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Reference SA-0111
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Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 3/98–105
The reality of Tawheed is that the servant singles Allah out with everything that is exclusively His right: His Lordship over the creation, His sole right to be worshipped, and the perfection of His Names and Attributes. All three categories must be present together — for the polytheists of Quraysh affirmed that Allah was the sole Creator (Ra''d 13:16, Zukhruf 43:9), yet this affirmation alone did not enter them into Islam, because they directed acts of worship — du''a, sacrifice, intercession-seeking — to others besides Him. Whoever affirms Rububiyyah but commits shirk in worship has not realised Tawheed; and whoever speaks of Allah''s Names and Attributes in a way that contradicts what He affirmed for Himself has fallen short in Tawheed of Names and Attributes.
Evidence
Qur'an
"Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent." (al-Ikhlas 112:1–4) — equivalent to one third of the Qur''an.
Key Takeaway
Affirming Allah as Creator is not enough — Tawheed requires singling Him out in worship and in His Names and Attributes.
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