How does a Muslim achieve tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
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The questioner : How does a Muslim achieve tawhid (the oneness of Allah)? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions. Tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is achieved by being sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that one’s worship is for Allah the Exalted alone, without showing off in it or showing favoritism in it, but rather worshipping Allah with pure sincerity for His religion. This is with regard to worship.
Likewise, with regard to oneness of lordship, one does not rely upon anyone but Allah and does not seek help from anyone but Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his cousin, who was 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516Hasan (Darussalam) And he should constantly ask Allah for steadfastness upon the truth and upon tawhid (the oneness of Allah), for many people, even if they possess the foundation of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), may have things that diminish it. I will give you an example common among people that they are lax in, which is relying upon the means. It is known that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has decreed causes for things. For illness, Allah has decreed causes for its cure; for ignorance, Allah the Exalted has decreed causes for its removal; for children, Allah has decreed causes for them, and so on. Some people rely upon the cause, so you find that when one falls ill, his heart becomes completely attached to the hospital and its doctors, and he goes as if the cure is in their hands, forgetting that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) made these people causes that may benefit or may not benefit. If they benefit, it is by the grace and decree of Allah, and if they do not benefit, it is by the justice and decree of Allah. It is not permissible, rather it is not allowed, for a person to forget the cause-giver and be attentive only to the cause. Yes, we do not deny that the cause has an effect on the effect, but this effect is only by the permission of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said regarding the sorcerers: "They learn what separates a man from his wife." He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:102] So the important thing is that achieving tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is the attachment of the heart to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) out of fear and hope, and singling out worship for Him alone. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a questioner from Riyadh who says: O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions. Tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is achieved by being sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that one’s worship is for Allah the Exalted alone, without showing off in it or showing favoritism in it, but rather worshipping Allah with pure sincerity for His religion. This is with regard to worship.
Likewise, with regard to oneness of lordship, one does not rely upon anyone but Allah and does not seek help from anyone but Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his cousin, who was 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
O boy! I will teach you a statement: Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's aid. Know that if the entire creation were to gather together to do something to benefit you- you would never get any benefit except that Allah had written for you. And if they were to gather to do something to harm you- you would never be harmed except that Allah had written for you.
يا غلام! إني أعلمك كلمات، احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده تجاهك، إذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله، واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعوا على أن ينفعوك بشيءٍ لم ينفعوك إلا بشيءٍ قد كتبه الله لك، ولو اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيءٍ لم يضروك إلا بشيءِ قد كتبه الله عليكBut they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.
وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِThe questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a questioner from Riyadh who says: O honorable Shaykh.