The Difference Between Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah and Tawhid al-Rububiyyah

Question:
A questioner from the Honorable Shaykh says: You mentioned, may Allah preserve you, in the previous lesson that the correct view is that the first obligation upon the Muslim is to worship Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). I have read in one of the books that the issue of uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) was not a point of disagreement; rather, it was the issue of rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) that the messengers faced, and it was the issue that the final message faced. I have been in agreement with this for years. So what is the truth, O Shaykh, in this matter?

Answer:
This is confused speech. There was no such disagreement regarding tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) between the messengers and the community. The disagreement was over tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). The messengers, every messenger, said to his people, "Worship Allah." This is tawhid al-uluhiyyah. They did not say to them, "Acknowledge the lordship of Allah," because they already acknowledged it. Yes.