What is the oneness of God, the common core of all religions?
By: Najib Warsame
Tags: Islam, Politics, Reform, Religion, Revolution

Since the Creator is one, and everything is originated from one source, since there have not been different gods and creators, creating and then running the world, then all the things are elements of one set, and the whole world is one unit with one pursuit. God the Almighty challenges:

“Thou seest not in the creation of the All-merciful any disorder” (Al-Mulk, 67:3). Again, says the Almighty: “What, have they not considered within themselves? God created not the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, but on a just system, and with a stated term” (Rūm, 30:8).

From this outlook, the world appears a caravan with a set-up connected to each other like a chain and heading towards one direction in unison with a common *conquest so well organized that every item is carefully placed in its due position; or else it might have lost its usefulness. Thus, all are in a journey compact, consistent, constant towards consummation; each a necessity to the other while the rest rests on such a need as a whole thereby avoiding any sluggishness or deviation which, otherwise, would result in an upset of this whole set-up.

Tawḥīd can also be *translated to the objectivity of the creation, and the planning and computed order in the world; to the existence of some sort of dynamism and purpose in all and each part of the world. Since the universe has a wise Cre-ator (wise in its most complete sense that could be a deserving description of the word Ḥākim [a name among the names of Allah]) Who has brought it into existence, there is no way but being a wisdom, an ultimate purpose, and a pursuit in the very existence of the world as it is seen and sensed in most of its parts. “We created not the heaven and the earth, and whatsoever is between them, as playing and with no purpose” (Anbiyā’, 21:16). From this outlook, the world seems to be a machine manufactured for a gain and not a thing lost in a wilderness of bewilderment. The very fact as to how it is purports a meaning and portrays a purpose, which is *[not] to be sought in the origin. It is like a verse that can only be understood by probing into its content, but its existence can never be considered as a matter of chance.

Tawḥīd, moreover connotes the obedience of all the things and the elements of the world before God. Neither a thing nor a regulation in this galaxy is on its own. The rules that run the world and everything existing under their guidance are all in constant obeisance to the divinity of God. Therefore, the existence of the rules and laws in this whole world cannot be considered as a reason to deny God’s presence, divinity and His constant control over the world. In this respect the Holy Qur’ān says: “None is there in the heavens and the earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant” (Maryam, 19:93). “But to Him is what in the heavens and (in) the earth; all to Him (are) obedient” (Baqarah, 2:l16). “They measured not God with His true measure. The earth altogether shall be His handful on the Day of Res-urrection, and the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! He (be) exalted above what they associate!” (Zumar, 39:67).

From the Outlook Consequent upon Studying and Judgment on Man: a) It is in the sense of the uniformity and equality of human beings in relation to God. He is the Master of all people. Hu-man nature is such that it even rescinds any particularity in his relation with God. No one has any kinship with Him. Hence, all are the same and at parity before God. Also God is not a particular one of a particular nation or a group or a tribe; and, therefore, the absence of superior avoids the notion of an inferior in creation, while <it> leaves open the scope for elevation of the human values, which is attainable only through righteousness, a platform whereon to perform good deeds in line with the Divine’s desire, which is the only safe route or promising method for man to ascend to the heights of perfection and prosperity. To quote from the Qur’ān: “And they said, ‘God has taken to Him a son’. Glory be to Him! Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; all obey His will” (Baqarah, 2:117). “And whosoever does deeds of righteousness, being a believer, no ingratitude shall befall his endeavor; We our-selves write it down for him” (Anbiyā’, 21:94). “Oh Mankind! We have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, therefore, the absence of superior avoids the notion of an inferior in creation, while <it> leaves open the scope for elevation of the human values, which is attainable only through righteousness, a platform whereon to perform good deeds in line with the Divine’s desire, which is the only safe route or promising method for man to ascend to the heights of perfection and prosperity. To quote from the Qur’ān: “And they said, ‘God has taken to Him a son’. Glory be to Him! Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; all obey His will” (Baqarah, 2:117). “And whosoever does deeds of righteousness, being a believer, no ingratitude shall befall his endeavor; We our-selves write it down for him” (Anbiyā’, 21:94). “Oh Mankind! We have created you male and female, and appointed you races that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing of you” (Ḥujurāt, 49:13).

