[عقيل الهندي]

Explanation of al-‘Aqeedatu at-Tahawiyyah – 3. The Categories of Tawheed

Shaykh ‘Abul-Azeez bin Baaz said, may Allaah have mercy upon him, ‘Know that the Tawheed that Allaah sent the messengers with and revealed the Books for is categorised into 3, as shown by careful study[1] of the texts from the Book and Sunnah and by the state of the mukalafeen:
The first category – Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah [The Oneness of Allaah’s Lordship]
And this is singling Allaah out in His actions – faith that he is the Creator, Provider, Organiser of the affairs of His creation, the One who Manages their matters in the dunya and Aakhira, and He has no partner in this – as He said, {Allaah is the Creator of everything} [Az-Zumar: 62]; {Surely, your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then Istawa (rose over) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty), disposing the affair of all things…} the aayah [Yunus: 3]
And this category was attested to by the polytheists, even though most of them denied the resurrection and gathering. This however, did not mean they entered into Islaam, due to their polytheism with Allaah in worship, and their worship of idols alongside Him, and their lack of faith in the prophet Muhammad, sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
The second category – Tawheed al-Ebaadah, also known as Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah [The Oneness of Allaah in Worship]
And this category is the one that the mushrikeen denied, in that which Allaah tells of them in His saying: {And they (Arab pagans) wonder that a warner (Prophet Muhammad ) has come to them from among themselves! And the disbelievers say: "This (Prophet Muhammad ) is a sorcerer, a liar. "Has he made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God - Allah). Verily, this is a curious thing!"} [Saad: 4-5] and the likes of this ayah are many.
It encompasses sincerity of worship to Allaah, alone; the belief that He is worthy of it and that worshipping other than He is falsehood. And this is the meaning of laa ilaaha ill Allaah – its meaning is that there is nothing worthy of worship in truth[2] except Allaah, as Allaah said, { That is because Allah He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood) And verily, Allah He is the Most High, the Most Great} [al-Hajj: 62].
The third category – The Oneness of Allaah’s names and attributes
And that is to have faith in all that has been narrated in the Book of Allaah and the authentic sunnah on the authority of the messenger of Allaah sall Allaahu ‘alahi wa sallam from the names and attributes of Allaah.
[It includes to] affirm them in a manner that befits Him without distorting [Tahreef[3]], negating [ta’teel], questioning how they are [takyeef], or likening them [to the creation - tashbeeh] – as Allaah said,
{Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allah, (the) One. "Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). "He begets not, nor was He begotten; "And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."} [al-Ikhlaas]
{There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer} [ash-Shoora: 11];
{And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah , so call on Him by them} [al-A’raf: 180];
{ and for Allah is the highest description. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise} an-Nahl: 60].
And the ayaat with this meaning are many.
And ‘the highest description’ is the greatest attribute that has no deficiency in it.
And this is the position of Ahlus Sunnah wa’l Jama’ah from the companions of the messenger of Allaah sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and their followers in goodness – they left the ayaat of the attributes and the ahadeeth related as they have come, affirming their meanings for Allaah in a manner that is free from making similitudes, exalting Allaah over likening Him to His creation in a manner that is free from denying them.[4]
And their proofs from the Book and Sunnah corroborate what they say and establish the proof against those who differ from them. And they are mentioned in His saying, {And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success} [At-Taaubah: 100].
May Allaah, by His virtue and generosity, make us from them, and Allaah is the One who aids.


[1] And this is not a terminological categorisation, as some claim, or conjecture!
See my book ‘At-Tahtheer…’ (p. 14 of the 3rd print) and ‘Sayhatun Natheer’ (p. 80 onwards) for something about this categorisation.

[2] And this is a very important restrictive part of the definition – as the false deities are many but Allaah alone is the rightful deity, in truth.

[3] And he didn’t say ‘ta’weel’ as it has a praiseworthy meaning. See for guidance and an explanation of this the words of Ibn Taymiyyah in ‘al-Munaatharah fil ‘Aqeedatil Waasatiyyah’ (3/165 Majmoo’ al-Fataawa)

[4] As the Imaam Nu’aym bin Hammaad, the Shaykh of Imaam al-Bukhari, said, “Whosoever likens Allaah to His creation has committed disbelief and whosoever denies that which He described Himself has committed disbelief – and there isn’t in that which Allaah and His messenger attribute tashbeeh.” Related by Imaam ath Thahabi in ‘Siyar a’laam an Nubalaa (10/610-611) and then said, commenting, ‘I say: this speech is true – we seek refuge with Allaah from tashbeeh and from rejecting the ahaadeeth of the attributes and none of the people of understanding reject those [attributes] that have been established. And, besides having faith in them, there are 2 blameworthy positions:
- Changing their apparent meanings and manipulating the context. The salaf never changed the apparent meanings, nor did they change the wording for the context – rather they believed in them and left them as they came.
- The second position is exaggerating with regards to affirming them by making them the same as the attributes of people and forming them within minds. And this is ignorance and misguidance.
The attribute follows the thing described. So, if we have not seen the thing described, may He be exalted, nor has anyone who has witnessed it told us about them, along with His saying to us in His revelation {There is nothing like unto Him } [ash-Shoora: 11], how can there remain in our minds an opportunity to affirm a how to al-Baari? May Allaah be exalted over that.
Similar to this is His Holy attributes – we affair them and believe they are true but we do not make similtudes for them, nor do we envisage them.”