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Answered by 2 scholars Aqeedah & BeliefSA-0111

What is Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and its categories?

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Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah· تقي الدين أحمد بن تيميةClassical Scholar

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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