6/What is the Meaning Tawheed?

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.

8/What are the Types of Tawheed? Please Clarify and Give Examples.

The types of Tawheed as regard to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, all fall under a general definition and that is to single Allaah, the One free of all imperfection, out with all that is  articular to Him. And they are three types:

(1) Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah which is to single out Allaah with Creation, Sovereignty, and Control of affairs. Since Allaah Alone is the Creator, there is no creator besides Him.
Allaah, the Most High, Says:

And Allaah, the Most High, Said, exposing the futility of the deities of the unbelievers:

So He, Allaah, is the Sole Creator. He created everything and gave everything its due and decreed measure. His Creating includes whatever occurs due to His Actions as well as all that which occurs as a result of the actions of His Creation. For this reason it is from the complete belief in al-Qadar (Allaah’s Pre-decree) that you believe that Allaah, The Most High, Creates the actions of creation, as He, The Most High, Says:

One way to direct this is that the action of the ‘abd is from his attributes, and he is Created by Allaah, and that the creator of something is a creator of its attributes.
Another angle to this is that action of the ‘abd is caused by a determined will and complete ability, both of which are Created by Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. Indeed, the creator of the complete cause is the creator of the effect. But then if you say: “How is that we say that He, The Most High, is singled out with creation even though creation may be affirmed to other than Him as evident in the saying of Allaah, the Most High,

and also in the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم ), regarding picturemakers, “It will be said to them [on the Day of Resurrection], ‘Put life in that which you have created’.”¹⁷?

The answer to this is that, “someone other than Allaah, The Most High, does not create like Allaah’s Creation. Indeed, [anyone other than Allaah], cannot bring into existence something non-existent nor can he bring life to the dead. Rather, the creation by other than Allaah, The One free from all imperfection and The Most High, takes place by means of changing and transforming of a thing from one condition into another; yet, the thing itself is a Creation by Allaah. The picture-maker, for example, when he makes a picture, he does not create anything. In reality, all that he did is that he transformed something into something else just as one transforms clay into the form of a bird or that of a camel, and as (he) one transforms a white sheet into a colored picture by means of coloring. All the ink as well as the white paper is from the Creation of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic. So, this is the difference between the affirmation of creation with regard to Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, and its affirmation with regard to the created being. Accordingly, Allaah, The Most High, is singled out with Creation, which is particular to Him.

The Second Pillar of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is that Allaah, The Most High, is singled out with Sovereignty, meaning that Allaah, The Exalted, is The Sole Owner, as He,The Most High, Said:

And He, The Exalted, also Said:

So the One to whom belongs the absolute and all comprehensive sovereignty is Allaah alone, and attributing sovereignty to other than Him is only a relative matter. In fact, Allaah, The Exalted, affirmed ownership to other than Him, as in His, The Exalted, Saying:

And also, in His, The Most High, Saying:

And the like from the above texts which prove that other than Allaah may have a dominion, but this sovereignty is unlike the Sovereignty of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic. Rather it is an inadequate, restricted, and incomprehensive dominion. And so, Zayed’s house does not belong to ‘Amr and vice versa. Moreover, this dominion is limited, in the sense that the person is unable to dispose freely what he possesses except in the way he is permitted to do so. That is why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) forbade the wasting of wealth. and Allaah, The Most High, Said:

And this is a proof that man’s dominion is inadequate and limited, unlike the Sovereignty and Dominion of Allaah, The One free from all imperfection and The Most High, which is a general, all-comprehensive, and absolute Sovereignty. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) does whatever He wants and He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they (mankind) will be questioned.

The Third Pillar of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is that Allaah is singled out with Tadbeer (control of all affairs). So Allaah, The One free of all imperfection, is The One who controls the affairs of the creation; He disposes the affairs of the heavens and the earth as He, The Most High, Says:

This control is comprehensive, nothing can prevent or oppose it. The disposal of affairs by some creatures, like man’s control of the disposal of his wealth, children, servants, and so forth, is a narrow, limited, and restricted, not absolute, kind of control. So this stands to prove that our statement that, “Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is to single out Allaah with Creation, Sovereignty, and Control of Affairs,” is true. This is the meaning of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah.

