Shaykh Saalih ibn 'Abdillaah Al-Fawzaan
Translated exclusively for www.bakkah.net
[ In the Name of Allaah, the All-Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam be upon His final Messenger, to proceed... ]
Someone may say, and it actually has been said, "What is it with you that you always focus on tawheed and you talk so much about it?! And you don't take into consideration the condition of the Muslims in our day and time, those who are being killed and caused to flee all over the earth, those being persecuted by the empires of disbelief in every place?!"
So we say, and with Allaah lies success:
Tawheed is the foundation upon which this upright religion has been built, so focusing on it means to focus on the very core itself. For if we were to reflect over the Noble Qur'aan we would find that it expounds on issues of tawheed repetitively, so much so that there does not exist a single soorah in the Qur'aan that does not mention tawheed, clarifying it and prohibiting what opposes it. It was Al-Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim who pointed out that the entire Qur'aan is about tawheed, since it is only made up of the following:
* Information about Allaah and His Names and Attributes - This is the tawheed that we are to have knowledge of, called tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah.
* Commands to worship Allaah alone with no partners and prohibitions of worshipping other than Him - This is the tawheed that we must put into action, called tawheed al-uloohiyyah.
* Commands to obey Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and prohibitions of disobeying Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) - These are the ways that tawheed is actualized and completed.
* Information about what Allaah has prepared for the people of tawheed, the delights, success, salvation, and triumphs in this life and the Next, and the punishments that are in store for the people of shirk in this life, and the eternal torture prepared for them upon their one-way entrance into the Hellfire - The first is for those who actualize tawheed, the latter is for those who do not. [1]
Therefore the entire Qur'aan is centered around tawheed. If you were to think about the soorahs revealed in Makkah, you would find that most of them focus entirely on tawheed. That is because the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) stayed in Makkah for 13 years calling to tawheed and warning against shirk. The vast majority of the religious obligations like zakaah, fasting, Hajj, the affairs of halaal and haraam, business transactions, etc. were not revealed until after the Hijrah to Al-Madeenah. The legislation of the prayer is an exception to this, as it was made an obligation while the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was still in Makkah on the Night of Al-Mi'raaj, when he (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was taken by night (to Jerusalem) [2], but that was only a short time before the Hijrah.
So the majority of the soorahs revealed before the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) made hijrah were focused entirely on tawheed, thus showing how truly important the subject is. Furthermore, the religious obligations were not revealed until tawheed was presented and established within the souls of the people, and the proper 'aqeedah had taken root. For verily actions can not be correct except with tawheed, nor can they have other than tawheed as their foundation.
The Qur'aan has illustrated that the Messengers ('alayhim As-Salaatu was-Salaam) all began their missions by inviting the people to tawheed before anything else, as Allaah says
And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût(all false deities, etc.)( i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)."(An-Nahl 16:36)
Allaah also says :
( And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad ) but We inspired him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allâh)], so worship Me (Alone and none else) (Al-Anbiya 21:25)
And every prophet used to say to his people :
Indeed, We sent Nûh (Noah) to his people and he said: "O my People! Worship Allâh! You have no other Ilâh (God) but Him. (Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh: none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh). (Al-A'raf 7:59)
So this was the affair of the messengers - they began with tawheed.
Similarly the callers and revivalists who followed the messengers used to begin by focusing on tawheed. That is because every single da'wah that is not built upon tawheed is a fruitless call that does not fulfill its purpose, and there is no positive result to it. Every da'wah that does not focus on tawheed is a lost call, with regards to its end results. This is something well known and seen all over.
On the other hand, every da'wah centered around tawheed is a truly successful call, by Allaah's Permission, a cal that benefits the society and bears many fruits. History bears witness to this.
So we are not neglecting the issues of the Muslims, rather we are very concerned about them. We are assisting them and trying to prevent every harm from reaching them using all our resources. It is not something light on us that the Muslims are being killed and exiled, but it is not true concern for the situation of the Muslims that we force ourselves to shed tears insincerely, or that we fill the world with speeches and writings, screaming and wailing… for verily this does not accomplish a thing.
