What are the meaning and implications of God's Unity (Tawhid) in
a general sense?
Today in the world, where more than five billion people
are living, Islam is the only religion which is based solely on the Divine Unity
(Tawhid). All other religions, whether of God-revealed origin like Judaism
and Christianity, or essentially polytheistic, have been darkened somehow by
a cloud of polytheism or paganism.
Islam and other religions in respect
to the concept of deity
All religion, as stated before, which had been revealed
to the Prophets of various nations was the same in essence, but in the course
of time its message had been misinterpreted and it had become mixed up with
superstitions and had degenerated into magical practices and meaningless rituals.
The conception of God, the very core of religion, had become debased by (a)
the anthromorphic tendency of turning God into a being with human shape and
passions, (b) by deification of the angels, (c) by the association of other
personalities with Godhead of the one and only God (as in Hinduism and Christianity),
(d) by making the Prophets or some godly persons into incarnations of God (e.g.,
Jesus Christ in Christianity, the Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, Krishna and Rama
in Hinduism), and (e) by the personification of the attributes of God into separate
Divine persons (e.g., the Christian Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost and the Hindu Trimutri of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). The Holy Prophet
of Islam Muhammad (God’s peace and blessing be upon him and his household) rejected
all such theological trends and restored the conception of God to its pristine
purity as the only Creator, Sustainer and Master of all the creation (Rabbu’l-alamin
ve ilahuhum ve malikuhum). Thus, as John Davenpurt puts it,
among many excellencies of which the Quran may justly
boast are two eminently conspicuous: the one being the tone of awe and reverence
which it always observes when speaking of, or referring to, the Deity, to
Whom it never attributes human frailties and passions; the other the total
absence throughout it of all impure, immoral and indecent ideas, expressions,
narratives, etc., blemishes, which, it is much to be regretted, of too frequent
occurrence in the Jewish scriptures.
Man is not, in essence, an omnipotent being
Although we, the people of the scientific age, have been
blinded to some fundamental human limitations by great advances in technology,
man is not, in essence, an omnipotent being. Neither he is self-sufficient and
self-existing nor are his powers without limitations. He is, in fact, weak,
frail, needy and destitute. He cannot create even a leaf or a gnat, of an insect,
nor can he form a molecule of water without much expenditure, a fact which modern
man does not wish to confess under the spell of modern technology. All natural
events from the rising and setting of the sun to the movements of atoms, which
he seems satisfied to ascribe to natural laws although they nominally, but not
really and externally, exist, take place without his intervention. Furthermore,
his own body works independently of him so that he cannot prevent himself from
sleeping and becoming hungry or thirsty, and a microscopic creature can cause
his death. He is always accompanied by sorrows arising from the misfortunes
of the past, and by worries about the future. Fear, love and expectations are
inseparable from his earthly existence, while such things as youth and beauty,
of which he is very fond, leave him without saying “good-bye”. Things such as
misfortunes, old age and death, however greatly he fears them, overwhelm him
unexpectedly. There are countless requirements which he needs to maintain his
existence, but none of them are essentially and totally under his control. He
may be injured by many other events; accidents may bring his hopes to a sudden
end; diseases and calamities always threaten him and mar his way to happiness.
He experiences earthquakes, storms, floods, fires, and other natural catastrophies.
The vast variety of phenomena, on the one hand, and the consciousness of his
own frailty on the other, impress him with a deep sense of his own weakness
and helplessness.
Modern man actually needs religion more than the ‘primitive
man’
In spite of his claims to have complete dominance over
nature, and of the great advances in his ‘conquering’ space so that he
seems no longer to have need of divinity or religion, modern man actually needs
religion more than the ‘primitive man’. He may not be worshipping fetishes
of the ‘primitive’ man such as trees, animals, rivers, fire, rain, and heavenly
bodies, but, as Erich Fromm puts it, fetishism has not ceased to be the religion
of millions of people. The number of fetishes worshipped by modern man today
is much greater; national heroes, film stars, politicians, football players,
and musicians are the fetishes of modern man. Furthermore, such modern religions
as ‘transcendental meditation, necromancy, and the worship of Satan and genies’
are being practiced by millions, who cannot be satisfied with scientific and
technological advancements and what they have brought to the human life. Besides
this, stadiums, night clubs, casinos, trade unions’ buildings, and even factories
and some institutions become places where the devotion of the masses is engaged
instead of worship. This they substitute since they have not been able to suppress
their need for worship. It is inevitable for one who does not believe in and
worship the One God to be the slave of numerous deities.
