The Importance of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah

OVERVIEW : The Importance of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah

Tawheed together with all its categories is the basis of belief in Islam. All the Prophets of Allah ﷻ were sent mainly to call people to the worship of Allah ﷻ . Tawheed of Allah ﷻ is essence of the creation, existence and purpose of life for man and Jinn. Allah 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-Dhariyaat: 56]

Tawheed of Allah ﷻ , in all its categories, is therefore the purpose of life.
Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is of such importance that it is mentioned in the Qur’aan many times. One such example is where Allah ﷻ says:

سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ (١) لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ(٢) [سورة الحديد : ١-٢]

Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allah, and He is the exalted in Might, the Wise. His is the dominion of the heavens and earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent. [Soorat al-Hadeed: 1-2]

The importance of Tawheed, and therefore the abstinence from Shirk, is also evident in the hadeeth of the Prophet. In one hadeeth, narrated by Anas ibn Maalik, the Prophet of Allah ﷻ is recorded to have said,

عن انس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول يقول الله تعالى: يا ابن آدم لو اتيتني بقراب الأرض خطايا ثم لقيتني لا تشرك بي شيئا لأتيتك بقرابها مغفرة (الترمذي)

“Allah the Most-Honorable the Most-Majestic said, ‘O Children of Adam if you were to come to Me with the world full of sins and at the same time come without having commit- ted Shirk, I would come to you with the same amount of forgiveness”. [at-Tirmidhi]

Many other examples on the important position of Tawheed from the Qur’aan and Sunnah can be found. This clearly shows the importance of Tawheed.
Tawheed is the difference between belief and disbelief. A person that is not firm in his belief regarding Tawheed cannot remain a true Muslim.
Because Tawheed is so important, Allah has made it easy to comprehend. It is not difficult to understand. The idea of Tawheed is so clear that the young, the old, those who cannot write and those who cannot read understand it.
Belief in Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah means to recognize the fact that Allah ﷻ is the Creator, the Owner, and the Manager, in full control of everything. This means that people are power- less to do anything except if Allah ﷻ wants it to happen. The importance of knowing this fact is that people will not rely on anything except Allah ﷻ .
Once we understand the importance of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah, we have understood the importance of life. It will then be easy for us to devote our worship to Him Alone.

Learning from the lesson

The concept of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is so important that Allah ﷻ sent many Messengers and Prophets to teach the concept.
Understanding the concept of Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah allows us to put our trust and reliance in Allah Alone.

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