It is also in the sense that man is equal in creation and is originated from a single source; this equality also runs in the very vitality of human beings. Different gods do not create those who belong to the various classes in a society. Humanity is a single element that has been equally given to all individuals. So there is no difference in the pulp or in the creation provided to them. As such, there is no boundary between them that cannot be crossed. In other words, the Creator of the higher classes of society is not a God superior to that of the poor ones. All are created by one God and in creation all are at the same level and equally benefited from the element of humanity. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Oh mankind! Fear your Lord, Who created you of a single soul” (Nisā’, 4:1).

The equality among human beings carries the same bearing upon the possibility of the elevation and perfection of individuals, too. The obvious reason is that the human <essence> is the same in all men while taking its root from one wisdom. This being so, no one is by nature unable to walk the path of perfection. Accordingly, the Divine call is common to all, irrespective of nations or classes. To quote from the Qur’ān: “We have sent thee not [to a special group] except to mankind, entire” (Sabā’, 34:29). “And We have sent thee for the people a messenger” (Nisā’, 4:79). “Oh men, a clear guide has now come to you from your Lord; We have sent down to you a manifest light. As for those who believe in God, and hold fast to Him, He will surely admit them to mercy from Him, and bounty, and will guide them to Him on a straight path” (Nisā’, 4:174,175). It can also be transferred to the release of all human beings from servitude and yielding to anyone but God. This is another interpretation of the essence of complete yielding to God and worshipping Him. Some people, in some way or another, have yielded to the obscene yoke of submission to <something> other than God, such as mental, cultural, economical, and political slavery. Considering the wideranging sense of worship, we can well say that they are immured in service to others like themselves, and thus have taken a rival or an associate to God. Here, Tawḥīd totally rejects such a way of life and stands firm and adamant to maintain the man a servant to God alone and emancipates him from that domination, under whatever pre-text it be. Therefore, Tawḥīd is tantamount to denial of any power concealed under whatever color or cloak, and an ab-solute submission to the absolute authority of God alone. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Authority belongs only to God; He has commanded that you shall not serve and worship any but Him. That is the right religion” (Yūsuf, 12:40). “Thy Lord has decreed you shall not serve and worship any but Him” (Isrā’, 17:23). As such Tawḥīd is to dignify man; the dignity of man is so lofty that to become servile and resigned to others (aside from God), and to get dominated is in immediate contrast. Such slavery is in obvious opposition and a crisp contradiction with that dignity. There is no one who deserves such service to him except God. He is the only Being, the only perfect Pulchritude in absoluteness that deserves that man should sit in an enchantment of praise and prayer to Him. The kingdom of God in the vast human fife is invaded without a right and in-roads are made upon the intellect of man by those idols, the living ones or the made-up ones, who are, in fact, a product of evil while themselves wicked enough to throw the man from the zenith of humanity into the abyss of vileness discarding human value and invalidating its worth. It is incumbent upon man to shun the shame of worshipping or serving them.

Materialistic humanism has never been able to establish the originality of man in its due excellence with a delicacy that dives into the depths and lofty sense splashes therefrom, such as:

“And eschew the abomination of idols, and eschew the speaking of falsehood, being men pure of faith unto God, not associating with Him anything; for whosoever associates with God anything, it is as though he has fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away” (Ḥajj. 22:30, 31). “Set not up with God another god, or thou wilt sit condemned and forsaken” (Isrā’, 17:22). “Set not up with God another god, or thou wilt sit cast into hell, reproached and rejected” (Isrā’, 17:39).

