Tawhid: The Absolute Oneness of Allah

“Say, ‘He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent’” (Quran 112:1-4).

Tawhid—the absolute, uncompromising oneness and uniqueness of Allah—is Islam’s foundational doctrine, its central creed, its defining principle. Islam is, before anything else, radical monotheism: One God, indivisible, without partners, without equals, without associates. Tawhid is not merely intellectual assent to God’s numerical oneness but comprehensive submission to His singular lordship, His exclusive right to worship, His unique attributes. Every pillar of Islam rests on tawhid; every Muslim practice expresses it; every theological error violates it. The Shahada—“There is no god but Allah”—is tawhid in five Arabic words (La ilaha illa Allah). To affirm tawhid is to be Muslim; to deny it is to commit shirk (associating partners with God), Islam’s unforgivable sin. Tawhid unites Muslims across every division—Sunni and Shia, Arab and non-Arab, ancient and modern—all confessing the absolute, unqualified oneness of the one true God. And yet tawhid also divides—sharply distinguishing Islam from Christianity’s Trinity and Judaism’s perceived anthropomorphism, defining Islam as the pure restoration of Abraham’s original monotheism against centuries of corruption and compromise.

The Quran on Tawhid

Surah Al-Ikhlas (Quran 112): The Essence of Tawhid

The shortest chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Ikhlas (“The Purity” or “Sincerity”), distills tawhid into four verses:

“Say, ‘He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent’” (Quran 112:1-4).

Verse by Verse:

1. “He is Allah, One” (Ahad):

• Ahad: Absolutely one, unique, indivisible
• Not just numerically one but absolutely singular in essence, attributes, and worship
• No parts, no multiplicity, no division

2. “Allah, the Eternal Refuge” (As-Samad):

• As-Samad: The Self-Sufficient, to whom all turn in need, who needs nothing
• All creation depends on Him; He depends on nothing
• Eternal, unchanging, complete

3. “He neither begets nor is born”:

• Direct rejection of Christian claim that Jesus is God’s Son
• Allah does not have children (rejecting pagan Arab beliefs in angels as “daughters of Allah”)
• Allah was not born, has no origin or beginning
• Nothing proceeds from His essence

4. “Nor is there to Him any equivalent”:

• Nothing resembles Allah
• No comparison, no likeness, no peer
• Utterly transcendent and unique

Significance: The Prophet Muhammad said this surah is equal to one-third of the Quran in worth. It is recited in every Muslim prayer, memorized by every Muslim child, and represents the core of Islamic theology.

Other Quranic Statements of Tawhid

Quran 2:163: “And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”

Quran 2:255 (Ayat al-Kursi - The Throne Verse): “Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”

Quran 23:91: “Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him].”

Quran 37:4: “Indeed, your God is One.”

Quran 57:3: “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.”

The Three Dimensions of Tawhid

Islamic theology divides tawhid into three interconnected categories:

1. Tawhid ar-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship)

Definition: Affirming Allah as the sole Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Controller of the universe.

Key Elements:

• Creation: Allah alone creates; no other being shares this power
• Sovereignty: Allah alone rules the universe
• Provision: Allah alone provides (Ar-Razzaq)
• Control: Allah alone governs natural laws and decrees events

Quranic Basis: “Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds” (Quran 7:54).

Agreement Across Traditions: Even pagan Arabs acknowledged Allah as Creator (Quran 29:61). Jews and Christians affirm God as Creator and Lord. But tawhid ar-rububiyyah alone is insufficient—it must lead to tawhid al-uluhiyyah.

2. Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship)

Definition: Affirming that Allah alone deserves worship, devotion, and obedience. All acts of worship—prayer, sacrifice, vows, supplication—must be directed to Allah alone.

Key Elements:

• Exclusive Worship: No worship of saints, prophets, angels, or any created being
• No Intermediaries: Direct relationship with Allah, no mediators needed
• Single Object of Devotion: Love, fear, hope directed solely to Allah

Quranic Basis: “And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible” (Quran 40:60).

“So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin” (Quran 47:19).

Violations (Shirk):

• Praying to saints or asking them for intercession (Islamic critique of Catholic practice)
• Worshiping Jesus or Mary (Islamic view of Christianity)
• Bowing to idols or images
• Divination, magic, seeking help from jinn
• Swearing by anyone but Allah

This is the most critical dimension—the difference between Islam and kufr (disbelief).

3. Tawhid al-Asma wa’s-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes)

Definition: Affirming that Allah’s names and attributes are unique to Him, without comparison to creation.

