TAUHID

LESSONS IN ISLAM

(Ta’limul-Islam)

BOOK III

SECTION (I)

ISLAMIC BELIEFS

BISMIL-LAHIR-RAHMANIR-RAHIM

(In the name of Al-lah, the Beneficent, the Merciful)

Q.   What do we mean by the Oneness of Al-lah (Tauhid)?

  Belief in the Oneness of Al-lah and expression of it through the tongue is known as TAUHID.

Q.   How did mankind realize that Al-lah is One?

  For one thing, man’s reason (provided it is sound) affirms that Al-lah is One. Hence all men of wisdom, all great scholars of the world, have had belief in the Oneness of Al-lah. Secondly, the prophets of Al-lah have unanimously given mankind the creed of the Oneness of Al-lah and told them that Al-lah is One and none else is like unto Him.

Q.   Does the Holy Qur-an contain the creed of the Oneness of Al-lah?

  Yes, the Holy Qur-an does contain the creed of the Oneness of Al-lah in an excellent manner and perfect way. The Holy Qur-an is rather the only Book that preaches the Oneness of Al-lah in its purest form. The earlier Scriptures too preached the Oneness of Al-lah but the people made interpolations in them and included facts against the principle of Oneness and altered the Divine teachings. Al-lah sent Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) to bring about reformation in them and preach the creed of Oneness to the world. He revealed His Book, the Holy Qur-an to the Prophet and he preached the true creed of Oneness in very clear terms.

Q.   Which verses of the Holy Qur-an contain this creed of Oneness?

  The whole of the Qur-an from beginning to the end is full of the creed of the Oneness of Al-lah. Some of the verses are:

WA ILAHUKUM ILAHU(N)W-WAHID. LA ILAHA IL-LA HUWAR-RAHMANIR-RAHIM

(Your God is One God. There is no god but He. He is all-Beneficent, all-Merciful.)

SHAHIDAL-LAHU AN-NAHU LA ILAHA IL-LAHU WAL-MALA’IKATU WA ULUL-‘ILMI QA’IMAM-BIL-QIST. LA ILAHA IL-LA HUWALAZIZ-UL-HAKIM.

(Al-lah bears witness that there is no god but He. And the angels and men possessed of knowledge bear witness to this. He is the upholder of justice; there is no god but He, the Almighty, the All-wise.)

In like manner, a number of other verses teach the creed of the Oneness of Al-lah, for example:

QUL HUWAL-LAHU AHAD.

(Say that He is Al-lah, the One.)