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Doctrine

Tawhid

Also Known As Divine unity · the oneness of God · Tawheed · TauhidOriginal Term tawhid (Arabic, making one)
God and Divine Nature
Origin 610 to 632 CE

Tawhid asserts that God is one, without partner, without division and without likeness. It is the first clause of the confession of faith and the point on which Islam most explicitly distinguishes itself from Christianity, whose trinitarian doctrine the Quran addresses and rejects. Its negative counterpart is shirk, associating anything with God, which is named as the one sin not forgiven if a person dies in it.

The doctrine sounds simple and generated centuries of difficulty, because the Quran also speaks of God as hearing, seeing, knowing, and as seated on a throne. If those attributes are real and eternal, do they compromise the unity? If they are not real, what does the text mean?

The Mu'tazila answered that the attributes are not distinct from the essence, and drew the further conclusion that the Quran is created rather than eternal, since an eternal uncreated speech alongside God looked to them like a second eternal thing. Under caliphal patronage this position was enforced, and scholars who refused it were interrogated and imprisoned; Ahmad ibn Hanbal's refusal under that pressure is one of the formative episodes in Sunni memory. The policy was abandoned and the opposite view prevailed: the attributes are real, the Quran is uncreated, and the manner is not to be interrogated. The Ash'ari school's formula for the anthropomorphic language, affirm it without asking how, became the mainstream Sunni settlement, with the Maturidi school close alongside.

A later scheme divides tawhid into three: God's uniqueness as lord and creator, his uniqueness as the sole object of worship, and the uniqueness of his names and attributes. This tripartite division is strongly associated with Ibn Taymiyya and with the Salafi tradition that draws on him, and it does real polemical work, since it allows the charge that people who acknowledge God as creator may still fail in the worship category. It is widely taught but it is not a universal or uncontested Islamic framework, and describing it as the Islamic doctrine of tawhid without attribution takes one school's formulation for the whole.

Facts
Status
Status Within the Tradition
Defined and binding within this tradition 1Tradition: Islam
The first and central article of faith; its denial places a person outside Islam
Standing as a Comparative Category
A standard analytic category in the study of religion 2
Doctrinal Category
God and Divine Nature 1
Doctrinal category (class)
God and Divine Nature 4
Tradition
Scriptural Basis
Quran 112, al-Ikhlas, is the scripture's most concentrated statement of tawhid. 3
Belief
Defining Doctrinal Position
Classical Islamic theology divides tawhid into the oneness of God's lordship, the oneness of worship due to God alone, and the oneness of God's names and attributes, and treats shirk, associating partners with God, as the gravest sin. 3
Origins
Origin Period
610 to 632 CE 1
Held By
Islam 1
The Claim
The Claim
The oneness and indivisibility of God, held in Islam to be the central and non-negotiable article of faith, from which all other doctrine follows. 3
Learn More
The Oneness That Is the Whole of Islam

Tawhid is the assertion of the absolute oneness and uniqueness of God, and it is the foundation on which everything else in Islam rests. Its charter text is the short Surah al-Ikhlas (Qur'an 112): "Say: He is God, One; God, the Eternal Refuge; He neither begets nor is born, and there is none comparable to him." The first half of the confession of faith, "there is no god but God", is tawhid stated as a creed. Its opposite is shirk, the association of any partner with God, which the Qur'an names as the one sin God does not forgive in those who die unrepentant of it.

Later theology analysed tawhid into aspects: the oneness of God's lordship (that he alone creates and sustains), the oneness of his worship (that he alone may be worshipped), and the oneness of his names and attributes (that his qualities are his own and unlike any creature's). Much of Islamic devotion, law and art can be read as the working-out of this single insistence, that God is one, without partner, without image, and without likeness.

The Disputes Its Elaboration Provoked

Precisely because tawhid is fundamental, the attempt to state it exactly produced the sharpest theological quarrels in early Islam. The central problem was the status of God's attributes named in the Qur'an, his hearing, seeing, speech, his "hand" and his sitting on the throne. If these are real and distinct from his essence, does that not compromise his oneness? If they are denied, is the Qur'an not being contradicted?