Key Elements:

• 99 Beautiful Names (Al-Asma al-Husna): Allah has perfect attributes—Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful), Al-Hakim (The Wise), Al-Qadir (The All-Powerful), etc.
• No Likeness: “There is nothing like unto Him” (Quran 42:11)
• Neither Anthropomorphism nor Denial: Affirm Allah’s attributes as Scripture describes them without comparing them to human attributes or denying them entirely

Quranic Basis: “And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing” (Quran 7:180).

“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing” (Quran 42:11).

Theological Debates:

• Mu’tazilites (rationalists): Emphasized transcendence, sometimes denying anthropomorphic attributes (e.g., Allah’s “hand”)
• Ash’arites (traditional Sunnis): Affirm attributes but say “without asking how” (bila kayf)
• Salafis/Athari: Accept attributes literally as Quran states, without interpretation, without anthropomorphism

Shirk: The Opposite of Tawhid

Definition

Shirk (شرك): Associating partners with Allah, the gravest sin in Islam.

“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 certainly fabricated a tremendous sin” (Quran 4:48).

Types of Shirk

Major Shirk (Shirk Akbar): Removes a person from Islam entirely:

• Worshiping anyone besides Allah
• Believing in multiple gods
• Ascribing divine attributes to creation (e.g., claiming Jesus is God)
• Prostrating to idols, graves, or anything besides Allah

Minor Shirk (Shirk Asghar): Sinful but does not remove one from Islam:

• Showing off in worship (riya’)
• Swearing by something other than Allah
• Wearing amulets for protection
• Believing objects or actions bring good luck

Shirk in Islam’s View of Other Religions

Christianity: Islam views the Trinity as shirk:

“They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the third of three.’ And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment” (Quran 5:73).

Claiming Jesus is God’s Son or worshiping Jesus is shirk.

Judaism: Generally not considered shirk (Jews are strict monotheists), though some Islamic scholars critique Jewish ideas of Ezra as “son of God” (Quran 9:30, historically referring to a small sect) or attributing too much anthropomorphism to God.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism: Polytheism and idol worship are clear shirk.

Tawhid vs. Trinity: Islam and Christianity

The Core Disagreement

Christianity: God is one in essence but three in persons—Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, yet there is one God.

Islam: Absolute oneness—no persons, no division, no multiplicity. The Trinity is shirk—associating partners with Allah.

Quranic Critique of the Trinity

Quran 4:171: “O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, ‘Three’; desist—it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.”

Quran 5:116 (often misunderstood): “And [behold!] when Allah will say: ‘O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say to the people, “Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?”’ He will say, ‘Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.’”

(Note: Some scholars argue the Quran critiques popular Christian piety that venerated Mary excessively, not official Trinitarian doctrine.)

Christian Response

Christians argue:

• The Trinity is not three gods but one God in three persons
• Islam misunderstands the Trinity (Christians do not worship three gods)
• The Quran’s description of the Trinity as “Allah, Jesus, and Mary” (Quran 5:116) suggests misunderstanding of Trinitarian theology (though this verse is debated)

Islamic Rebuttal:

• Even if one essence, three persons still violates absolute oneness
• “Person” implies division
• The Father is not the Son; therefore, multiplicity exists
• Better to affirm simple, absolute oneness

The Shema and Tawhid

Both Islam and Judaism cite Deuteronomy 6:4—the Shema:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad).

Jewish Understanding:

• God is absolutely one
• No division, no Trinity
• Agrees with Islamic tawhid

Christian Understanding:

• Echad (one) can mean composite unity (e.g., Genesis 2:24, “one flesh”)
• The Shema affirms one God but allows for plurality within the Godhead

Islamic Understanding:

• The Shema is tawhid—pure monotheism
• Christians departed from this; Islam restores it

Tawhid and Islamic Practice

The Shahada

“Ashadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah” “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

Structure:

1. La ilaha (negation): No god—reject all false deities
2. Illa Allah (affirmation): Except Allah—affirm the one true God
3. Muhammad rasul Allah: Muhammad is Allah’s messenger—tawhid must be paired with accepting divine revelation

The Shahada is Islam’s first pillar. To say it sincerely is to become Muslim. It is whispered in a newborn’s ear and on one’s deathbed.

The Five Daily Prayers

Each prayer begins with Takbir: “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest). Prayers are directed to Allah alone, no intermediaries, no saints.

Rejection of Intercession (as Christians Practice It)

Islamic View: Muslims ask Allah directly. No priest, no saint, no mediator needed.

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me” (Quran 2:186).

Contrast with Catholic practice of asking saints to intercede (which Islam sees as shirk).