Tawhid in the universe and as the highest conception
of deity
It is Tawhid, that is the Principle of Divine Unity
and Oneness, which is clearly observed throughout the universe. Whoever takes
a look at himself and his environment can easily discern that everything depends
upon this basic principle of God-revealed Religion. Parts of the
human body, for example, are in close cooperation with one another, and each
cell of it is so connected with the whole body that it is impossible not to
conclude that He Who has created the single cell is also He Who created the
whole body. Likewise, the elements comprising the universe are interrelated
and in harmony with each other and the universe as a whole. One cannot help
believing that the entire universe from particles to the galaxies has been brought
into existence by the same Creator, and further that the motion of particles
observed in an atom is the same as that is observed in the solar system. Everything
originates from ‘one’ and eventually will return to ‘one’, as stated in the
Qur’an: “We originated the first creation, so We
shall bring it back (to its former state) again.” (21:104)
A tree, for instance, grows out of a seed or a stone to result finally in a
seed or stone. These visible evidences explain why an orderliness and harmony
are observed in the whole universe because it operates in strict obedience to
the One Who has established that order; in other words, it is directly operated
by the Creator, the One, the All-omnipotent and the All-knowing. Otherwise,
as pointed out in the Qur’an “each god would have
taken off what he created and some of them would have risen up over others;
had there been gods in earth and heaven other than God, they both had been in
disorder.” (21:22)
Tawhid is the highest conception of deity, the
knowledge of which God has sent to mankind in all ages through His Prophets.
It was this same knowledge which all the Prophets including Moses, Jesus and
the Prophet Muhammad (God’s blessings be upon them all) brought to mankind.
Men became guilty of polytheism or idol-worship after the demise of their
Prophets only because they deviated from the pure teachings of the Prophets.
They relied upon their own faulty reasoning, false perceptions and biased interpretations
in order to satisfy their lusts, which they would be unable to do with a
Tawhid-based system where they would have to obey the commandments of the
One Supreme God.
“The foremost in religion”, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the Fourth
Caliph, is reported to have said, “is God’s knowledge, the perfection of His
knowledge is to testify to Him, the perfection of testifying to Him is to believe
in His Oneness, the perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him
as pure and the perfection of His purity is to deny all kinds of negative attributes
about Him.” He is infinite and eternal; He is self-existent and self-sufficient.
As stated in the Qur’an, “He is God, One, needy of nothing and Everlasting Refuge;
He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him. Vision perceives
Him not, and He perceives all vision. Nothing whatsoever (is there) like the
like of Him; and He (alone) is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing.” In the words
of Ali again, “He is Being but not through the phenomenon of coming into being.
He exists but not from non-existence. He is with everything but not by physical
nearness. He is different from everything but not by physical separation. He
acts but without the accompaniment of movements and instruments. He is the One,
only such that there is none with whom He keeps company or whom He misses in
his absence.”
God’s Attributes cannot be transferred nor could they
be present in another since they are infinite. A being who is incapable of remaining
alive by himself cannot give life to others. The one who cannot protect his
own power is definitely unsuited to govern the vast universe. The more one reflects
upon the matter, the firmer would be one’s conviction that all the divine powers
and attributes must exist in one and the same being alone.
The implications of Tawhid in individual and social
lives of people
One who believes in Tawhid can never be narrow-minded
in his outlook. His belief in One God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
the Master of the east and the west and Sustainer of the entire universe, leads
him to look upon everything as belonging to the same Lord, to Whom he himself
belongs, so that he does not regard anything in the universe as an alien. His
sympathy, love, and service do not remain confined to any particular race, color
or group, and he comes to comprehend the significance of the Prophetic saying:
“O servants of God, be brethren!”