As for the Second Type of Tawheed, which is Tawheed al- Uloohiyyah, then it is to single Allaah out with all worship such that a person does not take anyone else besides Allaah and worships him, and or do acts of devotion for him as he worships Allaah and does acts of devotion for Him. And it is with regard to this type of Tawheed that the Mushriks went astray; those whom the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) fought, and whose wealth, land, and homes he made lawful to be taken; and whose womenfolk and children he took as captives. And it is this type which the Messengers were sent with and with which the Books were brought down, together with its two fellow types, Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa’-was Sifaat. However, most of the striving of the Messengers with their people was with regard to this type of Tawheed, Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah, such that a person does not direct anything of worship to other than Allaah, neither to a close angel, nor to any Prophet sent as a Messenger, nor to a righteous Wali (true friend of Allaah), nor to anyone from the creation. Because worship is not correct except for Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic. Whoever violates this type of Tawheed is a Mushrik, an unbeliever, even if he affirms Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa’-was-Sifaat. So, if a man believes that Allaah, The One free of all imperfection and The Most High, is The Creator, The Owner, The One Who controls all affairs, and that He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is The One who is worthy of all that which He deserves from (the) His Names and Attributes, but he worships besides Allaah other than Him, then his affirmation of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed al-Asmaa’-was-Sifaat is of no avail to him. So, if it were to be the case that a man totally affirmed the Tawheed of ar-Ruboobiyyah and al- Asmaa’-was-Sifaat, but he went to a grave and worshipped its occupant, or he vowed to offer him a sacrifice in order to draw near to him, then he would be a Mushrik, an unbeliever, an inhabitant of the Hell-Fire forever. Allaah, The Most High, Says:

And it is a matter known to everyone who recites the Book of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, that the Mushriks whom the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) fought, and whose blood he deemed lawful to seek, and whose wealth he made lawful to take; and whose womenfolk and children he took as captives; and whose land he took as booty, used to be in agreement that Allaah, The Most High, alone, is The Rabb and The Creator; they had no doubt concerning this. But since they used to worship others along with Him, they, as a result, became Mushriks whose blood were made allowable to seek, and whose wealth were made lawful to take. 

As for the Third Type of Tawheed, which is Tawheed al- Asmaa’-was-Sifaat, then it is to single out Allaah, The One free of all imperfections and The Most High, with whatever Names and Attributes He has, respectively, named or described Himself with in His Book or on the tongue of His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This is established by affirming whatever Allaah has affirmed for Himself, without Tahreef (changing or twisting their wording and meanings), without Ta’teel (denying or divesting Allaah of His Attributes), without Takyeef (asserting how they are), and without Tamtheel (likening them to those of the creation). It is inevitable that we have faith in whatever Names and Attribute which Allaah has affirmed for Himself, based upon al-Haqeeqah (their real and true meanings), but without Takyeef and without Tamtheel, and not according to al-Majaaz (metaphoric interpretations). It is with regard to this type of Tawheed that many groups from this Ummaah who have the same Qiblah and who follow, but in different ways, the religion of Islaam has gone astray. Some of them exaggerated in the aspects of an-Nafiyy ¹⁸ and Tanzeeh ¹⁹ to the point that would take the exaggerator out of Islaam. Some took a moderate stand, while others were closer to the creed of ahl-us-Sunnah. But the way of the Salaf with regard to this type of Tawheed is that Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, is to be Named and qualified with whatever He Names and qualifies Himself with and in accordance with their real and true meanings without Tahreef (changing or twisting their wording or meaning), without Ta’teel (denial of them), without Takyeef (specifying how they are) and without Tamtheel (likening them to those of the creation). As an example, Allaah, The One free of all imperfections, Named Himself (بالحي): Al-Hayy (The Ever-Living), Al-Qayyoum (القيوم). ²⁰ So, we must believe in Al-Hayy as a Name of the Names of Allaah and in the Attribute implied by this Name and that is the perfect Life which is neither preceded by ‘adam (non-existence) nor coming to naught. And Allaah, The One free of all imperfections and The Most High, Named Himself: "لسميع " As-Samee’, "العليم" Al-’Aleem. Therefore, we must believe in As-Samee’ [The One who is All-Hearer] as a Name of the Names of Allaah, and that Hearing is one of His Attributes; and believe that He Hears, which is the ruling necessitated by this Name and this Attribute. Because an All- Hearer without Hearing or without understanding what is heard, is something impossible. Likewise, one must deal with the rest of the Names and Attributes. Another example: Allaah, The Supremely Exalted, Said:

