The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And if you were to ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ They would surely say, ‘Allah.’ Say, ‘Then have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? If Allah intends harm for me, can they remove it? Or if He intends mercy for me, can they retain it?’ Say, ‘Sufficient for me is Allah; upon Him the trusting place their trust.’”
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In this verse, there are benefits. First: the acknowledgment by these polytheists of Lordship, as indicated by His saying: [Al-'Ankabut 29:61].
Among its benefits is that acknowledging Lordship does not benefit the servant nor does it bring him into Islam. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fought these people who acknowledged Lordship, and he made their blood, women, and wealth lawful to take. If their acknowledgment of Lordship had been beneficial, their blood would have been protected, their wealth would have been protected, and their families would have been protected.
Among the benefits of this verse is the refutation, indeed the invalidation, of the concept of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) as understood by the theologians (mutakallimun). For most theologians, when they explain tawhid, they say it is of three types: tawhid in His Essence, tawhid in His Attributes, and tawhid in His Actions. This is what they say: the tawhid of Allah is of three types: His oneness in His Essence, His oneness in His Attributes, and His oneness in His Actions. They say He is One in His Essence, with no division, One in His Essence, with no division, meaning by this that He has no face, no hand, no eye, or the like.
They say: If we said that He has these attributes, it would necessitate that He has limbs, and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is not divided, so He is One in His Essence, with no division. He is One in His Actions, with no partner, He is One in His Actions, with no partner. Then they classify this type of tawhid as tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), saying: The meaning of the statement “La ilaha illa Allah” (There is no deity but Allah) is that there is no one capable of creation and invention except Allah.
The third is: He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness. The apparent meaning of this statement contains mercy, but its inner meaning is punishment. What do they mean by saying “with no likeness”? They mean He has no attributes, because they believe that whoever affirms attributes for Allah is one who likens Him to creation. So He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness. If you read this classification to an ordinary person, what would he say about it? He would say: How beautiful it is, how elegant it is.
He is One in His Essence, with no division, (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He is glorified and praised. He is One in His Actions, with no partner, likewise. ... Yes, He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness, likewise. But they do not know what lies behind the veil. By saying “He is One in His Essence, with no division,” they mean He has no attributes that are, in relation to us, limbs, such as the hand, the face, the eye, the foot, and the leg.
“He is One in His Actions, with no partner” — they intend by this that this is the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah.” If this were the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah,” then the polytheists whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fought would have been believers and monotheists. Yet when they were told “La ilaha illa Allah,” they were arrogant and did not accept it. They would say, “Shall I make the gods one God?” So reflect on how the polytheists of the pre-Islamic age understood tawhid in a way that these theologians do not understand. Do you know that scholars, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others, have mentioned this meaning and said that the polytheists were better in their understanding of tawhid than these theologians? Because these theologians reduced tawhid to tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) only. This is something the polytheists do not deny; they acknowledge it, but they deny tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), because they know that the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah” is that there is no true object of worship except Allah. They know this. As for those theologians, they do not give weight to tawhid al-uluhiyyah; they do not make it a proof, nor do they include it in the types of tawhid.
“He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness” — what do they mean? They mean the denial of the divine attributes, because they claim that whoever affirms an attribute for Allah is one who likens Him to creation. Thus, this verse makes clear the refutation of those theologians who equate tawhid al-uluhiyyah with tawhid al-rububiyyah. The rest of the discussion on this will come, if Allah wills.
If you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth and subjected the sun and the moon?" they would surely say, "Allah." Then how are they deluded?
ولئن سألتهم من خلق السموات والأرض ليقولن اللهAmong its benefits is that acknowledging Lordship does not benefit the servant nor does it bring him into Islam. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fought these people who acknowledged Lordship, and he made their blood, women, and wealth lawful to take. If their acknowledgment of Lordship had been beneficial, their blood would have been protected, their wealth would have been protected, and their families would have been protected.
Among the benefits of this verse is the refutation, indeed the invalidation, of the concept of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) as understood by the theologians (mutakallimun). For most theologians, when they explain tawhid, they say it is of three types: tawhid in His Essence, tawhid in His Attributes, and tawhid in His Actions. This is what they say: the tawhid of Allah is of three types: His oneness in His Essence, His oneness in His Attributes, and His oneness in His Actions. They say He is One in His Essence, with no division, One in His Essence, with no division, meaning by this that He has no face, no hand, no eye, or the like.
They say: If we said that He has these attributes, it would necessitate that He has limbs, and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is not divided, so He is One in His Essence, with no division. He is One in His Actions, with no partner, He is One in His Actions, with no partner. Then they classify this type of tawhid as tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), saying: The meaning of the statement “La ilaha illa Allah” (There is no deity but Allah) is that there is no one capable of creation and invention except Allah.
The third is: He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness. The apparent meaning of this statement contains mercy, but its inner meaning is punishment. What do they mean by saying “with no likeness”? They mean He has no attributes, because they believe that whoever affirms attributes for Allah is one who likens Him to creation. So He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness. If you read this classification to an ordinary person, what would he say about it? He would say: How beautiful it is, how elegant it is.
He is One in His Essence, with no division, (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He is glorified and praised. He is One in His Actions, with no partner, likewise. ... Yes, He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness, likewise. But they do not know what lies behind the veil. By saying “He is One in His Essence, with no division,” they mean He has no attributes that are, in relation to us, limbs, such as the hand, the face, the eye, the foot, and the leg.
“He is One in His Actions, with no partner” — they intend by this that this is the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah.” If this were the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah,” then the polytheists whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fought would have been believers and monotheists. Yet when they were told “La ilaha illa Allah,” they were arrogant and did not accept it. They would say, “Shall I make the gods one God?” So reflect on how the polytheists of the pre-Islamic age understood tawhid in a way that these theologians do not understand. Do you know that scholars, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others, have mentioned this meaning and said that the polytheists were better in their understanding of tawhid than these theologians? Because these theologians reduced tawhid to tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) only. This is something the polytheists do not deny; they acknowledge it, but they deny tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), because they know that the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah” is that there is no true object of worship except Allah. They know this. As for those theologians, they do not give weight to tawhid al-uluhiyyah; they do not make it a proof, nor do they include it in the types of tawhid.
“He is One in His Attributes, with no likeness” — what do they mean? They mean the denial of the divine attributes, because they claim that whoever affirms an attribute for Allah is one who likens Him to creation. Thus, this verse makes clear the refutation of those theologians who equate tawhid al-uluhiyyah with tawhid al-rububiyyah. The rest of the discussion on this will come, if Allah wills.