In this category, another meaning of Tawḥīd is that a human life is a compound of mind and reality, thought and action. If one of these two, or partially both, got dominated by anti-Divine powers; in other words, if the intellect links God with a reality not applicable to a Divinity, or a Divine desired reality becomes espoused to an intellect ignorant of God, then in the kingdom of human life duality has occurred and thus an associate is created in the servitude directed to God. In this case, the example of man will be like a compass needle, being in a magnetic field, besides the earth: if he did not deviate totally from the polar direction, he would be oscillating. Deviation shall dictate departure from a straight path of God and shall doom him to a destiny that is not his. To quote from the Qur’ān: “What do you believe in part of the Book, and disbe-lieve in other part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible chastisement?” (Baqarah, 2:85), And finally, Tawḥīd, from this point of view, coordinates the human coherently with the milieu of the universe. The un-stinting vastness of the expanse of the universe is a ground wherein innumerable laws of creation are in action and reaction and so constant that any product of the universe, however small and little or trivial and trifling, cannot escape from the dart of the rays of this law. The law of creation is set on a keyboard of traditions and the strokes thereon is such a mercy as to bring out into audience a tune titivated with tucket in full tilt of the gamut of existence and thereby comes into being the pleasing and portentous display of the universe that embraces man too in its parcel so packed therein as to obey a general law while enjoying a law particular to himself, and, thus, to remain congruous to the consequences as a whole. Indeed, the salient characteristic in man (in contradistinction to other creatures who pace towards their natural destiny with no choice) is his being open to options and his power to practice his choice, a criterion for his ascendancy to excellence as well as a ground to go astray. To quote from the Qur’ān: “So let whosoever will believe, and let whosoever will disbelieve” (Kahf, 18:29).

Tawḥīd solicits man to pace in a way natural to him and congenial with the universe. Man, as he is the main part of this whole, gets attached by the trudge of his pace and there follows an absolute parity and a total oneness. To quote from the Qur’ān: “What, do they desire another religion than God’s, and to Him has surrendered whoso is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they shall be returned” (‘Imrān 3:83). “Hast thou not seen how to God bow all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth; the sun and the moon, the stars and the mountains, the trees and the beasts, and many of mankind?” (Ḥajj, 22:18).

The Outlook from the Social, Economical, and Politi-cal Stands:

In the affairs, both those of the universe and those of hu-man beings, competency belongs to none besides God. Plan-ning anything whatsoever, and taking an independent direction are only in the competency of the Creator, Who is All-knowing and All-aware of the needs and the possibilities. The hidden treasures of talents in a human body as well as those innumerous ones in the vastness of the universe together with the relative potentialities in addition to the places of their display, and, furthermore, the conjugation in between them— all are in His sight and never apart from His wisdom. There-fore, He alone is competent to fashion life and plan a schedule of relations for man, which is again at parity with the line of his pace in the system of the galaxy; accordingly a system to be sketched for a society rests finally on His competency. This right (as described above) is particularly His and to Him alone, because of the natural and logical consequence of His being God - the Almighty, the Creator, the Master. Therefore, any sort of interference from any in determination of a line to be practiced by a man or a destiny to be headed to, is an encroachment upon the kingdom of Divinity and an inroad into the intrinsic exalted excellence of the Divine. Thus, it is polytheism. To quote from the Qur’ān: “But no, by thy Lord! They will not believe till they make thee the judge regarding the disagreement between them, then they shall find in themselves no impediment touching thy verdict, but shall surrender in full submission” (Nisā’, 4:65). “It is not for any believer, man or woman, when God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have the choice in the affair. Whoever disobeys God and His Messenger indeed has gone astray into manifest error” (Aḥzāb 33:36). The right of guardianship and supervision of a society and the leadership of human life is rejected <to all> but to God. Government or a guardianship of a man over a man would necessarily carry tyranny as a concomitant, if it were considered as an independent right stripped of any responsibility, unless the leadership and supervision over social affairs should have been given by a higher power to an individual or vested in a ruling committee entrusted with congenial responsibilities; then alone could the recalcitrance and the obstructions adumbrated by intransigence be leveled and slaked. According to the ideology of religion, Allah, whose knowledge has no bourne, is such a might. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Not so much as the weight of (even) an atom in heaven and earth escapes from Him”(Sabā’, 34:3). His qualities as Mighty Punisher, Strong Revenger leave no room for any deviation for His chosen and appointed ones. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Had he invented against Us any sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, then We would surely have cut his life-vein” (Ḥāqqah, 69:4446). The government of God is not like one appointed by a nation nor a majority that could be fooled and controlled, nor a party that could be abused as a means for oppressing and suppressing the voice of the people. It is not like the one appointed by the aristocrats and wealth holders of the society that could be bribed or accepted as shareholders of their enterprises. To ponder deeper: if human life is to terminate at a point along with all its accessary organizations and the thread of things is to be held by a most puissant hand—as it is, of course—then such a hand could never be bany ut that of the Creator. As such, it is a right especial to God Himself to govern man, a right that He exercises through those whom He appoints, namely, those are best in line with the standards established in Divine ideology. So, it is they who carry out the Divine decrees as they guard. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Say: ‘Shall I take a guardian and a ruler other than God, the Originator of the heavens and of the earth, He who feeds and is not fed?’ Say: ‘I have been commanded to be the first of them that surrender to the command of God.’ And you should not be among those of the idolaters” (An‘ām, 6:14). “Your guardian (authority) is only God, and His Mes-senger and those who believed, who perform the prayer and pay alms while they bow down (in their prayer)” (Mā’idah, 5:55). “Say: ‘I take refuge with the Lord of men, the ruler of men, the God of men’’’ (Nās, 114:2-4).

