Contenting Oneself with Tawhid al-Rububiyyah Without Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah
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Question:
The Shaykh’s nature is that the meaning of His saying, “Do you think that your gods will benefit you or harm you?” is that this is a rebuke of the polytheists. Because these categories of verses, and many others, indicate this meaning. However, Allah the Exalted mentioned that the reason they worshipped these idols was that they would intercede for them with Allah, and that they used to consider Allah the Exalted to be the Creator, the Provider, the One who sends down rain, and the One who guides. So what is the matter with the Muslims, even though they consider that these idols do not benefit or harm, but are merely agents and intercessors?
Answer:
They do not know whether they benefit or harm. And it is not sufficient for a person to merely acknowledge that Allah is the Creator and the Provider. Rather, it is obligatory that he worship Allah the Exalted, and the criterion is tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). Is it not sufficient that he acknowledges tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship)? No, he must acknowledge both tawhid al-rububiyyah and tawhid al-uluhiyyah and worship Allah. And seeking blessing (tabarruk) is one of the types of worship.
The Shaykh’s nature is that the meaning of His saying, “Do you think that your gods will benefit you or harm you?” is that this is a rebuke of the polytheists. Because these categories of verses, and many others, indicate this meaning. However, Allah the Exalted mentioned that the reason they worshipped these idols was that they would intercede for them with Allah, and that they used to consider Allah the Exalted to be the Creator, the Provider, the One who sends down rain, and the One who guides. So what is the matter with the Muslims, even though they consider that these idols do not benefit or harm, but are merely agents and intercessors?
Answer:
They do not know whether they benefit or harm. And it is not sufficient for a person to merely acknowledge that Allah is the Creator and the Provider. Rather, it is obligatory that he worship Allah the Exalted, and the criterion is tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). Is it not sufficient that he acknowledges tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship)? No, he must acknowledge both tawhid al-rububiyyah and tawhid al-uluhiyyah and worship Allah. And seeking blessing (tabarruk) is one of the types of worship.
Source
شرح قرة عيون الموحدين في تحقيق دعوة الأنبياء والمرسلين، باب من تبرك بشجر أو حجر ونحوهما — islamhouse.com (51:37)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.