What Are the Types of Monotheism (Tawheed)?
ما هي أنواع التوحيد؟
There are three types of Tawhid:
Believing in Allah's Lordship: It is to believe that only Allah the Almighty is the Creator, the Possessor of all things and The Manager of all affairs. Allah the Almighty says: (Allah is the Creator of all things) [Az-Zumar 39:62]
Believing in Allah's Divinity: It is to believe that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone, so man should never join partners with Allah in worship.
Believing in Allah's Names and Attributes: It is to believe in the Uniqueness of Allah's Names and Attributes which Allah the Almighty mentions in His Book and in the words of His Prophet (PBUH), without distortion (tahrif) or denial (ta’til), and without asking how (takyif) or likening them to creation (tamthil).
(Allah has the Most Beautiful Names. So call upon Him by them, and keep away from those who abuse His Names. They will be punished for what they used to do.) [Al-A’raf 7:180]
(Allah, there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. He has the Most Beautiful Names.) [Ta-Ha 20:8]
أنواع التوحيد ثلاثة:
توحيد الربوبية: وهو إفراد الله سبحانه وتعالى بالخلق، والملك، والتدبير، قال الله تعالى: (اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ) [الزمر 39: 62]
توحيد الألوهية: وهو إفراد الله سبحانه بالعبادة، بأن لا يتخذ الإنسان مع الله أحدا يعبده.
توحيد الأسماء والصفات: وهو إفراد الله سبحانه وتعالى بما سمى به نفسه ووصف به نفسه في كتابه أو على لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم، من غير تحريف ولا تعطيل، ومن غير تكييف ولا تمثيل.
(وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ) [الأعراف 7: 180]
(اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ) [طه 20: 8]
1. Lordship: The Creator of All Things | الله خالق كل شيء
The scholar’s verse for the first type is: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Maintainer of everything (39:62). Ibn Kathir explains: Allah tells us that He is the Creator of all things, their Lord, their Owner and the One who disposes of them, and everything is under His management, His dominion and His care.
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ (سورة الزمر: 62)
قال تعالى: (الله خالق كل شيء وهو على كل شيء وكيل) (الزمر 39: 62)، قال ابن كثير: يخبر تعالى أنه خالق الأشياء كلها، وربها ومليكها والمتصرف فيها، وكل تحت تدبيره وقهره وكلاءته.
2. Divinity: The Message of Every Prophet | أنه لا إله إلا أنا فاعبدون
The second type was the call of every messenger: We never sent a messenger before you without revealing to him: There is no god worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me alone (21:25). Ibn Kathir explains, citing: We sent to every community a messenger, saying: Worship Allah and shun false gods (16:36): every prophet Allah sent called to the worship of Allah alone, with no partner, and the natural disposition bears witness to it too. Its opposite is explained in the types of shirk, and the messengers in who the prophets and the messengers are.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ (سورة الأنبياء: 25)
قال تعالى: (وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول إلا نوحي إليه أنه لا إله إلا أنا فاعبدون) (الأنبياء 21: 25)، قال ابن كثير: كما قال: (ولقد بعثنا في كل أمة رسولا أن اعبدوا الله واجتنبوا الطاغوت) (النحل 16: 36)، فكل نبي بعثه الله يدعو إلى عبادة الله وحده لا شريك له، والفطرة شاهدة بذلك أيضا.
3. The Names and Attributes, and Deviating in Them | يلحدون في أسمائه
Allah says: Allah has the Most Beautiful Names. So call upon Him by them, and keep away from those who abuse His Names (7:180). Ibn Kathir cites the hadith: Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one; whoever learns them by heart enters Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 2736). On the abuse of His Names he reports from Ibn Abbas that it is calling al-Lat by a name taken from the Names of Allah, from Mujahid that they derived al-Lat from Allah and al-Uzza from al-Aziz, and from Qatadah that it is associating partners; the root meaning of ilhad is turning away from the straight course. The rule of the third type, nothing is like Him (42:11), is explained in what it means that Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, and each Name in the 99 Names of Allah.
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا (سورة الأعراف: 180)
قال تعالى: (ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها وذروا الذين يلحدون في أسمائه) (الأعراف 7: 180)، وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسما، مائة إلا واحدا، من أحصاها دخل الجنة" (صحيح البخاري 2736)، قال ابن كثير: قال العوفي عن ابن عباس: إلحاد الملحدين أن دعوا اللات في أسماء الله، وقال مجاهد: اشتقوا اللات من الله، واشتقوا العزى من العزيز، وقال قتادة: (يلحدون) يشركون، وأصل الإلحاد في كلام العرب: العدل عن القصد، والميل والجور والانحراف.
4. The Three Types in One Verse | رب السماوات والأرض فاعبده هل تعلم له سميا
The three types meet in one verse: Lord of the heavens, and the earth, and everything in between. So worship Him alone, and be steadfast in His worship. Do you know of anyone equal to Him in His attributes? (19:65). Ibn Kathir explains the first words as: the Creator and Manager of it all, the Judge and Disposer whose judgment none can reverse; and he reports from Ibn Abbas on the last question: do you know of anything like or similar to the Lord? and from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas: no one is named ar-Rahman except Him.
رَّبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَاعْبُدْهُ وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ ۚ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا (سورة مريم: 65)
قال تعالى: (رب السماوات والأرض وما بينهما فاعبده واصطبر لعبادته هل تعلم له سميا) (مريم 19: 65)، قال ابن كثير: (رب السماوات والأرض وما بينهما) أي: خالق ذلك ومدبره، والحاكم فيه والمتصرف الذي لا معقب لحكمه، وقال علي بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس: (هل تعلم له سميا): هل تعلم للرب مثلا أو شبها، وقال عكرمة عن ابن عباس: ليس أحد يسمى الرحمن غيره تبارك وتعالى.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What are the three types of Tawhid?
Tawhid of Lordship, of Divinity, and of the Names and Attributes.
What is Tawhid of Lordship?
Believing that Allah alone is the Creator, the Owner of all things and the Manager of all affairs: Allah is the Creator of all things (39:62).
What is Tawhid of Divinity?
Believing that none deserves worship but Allah alone, so that no one is worshipped alongside Him; it was the message of every messenger (21:25).
How are the Names and Attributes of Allah affirmed?
As Allah named and described Himself in His Book and on the tongue of His Prophet, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or likening them to creation.