He (Glorified and Exalted be He) negates that He is in resemblance with any of His Creatures. He then states that He hears and sees. This gives evidence that His Attributes and Names are unlike those of creatures. Rather, He (Glorified and Exalted be He) is Perfect in His Essence, Names, Attributes, and Deeds. So, He is the only One worthy of worship and glory.

As for creatures, they have weak and imperfect characteristics. He (Glorified and Exalted be He) is Perfect in everything; His Knowledge is perfect and His Attributes are Perfect. Undoubtedly, the characteristics of creatures do not resemble His in any way. Allah (Glorified be He) says: So put not forward similitudes for Allâh (as there is nothing similar to Him, nor He resembles anything). Truly! Allâh knows and you know not. He (Glorified and Exalted be He)

These matters are part of Tawhid (monotheism) and its important issues. Allah (may He be Praised and Glorified) explains His Names and Attributes in His Book and repeats this in many places in order to be known by His Names, Attributes and Actions. All His Actions are good, His Names are beautiful, and His Attributes are most high. So, people can know their Lord and Creator and worship and return to Him knowingly. He hears their Du`a' (supplication), answers the one who is compelled by necessity, and He is over all things Competent (may He be Praised and Glorified).

When the Children of Israel worshiped the calf, He (May He be Glorified) explained to them the corruption of their thinking and the invalidity

Allah explains that the god who is worthy of worship must speak, hear, see, and guide to the best way. He must be Able over all things and be knowledgeable of everything. Worshiping an inanimate calf instead of Allah is corrupted thinking. A calf does not respond, speak, answer back, benefit or harm; how could it be worshiped beside Allah?

In the last Ayah Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good? This means that the calf could not return them a word (for answer). "...it could not return them a word" means that the calf does not answer, can not inflict harm or benefit; so how can it be worshiped if they have heedful minds? This meaning is frequently repeated in the Book of Allah. Allah (Exalted be He) explains to His servants that He is the only One Who has the right to be worshiped, for His perfection, great power and because He is the Owner of everything and the Omnipotent over all things. He hears the Du`a' (supplication) of the supplicant, is Able to meet their needs, and answers those who are compelled by necessity. He can harm, benefit, and guide whom He wants to the Right Path.

Allah (Exalted be He) sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is the master and the best of all creation, and the leader of all the prophets. He sent him with the same teachings that were sent with the former messengers, such as

Tawhid (monotheism), sincerity, calling to Him, explaining His Attributes and Names and that He is the only One Who has the right to be worshiped (Glorified and Exalted be He) and thus, his call was perfect. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allâh Allah (Exalted be He) sent down to His Prophet a Great Book, the noblest of all books, the most gracious, the most useful and the most inclusive. Allah (Exalted be He) explained in that book the proofs of Tawhid that He is the Great Lord, Who is Able over all things, the Owner of everything, the Good­ Giver and Harm­Inflictor. He commanded His Prophet (peace be upon him) to inform the people of Tawhid in many Ayahs which are known to those who reflect on the Qur'an, as Allah (may He be Praised) says: And if you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say: "Allâh." Allah says: Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): "Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?" They will say: "Allâh." Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allâh's punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allâh)?" So, Allah (Exalted be He) commanded His Prophet (peace be upon him) to use their acknowledgement of Allah's Actions, Ability, and His Power to give life and cause death and that He is the Sustainer ­ against them when they denied worshiping Him alone.

In other words, if you acknowledge that He is your Lord Who owns harm and benefit, manages all matters, causes life and death, and provides sustenance to His servants, how can you still associate others with him in worship? You must worship Him alone and not associate others with Him. Allah (Exalted be He) says: Say: They will say: "It is Allâh's!" Say: "Will you not then remember?" and "Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein? If you know!" the following Ayahs after them.

All these Ayahs are reminders sent by Allah (Exalted be He) to His servants through His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to make the people remember

His Names and Attributes and know that He is the only One worthy of worship because of His Perfection, knowledge, and benevolence. He is the Giver of Good and the Inflictor of Harm, the Omnipotent over everything, the Incomparablein His Actions, Names or Attributes. When Allah (Exalted be He) sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he began his call with Tawhid as the previous prophets did. He said to Quraysh: O people, say: 'no one has the right to be worshipped but

Allah', to prosper. and thus he began. He did not command them to perform Salah (Prayer), or to pay Zakah first, or abandon wine, or adultery. He began his call with Tawhid, because it is the core and the basis. Thus, if the basis is profound and sound, the remaining building will be easy. He began with the main basis, which is Tawhid, sincerity and belief in Allah (Exalted be He) and in His messengers. The basis of religion in the Shari`ah of every messenger is Tawhid and devotion. It is the focus of their call and the core of their messages as mentioned previously. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this phrase to his people: O people! Say: No one has the right to be worshiped but Allah, they disapproved and found it strange, because it was against their and their fathers' beliefs. They followed polytheism and idolatry long ago after `Amr ibn Luhay Al­Khuza`y, who was one of the chiefs of Makkah. It is said that he traveled to the Levant (the region covering Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine) and found the people worshiping idols. When he came to Makkah, he called the people to idolatry as imitation of the idolaters there.