Belief in Tawhid produces highest degree of self-respect
and self-esteem in man. The believer knows that God alone is the Possessor of
all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide
for his needs, or give or take away life or wield authority and influence. This
conviction makes him indifferent to, and independent and fearless of, all powers
other than those of God. He never bows his head in homage to any of God’s creatures,
nor does he hold out his hand to anyone else.
The follower of polytheism is one who, even though he
be a despotic king or president, will abase himself and bow his head before
whomsoever he finds it of advantage to do so. The follower of Tawhid,
however, is one who never debases himself to worship any created being no matter
how powerful and rich he might be, and never would take anything, even if it
were Paradise, other than by God’s pleasure and approval. The follower of polytheism
is one, who, even though he is harsh and unyielding, prostrates himself before
him from whom he expects an atom of benefit, while the follower of Tawhid,
although humble and mild, never bows down to anyone without the approval of
his Creator. The follower of polytheism is proud of himself but, in essence,
he is absolutely impotent since he has nothing to rely upon other than himself,
whereas the follower of Tawhid, although he is naturally weak and powerless
as a human being, is powerful enough to resist the whole world by the
power of his Lord. While the follower of polytheism is selfish and arrogant
since his purpose in life is to satisfy his worldly desires, the follower of
Tawhid is virtuous and altruistic because his purpose is to gain
God’s approval by working for His pleasure. The boisterous pride of power and
wealth can have no room in the heart of one who believes in Tawhid, because
he knows that whatever he possesses has been bestowed upon him by God, and that
God can take away just as easily as He can give.
The follower of Tawhid has the conviction that
there is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul
and righteousness of behavior. He has perfect faith in God, Who is above all
need, is related to none, is absolutely just, and none has any hand or influence
on the exercise of His Divine power. This belief creates in him the consciousness
that, unless he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence
or underhand activity can save him from ruin. As against this, the followers
of polytheism always live on false hopes. Some of them believe that Jesus, whom
they regard as the son of God, has atoned for their sins; some think that they
are God’s favorites, and accordingly will not be punished; others believe that
their ‘idols or saints’ will intercede with God on their behalf; while others
make offerings to their deities and believe that by so bribing them they have
acquired a license for all frivolities and ill-deeds and can do whatever they
like. Such false beliefs keep them always entangled in the meshes of sin and
evil deeds, and depending on their deities they neglect to purify their souls
and live pure and good lives.
The believer in the Divine Unity does not become hopeless
and disappointed under any circumstances. His firm faith in God, Who is the
Master of all the treasures of the earth and the heavens, and Whose grace and
bounty have no limit and powers are infinite, imparts to his heart extraordinary
consolation, fills it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. In this
world he might meet with rejection at all doors, nothing herein might serve
his ends, all means might, one after another, desert him; but faith in, and
dependence on, God never leave him, and upon their strength he goes on struggling.
Such a profound confidence can result from no other belief than belief in One
God. This belief produces in man a very strong degree of determination, patient
perseverance, and trust in God. When he makes up his mind and devotes his resources
to fulfill the Divine Commands in order to secure God’s pleasure, he is sure
that he has the support and backing of the Lord of the Universe. As to polytheists
and atheists, they have small hearts; they depend on limited powers; therefore
in hours of trouble they are soon overwhelmed by despair and, frequently, they
commit suicide. The testimony of Professor Joad is very explicit on this point.
He wrote about the West in 1950s.
For the first time in history there is coming to maturity
a generation of men and women who have no religion, and feel no need for one.
They are content to ignore it. Also they are very unhappy, the suicide rate
is abnormally high. (The
Present and Future of the Religion)
As opposed to this, what a non-Muslim historian, not in
any way sympathetic to the creed of Islam, writes about the Islamic conception
of Tawhid is worth mentioning:
In this uncompromising monotheism, with its simple,
enthusiastic faith in the supreme rule of a transcendental being, lies the
chief strength of Islam. Its adherents enjoy a consciousness of contentment
and resignation unknown among followers of most creeds. Suicide is rare in
Muslim lands. (Phillip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, 1951, p:129)
Belief in Tawhid inspires bravery in man.
