

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TAWHID IS THE WORD ‘LA ILAHA ILLALLAH’

WHAT IS THE REAL MEANING OF TAWHID, THAT CHANGES LIVES?For years, we have been told about the meaning of Tawhid incorrectly. They told us, that Tawhid means ‘Allah exists, and He is the Creator’. But the polytheists of Mecca also said, ‘Allah exists, and He is the Creator’. The Holy Qur’an says about them: “If you asked them, ‘Who created the heavens and earth and subjected the sun and the moon?’ they would surely say, Allah.’” (Sura Al-Ank-abut: 61) So, what was it that the polytheists of Mecca denied?

Islam does not accept only saying ‘Allah exists, and He is one’ as Iman. Our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, did not only invite the people to believe in the existence of Allah. He invited the people to accept, that there is no Ilah except Allah. And this was, what the polytheists of Mecca did not want to accept. The original and real meaning of Tawhid is, ‘There is no Ilah except Allah’.

So, what does Ilah mean? Ilah means: the one, who is worshipped, who is obeyed, who makes laws, who is loved most. I.e. when a Muslim says ‘La Ilaha Illallah’, he says, ‘There is no one to be worshipped, to be obeyed, except Allah; there is no authority, no law-maker, except Allah; and there is no one to be loved more than Allah’.

To say it more clearly; when a Muslim says ‘La Ilaha Illallah’, he says: In every respect, whether I like it or not, I will live according to the will of Allah. Allah decides about my life. He has the right to command and to forbid. He owns the right to define what is halal and haram. In every matter concern-ing my life, I will conform to the law of Allah. Allah decides from how I marry, to how I divorce, from how I earn to how I spent my money. He decides about what I eat or drink and about what I wear. From state affairs to social life, from the public sphere to the private sphere it is Allah Who rules. No one has the right to set a law contradictory to the laws of Allah! Because there is no Ilah except Allah!

Although we as Muslims constantly mention the Tawhid, we do not manage to worship Allah thoroughly and to achieve significant changes in our lives. However, when our Prophet Muhammad (saws.) told his companions the Tawhid, they converted to Islam, left a life full of

polytheism and sins, and began a completely new chapter.

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But Why Must Allah Rule?

This is the most explanatory and striking sentence concluding the meaning of Tawhid clearly for everyone to understand. Yes, when we say, ‘There is no Ilah (authority) except

Allah’ we say, ‘On Allah’s world Allah must rule’.

ON ALLAH’S WORLD ALLAH MUST RULE

Because He has created the universe, the world and everything in it. Allah is the possessor of all things and the holder of rights over His creation. If He is the owner of everything, why should He not hold the right to rule? To give a simple example: ‘If this is my jacket, then I will decide about it. If this is my pen, then I own the right to use it. So, when this is Allah’s world, then Allah’s must rule on it’. Our Lord states in the Holy Qur’an: “[It is Allah,] Who created and proportioned. And Who destined and [then] guided” (Sura Al-A’la: 1-3).

Because He owns the right to rule over our lives. After Allah created humankind, He did not give the right to rule over their lives to anyone else. Those among the People of the Book and the polytheists, who did not want to give Allah the right to rule, wanted to accept the belief, that Allah created everything and then withdrew. Islam rejects this belief. In the holy Qur’an our Lord states: “Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command” (Sura Al-A’raf: 54). Those, who try to put aside the laws of Allah and rule over the people themselves, ignore Allah’s authority and usurp His right to rule.

Because Allah created humankind and He knows them best. As a matter of fact, it is impossible for humans to know humans. Therefore, all systems they built and all laws they made brought harm to humanity. Whereas only Allah, who created them, knows, how they can be happy and content. In the Holy Qur’an our Lord states: “Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?” (Sura Al-Mulk: 14), “Are you more knowing or is Allah?” (Sura Al- Baqara: 140),“And Allah knows, while you know not” (Sura Al-Baqara: 216).

Because Allah, Who created the universe, is leading it perfectly. Is Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, Who leads the universe, the whole world and everything in it, i.e. a creation, that is much greater than the creation of humankind, not able to lead the human? Thus, there is no other than Allah, Who can lead humankind in the best way!

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Because only Allah knows the past as well as the future. Those people, who make laws, do not know which consequences these laws will entail in the future. Therefore, they must permanently change laws and regulations. But societies are no laboratory rats and they must not be treated this way. Hence, Allah must make the laws, as He knows all ages that we have experienced or will experience in the future. In the Holy Qur’an our Lord states: “Say, ‘None in the heavens and on earth knows the future except Allah’” (Sura An-Naml: 65).

