Adaptation and Translation by Abul Aamaal Misbaah Olagunju
Tawheed in Uluuhiyyah is not to associate partners with Allah in Ibaadah (worship), such that you do not become slave to other than Allah, it is not to worship any god, any prophet, any devotee, any scholar, any father and any mother, it is not to worship except Allah alone; to single Allah out with deification and devotion.
Therefore it is called tawheed al-uluuhiyyah, when we consider its annexation to Allaah, and called tawheed al-ibaadah when we consider its annexation to Ibaadah (worship).
Al-Ibaadah takes its origin from two matters of great esteem, and they are Love and Reverence. Ensuing from both of them are: Hope which ensues from Love, and Awe and Fear which ensue from Reverence.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا
"Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear," - Al-Anbiyaa': 90
For this reason, worship is comprised of awaamir (commands) and nawaa'iiy (proscriptions/forbiddance), with the commands being built upon hopes and expectations of getting to (attaining His pleasure) the commander (Allaah), and proscriptions built upon reverence and awe from the Majestic (Allaah).
Al-Ibaadah is projected upon two affairs: 'Al-fi'l (action) and Al-maf'uul (the object of the action)'.
In its projection upon the action, it is 'at-ta'bud' (to worship), as it is in the statement; 'the man worshiped his Lord with an act of worship'. And it's definition in this respect is: "The subservience to Allah —the mighty and sublime— lovingly and devotedly through executing His commands and stirring clear off His forbiddances."
وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ
"And honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger" Al-Munaafiquun: 8
And in its projection upon the object of the action, that is 'al-muta'abud bihi' (the act of worship), and it is in reference to this meaning that Shaykul Islaam bin Taymiyyah defined it when he said:
"Al-Ibaadah is the comprehensive name for all speeches and actions which Allah loves and is pleased with whether apparent or concealed."
This is something with which we worship Allah, it is obligatory to single Allah out by it and not to direct any aspects of it to other than him; examples includes: As-Salah (Prayer), As-Siyaam (Fasting), Az-Zakaah (Obligatory Charity), Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah), Ad-Dhabh (Sacrifice), Ad-Duaa' (Invocation), An-Nadhr (Vow/Oath), Al-Khashyah (Reverential Fear), Al-Muhabah (Love), Ar-Rajaa' (Hope), At-Tawakkul (Reliance), Isti'aadha (Seeking Refuge), Istighaatha (Seeking Relief), Isti'aanah (Seeking Aid), and other than them from the kinds of worship.
Conceptualizing some of these kinds of worship: Al-Mahabah - Love, Affection, Inclination
وٱلذين آمنوا أشد حبا لله
"And the believers are most intense in their Love for (inclination to) Allah (than any other)" - Al-Baqarah: 165
Al-Mahabah is from the aspects of the Uluuhiyyah (worship) of Allah; giving Allah His due in terms of worship, it forms the first pillar from the two foundations of ibaadah, in which the other pillar is reverence.
Tawheed in Al-Mahabah is conditioning your mind and compelling your soul to incline to Allah and meeting Him, than it is inclined to other than Him, such that your heart overflows with His affection and derives pleasure in His obedience and in fostering amity with His pious slaves, loathing His enemies and is repulsed by the thought of disobeying Him
From falling short in this obligatory aspect of worship is allowing the innate love of yourself, your spouses, your progeny and your job or hobby to overpower the affection reserved for Allah, such that inclination to them gets in the way of complying with Allah's commands or to compromising in steering clear off His proscriptions.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ
"And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah" - Baqarah: 165
From such instances are: indulging your households in trampling on Allah's rights in worship and being lackadaisical in upholding His commands, as well as disobeying Him in your attempt to please them, and compromising in His commands and leaving off or postponing His worship due to wordly engagements...
If loving something or someone else as Allah amounts to disbelief, how much more is having more affection for them than one has for Him? The sweetness of belief is attained through making one's love for Him the most intense and loving and loathing solely for His sake, the most affectionate, most compassionate.
