Karim Abuzaid – Know Your Lord Audio Book 02 04 – Enjoining the Significance of Monotheism Tawheed
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Chapter 4. Enjoining the significance of monotheism.
Ibn Taymiyyah
and his student ibn al Qayyam
were 2 scholars who excelled in explaining the
concept of monotheism
and calling people to it.
From their scholarship
comes a reminder for the muslims
who have strayed
or who have favored a cultural interpretation of
Islam
which is in violation
of some aspects of monotheism.
These reminders are organized into 13 lessons.
1. Islam
has 2 fundamental principles
Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullah said,
Allah
built the religion of Islam
upon 2 fundamental principles.
The first is that Allah is to be
worshiped alone and that nothing is to be
associated with him
And the second
is that no one has the right to
be worshiped except Allah and he is to
be worshiped only according to that which he
legislated
as conveyed by the tongue of his prophet.
2. Monotheism
Tawhid
is the first and last affair. Ibn Taymiyrahima
Allah said: The beginning of the religion and
its end and its outwardness
and its inwardness is monotheism
and making the whole of the religion sincerely
for Allah.
It is the actualization
of the statement
'La ilaha illallah.' Ibn al Qayyum said: 'Monotheism
is the first thing that is entered into
Islam with and the last thing one departs
with from the life of this world.
The prophet
said,
'Whoever's last words
will enter paradise.
Therefore
the prophet said,
'Prompt your dying ones to say,
It is easier to die upon
what has been known and practiced in this
life. Hence
we are advised to keep one's lips wet
with and one's actions
consistent
upon the statement.
3.
Monotheism
Tawhid
is the basis of good.
Ibn Taymiyyah said
monotheism
is the basis of the welfare of the
people
and committing polytheism
is the basis of their corruption
because justice
is associated
with monotheism
and because monotheism
is the origin of justice.
In contrast
desiring elevated status
is associated
with corruption
because
it is the origin of oppression.
Ibn Taymiyyah
also mentioned,
the basis of good is monotheism and faith
and the basis of corruption is polytheism
and disbelief.
He also stated
indeed
the foundation of the religion is enjoining the
good and forbidding the evil. In the peak
of good is monotheism
and the peak of evil is polytheism.
He also said,
polytheism
is the greatest corruption
just as monotheism
is the greatest good.
The products
of manifest polytheism
is destruction and failure.
Ibn al Khaim
reminds us of the words of Allah. 'Had
there been within the heavens and earth gods
besides Allah, they both would have been ruined.
Or monotheism,
tawhid
and seeking forgiveness.
Ibn Taymiyrahima'alaha
said. Monotheism
is the aggregation of the religion
which is its foundation
and its branches
and its essence
and it is good all of it and
seeking forgiveness
removes evil all of it.
So from these emanates
all good as well as
the cessation of all evil.
Ibn Taymih also
mentioned
whoever
actualizes monotheism
and seeking forgiveness
then evil must be removed from him.
It is due to this that Yunus
evoked his Lord with monotheism
while in the belly of the fish.
Allah said,
he called out within the darkness,
'There is no deity except you,
Exalted are you.
Indeed,
I have been of the wrongdoers.
Also,
prophet Nuh-huh,
Noah, alaihis salam,
called his people to monotheism
to seek forgiveness,
to remove harm from falling upon them.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala reported that prophet Nuh
said,
worship
Allah, fear him and obey me.
He, Allah, will forgive you
of your sins
and delay you for a specified term.
Indeed,
the time set by Allah when it comes
will not be delayed if you only knew.
Monotheism
is enjoined
along with the seeking of forgiveness
istighfar
in multiple places in the Quran
such as the statement of Allah
So know, O Muhammad,
that there is no deity except Allah and
ask forgiveness
for your sin and for the believing men
and believing women.
And Allah knows of your movement
and your resting place.
Ibn TaymIr Ham'allah stated
monotheism
removes the origin of polytheism.
In seeking forgiveness
Istighfar
erases its branches.
So
the most profound praise is saying, there is
no god but
And the most profound supplication
Dua
is saying, 'I seek Allah's forgiveness.'
5,
great emphasis
was given to monotheism.
Said, the prophet
the prophet would actualize monotheism,
tawheed,
to teach it to his ummah
such that a man
said to him, 'as Allah wills
and as you will.'
So he said,
'Have you made me an associate with Allah,
rather
as Allah alone wills?
Ibn al Qayyim
said, Indeed,
the prophet guarded the aspect of monotheism
with the most exceptional protection.