Here Allaah, The Most High, Said:

So He affirmed for Himself Two Hands described by al-Bast (لبسط) which is the bountiful giving.²¹ So it is binding upon us to believe that Allaah, The Most High, has Two Hands stretched forth with bountiful giving and favours. And we must not try to assert how these Hands are, neither by our hearts nor by our imagination or by our tongues, and that we must not liken them to the hands of the creatures because Allaah, The One free of all imperfections, Says:

And also Allaah, The Exalted, Says: 

And also Allaah, The Mighty and Magnificent, Says:

So whoever resembles the Hands [of Allaah] to the hands of the creatures then he has rejected the saying of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic,

And furthermore he has disobeyed Allaah, The Exalted’s, Saying:           

And whoever assigns a specification (Kayf) to the Hands of Allaah and says that they are of a particular manner, any manner, then he has said about Allaah of which he has no knowledge and followed that of which he has no knowledge.

 

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¹⁷ Reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Saheeh al-Bukhaaree,vol.3, no.318.

¹⁸ Nafiyy: Denying specific and general imperfection.
¹⁹ Tanzeeh: Elevating Allaah above all forms of imperfection. Under the pretext of affirming the Tanzeeh and denying imperfection, the extremists denied Allaah’s Attributes or some of them or divested them of their meaning. They were under the same delusion that their affirmation necessitated resemblance of Allaah to His creation.
²⁰ Al-Qayyoum means the One Who is established on His Own, Self- Subsisting, by Whom all things subsist; He sustains, protects, prepares, and runs the affairs of all things as He wills in accordance with His knowledge, Wisdom, and Justice.

²¹ This is the obviously understood meaning and therefore it is true and real meaning as determined from the context itself.

11/What is the ruling on directing any kind of worship to other than Allaah, The One free of all imperfections?

The answer may be understood from what has preceeded where we said that Tawheed al-’Ibaadah is to single Allaah out with all worship. This means that nobody should give any share of worship to other than Allaah, The Most High. It is known, for example, that sacrificing (ath-Thabh) is a means by which a person draws nearer to Allaah, because Allaah has commanded it in His Saying:

And so each means of nearness to Allaah is an act of worship. So if a person sacrifices anything to other than Allaah out of veneration of the one for whom he sacrifices, and as an act of submission to him and a means of nearness to him, in the very same manner he venerates Allaah and seeks nearness to Him, then he is setting up rivals to Allaah, The One free of all imperfection, in worship (i.e. he is a Mushrik). And in that case, Allaah has made it clear that He has forbade al-Jannah for the Mushrik and his abode is the Fire of Hell. Accordingly, we say that what is done by some people from sacrificing for the graves of those whom they claim to be Awliyaa’ (friends of Allaah), is Shirk which takes the person out of the Religion. Our advice to those people is that they must repent to Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, from what they have done. They should make their sacrifice for Allaah alone in the same manner they make their prayers and fasting for Allaah alone. If they do so, then their past sins will be forgiven as Allaah, The Most High, Said:

Indeed Allaah will give them more than that. He will change their sins into good deeds, as Allaah, the Most High, Says:

So, my advice to those who seek nearness to the occupants of the graves by offering sacrifices for them, is to repent to Allaah, The Most High, from this action and to turn to Him. If they do so, then they shall receive the glad tidings of forgiveness from Allaah, The One who is Most Generous and who is Very Bountiful ( المنان: al-Man-naan). Indeed Allaah, The One free from all imperfection is pleased with the repentance of those who repent to Him.

