OVERVIEW: Meaning of Tawheed. The different categories of Tawheed.

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• Tawheed means to believe that there is only one God, and He is Allah. Allah is the only Lord, Creator and Sustainer of all of creation. He is One, without any partners. He is not in need of anybody or anything and He has control over all things. He is unique in His Names and Attributes, and only He deserves to be worshipped.
• This explanation of Tawheed informs us re- garding three important facts related to Allah ﷻ . It tells us about Allah’s:

1. His Lordship and His Actions (Ruboo- biyyah),
2. Creation’s duty towards Him – worshipping Him alone (Uloohiyyah)
3. His Names and Attributes (al-Asmaa wa as-Sifaat),

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• Based on this, scholars have divided Tawheed into the following categories:

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah
2. Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah
3. Tawheed al-Asmaa wa as-Sifaat

• Tawheed is actually a single, comprehensive concept that covers all the above aspects. Scholars however divided it into the above-mentioned categories so that people may have a better understanding of Tawheed in light of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. These are thus three aspects of Tawheed, rather than independent categories. It is for this reason that all three aspects are equally important and to be a true Muslim it is essential to firmly believe in all of them. Rejecting any of them or believing deficiently in them can amount to shirk.
• Tawheed al-Asmaa wa as-Sifaat means to believe that Allah ﷻ has unique Names and Attributes. Allah ﷻ has many Names and Attributes that He ﷻ uses to describe Himself. However, only ninety-nine of His Names have been revealed to the people. It is important for Muslims to understand the Names and Attributes of Allah ﷻ in the same way as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his Companions understood them.
• The following aayah in the Qur’aan epitomizes the way in which the Companions believed in the Names and Attributes of Allah ﷻ .

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ (سورة الشورى: ۱۱)

There is nothing like Him, and He Hears and Sees everything. [Soorat ash-Shooraa: 11]

As an example thus, since there is nothing like Allah ﷻ :

1. We cannot say that Allah ﷻ Hears like we hear,
2. We cannot say that Allah does not ‘hear’,
3. We cannot change the meaning of ‘hear’ to something else,
4. We cannot ask about ‘how’ Allah ﷻ hears.

• Allah’s ﷻ Attribute of Hearing is used in this example, however the rules concerning the four statements above can and should be applied with regard to any of Allah’s ﷻ Names and Attributes.
• Believing like the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions means to follow how they understood the concept of Tawheed. The correct belief also means to follow the Prophet and the Companions’ understanding of the other two categories of Tawheed. This under- standing is the correct understanding.