Absolute possession and provenance of all the bounties and the stocks existing in the world belong to God. Nothing is in an independent belonging of any in this world, although every-thing in the use of man is a deposit from the Divine so as to be beneficial to the perfection and elevation of man. This is not in the sense that it is at man’s own convenience to spoil, if he wished, the bounties of this world, which, as a matter of fact, are the result of the toil of innumerable hands. Man is also not at liberty to enjoy the use of these bounties on errands other than his own elevation. Whatever is available for man, although for him, is giv-en by God; therefore, it should be utilized for what God (the Donor) has specified and willed, and in fact, it should be used in its main and natural way. It should be benefited from in the same manner it is created for. Consuming it in any other way is a deviation from its real use, resulting in evil. The role of man in this display of the variegated bounties of God is to utilize them in the right way; of course first and foremost to aim at their own perfection. To quote from the Qur’ān: “Say: ‘Whose is the earth, and whoso is in it; if you have knowledge?’ They will say: ‘God’s.’ Say: ‘Will you not then remember?’” (Mu’minūn, 84, 85). “It is He Who created for you mankind all that is in the earth” (Baqarah, 2:29). “Serve God! You have no god other than He. It is He Who produced you from the earth and has given you to live therein” (Hūd, 11:61). “And those who break the covenant of God after His compact, and who snap what God has commanded to be joined, and who work corruption in the earth, theirs shall be the curse. . .” (Ra‘d, 13:25).

The right relation with the bounties of the world is on a par among men. The opportunities and the possibilities are equally open to all. Every man is quite free to have his share in conformity with the effort that he exerts. In this untinting expanse there is no precinct prescribed particularly to a person as there are no divisions such as those of creed, geography, history, or even ideology. All are open to toil and take their share. To quote from the Qur’ān: “It is He Who created for you all [and not for a particular section of you] in the earth” (Baqarah, 2:29). “And the cattle, He created them for you; in them is warmth, and various uses, and of them you eat. And there is beauty in them for you, when you bring them home to rest and when you drive them forth abroad to pasture. And they carry your heavy loads...” (Naḥl, 16:5-7). “It is He Who sends down to you out of heaven water” (Naḥl, 16:10). “Thereby He brings forth for you crops....” (Naḥl, 16:11). “And what He has created in the earth....” (Naḥl, 16:13). “God is He Who made for you the cattle that you may ride on some of them, and of them you may eat” (Ghā-fir, 40:79). In these verses of the beginning of the chapter, an-Naḥl, (The Bees), the address is to men and not to any particular group. The same can be seen in other phrases among the same verses: “If He willed He guides you all . . . “ (Naḥl, 16:9). “Your God is one God . . .” (Naḥl, 1 6:22).

