Kitab at-Tawheed

***Kitab at-Tawheed*** () (Book of Monotheism) is a Sunni book about monotheism in the Athari school of thought. The book is the primary source for Salafi  beliefs on monotheism. The book was written by the Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

## History

Following early education in Medina, Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab traveled outside of the Arabian Peninsula, venturing first to Basra which was still an active center of Islamic culture. During his stay in Basra, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab studied Hadith and Fiqh under the Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Majmu'i. In Basra, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab came into contact with Shi'is and would write a treatise repudiating the theological doctrines of _Rafidah_, an extreme sect of Shiism. He also became influenced by the writings of Hanbali theologian Ibn Rajab (d. 1393 C.E/ 795 A.H) such as "_Kalimat al-Ikhlas_" which inspired Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's seminal treatise "_Kitab al-Tawhid_".

The book is banned in Russia since 16 July 2007 due to it being considered "extremist" by the Russian government.

## Summary

The book focuses on how God is one and that God should only be worshipped alone without any middleman (called monotheism). It also disapproves of the worship of more then one God (which is called polytheism or shirk) and also refutes innovation within Islam by strictly following the Qur'an and hadith. The book also tries to show the dangers of polytheism to the reader and the punishment for polytheism in Islam. The book also condemns the use of black magic or fortune telling (both called sihr or shirk) in any form such as amulets and astrology.

Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab sought to revive and purify Islam from what he perceived as non-Islamic popular religious beliefs and practices by returning to what, he believed, were the fundamental principles of the Islamic religion. His works were generally short, full of quotations from the _Qur'an_ and _Hadith_, such as his main and foremost theological treatise, _Kitāb at-Tawḥīd_ (; "The Book of Oneness"). He taught that the primary doctrine of Islam was the uniqueness and oneness of God (_tawhid_), and denounced those religious beliefs and practices widespread amongst the people of Najd. Following Ibn Taymiyya's teachings on _Tawhid_, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab believed that much of Najd had descended into superstitious folk religion akin to the period of _Jahiliyya_  (pre-Islamic era) and denounced much of their beliefs as polytheism (_shirk_). He associated such practices with the culture of _Taqlid_ (imitation to established customs) adored by pagan-cults of _Jahiliyya_ era. Based on the doctrine of _Tawhid_ espoused in _Kitab al-Tawhid_, the followers of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab referred themselves by the designation "_Al-Muwahhidun_" (Unitarians).

The "core" of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's teaching is found in _Kitāb at-Tawḥīd_, a theological treatise which draws from material in the _Qur'an_ and the recorded doings and sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Hadith literature. It preaches that worship in Islam includes conventional acts of worship such as the five daily prayers (_Salat_); fasting (_Sawm_); supplication (_Dua_); seeking protection or refuge (_Istia'dha_); seeking help (_Ist'ana_ and _Istigatha_) of Allah.

Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab had also allegedly believed that visiting the tomb of Muhammad was a righteous deed, referring to it as "among the best of deeds" while condemning its excesses.

## Other websites

- Kitab at-Tawheed Explained (in English)
- Kitab at-Tawheed (Dar us-Salam translation) (in English)
- Kitab at-Tawheed (original) (in Arabic)
- Kitab at-Tawheed (Ahmed Hassan translation) (in Bengali)
- Kitab at-Tawheed (unknown translator) (in Russian)
- Kitab al-Tawhid (Abdullah Omar Naseef) (in Philipino)
- Kitab at-Tauhid (Musa Abdullah Reyes) (in Spanish)
- Full unicode form in Shamila Library

## Infobox (book)

- **name**: The Book of Monotheism, which is God’s right over His servants
- **author**: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
- **language**: Arabic
- **country**: Emirate of Diriyah (modern-day Saudi Arabia)
- **isbn**: 978-6038412435
- **translators**: *English: Sameh Strauch
*English: Dar us-Salam Publications
*Bengali: Ahmed Hassan
*Russian: Unknown at the moment
*Philipino: Abdullah Omar Naseef
- **image**: File:Kitabut Tauhid Imam Khairul Annas.JPG
- **subject**: Monotheism
- **published**: somewhere in the 18th century 1115-1206 Hijri (1703-1791 AD)
- **title orig**: كِتَابُ التَّوْحِيدِ الَّذِي هُوَ حَقُّ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْعَبِيدِ
- **orig lang code**: ar
- **native wikisource**: كتاب_التوحيد_الذي_هو_حق_الله_على_العبيد
- **publisher**: Dar-us Salam Publications (English and Arabic)