The word ''Ulūhiyyah" is a derivative of Ilah, which means god or deity. Al-Ilah (The divine or God) is therefore one of the beautiful names of Allah (Exalted is He), while al-Ulūhiyyah (Divinity) constitutes a great attribute of His. Accordingly, Allah is the only true God whom ever soul must worship, submit to, humiliate itself before, and comply fully with His injunction, for He is the Great Lord who created the universe, and has its absolute control. He embodies every quality of perfection, and is free from any defect. Men should not submit or humiliate themselves before any other being save Allah, who, alone, has created and originated all that exists, and has the exclusive power to reproduce them; hence, none but Him alone should be worshipped.
Tawhīd al-Ulūhiyyah is to worship none but Allah, meaning that one should be know for sure that Allah alone and not any other being is worthy of worship. Moreover, the qualities and features of a divine nature are exclusively His, and none but He alone merits them.
Anyone who knows this and believes in it would make Allah his only object of worship and serve Him with all forms of worship, noticeable and unnoticeable alike. Thus we find him/her performing outwards acts, such as Salāh (Prayer), Zakah (Compulsory Alms giving), Siyām (Fasting) and Hajj (Pilgrimage). He would be encouraging others to do what is right and forbid them to do what is wrong, be dutiful towards his parents and be kind to his relatives as well. Similarly, such a person would not neglect the inward principles of religion, which are the beliefs in Allah, in His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and in preordainment; whether favourable or unfavourable. His objective in doing all that will be nothing save to satisfy his Lord and gain His reward.
Proofs and Importance of Tawhīd al-Ulūhiyyah
Texts from the Quran
The proofs indicating the obligation of believing in Allah as the only God who is worthy of worship are ample and numerous. They have also been in a variety of ways as follows:A) A command may come in this regard, as expressed in the following verses:
O mankind! Worship your Lord who has created you and those before you, so that you may become pious. [Quran (2):21]
Worship Allah, and ascribe none as partner to Him. [Quran (4):36]
And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. [Quran (17):23]
B) Sometimes, the body of Quranic text will illustrate this type Tawhīd as the basis of creation and the purpose of bringing mankind and jinn into existence. Allah (Exalted is He) says,
And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me. [Quran (51):56]
C) At some other times, this form of Tawhīd is described as the purpose of Allah's revelation. Allah (Exalted is He) says,
He [Allah] sends down the angels with the revelation of His command to whomever He wills among His servants that 'Warn [my creatures]: there is no god worthy of worship but I, therefore fear Me'. [Quran (16):2]
D) At times this aspect of Tawhīd is explained to be a motive for the coming of Allah's Messengers. The Quranic verses in this respect include:
And indeed, We have raised in every nation a Messenger [proclaiming:] Worship Allah and shun false gods. [Quran (16):36]
And We sent no Messenger before you unless we revealed to him [saying,] "There is no god worthy of worship but I, so worship Me". [Quran (21):25]
Those who believe and obscure not their faith with zulm, theirs is security, and they are rightly guided. [Quran (6):82]
F) Another way this is usually explained is to warn against its opposite. This may also involve mentioning the risk involved in doing the opposite, as well as what Allah has kept in reserve as punishment for those who ignore this Tawhīd. Allah (The Exalted) says,
Whoever associates partners with Allah, for such Allah has indeed forbidden Paradise, and his abode will be Fire and for wrongdoers there will be no helpers. [Quran (5):72]
Do not set up with Allah any other god, lest you be cast into hell, reproved and abandoned. [Quran (17):39]
Texts from the Sunnah
There are still in the Prophetic traditions many other proofs with respect to this Tawhīd al-Ulūhiyyah and its importance. They include:1- According to Imam Bukhāri in his hadīth compilation, Mu'ādh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased be with him) narrated saying, The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said,
"O Mu'adh! Do you know the right Allah has over his servants"?
"To worship Him alone, associating none as partners with Him, Do you also know what is due to them from Him"?
Not to punish them [if it is He alone they worship]". [Sahih al-Bukhāri (7373)]
2- Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with Him) narrated saying, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sending Mu'adh on a Mission to Yemen, he told him,
You are going to a nation of people of Book. The first thing to which you should invite them is to believe that Allah is one and only. If they appear to known this, then inform them of the five [daily] prayers Allah has enjoined them... [Sahih al-Bukhāri (7372)]
3- Another hadīth reported by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace be upon Him) saying:
Whoever dies while still invoking something other than Allah [i.e. worshipping something or someone of Allah's creatures. Du'a or invocation is an act of worship.] as a rival to Him, such a person will be admitted into Hell-fire. [Sahih al-Bukhāri (4497)]
4- Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be please with Him) also narrates that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon Him) said,
Anyone who meets Allah [at death], associating no partner with Him will be admitted into paradise. But whoever meets Him and is a polytheist, he/she will enter Hell-fire. [Sahih Muslim (93)]
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