Al-Khawf - Awe, Fear, Fright, Anxiety, Dread
إنما ذلكم الشيطان يخوف أولياءه فلا تخافوهم وخافون إن كنتم مؤمنين
"It is only Shaytan that suggests to you the fear of his Auliyaa' (supporters and friends) so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (true) believers." Aale-Imran: 175
Al-Khawf, that which is reverential is another obligatory aspect of the Uluuhiyyah (worship) of Allah, apart from the innate fright from apparently harmful things and anxiety in obviously delicate situations, it stems from the second pillar from the foundations of ibaadah - reverence.
Tawheed in Al-Khawf is that you establish Allah as the only object of reverential fear just as He has complete right to absolute Love, feeling threatened by His wrath in this world and dreading being subjected to His torment in the hereafter.
Shirk (polytheism) in this obligatory aspect of worship is that you deem someone or something other than Allah worthy of being given reverential fear, such that you affirm for them the ability to bring you any form of spiritual harm or prevent a benefit from getting to you.
From such instances of shirk are: that you become anxious that people can influence what has been predestined for you, so that they replace the goodness meant for you with evil or delay the goodness from reaching you in its due time, or that you fear that relatives and friends will harm or kill you if you ever make your fortune apparent, or your appeasing idols and their worshippers for fear of causing you harm...
The disbeliever is ever anxious anticipating harm from even his own shadow, while the believer is always at ease fearing nothing except His Lord and completely relying upon Him. And Allah's promise for His true friends (believers) is that they shall know no fear nor shall they grieve, the most magnificent, most merciful.
فَمَنْ آمَنَ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
"So whosoever believes and does righteous good deeds, upon such shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve" - Al-An'am: 48
Ar-Rajaa' - To Hope, To have Expectation, To Wish
وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَرْجُونَ
"but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not" - An-Nisaa': 104
Ar-Rajaa' is another aspect of Uluuhiyyah (worship), its figurative representation is one of the two wings of the bird of faith on its journey to Allah, with its other wing represented by Allah's Fear while its head represents the Love for Him.
Tawheed in Rajaa' is your humility and submission in your perpetual destitution, with your face ever turned towards Allah in expectation of His favour in this world and His mercy when you meet Him.
فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord." - Al-Kahf: 110
Your transgression in this aspect of worship is your disposition of self-sufficiency from the favours of Allah, feelling unthreatened by the threat of His punishment or feeling secured from His wrath, and your hoping without employing means through action is blameworthy while directing earnest hope to other than Allah is shirk
Instances of this are: relying upon your good deeds as sufficient, worshipping Allah only for love and not because you wish to earn His favours and be free from His punishment, and your expectations of forgiveness without sincerely fulfilling the conditions of repentance
The origin of the believer's faith is love for Allah and he balances it between the two wings of fear and hope, he fears Him for His punishment; the most severe of them being Hell, and hopes in Him for His mercy and favours; the greatest of them being His Mubaarak Face, the exceedingly kind, the especially merciful
At-Tawakkul - Reliance, Dependence, Confidence, Trust
قل هو الرحمن آمنا به وعليه توكلنا
"Say: 'He is the Most Beneficent (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust." - Al-Mulk: 69
Tawheed in At-Tawakkul is that you affirm total dominance and ability for Allah alone, while acknowledging your inherent feebleness, the insignificance of your efforts, and the inability of whatever means you adopt or helpers that you summon at achieving your desired goals
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
"and put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed." - Maa'idah: 23
Shirk (polytheism) in this obligatory aspect of worship is that you rely on other than Allah; such that you deem those people or efforts or means independently capable, or that you depend on them along with Allah by regarding them absolutely essential in achieving your aims
Examples of such: is adoption of charms and amulets for whatever reasons, your unconditional reliance upon people for favours, ascribing the success to, or blaming the outcome of an event on its precedents and also your despairing.
The true believers are those who fulfills the true essence of Tawakkul: complete reliance upon Allah, they are at peace knowing their favours are from Him alone and cannot be hindered from reaching them by the whole world if they come together for that purpose, nor can they bring them any benefit or harm which Allah didn't destine to reach them, the all-mighty, most dependable.
وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ
"And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him" - At-Talaaq: 3
Adapted from:
Sharhu al-Aqeedati-l-Waasitiyyah l-ibn al-Uthaymeen
Sharhu ath-Thalaathat al-Usuul l-ibn al-Uthaymeen
Fathu-l-Majeed Sharhu Kitaabu-t-Tawheed l-ibn Hasan Aali-sh-Shaykh.
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