The Response to Those Who Added Tawhid al-Mutaba'ah to the Three Divisions of Tawhid

The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him). The questioner says: Some of the contemporary scholars divide tawhid (the oneness of Allah) into four sections, and the fourth section is tawhid al-mutaba'ah.

The Shaykh : Correct, correct.

The questioner : The section is divided into four parts: tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), tawhid al-mutaba'ah (oneness of following), and he cited as evidence for it the saying of Allah the Exalted: So what is your answer to that?

The Shaykh : Our answer to that is: The tawhid that is divided into three sections is the tawhid of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). As for the fourth, which is tawhid al-mutaba'ah, it is the tawhid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through following him, and it is not part of the tawhid of Allah. This is because we do not say that we followed Allah when we do His commands or when we follow His guidance and leave what He forbids. Rather, it is said that we followed Allah. So tawhid al-mutaba'ah means, with respect to the believers, that we unify our following of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Tawhid al-mutaba'ah is what is included in the testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; it has no connection to the tawhid of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).