For example, he forbade Muslims
from the observance
of the voluntary prayer for Allah,
the glorified,
at the rising of the sun and its
setting,
so that it should not be a means
to the resemblance
of the worshippers of the sun,
those that prostrate to it in these two
circumstances.
Likewise
by his obstructing the means to polytheism
by prohibiting prayer after asr and the fajr
due to the connection of these two timings
with the two timings
in which the polytheists
prostrate for the sun.
6. Monotheism
Tawhid
expands the chest.
Ibn al Qaybrahim Allah said
nothing
expands the chest more than monotheism,
Tawhid
and this expansion
varies according to the completeness of monotheism,
Tawhid.
Allah
said, so whoever
Allah wills to guide, He expands his breast
to Islam
and whomever he wills to send astray,
he makes his chest tight
and constricts
as though he were climbing into the sky.
Ibn al Qayyim, Rahim
said in Zad al Ma'ad,
as monotheism,
tawhid,
and guidance
are amongst the greatest causes
of an expanded chest.
Polytheism,
shirk and misguidance
are among the greatest causes
of a constricted chest.
The light of faith
iman
also expands the chest and pleases the heart.
Consequently,
one who is deprived
of this light is imprisoned.
7.
Monotheism
repels
worldly
afflictions.
Ibn al Qayyim
said, nothing prevents
the misfortunes of the world like monotheism
that is why the supplication of distress
is done with monotheism
and as an example of this we remember
the supplication
of And mention,
the man of the fish,
when he went off in anger, and thought
that we would not decree anything upon him,
and he called out within the darkness,
'There is no deity except
you, exalted are you indeed
I have been of the wrongdoers.'
The supplication
is so empowered
with the virtues of monotheism
that no distressed person used to supplicate with
it,
but Allah
drove
his distress away. On the other hand
nothing causes great distress like polytheism
and nothing saves man from it except monotheism.
Therefore
it is the refuge
and the fortress of all creation.
Ibn al Qaym
said in Zad al Ma'ad as for the
supplication
dua
of dun Nun,
Yunus, Jonah
then indeed there is within it from the
perfect completion of monotheism
and declaring the Lord, the mighty and majestic,
of being free
of imperfection
and deficiency,
as well as an acknowledgment
of the servant of his wrongdoing and sin,
that which is from the most far
reaching supplications
of distress
and anxiety
and grief, it is likewise
the most far reaching
of means to Allah, the glorified
in securing one's needs.
8, monotheism.
Tawhid
couples with safety and security.
Ibn al Qayyim said
monotheism
tawid is the greatest bastion of Allah which
whoever enters it
then he is
from those that are secure.
He stated
that it means
fear
is always alongside polytheism
and safety
is always alongside monotheism.
Actualizing monotheism
is essential
to those who seek security.
Ibn al Qayb also
said
monotheism,
Tawhid,
is from the most potent of factors
for protection from fears. And polytheism
is from the most potent of factors
for the occurrence of fears.
9.
Monotheism
is shelter from distress.
Ibn al Qayyim
said,
monotheism
is the refuge of its enemies
and its supporters.
It saves its enemies from the distress and
misfortunes
of the life of this world.
Meaning that the people
of polytheism
will call out to Allah
alone when in distress.
Allah
may answer them but he also knows they
will return to polytheism.
Refuge for them
is transitory in this life
unless they die upon monotheism.
And Allah
is the most merciful
and accepts
sincere repentance.
Allah
said, and when they board a ship they
supplicate Allah
sincere to him in religion,
but when he delivers them to their land
at once
they associate others with him. As for the
beloved servants of Allah
an emphasis
on monotheism
during times of trial
saves its supporters
from the distress
and misfortunes of this world in the hereafter.
That is why prophet Yunus alaihi salam resorted
to it and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala saved
him from the darkness of the whale's belly.
Monotheism
brings ease
as a matter of perspective
and a matter of reality.
This is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's way with
his servants.
Nothing prevents the misfortunes of this world
like monotheism.
Nothing causes great distress like polytheism.
10, monotheism
and the sins of the servant. Ibn Taymiyrahima'ullah
said when speaking about the varying forms of
sins, a servant, upon sound monotheism,
mixed with lesser sins,
is better than an individual
who has only the sin of polytheists
and is without any other sin.
He also wrote monotheism
that has with it lies is better than
polytheism
that has with it truth.
Ibn al Qayim
said the greater the monotheism
of the servant
then the forgiveness of Allah is complete.
