17- Recognising Tawhid
If a Muslim wants to know Tawhid, the way is for him to worship Allah in such a manner that there is not even a trace of showing off in it, worshipping Allah alone sincerely. This is the matter of Tawhid of worship, which is called Tawhid al-Ubudiyyah. Its recognition is that the servant’s complete reliance is upon the Being of Allah, the Exalted, and that he seeks help from no one besides Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ said to his cousin Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both):
« يَا غُلَامُ! إِنِّيْ أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ: اِحْفَظِ اللّٰهَ يَحْفَظْكَ، اِحْفَظِ اللّٰهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ، إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللّٰهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعُوْا عَلٰى أَنْ يَّنْفَعُوْكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوْكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللّٰهُ لَكَ، وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوْا عَلٰى أَنْ يَّضُرُّوْكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَّمْ يَضُرُّوْكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْكَ »
“O boy! I will teach you some words: Rely on Allah, He will protect you, and you will find Allah in front of you. When you need to ask, ask Allah, and if you need help, seek help from Him alone. And you should know that if the whole Ummah were to gather to benefit you with something, they could only benefit you with what, by the will of Allah, has been written in your destiny. And if they all gathered to harm you with something, they could not harm you except with what Allah has written in your destiny.”
A person should keep making supplication at all times that Allah, the Exalted, keep him always steadfast upon the truth and Tawhid. There are a great many people who have the foundation of Tawhid, but along with it they also have things because of which a deficiency occurs in their Tawhid.
The best-known example of this is that people place all of their reliance on means. It is established that Allah, the Exalted, has appointed some means for everything. He has appointed means for recovering from illness. Likewise, He has appointed means for avoiding ignorance and lack of knowledge, and for obtaining children. The same applies to all things, but some people, placing complete reliance on means, think that when they fall ill, healing comes from hospitals and doctors. They do not remember at all that hospitals and doctors are only a means; sometimes benefit is obtained from them and sometimes not. If benefit is obtained and certain health is granted, this is the favour and kindness of Allah, and if no benefit is obtained, this is precisely His justice. Therefore it is necessary for every person that, before reflecting on the means, he turns his attention to the Causer of all means.
It cannot be denied that means certainly have an effect, but this depends on the will of Allah, the Exalted, as Allah, the Exalted, said about the magicians:
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
“Then they would learn from them both that by which they would cause separation between a man and his wife, and they were not at all able to harm anyone by it except by the permission of Allah.”
In summary, Tawhid is the name for a person’s heart being bound so firmly to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, that he hopes for His mercy, fears His punishment, and worships purely Allah, the Exalted, alone.