So far our discourse covers only a little of these fruitful dimensions of the rich and deep concept of Tawḥīd. Yet this little sufficiently argues that Tawḥīd is not a mere philosophical or noetic impracticable theory, that in no way does cares about man’s way of life, and nor involves itself in determining man’s destiny or how he acts to reach it. It is not just to substitute people’s belief. But it is a way for comprehension of the universe. It gives a particular understanding of the universe and of man, of the position of man in knowing the other beings in the world, of man’s position in history, of his capabilities and needs which are always in him and with him, and finally of the direction and the high *perch of his perfection. On the other hand, it is a social doctrine. It is a design and sketch of the environment suitable to man wherein he can easily progress towards perfection. It is a mold meant for society, fixes a base line and advances a constructive principle. Whenever a society sinks into ignorance and tyranny and loses the character that is the distinction of man, the principle is there to check it. It is a relief to ailing hearts, [a *frill to a *fallen] and a typhoon in the stagnant, marsh of society so that it could rebuild itself; and it is such a change as to dislodge the foundations and wrench stones from stones of the unjust social and economical structures, rescinds the value while reveals the true worth. In short, it is a protest in every constancy against the existing conditions contrived by tyranny. Tawḥīd is not a new answer nor *with infinitude of practice. It is a way ever new and always green for a man. Although it relies on theoretical and mental analysis, its main goal is to provide another method for man’s active life. Therefore, we believe that Tawḥīd is the radix of religion and a cornerstone whereon rests the pillars of its mansion. It holds a mammoth ideology, the backbone of Islam, for social con-duct. It is not just a delicate body to house a thesis of a morality or a judgment of metaphysics. There have always been those who, in spite of their belief in God and Tawḥīd, have neglected the obvious, practical and especially the social aspects of this belief, either deliberately or otherwise. These easy believers, regardless of circumstances, have always lived a life like that of non-believers; and their belief has always failed to resuscitate any feeling in them that could keep them from inhaling the putridity of poly-theism. During the dawn of Islam in Mecca, the capital of the renowned idols of the Arabs, there were also supporters of Ibrāhīm’s (Abraham’s) upright religion. But Tawḥīd was so confined within their minds that its utmost influence was limited only to their individual conduct. Their presence did not curb nor did their absence gave rein to the conjectures of their society, so weightless was their existence, and it continued so without ebb or flow. Furthermore, they, the so-called believers, let themselves drift in the same current of life wherein the nonbelievers were afloat and were carried away by the lashes of the waves of the prevailing nefarious traditions. As such, in the social sphere, their role was nothing; their existence was of no effect upon society itself; and, under the circumstances, their presence was of no influence at all. So, what else could best mirror the characteristic of Tawḥīd, the interpretation of which does not surpass the mind? It was in such conditions that Islam introduced Tawḥīd, as a thought, of course, and the thought as strong as to promise, and the promise as fertile as to produce a frame that fringes the life, and, as for society, give a new vogue and combs its disturbed hairs into a curled and crisp order. So, with such a thought and such a promise, it set foot on the ground of practice. Its very first pace revealed an invitation, and the invitation disclosed a revolution which so distant and common that it stunned its audience those who entertained <it>, <and> those who spurned <it> alike, but all concurred in one thing: that it was a Message with a new social, economical, political regulation and with a strange stubbornness to agree with existing conditions. It denies one situation and determines another one! Believers accepted the Message because of its clarity and openness. For this very reason, its opponents attacked it wildly, anxiously adding pressure day by day. This fact in history is the gauge to determine the veracity of those who claim Tawḥīd; they are no better than their peers prior to Islam, no matter in what distance of events or at what spot of the place they be, their belief is no more than a bed-lam. It cannot be but a fiction or a fake of the real Tawḥīd focused by the apostles, if it were to see eye to eye with the rivals of God. There never existed Tawḥīd in such a sense. From this vista we can see the expansion of Islam in its earlier stages and judge the reactionary backwardness in later stages. The Prophet of Islam brought Tawḥīd to be the way for the people. Later, it became a matter to be debated. It was a new reckoning for the world. But it was turned into a topic to be-guile the time. It was the skeleton of the structure of society, and the axle in the center of all social, economical and political affairs; but later turned into a means of justifying the existing social structure, and still remains as an axle but only in some artistic and beautiful painting of social relations, and not in actual existence. How can we expect an active and constructive role from a merely ceremonial idea? From the preceding discourse it comes to light that Tawḥīd, from a practical point of view, is a mold of society while a method for life, and, as a whole, an Islamic system for the human life drives it towards progress, and this forward march is only possible in the wealth of its shade. Also from a theoretical point of view, it is an idea that is considered to be the base and philosophical foundation of that system, and a justification and reasoning for it. With this in the fore ground and in the background, we can revert back to the starting point of the essay and analyze the subject from a particular angle that this article is viewing at. We said that the prime adversary to the slogan of Tawḥīd was the wealthy and the powerful class of society. This indicates that the first and foremost blow of Tawḥīd is direct-ed against the powerful and dominating forces of society, in Qur’ānic terms, the arrogant (mustakbir) class. Also we said that the Divine calls of Tawḥīd made clear their stand in relation to the oppressor and dominating forces as soon as they became audible in society. Therefore, the Divine calls had to face two confrontations, one opposing the other, from two antipodal wings of society: recalcitrance from the oppressors (mustakbirīn) and acceptance from the oppressed (mustaḍ‘afīn). At last, we said that such a two-sided reaction is, in fact, characteristic of Tawḥīd. It is an irrefragable fact that when-ever Tawḥīd had been or is proclaimed in its true sense, the reaction had been or will be the same. Now, let us see which dimension among its several ones hidden in the concept of Tawḥīd, is in direct contrast with the interests of the oppressors. In other words, the class of oppressors does see a point in Tawḥīd; what is the point that so perturbs them, and that, therefore, they fight against with such determination?

