What is your opinion of those who divide tawhid (the oneness of Allah) into four categories by adding tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you. What do you say, may Allah forgive you, about the one who added a fourth category to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and called it tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty)?
The Shaykh : We say that he is misguided and ignorant, because tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty) is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The Sovereign is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If you say that tawhid (the oneness of Allah) has three types, as the scholars said—tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship)—then tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty) is included in lordship, because tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of judgment, creation, and management for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is a newly invented, denounced statement. How can one make tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of the sovereigns? Does it mean that the sovereign of the entire world is one, or what? This is a newly invented, denounced innovation by an innovator. It is denied against its proponent, and it is said to him: If you mean judgment, then judgment belongs to Allah alone, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is included in tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), because the Lord is the Creator, the Owner, and the Manager of all affairs. So this is a religious innovation and misguidance. Yes.
The Shaykh : We say that he is misguided and ignorant, because tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty) is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The Sovereign is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If you say that tawhid (the oneness of Allah) has three types, as the scholars said—tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship)—then tawhid al-hakimiyyah (the oneness of sovereignty) is included in lordship, because tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of judgment, creation, and management for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is a newly invented, denounced statement. How can one make tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of the sovereigns? Does it mean that the sovereign of the entire world is one, or what? This is a newly invented, denounced innovation by an innovator. It is denied against its proponent, and it is said to him: If you mean judgment, then judgment belongs to Allah alone, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is included in tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), because the Lord is the Creator, the Owner, and the Manager of all affairs. So this is a religious innovation and misguidance. Yes.