What do the Shi'ah know about Tawheed?

[Ibn Yahya]

Any Sunni country you go to, if you go to a masjid and ask a random layman about Tawheed and Shirk they will be able to tell you at least vaguely what it is. If you go to a Catholic country and go to a Church and ask any Catholic about the Trinity they will be able to tell you what it is even if its not detailed. But what about the Shi'ah? What happens when you ask them about how their Lord is one or about Shirk? Here are some comments on Shiachat about this subject and I will give a brief commentary on them.

Thread:http://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/235036711-what-do-you-understand-by-tawhid/

Yasmin P asks:

Salam,

I'm really struggling to understand what is so important about Tawhid.  How does it affect the way you live your life? I'd be interested to know how this translates into your day to day life. 

Consider, for example, a number of individuals, one an atheist, one a pantheist, one a polytheist and one a monotheist but they all live pretty much the same lives as regards their dealings with other people, so what is it about Tawhid that belief in this places one individual in heaven while another who doesn't believe in hell?

Commentary:
OK quite a worrying but simple question. If you can't understand why Tawheed is important it implies it really plays no role in your life and is some what irrelevant and I can guarantee you that she will be able to tell us exactly how Wilayah and Ahlulbayt affects her life and how they are relevant. Which is startling considering Tawheed is the most concurrent theme in the Qur'an by far. The Qur'an is basically a narrative about the contrast and constant struggle between contrasting ideas such as; Imaan and Kufr, Hidayah and Dalalah, Nur and Dhulumaat, 'Ilm and Jahl, and the very seed where all these contrasts stem from is Tawheed and Shirk. This to me screams "I don't read the Qur'an very much". Lets see how they respond

S.M.H.A replies:

"The great Islamic scholar and commentator of the Holy Qur’an -the late Allamah Tabatabai (may Allah bless his soul) says:

At-Tawhid, when expanded, becomes the whole of Islam, and Islam, when condensed, At-Tawhid is acquired.”1

Commenatry:
OK clear copy and paste because of the little number side note, my guess is al-islam.org. But OK this is promising he's got somewhat of the idea and though its a tad vague he genuinely is off to a good start and Allahu A3lam depending on how he explains this he might have correct views about Tawheed.

Yasmin P then asks:

Thank you for your reply.  Would you mind making the connection for me?  Could not the same be said for other monotheistic religions?

What if an atheist and a monotheist lived identical lives apart from Salah, fasting, Hajj and belief in God.  Let's say the atheist gives away majority of his earnings to the homeless, does not smoke or drink etc.  What is the significance of Tawhid?

Commentary:
*sigh* OK the question is fair enough, but really? Has she seriously never picked up a Qur'an in her life? The second chapter deals with this and many others. Wallahi the entire of Surat al-Ma'idah deals with this issue. You know what you don't even need to have read much Qur'an just a basic idea of what Tawheed is and what other religions believe. If you're not doing things Fi Sabeelillaah then how can that be Tawheed? Not only that but being obedient to Allaah is not Tawheed, obedience is only valid if you have Tawheed.

certainclarity replies:

Salam,

So basically you want to know what is the benefit of the believing in the oneness of Allah? Correct me if I am wrong.

Since your question is in relation to belief and what is the impact of belief in absolute Tawhid,

"ONE" of the aspects of belief in Tawheed is the occurrence of miracles beyond the ordinary, as proofs for humanity.

If we believe that prophets are humans like us, putting aside the aspect of heaven and hell which is of the domain of the here after, prophets who were humans like us, were able to perform miracles on planet earth,based on the sincere belief of concept of Tawheed.

Bringing a dead to life after 60 years, creating a full fledged bird just by clay and blowing into it,splitting the ocean, travelling the seven skies without a space suit, food coming directly from heaven, etc...

None of these are possible or even explainable by even the most renouned scientist, atheist, polytheist.

So if prophets could, there is something wrong with us, that we cannot.

This is a small scale of what true belief in Tawheed results in, from the practical point of view.