Hajj and Tawhid

The Kaaba is not an object of worship but a direction (qibla). Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; they worship Allah toward the Kaaba.

The Talbiyah chant during Hajj emphasizes tawhid: “Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty. You have no partner.”

Tawhid in Islamic History

Pre-Islamic Arabia

Before Islam, Arabs worshiped many gods—Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, Manat, and others—alongside Allah, whom they acknowledged as the supreme Creator but treated as one among many.

Quran 29:61: “And if you asked them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon?’ they would surely say, ‘Allah.’ Then how are they deluded?”

They affirmed Allah’s lordship (rububiyyah) but violated His right to exclusive worship (uluhiyyah).

Muhammad’s Message

Muhammad’s central message was tawhid:

• Destroy the idols
• Worship Allah alone
• No partners, no intermediaries, no division

When the Prophet conquered Mecca in 630 CE, he purified the Kaaba of its 360 idols, restoring it to Abrahamic monotheism.

Islamic Expansion and Tawhid

As Islam spread across Arabia, North Africa, Persia, and beyond, tawhid was the rallying cry:

• One God, one umma, one message
• Rejection of Zoroastrian dualism
• Rejection of Hindu polytheism
• Rejection of Christian Trinity

Theological Debates Within Islam

The Attributes of Allah

Question: Does Allah have attributes (knowledge, power, hearing, seeing)?

Mu’tazilites (8th-10th centuries):

• Rationalists who emphasized Allah’s absolute oneness
• Argued: If Allah has attributes distinct from His essence, this implies multiplicity
• Solution: Allah’s attributes are identical with His essence (His knowledge is His essence, not something added)
• Problem: Can sound abstract, denying Allah’s real attributes

Ash’arites (10th century onward):

• Opposed Mu’tazilites
• Affirmed: Allah has real attributes
• These attributes are eternal, subsisting in His essence
• Accepted apparent contradictions: Allah has a “hand,” but not like a human hand—“without asking how” (bila kayf)

Salafis/Athari:

• Literalists who accept Quranic descriptions at face value
• Allah’s “hand” means hand (but not like human hands)
• Avoid metaphorical interpretation, avoid rationalist reductions
• Emphasis on the early Muslims’ understanding

Sufism and Tawhid

Sufi Mysticism: Sufis pursue direct experiential knowledge of Allah. Some Sufi teachings on tawhid:

Tawhid al-Wujud (Unity of Being):

• Advanced Sufi concept: Only Allah truly exists; all else is illusion or manifestation of Allah
• Associated with Ibn Arabi (12th-13th century)
• Controversial: Critics say it blurs the Creator-creation distinction, verging on pantheism

Wahdat ash-Shuhud (Unity of Witness):

• Alternative Sufi view: Allah alone is witnessed in all things, but creation is distinct from Creator
• More acceptable to orthodox scholars

Orthodox Critique: Many traditional scholars (especially Salafis, Wahhabis) reject these mystical formulations as innovations (bid’ah) that compromise tawhid.

Tawhid and Other Abrahamic Faiths

Judaism: Agreement on Oneness

Common Ground: Both Islam and Judaism are strictly monotheistic, rejecting the Trinity.

Shema and Tawhid: Both cite Deuteronomy 6:4 as the foundation of monotheism.

Differences:

• Islam claims Jews corrupted their scriptures (though still respect “People of the Book”)
• Islam rejects any anthropomorphic descriptions of God, critiquing some Jewish texts that describe God in human terms
• Some Muslims claim Ezra was deified by Jews (Quran 9:30), though this is historically inaccurate for mainstream Judaism

Modern Relations: Theologically, Islam sees Judaism as closer to true tawhid than Christianity due to shared strict monotheism.

Christianity: The Trinity Divide

Fundamental Disagreement: The Trinity is irreconcilable with tawhid. Christians see one God in three persons; Muslims see this as shirk.

Christian Claims:

• The Trinity is not polytheism but complex monotheism
• One essence, three persons
• The Bible reveals a triune God

Islamic Response:

• Complexity is unnecessary; tawhid is simple and clear
• Three persons imply division
• Trinity is a later theological invention, not Jesus’ teaching
• Quran 5:116 suggests misguided Trinitarian piety

Conversational Impasse: No resolution—tawhid and Trinity are mutually exclusive.