13/You explained the meaning of the Shahaadah: La Ilaaha Illallaah. So, what is the meaning of the Shahaadha: Muhammad Rasoolullaah

As for the meaning of the testification that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) is the Messenger of Allaah [Muhammad Rasoolullaah] then it is the attestation with the tongue and the belief with the heart that Muhammad bin ‘Abdullaah al- Qurashee al-Haashimee is the Messenger of Allaah to all of the creation, to the Jinn and mankind, as stated by Allaah, The Most High:

He, The Most High, also Said:

This Shahaadah necessitates that you believe whatever Allaah’s Messenger informed you of; you comply with whatever he commands; you avoid whatever he forbade and prohibited, and that you do not worship Allaah except with that which he prescribed. It also necessitates that you do not believe that Allaah’s Messenger has any share nor any right in Ar-Ruboobiyyah or in controlling the affairs of the creation, nor any right to be worshipped at all. Rather, he
is a slaveworshipper, not one to be worshipped; and that he is a Messenger who is not to be belied. It is not in his power to bring harm or benefit, neither for himself nor for others, except as Allaah Wills. This is evident in the Saying of Allaah, The Most High:

 

He is a slave of Allaah who acts as he is commanded and follows the orders he is given. And Allaah, The Most High, Says:

Allaah, The Most High, also Says:

So, this is the meaning of the testimony of Laa Ilaaha Illalaah, Muhammad Rasoolullaah. From this meaning the person knows that nothing from the creation deserves the right to be worshipped, not the Messenger of Allaah
nor anyone from the creation who is below him in rank; and that worship an only be for Allaah, alone; and that the right of Allaah’s Messenger upon us is to give him the rank and standing which Allaah, The Most High, gave to him: The slave of Allaah and
His Messenger. 

14/ However, what is the difference between the profession of the testimony of faith with the tongue and its profession with the heart? Is it obligatory to profess both?

The Answer: The difference between the profession with the tongue and that with the heart is obvious, because some people, like the hypocrites, profess the testimony with their tongues only. As for these hypocrites, Allaah Says concerning them:

Immediately following this, however, Allaah, The Most High, Says:

Those people professed with their tongues but not with their hearts. A person may profess with his heart but does not utter it. This kind of profession does not avail him in as much his profession is not outwardly manifested. As to what is between him and Allaah, then its knowledge is with Allaah, or the ruling on it is with Allaah. However, in as far as the ruling in this life, the profession with his heart alone, does not avail him. It cannot be ruled that he is a Muslim as long as he does not utter the testimony with his tongue, unless he is physically or legally incapable of doing so, then, in this case, he may be dealt with as necessitated by his condition. So, it is inevitable that the testimony be in the heart and on the tongue.

61/ What is the most distinguished ruling of Qur’anic Recital?

 The reciter of the Qur’aan should be in a state of purity from al-Hadath al-Asqhar ⁸⁴ and al-Hadath al-Akbar, ⁸⁵ and it is not allowed for him to recite the Qur’aan while in the state of major impurity (al-Hadath al-Akbar). The one who is junub, ⁸⁶ for example, must not read the Qur’aan until he takes a bath. This is because the Sunnah came with the prohibition from recitation in the state of janaabah (after having sexual discharge). As regard the menstruating woman, then there is a difference of opinion amongst the people of knowledge regarding whether it is permissible for her to recite the Qur’aan.

They differed into two sayings. Some of them said that it is permissible that she recites the Qur’aan because there is no clear and authentic proof from the Sunnah that prevents her from reading the Qur’aan, and that the old state, or condition, of things is that of exemption from responsibility and obligations as well as non-prohibition. Others from the people of knowledge are of the opinion that it is impermissible for her to recite the Qur’aan while she is menstruating. Since she is considered from those who are legally obligated to perform ghusl (bath), like the one who is junub. And also because there are narrations reported from the Prophet () that infer prohibition. And my opinion regarding this matter is that she should not read the Qur’aan if she intends mere recitation.

However, if she intends to read the Qur’aan to meet a certain need, for example if she fears that she may forget it, or that she recites it for her children or her students if she is a teacher, or if she is a student who wants to read it before her teacher–then there is no harm in this because there is need for that. Similarly, there is no harm for her to recite the aayaat (verses) that are of the wird, ⁸⁷ like aayatul Kursee (verse 255 of soorat al-Baqarah), since this is considered a need. Accordingly, the opinion I hold to is closer to the right one based upon the need of the menstruating woman. If she needs the recitation, then she may read the Qur’aan, otherwise she should not.

