Monotheism is not simply a theoretical doctrine in
Islam – belief in God is not like believing earth is the third
planet from the sun, or that the molecular composition of water is
H2O. Rather, the Islamic concept of God’s oneness – known in
arabic as Tauhid – acts as paradigm for viewing life with meaning,
and serves as a trans-formative force in every aspect of life. Tauhid
entails that God alone is the priority in one’s life, the ultimate
aim of one’s striving, devotion, obedience and adoration, that He
alone is worthy of worship, and there is nothing comparable to His
Divine Majesty and Power.
“That is Allah, your Lord; there is no
deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He
is the Guardian of all things.” (Qur’an 6:102)
Tauhid can be simply divided into two components,
with separate questions tied to each:
1. Tauhid al-Ma’rifah wal-Ithbat (Tauhid of
knowledge and affirmation) – Who is Allah? What are His Divine
Names and Attributes? How has Allah described Himself in His
revelation and what does Allah want us to know about Him?
2. Tauhid al-Qasd wal-Talab (Tauhid of devotion and
seeking) – How do I come closer to Allah? What does Allah want from
Me? How can I live my life according to His Divine Guidance?
The two categories are fundamentally connected.
Everything that a person learns about Allah guides him or her towards
the right course of action to take in life. When you learn that
"Allah
is the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate"
(Qur’an 1:1),
you are
motivated to show mercy and compassion to others to get a deeper
understanding of what it means to show mercy and compassion. Once you
do, you come closer to Allah in a very profound way. When you learn
that Allah is Most Generous, you are motivated to show gratitude
towards Allah and increase in generosity towards others. When you
learn that Allah is the Most Just, you appreciate the value of
striving to establish justice. The famous scholar of Islamic theology
and spiritual psychology, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (d.751H), wrote:
“Allah loves His Names and Attributes, and Allah loves to the consequences of His Attributes and their manifestations upon the servants. Just as Allah is beautiful, so He loves beauty; As He is Most Forgiving, He loves forgiveness; as He is Most Generous, He loves generosity; as He is All-Knowing, he loves the people of knowledge… So because Allah loves those who emulate His Attributes, He is with them according to how much of these qualities they reflect, and this is a special and unique type of companionship…”.
Therefore, establishing Tauhid plays a fundamental
psychological role in motivating the human being to undergo moral
development and strive to maximize one’s potential as a vehicle of
Allah’s Divine Mercy to others.
