What is the ruling on one who says there is no need to study tawhid (the oneness of Allah) now because it divides the ummah (the Muslim community)?
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Question:
What is the ruling on one who says there is no need to study tawhid (the oneness of Allah) at this time because it divides the ummah (the Muslim community)?
Answer:
This is a batil (invalid) statement. The ummah (the Muslim community) does not gather except upon tawhid (the oneness of Allah). What gathered them in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Nothing gathered them except tawhid (the oneness of Allah): the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), worshipping Allah alone, having no partner for Him. "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) is what gathered them. And when they were upon shirk (associating partners with Allah), they were scattered, divided, and at war with one another. So when they accepted the call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and said "La ilaha illa Allah" and acted upon it, their hearts became unified and they became one ummah (the Muslim community).[Al-Anfal 8:62-63] So nothing unites people except tawhid (the oneness of Allah). The correct creed is what unites people, and it is what gathered the Muhajireen and the Ansar in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And the end of this ummah (the Muslim community) will not be rectified except by what rectified its beginning, as Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: "And remember" [Ali 'Imran 3:103]. Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not begin the call with tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
He began with tawhid (the oneness of Allah). So when they entered Islam and singled out Allah in worship, their worship became unified, so their hearts and their rows became unified. This is a vulgar, batil (invalid) statement that should not be heeded. The one who says that people gather even if there are mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah) among them—this is a batil (invalid) statement, and it is contrary to the methodology of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
What is the ruling on one who says there is no need to study tawhid (the oneness of Allah) at this time because it divides the ummah (the Muslim community)?
Answer:
This is a batil (invalid) statement. The ummah (the Muslim community) does not gather except upon tawhid (the oneness of Allah). What gathered them in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Nothing gathered them except tawhid (the oneness of Allah): the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), worshipping Allah alone, having no partner for Him. "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) is what gathered them. And when they were upon shirk (associating partners with Allah), they were scattered, divided, and at war with one another. So when they accepted the call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and said "La ilaha illa Allah" and acted upon it, their hearts became unified and they became one ummah (the Muslim community).
It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers (63) And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْwhen you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it.
إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَاHe began with tawhid (the oneness of Allah). So when they entered Islam and singled out Allah in worship, their worship became unified, so their hearts and their rows became unified. This is a vulgar, batil (invalid) statement that should not be heeded. The one who says that people gather even if there are mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah) among them—this is a batil (invalid) statement, and it is contrary to the methodology of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم من يقول لا حاجة لدراسة التوحيد الآن لأنه يفرق الأمة؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.