Because it is only Allah Who is not in need of any benefit. When people make laws, they calculate benefits and consequently, often leave truth and justice. Thus, Allah, Who is not in need of any benefits, should make the laws. In the Holy Qur’an our Lord says: “O humankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is free of need, the Praiseworthy” (Sura Al-Fatir: 15).

Because in the end we will return to Allah and give account for the life, that we lived, to Him. When we will give account only to Allah, then we must live the way He wants and obey His laws.

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“And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no Ilah other than Him!’” (Sura Hud: 61)

“And We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, ‘O my people, worship Allah; you have no Ilah other than Him; then will you not fear Him?’” (Sura Al-Mu’minun:23)

When we take a look at the Holy Qur’an we can see, that all prophets invited their tribes to ‘La Ilaha Illallah’:

All Prophets Invited To ‘LA ILAHA ILLALLAH’

Allah guided the previous societies, that left the Tawhid and fell in shirk, to the right path by sending them prophets. Each prophet fought in their own society for the establishment of the Tawhid. Never have

the prophets deceived the people by pretending to have different aims and changing their message.

TAWHID IS THE COMMON CALL OF ALL PROPHETS!

Our Prophet Muhammad (saws.) has also struggled throughout his life for the truth of Tawhid to be understood. From day one he said ‘La Ilaha Illallah’ and nothing else. When the polytheists came and offered him to say something different from the Tawhid, he replied: “I swear to Al-lah, I will say ‘La Ilaha Illallah’ and nothing else”! To those, who offered him various profits if he would give up this saying in return, he said: “I swear to Allah, even if you put the sun in my right hand and moon in my left, I will not give up this mission until I die!”.

In order to make the people understand the truth of Tawhid, our Prophet Muhammad saws. endured endless suffering. Those, who did not want the rule of Allah, poured out camel entrails on his head, he was mocked, slandered, and threatened. Despite all these obstacles, insults, and threats, he never stopped proclaiming the Tawhid. In fact, there was no tent, he did not enter, no door, he did not knock on, and nobody he did not tell the Tawhid. Our Prophet Muhammad (saws.) expresses his determination regarding the Dawah of Tawhid in the following hadith: “I was commissioned to struggle against the people until they say ‘There is no Ilah except Allah” (Sahih al Muslim, Iman, 8).

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WHAT HAPPENS, WHEN THE TAWHID IS FORGOTTEN?

COME! LET US SAY “LA ILAHA ILLALLAH” AND SAVE OUR-SELVES!

People became slaves of their nafs, the shaytan, and other people. The fundament of society, the family, has lost its priority. People lost their humanity, their natural qualities, and their beauty.Human values like mercy and solidarity have decreased dramatically. Brotherhood is lost, anarchy has arisen, and terror became an unsolvable problem.Criminality has increased and all kinds of immorality have reached the climax.Injustice has increased, justice is lost, and oppression has topped out. Depressions and burnouts have increased, and the number of suicides has reached record levels.

Others that Allah have started to dominate and rule over our lives; those who do not know the human and who calculate profits. The consequence is:

Let us FREE OURSELVES! Let us rescue ourselves from the captivity of our nafs and ideologies!Let us CHANGE THE WORLD with the Tawhid! Let us stop injustice, lawlessness, and oppression!Let us bring JUSTICE with the Tawhid!Let us turn the change the world with the Tawhid from a place of misery to a HOME OF PEACE!Let us be the LEADING GENERATION for the world with the Tawhid, that our Prophet Muhammad (saws.) has promised, and let us oppose the oppressors!Let us reach a real civilisation with the Tawhid, the CIVILISATION OF ISLAM!

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“Either serving Allah the Almighty, which is absolute dignity, honour, and freedom… Or serving the servants of Allah, which is absolute abasement and captivity… Everyone shall decide what they want!” (Sayyid Qutb)

“The best of all words is the calling of humankind to Allah. And the invitation to

Allah means inviting humankind to the Tawhid in the light of the Holy Qur’an.”

(Maududi)

“Teach them, that Islam is not content with less than freedom, independence, and rule.” (Hasan Al-Banna)

“The religion, that you believe in, does only rescue yourself. Whereas I follow a religion, that rescues

humankind and for which I sacrifice myself. A religion, that is not useful in this world, will neither be useful in

the hereafter.” (Ali Shariati)

“My guild was serving no one except Allah… They said, ‘serve us!’… And I replied, ‘Then hang me!’” (Shahid Abdulkadir Molla)

“Tawhid gives life its direction.” (Badiuzzaman Said Nursi)