This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abdullah Nasir Rahmani's Explanation of Kitab al-Tawheed from Sahih Bukhari.
Reference: 7373:
حدثنا محمد بن بشار، حدثنا غندر، حدثنا شعبة، عن أبي حصين والأشعث بن سليم: سمعا الأسود بن هلال، عن معاذ بن جبل قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا معاذ، أتدري ما حق الله على العباد. قال: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئا، أتدري ما حقهم عليه؟ قال: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: أن لا يعذبهم.It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said: O Mu'adh! Do you know what right Allah has over His servants? He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet ﷺ said: It is that they worship none but Him and associate no partners with Him. Do you know then what right the servants have over Allah? He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: It is that He will not punish them.
Benefits and Deductions: Virtue of Sheikh Abdullah Nasir Rahmani, may Allah preserve him
◈ [يا معاذ، أتدري ما حق الله على العباد] O Mu'adh! Do you know what right Allah has over His servants?
This right is definitive and absolute; there is no room for addition or subtraction in it.
There are two types of issues.
① مسائل شرعیّہ
② مسائل قدریّۃ و کونیّۃ
① مسائل شرعیّہ: If there is a question in this, then it can be said that اللہ ورسولہ اعلم
(Because) the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is a scholar of the Shariah and the addressee of Allah's revelation.
② If there is a question in __ARABIC_6, only ARABIC_7__ will answer.
(For example) if someone asks will it rain tomorrow? The answer to this is اللہ اعلم.
Matters of divine decree are known to Allah, the Lord of Glory; Allah Almighty has not informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about them. All knowledge of divine decree is with Allah.
◈ [أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئا] that they worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him.
There are great and magnificent principles of Tawheed.
The complete answer can be found in أن يعبدوه: that whoever worships only Allah Almighty will certainly avoid shirk. Worshiping only Allah is not the perfection of Tawheed. The perfection of Tawheed is when along with worshiping Allah, one also negates shirk; then Tawheed will be complete.
We explain this matter in four stages.
① To verbally declare Tawheed, that is to say [لا الہ الا اللہ].
② To confirm this declaration sincerely in the heart.
③ To worship only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, through actions.
④ Denial and disassociation from all kinds of polytheism, false deities, and worship of anyone other than Allah.
- Empty worship is not sufficient; rather, disassociation from all kinds of polytheism and denial of all kinds of polytheism is necessary, only then will Tawheed be complete.
- For the perfection of Tawheed, affirmation of Tawheed, confirmation of Tawheed, practical demonstration of Tawheed, and negation and denial of all kinds of polytheism, disassociation from the polytheists, are necessary.
- This hadith contains the important principle [أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئا] that the belief in Tawheed is both by negation and affirmation, worship of Allah, the Lord of Glory, and denial of all kinds of polytheism.
Question: Can a person make anything obligatory upon Allah, the Lord of Glory?
Answer: No
The right that Allah has made obligatory upon Himself for His servants in the hadith is because the issue of Tawheed is so important that out of love for this issue of Tawheed, Allah Almighty has voluntarily taken upon Himself the right of the servants. (Issue: Affirmation of Tawheed and disassociation from polytheism).
This right Allah Almighty has imposed upon Himself by His own will that O My servants, if you perform these two acts ① worship only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, and ② disavow and reject all kinds of polytheism.
Then you have a right over Me (which you have not imposed on Me nor can anyone impose) but such a great matter, out of His love, I have taken your right upon Myself. And that right is (أن لا يعذبهم) that Allah, the Lord of Glory, will not punish such servants.
So whoever performs these two acts: perfect monotheism in negation and affirmation, worship of Allah Almighty, and denial of every non-Allah, then this was the invitation of the noble Prophets, peace be upon them. [وَ لَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِیۡ کُلِّ اُمَّۃٍ رَّسُوۡلًا اَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اجۡتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوۡتَ] And indeed, We sent a messenger to every nation, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut."
Reference: (An-Nahl:36)
This also contains two things ① worship only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, and ② denial of every Taghut.
(Taghut) is everything that is called upon besides Allah.
And this invitation is the invitation of every prophet (اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اجۡتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوۡتَ) Here too, monotheism is being presented both in negation and affirmation.
[فَمَنۡ یَّکۡفُرۡ بِالطَّاغُوۡتِ وَ یُؤۡمِنۡۢ بِاللّٰہِ فَقَدِ اسۡتَمۡسَکَ بِالۡعُرۡوَۃِ الۡوُثۡقٰی لَا انۡفِصَامَ لَہَا] Then whoever denies the false deity and believes in Allah, indeed he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold which will never break.
Reference: (Al-Baqarah:256)
Whoever denies the taghut and accepts one Allah, the Lord of Glory, and believes in one Allah Almighty. (أمرهم بالإيمان بالله عز وجل وحده، قال: هل تدرون ما الإيمان بالله وحده؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله) First, they were commanded to believe in one Allah. (Then) it was said, do you know what it means to believe in one Allah? They said, Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet ﷺ said: (Believing in one Allah means) to acknowledge that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the true Messenger of Allah.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari:87)
__ARABIC_18: This is negation. (Denial of every deity other than Allah)
ARABIC_19__: This is affirmation. (Affirming one Allah, the Lord of Glory)
- The following principles have come before us:
- The first monotheism is obligatory.
- Understanding monotheism in negation and affirmation
All types of monotheism:
Monotheism of Worship (Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah):
There is only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, the true God, and there is no other deity.
Tawheed of Lordship:
Only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, is the Lord, and there is no other Lord. Only Allah, the Lord of Glory, is the Creator and Owner.
Tawheed of Names and Attributes:
Only one Allah, the Lord of Glory, is the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate, and there is none like Him. Only Allah, the Lord of Glory, is All-Hearing and All-Seeing, and there is none like Him.
- So we must openly affirm the oneness of Allah, the Lord of Glory, and openly disassociate from all forms of polytheism so that on the Day of Judgment, both affirmation and negation will be weighed in the scale of good deeds.
- [عن أبي هريرة، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لأن أقول سبحان الله والحمد لله ولا إله إلا الله والله أكبر، أحب إلي مما طلعت عليه الشمس]
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The statement "Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar" is more beloved to me than all that the sun rises upon.
Reference: (Muslim:2695)
[سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ: contains the belief of negation]
[وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ: contains the belief of affirmation]
[لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ: contains the belief of negation and affirmation]
[اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ: contains the belief of affirmation]
So we must firmly hold on to Tawheed both in negation and affirmation.