Commentary:
Errrm bit missing the point there. Believing in miracles isn't really an aspect of Tawheed. It would be an aspect of Tawheed if you added in that its specifically believing that those miracles come from him which ironically in this post he violates. The Anbiyyah did not "perform" miracles, it was not the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa salim) that caused the moon to split nor was it the Prophet Musa ('Alayhi as-Salaam) that caused the sea of to be split, rather it was Allaah (Subhaanahu wa ta 'ala) who performed these miracles as proofs for the people. To say that it is the Anbiyyah themselves that perform these miracles would imply that they have the power to do so which would be sharing Allaah's power with a being other than him. This is Shirk

Enlightened Follower (not pretentious in the slightest) then makes a few comments to give his 2 cents:

One philosphy, one path, one life, no distracrtions, one God.[/quote[

Tawhid is the encompassment of all the life and existence in front of you all things are in their essence one even if they have multiple parts they all are a part of the same one universe.

Tawhid gives meaning to his actions, the atheist could furnish and treat a chocolate bunny nicely as well but according to his or her perspective the only difference between the human being and chocolate bunny are a rearrangement of carbon compounds.

Where as the person believing in Tawhid is honoring an existence/essence greater than himself

On the level or plain of existence there is always an aspect of existence which is much greater in meaning and wholeness than ourselves this is what Tawhid represents. It is akin to what the Hindus and Buddhists recite when they are meditating and saying  "Om"(their form of dhikr).

Commentary:
Tawheed is not acknowledging that there is something greater than you. Even the Mushrikeen acknowledged Allaah is the almighty creator in Qur'an. Tawheed is acknowledging that only Allaah has such attributes, that he is the only divine deity and that he is the only thing that deserves to be worshipped. If that's like saying "om" over again then my name's Benteke

[Link]

"Tawheed means to value God in a way that you know no other being deserves a value close to it. "

[Link]

Another thing Quran has tied the issue of Tawheed with hidden idols as well. For example while Nuh's people outwardly worshiped five people, the real motive was "love of between themselves". That is the self-identity was attached to their society and leaders, and hence preferred them over God.

In reality when we don't follow what God has revealed, and follow leaders that replace the Wilayah of Allah, and who we obey by disobeying God, cling to by opposing his pleasure, this is also believing in the Taghut (false idol) and it's worshiping the unclean self inspired by Satan.

In reality, all the idols were taken can be summarized as worshiping Satan, because it was out of that unclean inclination to that false identity taking over our souls, that people equated others with their value of God.

While valuing God sincerely means submitting to Him.

The religion of God has is Tawheed and Worship of God, but this is not suppose to be just lip service, it's suppose to be put into practice with sincerity.

We aren't suppose to testify to One God, but then brainlessly value the unclean self inspired by Satan and what is actually Satan appearing to us in false form of ourselves with that of God or even over God.

The reality is many people give lip service to God. The act of Tawheed is truly value God in your heart such that you submit to him, follow him, and are sincere to him.

It's to show humility towards God's Ayat by submitting to God through them.

[Ibn Yahya]

If they worshipped five people outwardly how is that Shirk Khafee'?

What do you mean by replacing the Wilayah of Allaah? Shirk with regards to that kind of Taghut is when we use them for legislation instead of referring to Allaah and his Messenger:

Surat an-Nisa, Ayat 60 (the next verse on from talking about referring to Allaah and his Messenger for legislation)

Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray.

Its not about Humility its about Allaah.

[Link]

That is not the worship Khafee. The worship khafee is the motive that Nuh said "you have only taken these as idols out of love between yourselves"...so the real reason for outwardly worshipping idols and equating them to God, was due to the inward idols of society and their identity there in with each other and themselves.

In fact we may have everything correct, the right creed, everything, but if we value ourselves more then submission to God, like Iblees did, we don't truly value God more then ourselves do we? So if we say we worship you (ie. value you to a degree nothing compares to that value) but we value that Satanic false identity and try to serve that "I", every time, and prefer it to God, we aren't really valuing God above all else, we aren't truly worshiping him let alone worshiping him without partners.

Humility to Allah is connected with recognizing his Ayat and following them.

[Link]

What do you mean by replacing the Wilayah of Allaah?

When we obey them rather then God. For example to stick a religion or system, we twist verses out of their place and deny their clear meaning to justify following our system passed down by leaders and forefathers following a whole system of leaders.

If we intend to learn from them, this is ok, but it should be while making the rope of God (Quran and those he appoints) the axis we rely on first and foremost.

When we begin to twist Quran to follow scholars, this is replacing the Mastership of God with that of humans.

And this is bound to happen when we follow scholars unchecked, and commit to following them trusting the institution unchecked.

[Ibn Yahya]

May I ask if you disagree with this post?

[Zlatan Ibrahimovic]

Well we know Allah is not a man sitting on a throne. Or a man that has a foot that will put out the fires of Jahannam.