The Ruling on One Who Disdains Learning Tawhid

Question:
May Allah reward the Honorable Shaykh for what he has presented, and may Allah place it in the scale of his good deeds. Honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward you. There is a set of questions. The first questioner says: There are some who disdain learning tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and believe that people are already monotheists and live in lands of tawhid, so they do not need to be taught it. What is your opinion?

Answer:
I think if we asked this person, "What is tawhid? Define it for us," he would not be able to define it. If we asked him, "How many pillars of faith and pillars of Islam are there? What is ihsan (excellence in worship)?" he would not be able to explain that to us, yet he says, "I am upon tawhid." How can he be upon tawhid if he does not know tawhid? If we asked him, "What is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and what are its types? What takes one out of the religion and what does not? What is nifaq (hypocrisy) and what are its types?" he would not be able to answer us, yet he says, "We are monotheists," meaning monotheists only in words. This person who makes such a statement is ignorant of tawhid.
If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had exerted himself and toiled in vain, for he spent thirteen years in Makkah, thirteen years in Makkah, calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah). And this person says, "We know tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and we do not need the call of Noah (peace be upon him)." How long did he continue calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah)? Did he not remain for a thousand years minus fifty years? Calling to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), "O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him." He said, "My Lord, indeed I called my people night and day, but my call did not cause them to increase in anything except flight. And whenever I called them that You might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and covered themselves with their garments and persisted and were arrogant in arrogance. Then indeed I called them openly. Then indeed I declared to them and I secreted to them in secret, until the end of the surah." And this person says, "What importance does tawhid (the oneness of Allah) have?"
Is it enough that we are monotheists? Do you know tawhid just so you can say, "We are monotheists"? Tawhid is not an easy matter. Tawhid requires importance, requires study, and requires knowledge. It is not enough to say, "I am a monotheist," when you do not know what tawhid is, what its nullifiers are, and what invalidates tawhid? How can you say this when you do not know? Are you stronger in tawhid than Ibrahim (peace be upon him)?
He who said in his supplication, he said in his supplication: . He feared for himself from shirk, and this person feels safe from shirk and says, "I am a monotheist." Does he not fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)? This person is either ignorant or misguided, wanting to divert people from learning the correct creed. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you,