It is said that it was said to him: Go to Jeddah, you will find prepared idols there, take them, fear nothing and call the Arabs to worship them and they will follow you. So he brought and spread them among the Arabs who worshiped them, namely Wadd, Suwa`, Yaguth, Ya`uq and Nasr, which used to be worshiped by the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him). They were prominent among the Arabs; later they were worshiped besides Allah (Exalted be He). This was because of what `Amr ibn Luhay had done. Later on, the people invented other idols to be worshiped besides Allah (may He be Exalted in all the tribes. They used to ask them to fulfill their needs, worship them besides Allah and seek favors from the idols through various kinds of sacrifices such as slaughtering, vows, supplications, wiping their hands on them...etc.

Of these idols there were Al­`Uzza for the people of Makkah, Manah for the people of Al­Madinah and its surroundings and Al­Lat for the people of Al­Ta'if and its surroundings. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) called them to Tawhid and to give up their gods, they denied and said: "Has he made the âlihah (gods) (all) into One Ilâh (God ­ Allâh). Verily, this is a curious thing!" Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says about them in Surah Al­Saffat: Truly, when it was said to them: Lâ ilâha illallâh "(none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh)," they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. denied it). And (they) said: "Are we going to abandon our âlihah (gods) for the sake of a mad poet?" See how they were covered with ignorance to the extent that they considered the call to Tawhid something strange, then they became arrogant, opposed those who supported him and fought him. They made up their minds to kill him but Allah (Exalted be He) saved him from their malice.

He migrated to Al­Madinah and then they tried to kill him in the Battle of Badr but they were not successful. They tried again in the Battle of Uhud even more severe than ever but Allah (Exalted be He) warded off their hatred and cunning. Then they tried again in the Battle of Al­Ahzab to eradicate the call and eliminate the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) but again Allah (Exalted be He) foiled their plot, broke up their unity, and saved him from their evil and conspiracies. Finally, Allah made His religion victorious, supported His call and helped the Prophet (peace be upon him) against his enemies until he was satisfied before his death when he saw the religion was victorious. Thus, Al­Haqq (the Truth) has become established, Tawhid has spread on earth, and idols were eliminated after he conquered Makkah in Ramadan, 8th A.H. People entered into the religion of Allah (Exalted be He) in crowds as a result of this conquest. Eventually, Quraysh accepted Islam and then the Arab tribes accepted Tawhid, sincerity and Shari`ah to which the Prophet (peace be upon him) called them. In conclusion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) called to the same teachings as the previous messengers since prophet Nuh and those who followed him. This call was mainly about Tawhid, sincerity, and avoiding the worship of anything else but Allah (Exalted be He). This is his first Da`wah (calling to Islam), its core, and the most important and great obligation. The children of Adam were on pure Tawhid since Adam to Nuh for ten centuries as Ibn `Abbas and his students said. However, when they disagreed over polytheism that had spread among the people of Nuh, Allah (Exalted be He) sent messengers. Allah (Exalted be He) says:

Mankind were one community and Allâh sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings It means that people were one nation based on pure Tawhid and Iman (faith) but then they differed, as He says in another Ayah in Surah Yunus: Mankind were but one community (i.e. on one religion ­ Islâmic Monotheism), then they differed (later) According to the correct view, it means that they were on pure Tawhid and Iman but then they differed because of the Satanic claim of worshiping Wadd, Suwa`, Yaguth, Ya`uq, and Nasr. When polytheism spread among the people of Nuh because of their over­estimation of the pious and because Satan allured them to worship those pious people instead of Allah (Exalted be He), He sent them Nuh (peace be upon him) to call them to Tawhid, sincerity and avoiding worship of other than Allah. So, Nuh (peace be upon him) was the first messenger sent by Allah (Exalted be He) to the people on earth after the spread of polytheism. As for Adam, weak narrations mention his prophethood but they are weak and undependable because of their weak chain of narration. There is no doubt that a Shari`ah was revealed to him from his Lord. His offspring followed Tawhid and sincerity for Allah. After ten centuries or more, polytheism spread among the People of Nuh who worshiped Wadd, Suwa`, Yaguth, Ya`uq and Nasr as mentioned previously.

