Praise be to Allah! The Arabic term "Tawheed" captures the essence of Islamic monotheism. Literally tawheed means “unification” (making something one) or “asserting oneness”, and it comes from the Arabic verb “wahhada” which itself means to unite, unify, or consolidate. This is expressed as “LA ILAHA ILLALLAH” (There is no God but Allah). Thus, in Islamic terms, tawheed means realizing and maintaining Allah’s unity in all of man’s actions which directly or indirectly relate to Allah. This constitutes three aspects in belief as follows:

• To believe that Allah is One, without any partner in His dominion (Unity in Lordship)
• That He is unlike anyone in His essence and attributes (Unity of Allah’s Names and Attributes)
• That He is the only One worthy of worship (Unity of Allah’s worship)

Considering the importance of Tawheed, it becomes important for us to delve a little deeper in the three categories of tawheed above.

Unity of Lordship (Tawheed ar-Rububiyah)

This is based on the fundamental concept that Allah alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. This is understood in following ways: • He sustains and maintains creation without any need from it or for it. • He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any real challenge to His sovereignty. • Nothing happens in creation except what He allows to happen.

The basis for this concept is found in many Quranic verses. Allah says:

Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs. (Al Quran 39:62)
If there were in the heavens and earth several deities, surely the heaven and the earth would have both been ruined. (Al Quran 21:22)

Unity of Allah’s Names and Attributes (Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat)
This means to believe in the Oneness of Allah’s Names and attributes. Thus, the importance of properly understanding Allah’s Names and Attributes cannot be overstated. One cannot worship Allah in a correct and complete manner, until one acquires knowledge of the meanings and significance of Allah’s names and attributes. Only when one gains that knowledge can one worship Allah based on wisdom and clarity. Allah says:

And to Allah belongs the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. (Al Quran 7:180)

"So, call on Him by them," means invoking Him by the Name or Attribute which is appropriate to the invocation you are supplicating. For instance, you might say, O’ Oft-Forgiving One, forgive me, or “O’ Most-Merciful One, have mercy on me and so on.

To maintain unity in this aspect of tawheed, following needs to be understood:

• Allah must only be referred as He and His prophet (peace be upon him) described him. • We cannot give Him any new names or attributes. • We cannot give Him any attributes of His creation. • We cannot give any man attributes of Allah. • His names in the definite form cannot be given to His creation unless prefixed by the word “Abd” meaning slave.

This aspect of tawheed is better understood in Allah’s statement:

There is nothing like unto Him.(Al Quran 42:11)

So, our attempt for comprehension of any of Allah’s attributes will always have some similarity in the known or the imaginative world of humans. But Allah clearly states that there is nothing Like unto him.

Unity of Allah’s worship (Tawheed Al-Ibaadah or Uloohiyah)

To maintain unity in this aspect of tawheed, following needs to be understood:
 

• Allah alone deserves worship.
• Allah alone can grant benefit when worshipped.
• There is no need for any intermediary between Allah and His creation.

In short, Tawheed or Islamic Monotheism means attributing Oneness to Allah and describing Him to be One and Unique in His Lordship, Names and Attributes and Divinity.