✔ Divine Command for Tawhid
Allah the Exalted says:﴿ وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوت ﴾
"And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid Taghut (false gods).'"
(Surah an-Nahl: 36)
✔ Instruction of the Prophet ﷺ to Begin with Tawhid
When our beloved leader, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal (رضي الله عنه) to Yemen as a governor, he instructed:(( فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَن يُوَحِدُوا اللَّهَ تَعَالَىٰ ))
"Let the first thing to which you call them be the oneness of Allah, the Most High."
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7372, Book of Tawhid)
✔ Early Witness to the Prophet's Call to Tawhid
Harith ibn Harith al-‘A’idhi (رضي الله عنه) narrated:(When I came to Makkah during the days of ignorance, I saw people gathered around the Prophet ﷺ.) I asked my father:
"Why are these people gathered?"
He replied: "They are gathered around a Sabian (a term used ignorantly for one who had abandoned idol worship)."
"فإذا النبي ﷺ يدعو إلى توحيد الله والإيمان"
I approached and saw that the Prophet ﷺ was calling people to the oneness of Allah and to faith.
Sources:
At-Tarikh al-Kabir by al-Bukhari 2/262 – Authentic chain
Authenticated by Abu Zur‘ah ad-Dimashqi in Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn ‘Asakir 12/213-214
Also reported by Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Ahad wa’l-Mathani 5/374, Hadith 2976
✔ Importance and Priority of Tawhid
From the above narrations, the supreme importance of Tawhid is evident. These narrations also set a clear path for every preacher:Never neglect the call to Tawhid in the field of dawah.
Tawhid is the foundation of Islam, and therefore, the first call should always be towards the oneness of Allah.
Only when a person's Tawhid is pure and free from any trace of shirk will acts like prayer and jihad be accepted.
The life example of the Prophet ﷺ and the biographies of the righteous predecessors (Salaf al-Salihīn) make it abundantly clear that Tawhid holds the primary position in da‘wah.
Hence, it is obligatory upon every individual to follow the path of Tawhid and Sunnah and to spend their entire life in the worship of Allah alone, dedicating all acts of devotion exclusively to Him.
One must firmly embed this belief in the heart:
"My prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. I have been commanded with this, and I am the first of the Muslims (those who submit to Him)."
Whoever abandons Tawhid and chooses another path, Allah will nullify all of his deeds.
✔ Severe Warning Against Shirk
Allah the Exalted says:(إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا وَهُ النَّارُ)
"Indeed, he who associates others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire."
(Surah al-Ma’idah: 72)
❀ O Allah! Let us live upon Tawhid and Sunnah, and let us die upon the same. Ameen. ❀
