The Importance of Tawheed

What is the purpose of life?

Why is Tawheed so important?

• The meaning of Tawheed is to single out Allah ﷻ for all froms of worship, outwardly and inwardly, in speech and action. It is also to negate the worship of everything except Allah ﷻ . Tawheed is the purpose of a Muslim’s life.

Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ( سورة الذاريات : ٥٦)

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Soorat adh-Dhaariyat:56)

• The concept of Tawheed is so important that Allah ﷻ sent many Messengers and Prophets ﷺ , all of whom came with the same message. Allah ﷻ says:

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۢ رَّسُولًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ ۖ( سورة النحل: ٣٦)

“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger,[saying], “Worship Allah and avoid taaghoot.” (Soorat an-Nahl:36)

The word taaghoot means anything worshipped other than Allah ﷻ .

This could be people, money, idols, stones, animals, trees, etc.

If a person worships any other being besides

• Allah ﷻ , even though he may also believe in Allah ﷻ , this is known as shirk and it is the opposite of Tawheed: The importance of Tawheed can be seen in the hadeeth narrated by Anas where Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said that Allah ﷻ says:

“O son of Aadam, if you were to come to Me with sins that are close to filling the Earth, and you would then meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I would certainly [also] bring to you forgiveness close to filling it [the Earth].” (Al-Tirmidhi)

• This hadeeth explains the great benefit of having Tawheed. Allah ﷻ has promised to forgive those people who die whilst believing or worshipping only Allah ﷻ . This means that all those people who have Tawheed will go to Paradise. However, innovations (in religious acts) and major sins can decrease the quality of a person’s belief in Tawheed.

Those people who do not worship only Allah ﷻ will go to the Hellfire.

Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan:

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ( سورة النساء : ١١٦)

“Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him. But He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.” (Soorat an-Nisaa:116)

For this reason, Muslims believe that it is very important to spread the message of Islam to all people who worship things other than Allah ﷻ .

What we learn from the lesson:

1. The purpose of life is to worship only Allah ﷻ .
2. Allah ﷻ will never forgive shirk.
3. It is the duty of every Muslim to spread the message of Tawheed.

“Discussion:”

1. Name one benefit of Tawheed
2. How do we know that Tawheed is very important ?
3. What was the main thing that the Messengers of Allah did?
4. What is Shirk ?