Fundamentals of Believing in Allah

Honored Shaykh Abu Hamza Al Masri (may Allah hasten his release-AMEEN YA RAB)

The Muslims believe that Imaan is to have faith in Allah, His Messengers, His Angels, His Books, The Day of Resurrection and Divine Pre-ordainment. These are known as the six pillars of Imaan. In general it should be what the heart believes and what is backed by the action establish. A further explanation of them is given below, 

- Singling Him out alone in His oneness attains to belief in Allah 

...أن أنذروا أنھ لا إلھ إلا أنا فاتقون . خلق السماوات والأرض بالحق تعالى عما یشركون  
“Therefore warn mankind that none has the right to be worshipped but Me, so fear Me. He created the heavens and the earth in truth. Exalted be he above from what they associate with Him.” (Surat un-Nahl, ayaat 2-3) 

This concept is known as Tawhid. Application of this concept is based on four matters outlined on the nature of Tawhid of Allah. 

One: Tawhid ar-Rububiyyah, which is to single out God as Lord. He is the only Lord, Designer, Sustainer, Creator and Manager for all creation. 

ألا لھ الخلق و الأمر 
“Surely, to Him is the creation and the command.” (Surat ul A`araaf, ayah 54) 

Just as every creation must have a Creator, so every slave must have a Master and Lord. That Lord for us is only Allah. 

This tawhid is the intention of tawhid and its internalisation in the heart and admission of all of these things.This particular aspect is about knowledge and acceptance. 

To believe that God is the only Creator is to submit to His laws alone. One who rebels against those laws and/or makes another law or laws with it, that one cannot believe that Allah Ι is the only Lord. This is a violation of the Haakimiyyah of God, as He is the only Law-giving judge. 

Two: Tawhid alUluhiyyah, which is declaring the oneness of God in His worship. This is to believe what has been established in the heart and acting on these instructions.

This precludes worship, invocation, sacrifice, and intentions, intending and accepting, seeking refuge, asking for help from tribulations or obedience to anyone oranything else. Love or affection due to anything divine is given to God alone.

Thus, to proclaim Buddha, Krishna, Jesus or any other creation to possess divine capabilities is both a punishable offence of treason to the Creator as well as repugnant nullification of this concept.

This tawhid is the action of tawhid. Now that you have internalised Rububiyyah in your heart, then you now must act on loving and hating for Allah that is encased inside of Uluhiyyah.

Obeying and submitting to God’s laws is confirming His Uluhiyyah, and submitting to His Haakimiyyah, which is His law giving, legislating power. There is no judging, legislating or executing other than what he sent down and confirmation of this is upholding this principle. 

Three: Tawhid al-Asmaa’ was-Siffaat. This is to worship Allah Ι in all of His unique names and attributes, without ascribing any human characteristics to Him, and without ascribing any of His characteristics to creation.Thus one who claimed to be immortal or eternal would be in complete violation of this principle and would be guilty of trying to take on some of the Creator’s divine attributes. 

As Muslims, we do not deny, explain away with interpretation, give likeness to humanity, over-explain without explanation from revelation or distort attributes from their meanings.

This tawhid is the combination of both uluhiyyah and rububiyyah in practice. The combination of these culminates in the use of His names and attributes.

One who believes in Allah’s  laws and His legislation must believe in Allah’s Ι names, such as Al-Hakam (the Arbitrating judge), al`Adl (the Just), Ad-Daarr (the One who gives harm) and An-Naafi` (the One who gives benefit) and al-Malik (the Solitary King).

Thus, those who reject the laws of God do not believe that God is the Most Just and are actually trying to take this attribute for themselves. Again, these types of actions are violations of His Haakimiyyah, which is a principle of Tawhid without doubt.

Four: Tawhid al Haakimiyyah which is to single out Allah Ι in His Law-Giving, Legislative Power. To implement the Divine Law codes of Allah(His Shari`a) is affirmation of this concept, whereas legislation or looking to other legislation is negation and brings Divine wrath. 

Thus the world, in its defiance of Allah Ι, who is the only Law Giver, is not only challenging His right as Legislator for humanity on Earth, but even His role as the Legislator for the whole of creation.

Thus, one who does not want the legislation of God in his life, does not want God in control of causing the sun to rise, the planets to rotate, grass to grow, etc., because these ‘natural laws’ are also His doing. We made special steps in the other three forms of tawhid to expose the Haakimiyyah, because there are many today that try to hide some aspects of tawhid behind others, and attempt to explain away some aspects of tawhid with other ones.

This tawhid, mostly neglected today, peeks out from the shirt cuff of Tawhid al Asmaa’ was-Siffaat and is the culmination of everything that was in the other three aspects of tawhid. 

There is no escape from the might and absolute justice of the Haakimiyyah (Law-giving, Legislative power) of Allah, in this life or the next. 

و الله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوا ه بھا و ذروا الذین یلحدون في أسمائھ سیجزي ما كانوا یعملون
“And to Allah are the most beautiful names, so worship Him and call on Him by them. And go out of the presence of those who deny His names. They will be given their due for what they used to do.” (Surat ul A`araaf, ayah 180) 

There are some that argue that there is no such thing as Tawhid alHaakimiyyah, because it was not thought of in the time of the Salaf. 

But similarly, there were no such terms as Rububiyyah, Uluhiyyah or al-Asmaa’ was-Siffaat in the time of the Salaf either. But the Sunni scholars feel free to add any terms to explain, clarify and protect the branches of the religion. 

Thus the terms hisbah (enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong), usul ut-Tafsir (Principles of explaining the Qur’an) and a large group of other terms have been brought in to protect the religion from the roving hands of the deviants, who seek to distort the word of Allah. 

Even in Aqeedah Tahawiyyah and `Aqeedah Hamawiyyah, these great fountains of Islamic knowledge have new terms that have been introduced into the Ummah. 

Even though they are new, we still benefit from them today. Although Haakimiyyah can be derived from the other three categories, there is nothing wrong with it being singled out and highlighted, especially in our time, in which it is the main battle of Tawhid today.