The Mu'tazila pressed strict unity: God's attributes are identical with his essence, and, their most contested claim, the Qur'an is created, since an eternal, uncreated speech alongside God would be a second eternal thing. Under the caliph al-Ma'mun this view was briefly imposed by an inquisition, the mihna (from 833), in which scholars were compelled to profess the created Qur'an. The traditionists resisted, and the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools that became mainstream Sunni theology affirmed that God has real attributes, "not he and not other than he," and that his speech, the Qur'an, is uncreated, accepting the difficult formulations bila kayf, "without asking how." A separate current, the wahdat al-wujud ("unity of being") associated with Ibn Arabi, pushed tawhid toward a mystical monism and drew lasting criticism from jurists who read it as blurring the line between Creator and creation.

In the Texts
Deuteronomy 6:4-5The Holy Bible, American Standard Versionthe oneness of God

Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

The Islamic doctrine of tawhid makes the same claim in stronger form.

The Holy Bible, American Standard Version. translated by American Revision Committee.

About This Passage

Quran 1:1-7 (al-Fatiha)The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9)prayer

IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful, the compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve and Thee we ask for aid. Guide us in the right path, the path of those Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of those who err.

The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9). translated by E. H. Palmer.

About This Passage

Quran 112:1-4 (al-Ikhlas)The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9)the oneness of God

Say, 'He is God alone! God the Eternal! He begets not and is not begotten! Nor is there like unto Him any one!'

The shortest complete statement of tawhid.

The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9). translated by E. H. Palmer.

About This Passage

Quran 2:255 (Ayat al-Kursi; Palmer 2:256)The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9)the oneness of God

God, there is no god but He, the living, the self-subsistent. Slumber takes Him not, nor sleep. His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. Who is it that intercedes with Him save by His permission? He knows what is before them and what behind them, and they comprehend not aught of His knowledge but of what He pleases. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and it tires Him not to guard them both, for He is high and grand.

The fullest single statement of tawhid in the Quran.

The Qur'an (Sacred Books of the East, vols. 6 and 9). translated by E. H. Palmer.

About This Passage

Connections

Associated With

Ibn Tumart, Historical Figures

The movement's own name, al-Muwahhidun, means those who affirm God's unity, and his teaching attacked what he judged to be anthropomorphism among the jurists of his day.

Source The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editionP. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.)

Belongs to Tradition

Ahmadiyya, Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is affirmed foundational doctrine in Ahmadiyya.

Source The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editionP. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.)
Alawites, Denominations

Alawite theology affirms the oneness of God, though its extremely high, in places divinized, regard for Ali has drawn accusations of compromising strict tawhid from other Muslims.

Source The Nusayri-Alawis: An Introduction to the Religion, History and Identity of the Leading Minority in SyriaYaron Friedman
Alevism, Denominations

Alevism affirms the oneness of God, read through a Sufi-inflected, esoteric lens rather than through Sunni or Twelver Shia jurisprudence.

Source The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic TraditionDavid Shankland
Ashari School, Schools of Theology

Tawhid, elaborated through rational kalam argument against both Mutazili and Hanbali traditionalist approaches, is foundational to Ashari theology.

Source Islamic Creeds: A SelectionW. Montgomery Watt
Ibadism, Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is affirmed foundational doctrine in Ibadi Islam.

Source The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editionP. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.)
Islam, Religions
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
Ismailism, Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is affirmed foundational doctrine in Ismaili Shia Islam.

Source The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines, 2nd editionFarhad Daftary
Kharijites, Denominations

The Kharijites affirmed the oneness of God as understood across the early Muslim community they broke from over the question of leadership, not doctrine.

Source The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the Sixth to the Eleventh CenturyHugh Kennedy
Mutazila, Schools of Theology

Tawhid, denying any eternal divine attribute distinct from God's essence, is the first of the five usul al-khamsa of Mutazila theology.

Source Islamic Creeds: A SelectionW. Montgomery Watt
Quranism, Denominations

Quranism affirms the oneness of God on the Quran's own text alone, without the elaborations later theology drew from hadith.

Source Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in IslamAisha Y. Musa
Salafism, Denominations

Tawhid is emphasized in Salafism through a tripartite framework, God's lordship, His sole right to worship, and His names and attributes, the movement's central organizing doctrine.