So whoever meets him, not having associated
anything with him at all, then his sin
will be forgiven for him, all of them,
whatever
they may be. And Allah will not punish
him
due to them.
Ibn al Qaim also
said,
so the Muslims,
their sins
are the sins of a person of monotheism.
That monotheism
erases their traces in totality.
Otherwise,
that which is with them from monotheism
will exit them from the fire, if Allah
is to punish them on account of their
sins.
As for polytheists and disbelievers,
then indeed their polytheism
and their disbelief thwart
their good deeds.
So
they will not meet their lord with a
single valid act from which they hope for
salvation
and nothing from their sins will be forgiven
for them.
Allah
said, 'Indeed
Allah does not forgive association with him,
but he forgives
what is less than that
for whom he wills,
and he who associates others with Allah has
certainty fabricated
a tremendous sin.
Therefore
polytheists
or disbelievers
will be bereft
of benefit in the hereafter
because the benefit of lesser good is nullified
by the tremendous injustice
of polytheism.
Allah
said,
'On the day they will see the angels
no glad tidings would there be for the
Mujrimoon,
criminals,
disbelievers,
polytheists, sinners
that
day and they angels will say, 'All kinds
of glad tidings are forbidden to you. None
will be allowed to enter paradise
except the one who said, La ilaha illallah,
and acted practically
on its legal orders and obligations.
And we shall turn to whatever deeds they,
disbelievers,
polytheists,
sinners did, and we shall make such deeds
as scattered floating particles of dust.
Monotheism
is the key to paradise.
There is an appropriate means for everything
which is desirable
and the individual with wisdom who desires to
enter paradise
will apply the appropriate means to attain it.
Ibn Qayyam
said,
Allah the glorious
has made for every desired matter a key
to open it. He made purification
the key of prayers.
In the same way the key of the
pilgrimage
is entering into the state of ihram. The
key of piety
is telling the truth.
The key of paradise
is to believe in the oneness of Allah.
Ibn Qayyam Rahim Allah stated similarly
that without monotheism
there is no expectation
of gaining paradise.
For indeed
monotheism
is the key to its door. So whoever
does not have a key with him then
its door will not open for him.
Likewise
is the case
if he came with a key that has
no teeth for it, the opening will not
be possible with it.
12.
The devils have no authority.
Ibn Taymiyrahima'u'llah
wrote that the devils
have no authority
over the hearts of the people of monotheism.
This is a testament
to the might of that which monotheism
attributes.
Ibn Taymira
mentioned likewise:
When monotheism
becomes manifest
the devils flee
and are rendered futile and diminish.
So they become manifest in places wherein the
influence of monotheism
is hidden.
Ibn al Qayyim Rahim Allah said, The enemy
of Allah came to know that Allah, the
highest,
does not allow him to gain ascendency
over the people of monotheism
who possess
sincerity.
The following verse Iah reveals
Sherpaan's statement.
Iblis
said,
'By your might I will surely mislead them
all except among them your chosen servants.'
This is evidence
that the devils
have no authority over the people of monotheism.
As the enemy of Allah knew that whoever
adheres
and has recourse to Allah,
the mighty and majestic,
and makes himself sincere to him and places
his resilience upon him, that he will be
unable to lead him astray and misguide him.
Allah
also said,
and when guidance comes to you from me,
whoever follows my guidance,
there will be no fear concerning them,
nor will they grieve.
Allah
also said,
indeed, there is for Shaifaan
no authority
over those who have believed
and rely upon their lord.
13.
Inviting to monotheism
is inviting to our lord.
The statement of monotheism
La ilaha illallah meaning
there is no one worthy of worship except
Allah
is a statement incumbent
on all of the creation
among those
who are sincere to know their Lord.
It
means that the science of monotheism
is undetachable
from those who pursue our Lord in love
and sincerity.
Ibn al Aym
said, the earth and the heavens were founded,
the creation was created,
and by way of it Allah the Most
High sent his messengers
and revealed his books
and legislated
the prescriptions of religious law and because of
it the scales were erected
and the registers were set up and the
souk
of Paradise
and the fire
came to arise,
and by way of it the creation was
divided
into the believers and the disbelievers
and the righteous and the wicked.
The calling to this is a calling to
accountability
and the acknowledgment
that our Lord has a divine right to
judge, and that the dispensing
of justice neither benefits nor harms him
rather the significance of fidelity
to monotheism
is for our own benefit,
and calling to it is a mercy.