[12] Tawhid -Pure Islamic Monotheism
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
Allah [The Most High] said:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِى فَرَضَ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لَرَآدُّكَ إِلَىٰ مَعَادٍ۬ۚ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَن جَآءَ بِٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَمَنۡ هُوَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬
وَمَا كُنتَ تَرۡجُوٓاْ أَن يُلۡقَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبُ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةً۬ مِّن رَّبِّكَۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ ظَهِيرً۬ا لِّلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ
وَلَا يَصُدُّنَّكَ عَنۡ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أُنزِلَتۡ إِلَيۡكَۖ وَٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِڪِينَ
وَلَا تَدۡعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَۘ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ كُلُّ شَىۡءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجۡهَهُ ۥۚ لَهُ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ
Verily, He Who has given you [O Muhammad] the Qur’an will surely bring you back to the Ma’aad [place of return]. Say [O Muhammad]: “My Lord is Aware of him who brings guidance, and he who is in manifest error.” And you were not expecting that the Book [this Qur’an] would be sent down to you, but it is a mercy from your Lord. So never be a supporter of the disbelievers. And let them not turn you [O Muhammad] away from [preaching] the Aayat [revelations and verses] of Allah after they have been sent down to you, and invite [humankind] to [believe in] your Lord, and be not of Al-Mushrikoon [those who associate partners with Allah, e.g. polytheists, pagans, idolaters, those who disbelieve in the Oneness of Allah and deny the Prophethood of Messenger Muhammad]. And invoke not any other ilaah [god] along with Allah, Laa ilaaha illaa Huwa [none has the right to be worshipped but He]. Everything will perish save His Face. His is the Decision, and to Him you [all] shall be returned. [Al-Qasas. 85-88]
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِى فَرَضَ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لَرَآدُّكَ إِلَىٰ مَعَادٍ۬ۚ
“Verily, He Who has given you (O Muhammad) the Qur’an will surely bring you back to the Ma’aad [place of return]”
Meaning: Allah is the one who revealed the Qur’an, ordained divine rulings in it, clarified and explained what is lawful and unlawful, commanded you [O Muhammad] to preach it to Humankind and Jinn, and that you convey all the commands and prohibitions that are obligated to those who have reached the age of accountability; therefore, it is not befitting Allah’s Wisdom that life will only be limited to the life of this world and that people will neither be rewarded with good due to their good deeds nor punished due to their evil deeds; rather the fact is that they will be returned to the Afterlife where the doers of good will be rewarded for their good deeds and the evil doers will be punished for their disobedience.
Indeed, Allah’s guidance has been established for the people and the path has been made manifestly clear, therefore if they follow you [O Muhammad], then that will be their good portion and well-being (in this life and the next); but if they reject you, disparage the guidance you have brought and give precedence to the falsehood they are upon over the truth, then there remains no room for argumentation; rather the only thing that remains is that Allah – The All-Knower of the Unseen and the Seen- will recompense those upon truth based on their good deeds, and likewise those upon falsehood based on their evil deeds.
And regarding the statement of Allah:
قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَن جَآءَ بِٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَمَنۡ هُوَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬
Say (O Muhammad): “My Lord is Aware of him who brings guidance, and he who is in manifest error]- Meaning: Allah has made it known that His Messenger is rightly guided and he is also an upright guide for others”. On the other hand, his enemies are misguided and misguiding others.
وَمَا كُنتَ تَرۡجُوٓاْ أَن يُلۡقَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبُ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةً۬ مِّن رَّبِّكَۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ ظَهِيرً۬ا لِّلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ
“And you were not expecting that the Book (this Qur’an) would be sent down to you, but it is a mercy from your Lord. So never be a supporter of the disbelievers”.
وَلَا يَصُدُّنَّكَ عَنۡ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أُنزِلَتۡ إِلَيۡكَۖ وَٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِڪِينَ
And let them not turn you (O Muhammad) away from (preaching) the Ayat (revelations and verses) of Allah after they have been sent down to you, and invite (men) to (believe in) your Lord, and be not of Al-Mushrikun (those who associate partners with Allah, e.g. polytheists, pagans, idolaters, those who disbelieve in the Oneness of Allah and deny the Prophethood of Messenger Muhammad).
Then Allah [The Most High] said:
وَلَا تَدۡعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَۘ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ كُلُّ شَىۡءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجۡهَهُ ۥۚ لَهُ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ
“And invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Everything will perish save His Face. His is the Decision, and to Him you (all) shall be returned”.
Meaning: Direct your worship sincerely to Allah alone because none has the right to be worshipped except Him. Any other (thing taken an object of worship) does not have the right to be deified, loved and worshipped except Allah, because He alone is the Ever-living and He is Perfect [free from all imperfections, deficiencies weaknesses, faults etc]. And when it is the fact that everything will perish except Him, then it is extreme falsehood and corruption to worship those who will perish.
Indeed, what they [i.e. the polytheists] worship besides Allah is falsehood and are things that will perish, but Allah alone is the One who will never perish and there is no deity worthy of worship besides Him. He alone has absolute dominion over everything; He alone controls all the affairs of the universe, what He wills has to take place and what He does not will cannot take place [i.e. based on His perfect Wisdom and Justice]; He alone is the ruling Judge between the servants in the Hereafter and they will all return to Him to be recompensed for their deeds.
[An Excerpt from Tafsir as-Sadi]