Tawhid
Islam's core principle of absolute divine oneness.
Tawhid, literally 'Oneness' or 'to make one,' is the principle of monotheism that stands as Islam's single most important and central concept. It unequivocally holds that God (Allāh) is indivisibly one (ahad) and single (wahid), and constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession of submission. The first part of the Islamic declaration of faith (shahada) is the declaration of belief in the oneness of God, and Muslims believe that the entirety of Islamic teaching rests on this principle.
- field
- Islamic theology
- known_for
- Central concept of monotheism in Islam
- key_text
- Chapter 112 of the Quran, al-Ikhlas
Lore & Background
The word 'tawhid' is derived from the Arabic verb 'wahhada,' meaning 'to make one' or 'to consider to be one.' This term signifies the belief in the absolute oneness and uniqueness of God, reflecting the struggle of monotheism against polytheism. Islamic intellectual history can be understood as a gradual unfolding of how successive generations of believers have understood the meaning and implications of professing tawhid. Islamic scholastic theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, Sufism, and even the Islamic understanding of natural sciences all seek to explain at some level the principle of tawhid. To attribute divinity to anything or anyone else is considered shirk, which is an unpardonable sin unless repented afterwards, according to the Quran. Shirk is classified into two categories: greater shirk (open and apparent) and hidden shirk (concealed or hidden, such as performing rituals for social recognition rather than for God). The Quran states that God does not forgive associating others with Him in worship, but forgives anything else of whoever He wills. According to Hossein Nasr, Ali, the first imam (Shia view) and fourth Rashid Caliph (Sunni view), is credited with having established Islamic theology. Ali stated that 'God is One' means that God is away from likeness and numeration, and is not divisible even in imagination. He explained that to say 'God is one' has four meanings: two false (thinking of a number, or likening God to a species) and two correct (no likeness to Him among things, and no multiplicity or division conceivable in Him).
Reader's Guide
Tawhid is the foundational principle of Islam, upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It establishes an uncompromising monotheism that distinguishes Islam from other major religions. The Quran teaches the existence of a single, absolute truth that transcends the world—a unique, independent, and indivisible being independent of all creation. God is presented as a universal God, not a local or tribal one, and as an absolute that integrates all. The perception of tawhid laid the foundation of Muslim ethics. According to Islam, the world is sustained by God as the ultimate reality, unique in his attributes and distinct from everything else. Tawhid denies any affinity between the creator and its creation, including that invisible entities (jinn) do not partake in creation, and rejects any avatar, offspring, or partner of God. The uniqueness of the creator is expressed in the Daily Prayer's phrase 'Allāhu ʾakbar' (Takbīr). Theologians use reason and deduction to prove the existence, unity, and oneness of God, often employing teleological arguments and reductio ad absurdum. Against pre-Islamic polytheism, the Quran argues that knowledge of God as the creator of everything rules out lesser gods, since these beings must themselves be created. The Quran draws attention to observable facts as 'reminders' of God, rather than providing lengthy theological proofs for his existence and unity.
Did You Know?
- The word 'tawhid' is derived from the Arabic verb 'wahhada,' meaning 'to make one' or 'to consider to be one.'
- Shirk, the antithesis of tawhid, is classified into greater shirk (open) and hidden shirk (concealed, such as performing rituals for social recognition).
- Chapter 112 of the Quran, titled al-Ikhlas, is dedicated to the principle of tawhid.
- Ali, the first imam (Shia view) and fourth Rashid Caliph (Sunni view), is credited with establishing Islamic theology and providing rational proofs of the Unity of God.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tawhid?
Tawhid is the foundational Islamic doctrine asserting that God is absolutely one, indivisible, and without any partner or equal. It is regarded as the single most central theological principle in all of Islam.
Where is Tawhid most directly expressed in the Quran?
Surah al-Ikhlas (Chapter 112) is the passage most tightly linked to Tawhid, describing God as the One, the eternal, who neither begets nor is begotten. It is frequently cited as the purest Quranic articulation of divine oneness.
How does Tawhid connect to the Shahada?
The first half of the Islamic declaration of faith is essentially a spoken affirmation of Tawhid, declaring belief in God's absolute singularity. Muslims treat this statement as the threshold entry into the faith and the foundation on which every other belief rests.
Why do Muslims consider Tawhid more important than any other doctrine?
Because every other Islamic practice and teaching—prayer, charity, fasting—is understood to flow from the recognition of God's singular, unmatched nature. Without Tawhid as the starting point, the rest of Islamic theology loses its anchor.
What is the opposite of Tawhid in Islamic theology?
Shirk, the attribution of partners or equals to God, is viewed as the direct negation of Tawhid. It is considered the gravest transgression in Islam precisely because it inverts the core principle of divine oneness.
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