Likewise, it is desirable for the one who recites the Qur’aan that he contemplates in his heart the magnificent meanings denoted by the Words of the Noble Qur’aan, whether these verses comprise reports and stories or Legislations. This is since Allaah ( ) has Sent down the Qur’aan for this .  underlying reason:

The person finds a great difference between the state when he recites the Qur’aan with an inattentive heart and that when he recites it with an attentive heart, contemplating what he says. He finds a great difference between the two states, and that He benefits more if he recites the Qur’aan with contemplation and pondering, for indeed this strengthens in his heart the state of Eemaan (faith) and attestation as well as the submissiveness and yielding obediently to the Laws contained in the Book of Allaah ( ).

And as far as the way the recitation should be, then it should be a quiet recitation without the rushing that might drop out some of the letters or conceal the words. Rather, he should recite the Qur’aan quietly and with ease, free from restraints (tarassul). There is no harm to speed up sometimes, but with the condition that he must not drop out the letters or some of it, nor that he uses idghaam ⁸⁸ where idghaam is impermissible to apply or the like.

We would also like to address in the remaining part of our talk about the Fundamental Principle of the Deen, the ruling regarding the recitation to the soul of the deceased, meaning that the person recites the Qur’aan intending that its reward be to one of the deceased from the Muslims. The scholars of Islaam disagreed with regard to this issue. Some of them think that this is unperscribed and that the deceased does not benefit from the recitation under such condition. Others think that he benefits therefrom, and that it is permissible for a person to recite the Qur’aan with the intention that its reward be for such and such person from the Muslims whether he is his relative or not. And this is the preponderating opinion. Since in terms of the type of ‘Ibaadaat (acts of worship), there are reports indicating the permissibility of disposing them to the deceased, just like in the hadeeth of Sa’ad ibn ‘Ubaadah () where it is reported that he gave his garden as a charity on his mother’s behalf. ⁸⁹ And as in the story of the man who said to the Prophet ():

And these are individualized cases implying that the disposing of some types of worship to someone from the Muslims is allowed, and it is as such. However, what is better than this is that he supplicates to Allaah for the deceased and keeps the righteous deeds to himself, since the Prophet () said:

and he didn’t say: “or a pious son, who recites for him, performs salaat for him, fasts for him, or gives charity on his behalf.” Rather he said: “Or a pious son, who prays (invokes Allaah) for him,” though the context is deeds-related. So this proves that the best thing is that the person supplicates to Allaah for the deceased, not that he allocates a share for him from the righteous deeds. And a person is in need for the good deeds as he would find its reward saved for him with Allaah ( ).

As to what is done by some people from recitation for the deceased after his death and for a charge-for example a reciter attends to read the Qur’aan for a pay in return, and such that its reward is intended for the deceased-then this is a bid’ah and its reward does not confer upon the deceased. The reason for this is that this reciter sought only the worldly reward by his recitation. And whosoever comes up with a worship seeking only the worldly life, then he shall have no share of reward therefrom in the Hereafter, as Allaah, The Most Blessed and Most High, Says:

And on this occasion, I convey an advice to my brothers who are accustomed to do this kind of work, that they save their money to themselves or to the inheritors of the deceased, and that they should know that this act, in itself, is an innovation. And that the deceased does not receive the reward of the recitation, since the reciter who has no intention by his recitation, except to take fees, has no reward with Allah ( ). And then he would have taken the money whilst the deceased would not have benefited therefrom.

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⁸⁴ al-Hadath al-Asghar: State of ritual impurity arising from passing wind or urine or answering the call of nature.

⁸⁵ al-Hadath al-Akbar: Major state of impurity arising from sexual discharge.

⁸⁶ Junub: A person in a state after having sexual intercourse with his wife or after having a sexual discharge in a wet dream. 

⁸⁷ Wird: A set portion of the Qur’aan or invocations or the like from the remembrance of Allaah which a person recites on a daily basis

⁸⁸ Idghaam: To contract one letter into another.

⁸⁹ Reported by Maalik in al-Muwatta’ [English Translation, Daar al-Fikr], vol.2, no.1489.

⁹⁰ Reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, vol.2, no.470. 

⁹¹ Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, vol.3, no.4005.