There are two things which make a man cowardly: (i) fear of death and love of
safety, and (ii) the idea that there is someone else besides God who can take
away life, and that man, by adopting certain devices, can ward off death. Belief
in there is no deity but God purges the mind of both these ideas. The first
idea goes from his mind because he knows that his life, and his property, and
everything else really belong to God, and he becomes ready to sacrifice his
all for God’s approval. He gets rid of the second idea since he knows that no
weapon, no man or no power can take away his life; God alone has the power
to do so. A time has been ordained for him, and all the forces of the world
combined cannot take away anyone’s life a moment before the appointed time,
nor can they delay his death an instant. It is because of this firm belief in
one God and dependence upon Him only that no one is braver than a believer.
Belief in the Oneness of God creates an attitude
of peace and contentment, purges the mind of subtle passions and jealousy, envy
and greed, and keeps away the ideas of resorting to base and unfair means for
achieving success. The believer understands that wealth is in God’s hands, that
honor, power, reputation and authority are subjected to His Will, and that He
bestows them as He wishes; and that man’s duty is only to endeavor and struggle
fairly. He knows that success and failure depend upon God’s grace; if He wills
to give, no power in the world can prevent Him from doing so; and if He does
not will it, no power can force Him but the believer never forgets that it is
incumbent upon him to try his hardest to deserve God’s grace. On the other
hand, the polytheists and atheists consider success and failure to come solely
from their own efforts or by the help of earthly powers without taking God’s
grace and Will into consideration. Therefore they always remain slaves to cupidity
and envy. To achieve success, they never hesitate to have recourse to bribery,
flattery, conspiracy, and other kinds of base and unfair means.
The belief in the Divine Unity makes man obey and observe
the Divine Law. One who has belief in it is certain that God knows everything
hidden or open, and is nearer to him than his own jugular vein. If he commits
a sin in a secluded corner and in the darkness of night, God knows it; He even
knows our unformed thoughts and intentions, bad or good, of which we may not
ourselves be aware. We can hide things from everyone, but we cannot hide anything
from God; we can evade everyone, but it is impossible to evade God’s grasp.
The firmer a man’s belief is in this respect, the more observant will he be
of God’s commands. It is for this reason that the first and the most important
condition for being a Muslim is to have firm and sincere faith in the Oneness
of God.
Faith in One God is the most important and fundamental
principle in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and God’s blessings
be upon him). It is the bedrock of Islam and the mainspring of its power. All
other beliefs, commands and laws of Islam stand firm on this foundation.
Lastly, it is of much significance to quote the remarks
of a famous Italian orientalist, Dr. Laura Veccia Vaglieri, concerning the universal
spirit of the Islamic Tawhid (Apologia dell Islamismo, translated into
English as ‘An Interpretation of Islam’ by Dr. Caselli, pp. 30-33):
The Prophet, with a voice which was inspired by a deep
communion with his Maker, preached the purest monotheism to the worshippers
of fetish and the followers of a corrupted Christianity and Judaism. He put
himself in open conflict with those regressive tendencies of mankind which
lead to the association of other beings with the Creator.
In order to lead men to a belief in one God, he did
not delude them with happenings which deviate from the normal course of nature.
Rather, he simply invited them, without asking them to leave the realm of
reality, to consider the Universe and its laws. Being confident of the resultant
belief in the one and indispensable God, he simply let men read in the book
of life.
Thanks to Islam, paganism in its various forms was defeated.
The concept of the Universe, the practices of religion, and the customs of
social life were each liberated from all the monstrosities which had degraded
them, and human minds were made free of prejudice. Man finally realized his
dignity.
Bibliography
Said Nursi,
Words,
(The Words 1, The Words 2), Istanbul,
1958
Abu’l-A‘la al-Mawdudi, Towards Understanding
Islam, 1970
Abu’l-Fadl Izzeti, The Revolutionary
Islam, 1980
Sayyid Qutb, Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an,
(Turkish trans.) Istanbul, 1979
Sayyid Qutb, Yoldaki Isaretler (Arabic
original, ‘Ma‘alim fi't-Tariq’),1974
U. Aziz as-Samad, Islam and Christianity,
1977
M. Mahdi Poya, Fundamentals of Islam,
Karachi
M. Jafar Hussain, Nahj ul-Balagha, Kum,
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Erich Fromm, Psikanaliz ve Din (Turkish
trans.), Istanbul, 1982
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Temelleri
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