How to become a Pure Monotheist?

Firstly a person should know the divine rights of Allah and they are three:

1. All the acts that are specific to Allah alone which no-one should ascribe to other than Allah: not to an angel or messenger. For instance, only Allah can create from non-existence and can provide from nothingness. Only Allah can give life, death, benefits or harm, arranges every affair from the heavens to the earth, manages the universe and also legislates.

2. All the names and attributes, which no one should ascribe to other than Allah. For example some of Allah’s names are “Allah”, “Al Ahad” (The One), “As Samad” (The Self-sufficent), “Ar Rahman” (The Beneficient), Al Kadoos (The Holy) and others. As for the attributes, Allah is omnipotent, omniscient and that He Alone Hears everything remote or near, along with other attributes that are specific for Him Alone.

3. All the acts of worship that should be directed to Him Alone because it is He Who Created and provided us and gives us life and causes us to die. Allah says in Surah 30, Ayah 40:

“Allah is He Who Created you, then provided food for you, then will cause you to die, then (again) He will give you life (on the day of Resurrection). Is there any of your partners that do anything of that? Glory is to Him! And Exalted is He above all that they associate.”

Allah also says in Surah 2, Ayah 21-22:

“O mankind! Worship your Lord Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun.”

And in a Hadith reported by both Bukhari and Muslim Mu'aad ibn Jabal (ra) said, “ I was riding a donkey behind the Prophet (saws) then he said “ O Mu'aad - Do you know the right of Allah on his slaves and the right of the slaves on Allah. Mu'aad said “Allah and His Messenger know best. He (saws) said the right of Allah on His slaves is that they should worship Him and not ascribe partners with Him, and the right of the slaves on Allah is not to punish anyone who does not commit shirk. He (Mu'aad) said, “shall I tell people the good news” He (saws) said “ Don’t do so lest they settle on this.”

And among these acts of worship are invocation, bowing, prostration, love, exaltation, fear, hope, repentance, submissiveness, reliance, vowing, sacrifice, asking for help and going to for judgment. So if anyone directs any of these acts to other than Allah, he becomes a Mushrik, even if he prays, fasts, goes to Hajj and claims to be a Muslim.

Secondly, a person should assert Allah's Oneness and worships Him by belief, tongue, and action, because worshipping Allah is based on two main pillars; the disbelief in Taghut and belief in Allah.

The disbelief in Taghut is the first pillar of Tawheed and this pillar cannot be fulfilled until the person rejects the Taghut by belief, tongue, and action, so if one of these requirements is violated, then the person cannot be regarded as a disbeliever in Taghut. For instance, if a person believes that Allah Alone is Al-Hakim (the Legislator) and declares this with his tongue, but later commits Kuffr by appointing someone in a legislative authority which reserves the absolute right to legislate, then this person has committed Shirk by ascribing an act which is specific to Allah Alone to other than Allah.

Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab said: “So know that the Deen of Allah is in the heart in terms of belief, love and hatred, and in the tongue in terms of verbally pronouncing the shahaadah, and in the limbs in terms of implementing the pillars of Islam and avoiding actions which drive out of Islam. Therefore if any of these requirements are violated, the person becomes Kaafir or Murtad (apostate).”

The belief in Allah is the second pillar of Tawheed. This pillar cannot be fulfilled until the person asserts Allah's oneness and worships Him by belief, tongue and action. So if any of these requirements are violated, then the individuals' belief in Allah is insufficient.

Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab also said (regarding this):

“There is no disagreement within the Muslim Ummah that Tawheed is by heart- which is knowledge, by tongue- which is verbal declaration, and by action- which is implementing what Allah orders and forbids, so if any of these are violated, the person cannot be regarded as a Muslim. And if the individual acknowledges Tawheed and does not implement it, he is an obstinate Kafir (disbeliever) like iblis and Fi’raun, or if he implements Tawheed without believing in it, he is a pure Munafiq who is worse than a Kafir.”

Abdullah ibn AbdurRahman Aba Battin said:

“When the Muslim knows the greatness of the Shahaadah and its requirements and this should be by belief with the heart, articulation with the tongue and action with the limbs. So if one of these requirements is not met, the person is not regarded as a Muslim- as Allah has mentioned and explained this in His Book."

If a person was a Muslim implementing all the pillars of his Deen, then he said or did anything that contradicts the Shahaadah, all that he did would not benefit him as Allah said about those who talked about the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet (saws)) after the battle of Tabuk:

“Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were the Mujrimun (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners).” [at-Tawbah, 9:66]

And in the same Surah but Ayah 74 Allah says:

“They swear by Allah that they said nothing (bad), but really they said a word of disbelief, and they disbelieved after accepting Islam, and they resolved with that which they were unable to carry out, and they could not find any cause to do so except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His Bounty. If then they will repent, it will be better for them, but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful torment in this wordly life and in the Hereafter. And there is none for them on earth as a Wali (supporter, protector) or a helper.”