Lesson 8: The Word 'Tawheed' as a Synonym of 'Aqeedah Flashcards
New phase
What’s the importance of knowing synonyms of a term and what does it help you with?
Helps you understand different contexts it’s used, and understand that despite being synoyms, they have differences
In what ways did some scholars use Tawheed and ‘Aqeedah
- some of the scholars did use this to be identical to ‘Aqeedah- likes books called Kitab at Tawheed (regular ‘Aqeedah)
- some used Tawheed (and wrote books on it) to deal with things that deal with Allah alone and not making partners with him, and spoke about and wrote books (including titling them) about ‘Aqeedah to refer to the general terminology of ‘Aqeedah. So they used Tawheed primary for the first pillar of Iman- to believe in Allah-and called them Tawheed.
- Even more specifically-books written on worshipping Allah/la ilaha illAllah they called them Tawheed
- books written on Allahs name and attributes, the angels, scripture, the last day etc-’Aqeedah.
What is Tawheed in the language?
-
Verbal noun | مصدر
- a name that comes out of a verb
- in this case, it comes out the verb
- a name that comes out of a verb
Example of the linguistic usage of Tawheed in the Sunnah
Hadith Jabir bin Muhammed on the authority of his father that the messenger ﷺ said
** فَأَهَلَّ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ : “ لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ
**
He called with the words of Tawhīd, “I have answered your call oh Allah, I have answered your call, there is no partner with you, I have answered your call..”
What is Tawheed technically?
To testify that nobody deserves to be worshipped except Allah
Example of Tawheed in the Sunnah in the technical definition with 3 different riwayat on the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas on Muadh ibn Jabal
** إِنَّكَ تَقْدَمُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ يُوَحِّدُوا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى
**
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
*When the Prophet (ﷺ) sent Mu`adh to Yemen, he said to him, “You are going to a nation from the people of the Scripture, so let the first thing to which you will invite them, be the Tauhid of Allah
*
—
** فليكن أول ما تدعوهم إليه عبادة اللهعز وجل
**
looks incorrect in arabic
So let the first thing to which you will invite them be the worship of Allah may His Glory be Magnificent
** فليكن أوَّلُ ما تدعوهم إليه شهادةَ أنْ لا إلهَ إلَّا اللهُ
**
Let the first thing you call them to be the testimony that there is no god but Allah
What are the 2 pillars Tawheed stands on?
- Negation | النفي
- That we negate or rejecting anything else deserves (we are not saying nothing is worshipped as clearly many things are worshipped from cows to angels to objects) to be worshipped. So the issue isn’t whether people worship, but whether they deserve to be worshipped.
- لا إله
- Affirmation | الإثبات
**- Affirming that Only Allah deserves to be worshipped
- إلّا الله
Who are the ones who have absolute negation?
atheists
Who are those who have absolute affirmation?
Mushrikoon/polytheists
Why do we say there is no god in truth/who deserves to be worshipped except Allah instead of there is no god except Allah?
as clearly many things are worshipped from cows to angels to objects) to be worshipped. So the issue isn’t whether people worship, but whether they deserve to be worshipped
What is the understanding of لا إله إلّا الله?
لَا إِلَهَ بِحَقٍّ إِلَّا اللهُ
There is no god that deserves to be worshipped/there is no god in truth except Allah
This is due to the fact that we are not negating the existence of worship, but rather it is deserving of worship.
An example of both affirmation and negation as the 2 pillars of la ilaha illAllah in the Quran
-
لَاۤ إِكۡرَاهَ فِی ٱلدِّینِۖ قَد تَّبَیَّنَ ٱلرُّشۡدُ مِنَ ٱلۡغَیِّۚ فَمَن یَكۡفُرۡ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَیُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِیعٌ عَلِیمٌ﴿ ٢٥٦
There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. - So, from this we learn that we disbelieve in everything worshipped besides Allah and believe in Allah alone
*
What is an ilah?
a god- that which is worshipped
What is the evidence an ilah is that which is worshipped?
وَسْـَٔلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ءَالِهَةًۭ يُعْبَدُونَ
And ask (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: “Did We ever appoint âlihâh (gods) to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious (Allâh)?”
So directly in this ayah Allah connected aalihah (plural) with worship. So the ilah is that which is worshipped. If we said it meant al Khaliq for instance, it would mean there is no creator except Allah, and most of the world would be muslim as a result as most believe there is a single creator of everything.
As such we use ilah (Al ma’bood that which is worshipped) which causes them to be mushrikeen as they diverted worship to other than Allah
As we know, even Quraysh affirmed some attributes of Allah, what are some verses that prove this?
Even Quraysh, the same people who Allah addressed as
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
Say: (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to these Mushrikûn and Kâfirûn): “O Al-Kafirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar)!
believed that Allah is the creator, the one who causes life and death, and creates as seen in many ayat such as
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ
And verily, if you ask them: “Who created the heavens and the earth?” Surely they will say: “Allah (has created them).”
rather, when it was said to them if they believed their idols they said
…أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ
Surely the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allâh only. And those who take Auliyâ’ (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): “We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh….
…وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَـٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ
And they worship besides Allâh things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: “These are our intercessors with Allâh…
In fact, if one were to question them on who is the one who answers in desperate need they would say Allah
وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوْجٌۭ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌۭ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍۢ كَفُورٍۢ
And when waves come over them like canopies, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion [i.e., faith]. But when He delivers them to the land, there are [some] of them who are moderate [in faith]. And none rejects Our signs except everyone treacherous and ungrateful.
They only worshipped their idols in times of ease and comfort, as such we must make sure we dont conflate ilah (that which is worshipped) with other attributes of Allah
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
لَآ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Say: (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to these Mushrikûn and Kâfirûn): “O Al-Kafirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar)!
I do not worship what you worship.