It is related in famous Athars (narrations from the Companions) narrated from Ibn `Abbas and others that Wad, Siwa`, Yaguth, Ya`uq and Nasr were pious people but when they died, Satan inspired the people to build memorials for them with their names on. So, they did. They were not worshiped until those people died and knowledge was erased. Then, they were worshiped instead of Allah (Exalted be He). When knowledge was removed and scholars were few, Satan came to people and said: These idols were made because they are used for benefit, supplication, seeking help and water. Thus, people fell to the abyss of polytheism.

there is no reliable narration about the specific number of prophets and messengers, so the number of messengers is only known by Allah (Exalted be He) alone. Allah (Exalted be He) informed us about the stories of some of them and did not inform us about the stories of the others, because of His great wisdom. The most important thing is to know that they all called for Tawhid and devotion of worship for Him (may He be Praised and Glorified). They also called their nations to devotion and some of them accepted the call while others refused. Some of the prophets were followed by only a few while others could not find anyone to follow, as is reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him). Our Prophet (peace be upon him) is the seal and the best of the prophets. His whole account with his people who fought and acted hostilely against him in Makkah Al­Mukarramah is well known. He and his Sahabah underwent a great deal of harm to the extent that people conspired to kill him but Allah (Exalted be He) rescued him. In Al­Madinah, great battles and Jihad took place until Allah (Exalted be He) supported him and made him victorious. Thus, it is clear for all that the essence of the call of all the messengers was Tawhid and sincerity to Allah (Exalted be He). All the prophets and messengers called for Tawhid, sincerity to Allah, believing in His Names, Attributes, and Actions. Allah (Exalted be He) is One in His Lordship, Names, Attributes, and also One in worship. No one deserves worship, neither a prophet nor a king nor a pious person, because worship is solely for Allah (Exalted be He). It is for the sake of worship that Allah (Exalted be He) created all creatures and sent the prophets, as He says: And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). Allah (Exalted be He) says: And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)."

Therefore, all creatures were created for worship, and for this purpose all the messengers were sent, and Divine Books were revealed. Allah (Exalted be He) says: (This is) a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected (in every sphere of knowledge), and then explained in detail from One (Allâh), Who is All­Wise, Well­Acquainted (with all things). Worship none but Allâh Allah (Exalted be He) also says: This (Qur'an) is a Message for mankind (and a clear proof against them), in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is the only One Ilâh (God ­ Allâh) ­ (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh) ­ and that men of understanding may take heed. Allah (Exalted be He) mentioned in His Book the signs and acts of creation that indicate His great power, deity, and lordship and prove that He is the Only One worthy of worship. Whoever reflects on the Book of Allah and His creation, finds many proofs from the Qur'anic Ayahs, signs and reported narrations indicating that He is the only One worthy of worship. All the messengers conveyed this message and called for their Lord. Polytheism, which spread among mankind, still has an impact until now. Some people still worship idols, over­estimate the righteous and the prophets, and worship them instead of Allah (Exalted be He), as it is known to all people since the time of Nuh up to the present day. After citing Ayahs from the Book of Allah, the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and from the reality of life, it seems obvious that there are many types of Tawhid. Scholars knew through induction of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him)

that there are three types of Tawhid. First, Tawhid­ul­Rububiyyah (Oneness of Allah's Lordship) which is to believe that Allah (Exalted be He) is One in His Actions, Creation, Disposal of affairs of His servants and He is the only Disposer of the affairs of His servants as He wills by His Knowledge and Ability.

Second, Tawhid­ul­Asma' wal­Sifat (Oneness of Allah's Names and Attributes), which means that Allah (May He be Praised and Glorified) is described by His Beautiful Names and High Attributes. He is Perfect in Himself, Names, Attributes and Actions and there is no parallel, no example, and no equal to him (May He be Glorified and Exalted).

Third, Tawhid­ul­`Ibadah (Oneness of Worship), which means that He is the Only One worthy of worship without associating partners with Him.

You may say that to believe that Allah is the Lord, the Creator and Provider of all and there is no partner with him in His actions (May He be Praised and Glorified). There is no partner with Him in creation or providing sustenance to His servants. There is no partner with Him in the management of affairs. He is the Owner of everything. Allah (May He be Praised and Glorified) says: To Allâh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is therein, and He is Able to do all things. He is the Owner of everything and the Administrator of everything. For Him all matters belong and all creatures shall return, as He says: Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment. Blessed is Allâh, the Lord of the ' Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! He has all the qualities of perfection and is called by "the Beautiful Names". Therefore, there is nothing similar to Him in His creation and He is the most Perfect in Himself, Names, Attributes, and Actions. He is the Only One worthy of worship and the One Who must be singled out with supplication, fear, hope, relying, desire,

Salah (prayer), fast, slaughter, vowing and so on. All these are included in the concept of Tawhid. Tawhid of Allah (may He be Praised and Glorified) is manifested in the belief in the prophets and messengers. It is Tawhid which the seal and master of the prophets (i.e. Muhammad) came with.