To recognize the oppressor in the Qur’ān will be a great help toward comprehending this subject:

mustakbir in the Qur’ān.

The Qur’ān describes, on more than forty occasions, the particulars of an oppressor from different angles such as psychology, social position, or his indulgence in power, post, and pelf. Studying the Qur’ānic view of an oppressor, we find him to have such characteristics as these:

a) Although he (the oppressor) accepts God as a mental or ceremonial reality, or anything with a limited province, he rejects God as is described by the concept of the slogan, “There is no god but Allah.” (The concept of his absolute and exclusive authority and ownership.) To quote from the Qur’ān: “For when it was said to them, ‘There is no god but Al-lah’ they were ever waxing proud” (Ṣāffāt, 37:35).

b) An oppressor considers himself above others and without having a rightful distinction. He declares such reasons as power and wealth to prove his claim: “They waxed proud in the earth without right (to justify their position), and they said, ‘Who is stronger than we in might?’” (Fuṣṣilat, 41:l5).

c) Insisting on his false claim, he rejects God’s words, which declare a new order and specify true measures: “And when Our signs are recited to such a man he turns away, waxing proud, as though he heard them not, and in his ears were heaviness, so give him good tidings of a painful chastisement” (Luqmān, 31:7).

d) He brings forward the excuse, “Had it been correct, we might have conceived it earlier, or God should have addressed us directly.” This he does while believing the Call of the Prophet: “And the non-believers say as regards to the believers, ‘If it had been thought good, they had not outstripped us to it” (Ahqāf, 46:11). “And when a sign came to them, they said, ‘We will not believe until we are given the like of what God’s Messengers were given’” (An‘ām, 6:124).

e) The oppressor introduces the leader of the Call of Tawḥīd as one who indulges in seeking profit and superiority and thus, relying on old and reactionary traditions, tries to discredit him among the people: “They said (to Moses), ‘Art thou come to us to turn us from that we found our fathers practicing, and that the domination in the land might belong to you two? We do not believe you two’”(Yūnus, 10:78).

f) Using force and tricks, and different methods of imposing and fooling, an oppressor, pushing people in his path; this des-tines to slavery and unconditional servitude to him. Therefore, he forces them to resist and oppose to any emancipating call. “They [their followers on the Day of Resurrection], shall say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and great ones, and they led us astray from the way.’” (Aḥzāb, 33:67) “And the weak ones argue with the oppressors [on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Why, we were your followers; will you avail us now against any part of the Fire?’” (Ghāfir, 40:47). “Said the council of the aides of Pharaoh, ‘Surely this man (Moses) is a cunning sorcerer who desires to expel you from your land; what do you command?” (A‘rāf, 7:109,110).

g) Finally, the oppressor comes into the open and confronts the Prophet and his followers, who have risen up against the dominating order and are dedicated to a change, in a deliberate atrocious animosity and thought: “Slain were the Men of the Pit, the fire abounding in fuel, when they were seated over it, and themselves were witnesses of what (tortures) they did with the believers” (Burūj, 85:4 -7). “And Pharaoh said (to his advisors), ‘Let me slay Moses, and let him call to his Lord (as he can). I fear that he may change your religion [which dominates the mind of the people], or that he may cause corruption (rebellion) to appear in the land’” (Ghāfir, 40:26).

