Questions regarding Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) and ‘Aqeedah (Islamic creed) by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

Question: Is there firm evidence for the division of Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) into three categories and did the companions speak about these categories or are they based on al-Istiqraa (research and deriving evidences from the Book and the Sunnah)?

Answer: The three categories of Tawheed are taken from the noble Quran. The verses that speak about creation, provisions, life, death, and reflection (on Allah’s creation, His admonishments, His glad tidings, etc.) are about the oneness of His lordship (Tawheed-ur-Ruboobiyyah). The verses that enjoin worship and prohibit idolatry (ash-Shirk) then this is the oneness of worshipping Him (Tawheed-ul-Uloohiyyah). And those verses that talk about the names of Allah and of His attributes then this is Tawheed-ul-Asmaa was-Sifaat. Allah says: {Say He, Allah is One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient. He does not have children nor was He born. And there is nothing comparable to Him.} And He says: {And your God is One. There is nothing worthy of worship except for Him. The Beneficient (ar-Rahmaan), the Merciful (ar-Raheem).} And He says: {All praise is for Allah, Lord of all the Worlds.}

Question: Some of the people say that the knowledge of Tawheed is an easy portion of knowledge to learn and that there is no need to explain it in great lengths?

Answer: The Messenger, peace be upon him, spent thirteen years in Makkah inviting the people to Tawheed and explaining it to them. So is there anyone more knowledgeable of the detailed aspects of Tawheed and the timeframe of teaching it more than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?!

Question: Does Jamaa’at-ut-Tableegh concern them selves with Tawheed?

Answer: Jamaa’at-ut-Tableegh does not concern them selves with Tawheed nor do they speak about it. Rather they only concern them selves with doing good deeds, worship, and abstinence of this worldly life (az-Zuhd). They do not concern them selves with seeking knowledge, this is what is known of them.

Question: Are the Shee’ah from the seventy three sects and briefly what is the dispute that is between us, those upon the way of the people of the Sunnah and between them?

Answer: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (My nation will break up into seventy three sects all of which will be in the hell fire except for one.) The companions asked, “Who are they Messenger of Allah?” He responded: (Those who are upon what me and my companions are upon.) This is the group known as al-Firqah an-Naajeeyah (the successful group) who adhere to what the Messenger, peace be upon him, and his companions were upon from the Book and the Sunnah. Anything else (from a religious aspect) is misguidance. There are those whose level of deviance reaches disbelief and those who level of deviance reaches less than that. So the sects differ: there are those who reach disbelief by way of actions such as supplicating others besides Allah, slaughtering to other than Allah, swearing to other than Allah. This type of person is considered a polytheist who commits Shirk Akbar that takes one out of the fold of Islam.

Question: There are those who say, “The Muslims are being slaughtered and you are busy inviting to Tawheed and the people today are already Muslim”?

Answer: They are being killed solely because of their leaving off Tawheed. If they established Tawheed Allah the Mighty and Majestic would give them aide. The greatest cause for the Muslims being killed is their falling into Shirk and neglecting Tawheed.

Question: Who are the Salaf? Are they the companions or those who followed them or are they other people besides them?

Answer: The Salaf is the source of this nation. They are the companions, their students, and those who followed them from the blessed generations and they are those who follow their way until the Day of Judgment. They are called as-Salaf. The Glorified and Most High says: {The first followers from amongst those who migrated and those who helped them to do so (from the companions) and those who follow them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him}. They follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, was asked about al-Firqah an-Naajiyah (the successful group) he said: (They are those who are upon what me and my companions are upon). This is the correct way and the sound methodology (of applying Islam).

Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

Member of the Major Scholars and Permanent Committee for Religious Rulings
Translated by Thomas Maldonado
Source: at-Tawheed, Yaa ‘Ibaadallah!