What is the meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah" and the categories of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May Allah reward the Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: A man defined the phrase "La ilaha illa Allah" as removing false certainty from things and placing true certainty in Allah, stating that He is the Harmer and the Benefactor, the Giver of Life and the Giver of Death, and that everything we see neither harms nor benefits, and that Allah is the One who placed harm and benefit in them. I told him that this is tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), which the polytheists used to uphold, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come with this, but rather with tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). The meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah" is that we disbelieve in everything worshipped besides Allah, and we worship Allah alone with all types of worship, such as supplication, humility, fear, calling for aid, seeking help, slaughtering, and making vows, and so on. And directing any of these types of worship to other than Allah is shirk akbar (major shirk) against Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The third type of tawhid is tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), which is to affirm what Allah and His Messenger affirmed without tashbih (likening Allah to creation), ta'til (denial of the divine attributes), takyif (asking how an attribute is), or tamthil (comparing Allah to creation). What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : Who is this, meaning the questioner? Send blessings upon the Prophet. If they cannot hear the man's voice, as for me, listen to my voice. Even some of the words of your voice. Yes, okay.

The questioner : So what is your opinion?

The Shaykh : Face this a little, meaning, clarify it a little. Look, I think most of the people here, most of the people here. Is this one up there working? Is this one working? Okay, that is enough. There is no doubt that the first opinion in interpreting "La ilaha illa Allah" is an incomplete opinion. For tawhid al-rububiyyah, and its meaning is removing doubt from the heart to certainty by the permission of the Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He), this is one of the meanings of "La ilaha illa Allah," and its true meaning, to which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) called and the polytheists disbelieved, is that there is no true object of worship except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is its meaning. So "Ilah" here means the worshipped, just as "fa'il" (active participle) means "maf'ul" (passive participle), and "fa'il" comes to mean "maf'ul" in the Arabic language in many places, such as "farash" meaning "wudu'" (covering), no, this is not suitable, "bina'" meaning "mabni" (built), "ghiras" meaning "maghruus" (planted). So "Ilah" means "ma'luf" (known/loved), i.e., that which hearts love and magnify. No one deserves that truly except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is the meaning of and the statement of the one who criticized this man.
That tawhid is of three types: tawhid al-rububiyyah, tawhid al-uluhiyyah, and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat. This is also true, for the scholars divided tawhid into these three categories. Yes, what are they? Tawhid al-rububiyyah, tawhid al-uluhiyyah, and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat. Okay, sit down. What is tawhid al-rububiyyah? Tawhid al-rububiyyah is singling out Allah the Exalted with creation, ownership, and management. Tawhid al-uluhiyyah is singling out Allah the Exalted with worship. Tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat is singling out Allah the Exalted with what is obligatory for Him in terms of names and attributes, by affirming them for Allah in reality without tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning) or ta'til (denial of the divine attributes), and without takyif (asking how an attribute is) or tamthil (comparing Allah to creation). If someone asks, "Where is your evidence for this division? Is this division a bid'ah (religious innovation)? Is it in the Qur'an that tawhid is of three types, or in the Sunnah that tawhid is of three types? If that is the case, show us. And if it is not, do not divide tawhid in this way, but rather we say that we followed and investigated."
The texts transmitted regarding tawhid, and we found that they do not go beyond these three types. And the argument based on following and investigation is established even in the Noble Qur'an, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted at the end of Surat Maryam: ? These are two, and the answer, the answer is no, neither this nor that. For this reason, He said . So the scholars divided tawhid into three categories after they followed the matter clearly and did not find any anomaly or deviation that goes beyond this division. Yes. Yes. How did he divide it? He divided tawhid into khabari (informational) and talabi (demanding). Well, that is all. What? Some of the theologians say that in tawhid, one believes that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is One in His actions, with no partner for Him, and One in His essence, with no part for Him, and One in His attributes, with no likeness for Him. This is their view, but it is not correct. This is a deficient division, without a doubt. Yes. I do not know who first divided it this way; this is the well-known view among the scholars, and I do not know who first divided it. May Allah reward you. Yes, we explained this last year, I think. Singling out Allah with creation, ownership, and management, we explained it last year. Very well, peace be upon you. Yes.
Okay, if we mention it, the one who knew it before will increase his remembrance of it, and the one who did not know it will learn it. Singling out Allah, tawhid al-rububiyyah, is singling out Allah with creation, ownership, and management, meaning that you believe that Allah alone is the Creator, the Owner, and the Manager. And the evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Is it not His that is the creation and the command?" The way this verse indicates tawhid is that He restricted that to the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), saying "Is it not His that is the creation and the command?" The way of restriction here is by advancing what is supposed to be delayed, because here He advanced the news, so He said . So this verse contains evidence for the singling out of Allah with creation and command, which is management. And the evidence for affirming ownership for Allah alone is like the saying of Allah the Exalted: . "To Allah belongs the dominion." The way of restriction.
The Shaykh: The first is what is due in terms of estimation. As for the second, we said it is tawhid al-uluhiyyah, which is singling out Allah the Exalted in worship. Its evidence is His saying: except Allah. . Yes. He said: The way to single Him out in names and attributes is His saying: This indicates, and such verses indicate, the establishment of the attributes for Allah Mighty and Majestic without likening Him to creation. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah increase your reward.