A Simple Guide to ISLAM
Tawheed – The Oneness of God
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TAWHEED – THE ONENESS OF GOD
Tawheed
is the essence of Islam.
Tawheed
is an Arabic term which
means ‘oneness’ and ‘unity.’ In Islamic terminology it means the
oneness of Allah. It is a fundamental doctrine of Islam referring to
the oneness of Allah in all it meanings. Thus the declaration that
‘there is no God but Allah’ is called
Tawheed
. Allah has no partner
(sharik)
, He exists by Himself. Nothing can rival Him as a source of
power or love. There is no one worthy of worship other than Allah.
He is not an abstract concept. He is always near us; He cares for
us and we owe our existence to Him alone.
Islam established a close and direct relationship between the
Creator and His creation. In Islam no mediating power of any kind
exists between the Creator and His creation. God’s absolute unity
is reflected in the unity of His creation in which each individual part
is in harmonious order with the remainder. There is nothing
remotely like Him. The Quran thus enjoins us:
“Say: He is Allah, the one. Allah the Absolute. He
begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like
Him.” (chapter 112).
Tawheed
means that God alone is the Creator and Sustainer of the
universe including human beings. He is the only possessor of all
powers. He is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. That is,
He knows everything, He sees everything and is present
everywhere, although invisible to the naked eye.
