Introduction:
Toheed is an Islamic term that refers to the belief in One
God, and having strong faith that there is no deity but Allah who created
heavens, earth and everything that comes within it. The significance of this
belief is so stern that Allah has enunciated it in Quran numerous times that He
shall forgive every single sin but He shall never forgive “Shirq” i.e. partnering
someone with God either in His being, characteristics or attributes. Almost
every religion has its distinct belief system in God, some believe in million
gods, some believe in a few and Muslims, on the other hand, believe in only One
God being the deity and worthy of worship. In Quran Allah Almighty says:-
“Say, He is Allah (who is) One, Allah, the Eternal refuge, He neither begets
nor is He begotten, nor is there any equivalent to Him” – (Al Ikhlaas)
Before
discussing the concept of Toheed in Islam at length, let’s just explore how
people of other faiths and/or religions believe in God. For better understand,
religions have been divided in two major categories i.e. Semitic and
Non-Semitic Religions.
Existence of God in Non-Semitic
Religions:
Non Semitic Religions are also known as Non-Abrahamic
Religion, means the bloodline of Prophets and/or leaders of such religions does
not link back to Prophet Abraham (PBUH) (Hazrat Ibraheem).
i) Zoroastrianism:
Zoroastriansism is one of the oldest religions in the world regionally based
in Iran. Zoroastrians follow the teaching of Zoroaster – their prophet – and believe
in 2 gods. “Yazdan” the god of goodness and “Aharman” the god of Evil.
ii) The Greeks:
The Greeks also believe in numerous gods and goddesses, mostly claimed to
be 12 in number that share different powers and authorities attached to their
titles, “Zeus” being the most powerful one.
iii) Hinduism: Hinduism
being the dominant religion in India and Nepal is practiced by More than a
billion people around the world. Hindus believe in millions of gods. Vishnu,
Shiva and Brahma are the most significant and powerful of their gods.
iv) Buddhism: At the early stage of Buddhism, the Buddhists
believed in one Gods, followed the teachings of Buddha. However, later with the
passage of time this concept faded away.
Existence
of God in Semitic Religion:
Semitic Religions are commonly known
as Abrahamic Religions, means the bloodline of Prophets of such religions link
back to Prophet Abraham (PBUH) (Hazrat Ibraheem).
i) Judaism: Being one
of the oldest forms of Abrahamic
religions, Judaism at first place believed in One God as taught by Prophet
Moses (Hazrat Musa) (PBUH). However, later they transgressed and started believing
Prophet Uzair as the son of God. Hence they now believe in Duality of deity.
ii) Christianity: Followed
by the teaching of Prophet Isa (the Jesus)
(PBUH) the Christians believed in one God at very early stage however,
immediate later they started to believe in Trinity i.e. God, Son (Jesus) and
Holy Ghost.
Therefore, Allah Almighty says in Quran:-
“And the Jews says, “Uzair
is the son of Allah and the Christians say “Masiah (Jesus) is the son of Allah”.
(Al Toba-30)
Islamic Concept of Toheed:
On the contrary, Islam propagate the
belief of only One God being worthy of worship, being alone in His
Characteristics, being alone in His Attributes and being the lone Sustainer of everything on the earth,
heavens and beyond.
Allah is the One in Being:
Allah is peculiar in being; there is no one like Allah. In
Quran Allah says:-
“Say, He is Allah, (Who
is) one, Allah, the eternal refuge. He neither begets, nor is He begotten, nor
is there any equivalent to Him.” (Al Ikhlaas)
Oneness of Allah in Characteristics:
There is no
one like Allah in characteristics. None can ever share the characteristics of
Allah Almighty. He has the authority on everything and has common on everyone.
In Quran Allah Says:-
“Allah, there is no deity except Allah, the ever living, the sustainer of
(all) existence, neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep, to him belongs
whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Who can intercede with
Him without His permission. He knows what is before (present) them and what
will be after them, and they cannot encompass anything of His knowledge except
for what He will. His Kursi extends from over the heavens and the earth. And
their preservation tires Him not, and He is the highest and the Greatest”
(Al Baqara-255)
Allah Being Alone Worthy of Worship:
Allah is
alone worthy of worship and none other than Him should ever be bowed down. This
is what Muslims’ first Qalima tells which is postulated in Quran at two
different places and reads as “There is no deity, but Allah”. At another place,
Allah says:-
“Say, (O Muhammad (PBUH), I have been commanded to worship Allah (being)
sincere to him in religion”. (Al Zumar – 11)
Allah is the One being Sustainer of All Existence:
Allah is
the alone sustainer of all the existence and there is no other being who can take
over this authority from Allah. In Quran Allah says:-
“All the praise is (due)
to Allah, the sustainer/Lord of all the worlds” – (Fateha – 01)
Impacts of Toheed on Human Life:
Develops Taqwa (God Fearing):-
The staunch believe in Toheed
develops Taqwa in human and He realizes that Allah has all the authority over
him and he shall return to Allah one day. In Quran Allah says:-
“And
we have certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people, worship
God; you have no deity other than him, then will you not fear him?” (Al
Mominoon – 23)
Develops Sense of Contentment / Removes Despair:
Strong
believe in Toheed and oneness of God develops in man the sense of contentment
and removes all the contemporary disappointments and despairs. In Quran Allah
Says:-
“And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no removal of
it except by Allah, and if He touches you with Good, He is over all things
Competent.” (AlAnaam – 17)
Offers Freedom From Human Slavery:
A believer of Toheer only submits to God and
abstains from Human slavery that emancipates him and offers him eternal
freedom. In Quran God says:-
“O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is free of
needs, the praiseworthy.” (Al Fatir – 15)
Develops a Sense of Justice:
Having believed
in Toheed develops the sense of justice in human. One believes that if he shall
be unjust, then God shall be unjust with him too. In Quran Allah says:-
“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, even as much as an atom’s weight;
while if there is a good deed He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great
reward.” (Al Nisa – 40)
Develops Optimism in Humans:
Allah has
designed human in a way that they are prone to make mistakes and God offer them
the opportunity to repent and forgives those who return to their God with
remorse. This develops the sense of optimism and hope in humans that their God
is still with them. In Quran Allah says:-
“Say, O my servants, who have transgressed against themselves (by sin),
do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed Allah forgives all Sins, Indeed,
Allah is the most forgiving and merciful.” (Al Zumar -53)
Develops Sense of Accountability:
Having
faith in Toheed develops in Humans a sense of accountability. They believe that
God has created them and sent them to the earth and after death one day He
shall raise them again and shall inquire them about the deeds they’ve done on
earth. In Quran Allah says:
“So that day their excuses will not benefit those who wronged, nor will
they be asked to appease (Allah).” (Al Rome – 57)
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, Toheed in Islam is the concept of believing in One God with all His
characteristics, attributes and worthiness of being worshiped. Most of the
other religions as well believed in One God at their early stages. However, the
concept had been adulterated with the passage of time. Muslims, on the other
hand, have been wielding this auspicious belief for centuries and the same has been
reciprocating its benefits upon them.
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