This was a small part of particularities and characteristics of the arrogant (oppressor) in some verses of the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān goes still beyond and classifies the arrogant (oppressors) in categories symbolizing each: “Then We sent forth, after them, Moses and Aaron (Hārūn) to Pharaoh and his council with Our signs, but they waxed proud” (Yūnus, 10:75). “And Korah (Qārūn), and Pharaoh, and Haman (Hāmān), and Moses came to them with the clear signs, but they waxed proud in the earth” (‘Ankabūt, 29:39). Pharaoh, all know him. Haman was his special advisor and a prime personality in the politics of Egypt after Pharaoh. The council of Pharaoh’s aides was the chiefs in Pharaoh’s regime who guide the affairs.

Korah was a rich *hoarder of wealth and the keys of his wealth stores were so bulky that it was a matter of bodily strength to hold or carry them. In the light of these and several other such verses of the Qur’ān, the oppressor is he who dominates society, wields political and economical power without reservation, to prolong his tyrannical power and the advantages therefrom; he even captivates minds by imposing his ideology so as to keep them riveted to a process that corrupts even while it provides the possibility of persistence in oppression. Therefore, there is every reason for an oppressor to fight against every call that enlightens the minds of people and instigates any revolutionary and changing call, or else he has to give up what he has gained and lose what he loves.

Let us return to our original theme: How were the prophets they used to bring forth this slogan, while revealing the most constitutional basics of their ideology, easily reveals what in Tawḥīd is unbearable to the oppressor, and, secondly the rea-son why this wing cannot bear Tawḥīd when it is so intro-duced?

We know that the slogan of Tawḥīd, had been the first rays of the call of all prophets. The sentence, “Say, there is no god but Allah, to prosper” is a wellknown declaration of the Prophet of Islam. Also the sentence, “Oh people, wor-ship Allah, there is no god to you beside Him,” is repeated on several occasions in the Qur’ān as the title of the call of such great prophets as Nūḥ (Noah), Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Shu‘ayb, etc. And we see, these slogans are focused on the “denial of servitude but to God,” and have introduced Tawḥīd from this point of view more than any. The prophets have admonished the people who were in the slumber of ignorance and sunk in a tyrannical society to not worship any pole of power except God. The call started, indeed, as a challenge to those who used to claim being deities and masters of the people. Who does claim as such in a society? What does it mean to fight them? And what scene does this suggest to be the characteristic of a society promised by the prophets? To hold a belief of being a deity is repudiated. The tyrants who wield power, political and social, used to convey to the people that since they were deities they hold in themselves a part of the spirit of God. On the other hand, the vastness of the concepts of ‘worship’, ‘lordship’, and ‘divinity’ in the Qur’ān leads us to a conclusion that the claimers of being deities have an even wider scope in their pose and purpose. The term ‘worship’ (‘ibādah) in the Qur’ān means to surrender or yield or obey to a man or any other being unconditionally. When we have resigned ourselves without any ‘why’, it is tantamount to saying that we have worshipped him. Accordingly, when an element of a power, whether in-side us or outside, has made us obedient and dependent and a tool to be used, we have become its ‘worshippers and servants’, as is evident from these Qur’ānic verses, in the beginning of the call when Moses rebuked and censured Pharaoh:

“That is (a *Messing thou reproachest me with), having enslaved the Children of Israel” (Shu‘arā’, 26:22).

The conversation between Pharaoh and the chiefs of his regime:

“Should we believe two humans like us while their people are worshippers to us” (Mu’minūn, 23:47).

The Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) addresses his father thus: “Father, serve not Satan; surely Satan is a rebel against the All-merciful” (Maryam, 19:44).

In a general address of God directed to all human beings: “Made I not a covenant with you, children of Adam, that you should not serve Satan; surely he is a manifest foe to you” (Yāsīn, 36:60). Promise of God to all human beings who have a reckoning:

“Those who eschew the serving of idols (ṭāghūt) and turn penitent to God, for them is good tidings! So give thou good tidings to My servants” (Zumar, 39:17).

