Explaining that shirk (associating partners with Allah) is also of three types.

The Shaykh : So, just as tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is of three types, shirk (associating partners with Allah) is also of three types. Every type of tawhid among these three is opposed by a type of shirk. Tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) is contradicted by denying the Creator, as is the doctrine of the materialists, the communists, and their like. Tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) is affirmed by everyone who believes in the Creator but does not believe in Islam; for Islam is what clarified this creed, the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), with these three realities. The one who believes that Allah is the sole Lord with no Creator alongside Him, and believes that no one else is worthy of worship alongside Him, and does not worship anyone else alongside Him in any form of worship, still has the third type remaining: tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes).

The questioner : The Benefactor and the Harmer.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : The Benefactor and the Harmer is Allah.

The Shaykh : This is among the attributes by nature, but we answer with practical examples. Today, if you take any Muslim, he will say to you: "Allah is the Benefactor and the Harmer." But what do you think of a person to whom someone comes demanding a right that is due to him? The right is in the depths of his heart, and he does not deny it, but he wants to eat it up. The owner of the right says to him: "Swear by Allah that I have no right over you." He swears by Allah falsely! In our region of Sham, one person says to the other: "Come, swear at al-Sururi's place." He does not swear! What does this indicate to us? It indicates that this person is not a believer in tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes); meaning, our Lord said: , so the One who should be feared and dreaded is Allah alone, with no partner. So what do you say about this debtor, who is entrusted with the right due to him, who swears by Allah falsely and does not fear Him? But when he is asked to swear by al-Sururi, who is described among them as "the one who crushes camels," who has authority and acts in the universe by crushing strong camels, he does not swear; because he fears that at night he will come and crush him on his bed. This means he has not made Allah unique in the fear of Allah; he does not fear anyone but Allah. And there are many examples of this, so let us now bring a practical example.