Question(6):

What is the Meaning Tawheed?

Answer:

Tawheed is a verbal noun from the verb Wahhada (وحداً ), Yuwahhidu (يوحد), i.e. he unified something and made it one, and this cannot be realized except through denial (Nafy) and affirmation (Ithbaat); negation of this ruling (i.e. oneness) for everything other than the Muwahhad (that which is it made for), and affirmation of it for him. So, for example, we say: “A person’s Tawheed is not complete unless he testifies that La Ilaaha Illallaah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah), thus he denies the Uloohiyyah for everything besides Allaah and he affirms it to Allaah alone. This is due to the fact that absolute negation is nothing but absolute denial while absolute affirmation does not prevent others from sharing in the ruling.

Hence, for example, if you say: “Such and such is standing.” Here you have affirmed the standing for him, however, you did not single him out with [all] standing, because it is possible that someone else might be sharing with him in this standing. And if you say: “None is standing,” then you have made an absolute denial and you did not affirm the standing for anyone. But if you say: “None is standing except Zayed or none is standing except such and such, then you are singling out Zayed (or such and such) with the standing since you have negated the standing from everyone else besides him. This is the implementation of Tawheed in reality, meaning that Tawheed is not considered true Tawheed until it comprises denial and affirmation.