Abraham: The Model of Tawhid

Islam reveres Abraham as the exemplar of tawhid:

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father Azar, ‘Do you take idols as deities? Indeed, I see you and your people to be in manifest error.’ And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith]. So when the night covered him [with darkness], he saw a star. He said, ‘This is my lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘I like not those that set.’ And when he saw the moon rising, he said, ‘This is my lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray.’ And when he saw the sun rising, he said, ‘This is my lord; this is greater.’ But when it set, he said, ‘O my people, indeed I am free from what you associate with Allah. Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah’” (Quran 6:74-79).

Abraham rejected idols, stars, moon, sun—all false deities—and turned to the One Creator. Islam sees itself as Abraham’s religion restored.

Modern Challenges to Tawhid

Secularism

Challenge: Modern secular worldview denies God altogether or makes religion private.

Islamic Response: Tawhid demands that Allah’s sovereignty extends over all life—public and private, political and personal. Secular separation of religion and state violates tawhid.

Nationalism

Challenge: Loyalty to nation or ethnicity above Allah.

Islamic Response: Tawhid requires ultimate allegiance to Allah alone. National identity is acceptable but must be subordinate to Islamic identity.

Materialism

Challenge: Devotion to wealth, status, power.

Islamic Response: These become false gods (taghut) if prioritized above Allah. Tawhid demands Allah as the ultimate love and goal.

Practical Implications of Tawhid

1. Worship

All worship directed to Allah alone:

• No praying to saints
• No venerating graves
• No images or representations of Allah (or prophets)

2. Law and Governance

Allah alone has the right to legislate. Islamic law (Sharia) derives from divine revelation, not human reason alone.

3. Life Purpose

Life’s purpose is to worship and serve Allah:

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (Quran 51:56).

4. Ethics

Moral standards come from Allah’s revelation, not subjective human preferences.

5. Eschatology

On Judgment Day, every soul stands alone before Allah—no intercessors (except by Allah’s permission), no family, no tribe, no nation.

Tawhid in Islamic Art and Architecture

No Images of God: Unlike Christian art depicting God the Father or Jesus, Islamic art never depicts Allah. This preserves tawhid—Allah is beyond human form or likeness.

Calligraphy: Islamic art emphasizes calligraphy, especially of Allah’s names and Quranic verses.

Geometric Patterns: Abstract, infinite patterns symbolize Allah’s infinite nature and the unity underlying creation.

Significance

“Say, ‘He is Allah, [who is] One’” (Quran 112:1).

Tawhid is the essence of Islam—its heartbeat, its foundation, its defining doctrine. Everything in Islam flows from tawhid: The five pillars rest on it, Islamic law derives from it, Muslim ethics presuppose it, the Quran proclaims it on every page. To be Muslim is to affirm tawhid; to deny it is to cease being Muslim.

Tawhid declares that there is one reality, one truth, one God—Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Sustainer of all that exists, the Lord of the worlds. He alone is worthy of worship. He has no partners, no equals, no rivals. He does not share His glory, His throne, or His divinity. He is not father or son; He is not born nor does He beget. He is the First and the Last, the Seen and the Unseen, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

In a world of competing ideologies, divided loyalties, and multiplied desires, tawhid simplifies: One God, one purpose, one direction. In a world of idols—whether carved from stone or constructed from status, power, and wealth—tawhid liberates: No created thing can enslave the soul that submits to the Creator alone. In a world where human reason claims autonomy, tawhid humbles: The finite must bow before the Infinite, the contingent before the Necessary, the creature before the Creator.

For Muslims, tawhid is not abstract theology but lived reality—whispered in the call to prayer five times daily, confessed in the Shahada, enacted in prostration, pilgrimage, and charity. It unites the global umma—from Indonesia to Morocco, from China to Nigeria—all facing one qibla, worshiping one God, reciting one Quran. And it distinguishes Islam from all other faiths: The Trinity is shirk, idolatry is shirk, even excessive reverence for creation is shirk. Tawhid alone is truth; all else is deviation.

The Prophet Muhammad’s mission can be summarized in one sentence: Restore tawhid. The Quran’s message can be distilled into one word: Tawhid. And the believer’s confession is five Arabic words embodying tawhid: La ilaha illa Allah—There is no god but Allah.

“So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah” (Quran 47:19).

Tawhid is Islam’s greatest gift to humanity—the declaration that liberates, clarifies, and sanctifies, calling all people to worship the One who created them, sustains them, and will one day judge them. It is the truth that Abraham proclaimed, that Moses confirmed, that Jesus taught, and that Muhammad restored. It is the truth that stands at the beginning of creation and at the end of time, the truth that echoes in every heartbeat and every breath: There is no god but Allah, and to Him alone belongs all worship, all glory, all power, forever and ever.

“And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful” (Quran 2:163).