Source Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious MovementRoel Meijer (ed.)
Shia (Twelver), Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is the first of the five usul al-din, the roots of religion, in Twelver Shia Islam.

Source An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ismMoojan Momen
Sufism, Denominations

Tawhid is affirmed in Sufism, often approached as an experiential realization pursued through spiritual practice rather than only intellectual assent.

Source Mystical Dimensions of IslamAnnemarie Schimmel
Sunni, Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is the foundational doctrine of Sunni Islam as of every Islamic tradition.

Source The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editionP. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.)
Wahhabism, Denominations

Tawhid, emphasized through the same tripartite framework later adopted across the broader Salafi movement, is the central doctrine of Wahhabism, articulated by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in eighteenth century Najd.

Source The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi ArabiaDavid Commins
Zaidiyyah, Denominations

Tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, is affirmed foundational doctrine in Zaydi Shia Islam.

Source The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editionP. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.)

Held Differently

Nation of Islam, Denominations

The Nation of Islam's founding theology locates Allah in the person of Wallace Fard Muhammad, breaking with the divine transcendence mainstream tawhid holds inseparable from God's oneness.

Source The Black Muslims in AmericaC. Eric Lincoln
Bektashi Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Bektashi order, and is read through the devotional formula that names Allah, Muhammad and Ali together.

Source The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic TraditionDavid Shankland
Chishti Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Chishti order, and its interior reading of the doctrine follows the Akbarian line the order absorbed in South Asia.

Source Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and BeyondCarl W. Ernst and Bruce B. Lawrence
Naqshbandi Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Naqshbandi order, and the Mujaddidi line reads it through the oneness of witnessing rather than the oneness of being, which is the order's signature doctrinal position.

Source Mystical Dimensions of IslamAnnemarie Schimmel

Passages on This

Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Passages

The Islamic doctrine of tawhid makes the same claim in stronger form.

Quran 1:1-7 (al-Fatiha), Passages
Quran 112:1-4 (al-Ikhlas), Passages

The shortest complete statement of tawhid.

Quran 2:255 (Ayat al-Kursi; Palmer 2:256), Passages

The fullest single statement of tawhid in the Quran.

Positions on This Question

Mevlevi Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Mevlevi order.

Source Mystical Dimensions of IslamAnnemarie Schimmel
Muridiyya, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Muridiyya.

Source The Mourides of Senegal: The Political and Economic Organization of an Islamic BrotherhoodDonal B. Cruise O'Brien
Qadiriyya Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Qadiriyya.

Source Mystical Dimensions of IslamAnnemarie Schimmel
Rifa'i Order, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Rifa'i order.

Source Mystical Dimensions of IslamAnnemarie Schimmel
Tijaniyyah, Religious Orders

Tawhid is affirmed in the Tijaniyyah.

Source The Tijaniyya: A Sufi Order in the Modern WorldJamil M. Abun-Nasr

Related To

Wahdat al-Shuhud, Doctrines
Wahdat al-Wujud, Doctrines

Read by its defenders as the strongest statement of divine unity.

Sources
1. The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (editor-in-chief), HarperOne, 2015surah 112View the Source
2. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the Source
3. Islamic Creeds: A Selection
W. Montgomery Watt, Edinburgh University Press, 1994View the Source
4. Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement
Roel Meijer (ed.), Hurst, 2009
An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism
Moojan Momen, Yale University Press, 1985View the Source
The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia
David Commins, I.B. Tauris, 2006View the Source
The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition
P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.), Brill, 2005View the Source
The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic Tradition
David Shankland, RoutledgeCurzon, 2003View the Source
The Nusayri-Alawis: An Introduction to the Religion, History and Identity of the Leading Minority in Syria
Yaron Friedman, Brill, Leiden, 2010
The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines, 2nd edition
Farhad Daftary, Cambridge University Press, 2007View the Source
The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the Sixth to the Eleventh Century
Hugh Kennedy, Routledge, 2016View the Source
The Black Muslims in America
C. Eric Lincoln, Beacon Press, Boston, 1961View the Source
Mystical Dimensions of Islam
Annemarie Schimmel, University of North Carolina Press, 1975View the Source
Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam
Aisha Y. Musa, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008View the Source
The Qur'an
112:1-4; 4:171
Quote, 112:1-4; 4:171
Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
View the Source

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