In other words, Tawhid, which all the messengers came with, is divided into two types: First, Tawhid of acquaintance and confirmation ­ that is, to believe that Allah is One in his Lordship, Names, Attributes, disposing of His creation's affairs; He is the Provider of sustenance; He (Exalted be He) is One in His Divinity, Actions, Attributes and managing the affairs of His servants. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and the One Who is described with the perfect qualities, the Faultless, Who has no partner, no example, and no rival.

Second, Tawhid of intention and request, which means to single out Allah (Exalted be He) with intention, request, Salah, Sawm (Fast) and all acts of worship, and not to seek anything but His reward as well as charities and all actions which draw you near to Allah (Exalted be He). Only seek Allah's reward and do not supplicate anything but Him. Only make vows to Him, do not perform any kind of worship except to Him, and do not seek victory over enemies except from Him (Glorified and Exalted be He).

These are the types of Tawhid which you can express with two or three types and you may express them with one type as we mentioned above. There is no contradiction in the terms or expressions but it is important to know what is the meaning of Tawhid with which Allah (Exalted be He) sent the messengers as was revealed in the Divine Books. It is Tawhid that caused conflict between the messengers and their nations; it is the Tawhid of worship.

Allah (Exalted be He) is their Lord Who creates and provides them with sustenance. He is perfect in Himself, in His names, Attributes and Actions and there is nothing similar to Him and He does not have a rival or a parallel. No one can dispute this and there was no disagreement between the messengers and their nations in this regard. Moreover, all the polytheists of Quraysh and others believed in this. Pharaoh claimed that he is the Lord, but this was just arrogance and haughtiness while he knew that this claim had no basis in religion, just as Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) said to him: "Verily, you know that these signs have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth (as clear evidence i.e. proofs of Allâh's Oneness and His Omnipotence.). Allah (may He be Praised) also says about him and those like him: And they belied them (those Ayât) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their ownselves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayât ) are from Allâh, and Mûsâ (Moses) is the Messenger of Allâh in truth, but they disliked to obey Mûsâ (Moses), and hated to believe in his Message of Monotheism]. Allah (Exalted be He) says: We know indeed the grief which their words cause you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): it is not you that they deny, but it is the Verses (the Qur'ân) of Allâh that the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers) deny. Also, we recall what Al­Thanwiyyah (sect) claimed that there is a god for light and a god for darkness but this is also haughtiness and arrogance even though they did not say that they were equal. This is because no one in the whole world says that they are two gods equal in disposal and management of affairs. As for those who totally deny the Creator and call themselves atheists and deny the Lord of the worlds and the Hereafter, this is not astonishing, because their minds have been corrupted and totally possessed by Satan until

they deviated from the pure Fitrah (natural disposition) on which they were created. Even if they denied with their tongues, their hearts acknowledged the truth. Allah (Exalted be He) says: The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is

It means that any disbeliever who denies the existence of Allah (Exalted be He) is too arrogant to admit the truth, because his Fitrah and mind admit the existence of Allah, the Disposer of the universe, and the Manager of affairs, with Whom there is nothing similar, and Who has no partner and no parallel; Exalted is He above what the oppressors claim. Therefore, we said that the polytheists admitted Tawhid­ul­Rububiyyah and Tawhid­u l­Asma' wal­Sifat (Oneness of Allah's Names and Attributes) and could not deny any of that, because they knew that Allah (May He be Glorified and Exalted) is their Creator, Provider, the One who manages their affairs, the Sender of rain, the Living, the One who causes death and the Provider of sustenance for His servants as we mentioned above.

Therefore, it is your duty to exert your effort to explain this fundamental fact after you have come to know about Tawhid, and spread this message to people in order that the ignorant may know until those who disbelieve in Allah (Exalted be He) and disobey His commands worship Him alone. In this way, you will be following the path the messengers adopted

May Allah guide us all to understand His religion and be straight on the path which He likes, protect us all from what incurs His wrath and from misleading seditions. I ask Him (May He be Praised) to make His religion victorious, place high His Word, amend the conditions of the Muslims and designate their best as leaders, for He is the Most Generous. All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions and those who followed them with good until the Day of Recompense.