Finding the real solution to the Muslims' problems requires us to seek out the reasons that have led to the punishments afflicting the Muslims at the hands of their enemies.
What is causing the enemies of the Muslims to gain and hold authority over them?
When we look to the Muslim world, we do not see any serious commitment to Islaam with most of those who ascribe to it, except the few that Allaah has had Mercy on. What we see are Muslims by name only, the 'aqeedah of most of them is lost. They worship other than Allaah, calling on saints and righteous people, clinging to graves and tombs, not establishing the prayer, not paying zakaah, not fasting, etc. They are not fulfilling the basic obligations Allaah asked of them, they are not even gathering their strength or preparing physically to fight the disbelievers! This is the case with the majority of those who ascribe themselves to Islaam - they have lost their religion, so Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, caused them to be lost.
The most significant factor that has led them to be subjected to these punishments is their heedlessness regarding affairs of tawheed and their falling into major shirk, to the point that they do not prohibit each other from it, nor do they even show any contempt for it! Those who do not fall into it themselves still condone it or do not consider it shirk. An explanation of this is forthcoming, in shaa' Allaah. So know that this is the primary reason that the Muslims have been subjected to such punishments.
If they were to hold firmly to their religion, actualizing tawheed and establishing their 'aqeedah upon the Book and the Sunnah, holding together to the Rope of Allaah, shunning division, then verily what has been allowed to befall them will not be allowed to befall them anymore, as Allaah says :
Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order for Iqamat-as-Salât. [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salât (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakât and they enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islâm has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur'ân as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allâh rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures). (Al-Hajj 22:41)
So Allaah has made it clear that victory will not be given to the Muslims unless they focus on what He mentioned - establishing the prayer, paying zakaah, commanding what is good, and forbidding what is evil.
Where are these affairs with the Muslims and their current situations today? Where is the establishment of the prayer by most of the Muslims? Or even more importantly, where is the correct 'aqeedah for most of those who claim Islaam as their religion?!
Allaah says :
Allâh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear .... (An-Nur 24:55)
But where is the very first condition for this promise?
...(provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh). (An-Nur 24:55)
So He clarified that this gaining of authority and fortification will only come to pass when this condition is fulfilled - that they worship Him alone without any partners, and this is the essence of tawheed. These generously promised things will not be granted except to those who understand and apply tawheed, worshipping Allaah alone with no partners, with acts of worship including prayer, zakaah, Hajj, and all other acts of obedience.
Note that Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, did not say, "They worship Me," only, rather He followed that up with His Statement :
(..and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me) (An-Nur 24:55)
That is because worship is of no benefit with the presence of shirk. All forms of shirk must be avoided, no matter what shape, form, or name. Shirk simply means to perform an act of worship for other than Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.
This is what brings about true salvation, safety, victory, and strength in the land - correcting the 'aqeedah and then correcting the deeds. Without this, disasters and punishments will continue to befall whoever does not completely fulfill the condition (for Allaah's Aid). Being conquered by the enemies is only the result of the Muslims not fulfilling this necessary condition, their lack of proper concern for their 'aqeedah and Religion, and their contentment with carrying Muslim names and nothing more.
This article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
FOOTNOTES
[1] see Madaarijus-Saalikeen (3/468) for details
[2] as found in the mutawaatir narrations of (Al-Mi'raaj) the Night Journey, see the aahaad narration of Anas found in Al-Bukhaaree's Chapter of Tawheed (Chapter 37, Hadeeth #7517) [13/583] and Muslim's Chapter of Eemaan (Chapter 74, Hadeeth #162)
TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING
For Allaah to make His Servants victorious, what has He required from them?
What are some of the evil results of turning away from the proper understanding of tawheed?
Can it be said that Muslims who focus on tawheed are ignoring the problems that face the ummah? Why or why not?
Note: the Quran Transaltions are from thenoblequran.com
which was Translated by
Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, (Ph.D)
Formerly Professor of Islamic Faith and Teachings, Islamic University , Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Formerly Director, University Hospital
Islamic University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