To those who criticize the faithful and the belief in God and in His revelations, God says:

“Whomsoever God has cursed, and with whom He is in wrath, and made some of them apes and swine, and he who worshipped ṭāghūt), they are worse situated, and have gone further astray from the right way” (al-Mā’idah)

From these foregoing verses it comes to light that the obedience to Pharaoh and the members of his regime, and to a tyrant or to a satan is interpreted as ‘worship’. As such, in the sense of the Qur’ānic term it means to follow, to resign, and to obey a power (other than God) in absoluteness, whether it be by desire or under pressure, and be it with or without a praise and sanctity. Anyway, one side turns into a worshipper, while the other the worshipped. This concludes that the term ‘divinity’ or ‘divine’ (Allāh), which is another interpretation of ‘being worshipped’ and ‘the worshipped one’, correctly translates to this: In an erroneously organized society, where-in the people are divided into two classes, one that of the oppressor and the other that of the oppressed, in other words, a dominator and a beneficiary class while the other a deprived one, this in itself is a paragon of a worshipper and the worshipped. Such an inconsistency between the two wings of a society is an indicator that points to the deities whom worship is directed to. To know the worshipped ones and divines in historical societies, one should not look for a sacred being either of a man, animal or a thing. The cardinal ones in these societies are those who, with their dependence upon the oppressors, have yoked the multitudes of the oppressed ones. In such societies, polytheism is the religion. Because there are idols, worshipped ones, and divinities as many as there are poles of power that rule the people, and push them in their own desired path as if they (the people) have neither eyes nor ears and know not where they stand and what they do. Polytheism means accepting the divinity of others and obeying and worshipping them instead of God or leveling them with God. It means giving the control of life to others than God. It means surrendering to every pole of power other than God, seeking one’s needs from them, and paving the path that they define. Tawḥīd is an antipode to such polytheism. It denies all the deities and obedience to them. It calls for a campaign against their domination. It asks for discarding their help. And finally Tawḥīd is to be dedicated in reminding them as it calls upon hearts to pursue their provider, God. The prime slogan of all the messengers of God was that ‘no’ to others, and this ‘yes’ to God. To quote from the Qur’ān:

“Indeed, We sent forth among every nation a messenger, say: ‘Serve your God, and eschew ṭāghūts [idols, anti-God forces]’” (Naḥl,16:36).

And We sent never a messenger before thee except that We revealed to him, saying, ‘There is no god but I; so serve Me’” (Anbiyā’, 21:25).

Therefore, the messengers of God, by this slogan, have denied the corrupted and perverted system of society, and invited people to get into a vast struggle against ṭāghūts (oppressors) namely the guardians of the system, who had re-belled against the noble human values, those who had imposed some false values upon the people in order to keep their op-pressing position. Denial of polytheism, in fact is the denial of all social, economical, and political foundations whereon the construction of that society rests and wherein the polytheism is housed as a rightful tenant and wherefrom it keeps vigilance on the unstable situation. When the deities as such are denied and rejected, so also all those who are dedicated to oppressing the people and keeping them down by imposing on and fool-ing them, take full advantage of all their capabilities to saturate their unlimited desires, are denied too. Moses, by declaring the same slogan, and in direct talk with the Lord of the worlds had openly fought Pharaoh, and denied him. It is true that the aides of Pharaoh brought up many charges against Moses, such as his denial of idols. But they and Pharaoh himself were aware that those lifeless idols were just a cover and a justification for their own divinity. “Then said the council of the regime of Pharaoh [to Pharaoh], ‘Wilt thou leave Moses and his people to work corruption in the land, and leave thee and thy gods?’” (A‘rāf, 7:127). The lifeless idols are just an excuse for imposing the divinity of live-idols. Therefore, it was quite logical that, in re-sponse to Moses’ invitation towards God, the Creator of heav-ens and earth, the Lord of all, the Possessor of the east and the west, they treat him and his supporters to torture and death. To quote from the Qur’ān:

“Said he (Pharaoh), ‘If thou takest a god other than me, I shall surely make thee one of the imprisoned, (Shu‘arā’, 26:29). “Said he, ‘We shall slaughter their sons and spare their women; surely we are triumphant over them’” (A‘raf, 7:1 27). Pharaoh said to his magicians who had believed in Moses against his wishes: “I shall assuredly cut off alternately your hands and feet, then I shall crucify you all together” (A‘rāf, 7:123). Such atrocities against the name of Allah, and the Messenger of Tawḥīd stand only because this emancipating message means: Acceptance of God to dominate the life. Denial of all others who claim such with strife. Proud declaration of servitude to Him alone. Dependency to be cut upon all but upon Him sown. This is the essence of Tawḥīd, and its most flashing dimension.