TAWHID AND RISALAT (توحید اور رسالت)

 

INTRODUCTION

TAWHID and RISALAT are the most important aspects, upon which the entire religion of Islam rests. Every person who wishes to be a part of Islam is required for him/her to utter the declaration of faith (SHAHADAH الشَّهَادَةُ); the concept of Tawhid is the first part of this declaration.

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Translated as: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah (the God), and I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His slave/servant/worshipper and Messenger of Allah (the God).

The first part of the statement/declaration appears in some different form but has the same basic meaning (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ‎) about 30 times in the Quran, such as Quran 47:19 Surah Muhammad - 1-38 - Quran.com and the second part of this declaration is also mentioned in the Quran is some different form but having the same meaning (مُّحَمَّدٌۭ رَّسُولُ ٱللَّهِ) such as Quran 48:29 Surah Al-Fath - 1-29 - Quran.com. However, both statements are not found in the Quran side by side. But it can be found in many hadith of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ and it is part of the sermon of every Friday, the sermon of every hajj (pilgrimage), and part of our salah in tashahud we pray 5 times a day. Examples of hadiths that contain this Shadah are, Jami` at-Tirmidhi 289 https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:289, Sunan an-Nasa'i 1404 https://sunnah.com/nasai:1404 and Sunan an-Nasa'i 679 https://sunnah.com/nasai:679

TAWHID توحید

DEFINITION AND BACKGROUND

TAWHID simply means declaring and accepting the oneness of Allah. It is one of the things that differentiate Islam from the rest of the religions in the world that ever originated and followed by the people. It is the concept of MONOTHEISM which can be explained as the belief of the oneness of Allah. This is the same message that every prophet and messenger of Allah brought with them and taught to the people, Quran 21:25 “And We sent not before you any messenger except We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.” Surah Al-Anbya - 25 - Quran.com But Islam is the only religion left on earth that follows this concept, all the other religions have either changed or forgotten the message.

As prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the last prophet of Islam sent by Allah for the guidance of humanity, His ﷺ message had to be strong, long-lasting, and unchangeable for His ﷺ followers. So, He ﷺ made the main message of Allah (which was the message of MONOTHEISM) the primary base of Islam. It is now one of the pillars of Islam and every other pillar and aspect of this religion is based on this pillar, so much so that if this belief of a person has even the smallest amount of doubt, his religion will not be accepted in the sight of Allah and all of his worships and every good deeds will be in doubt.

SHIRK AND MUSHRIK

Unfortunately, the majority of the Muslims who live or are living right now do not know the correct meaning of this important concept of Tawhid. According to this base of Islam, qualities and attributes that belong to Allah cannot be shared with anyone. As we know, a person who affiliates or associates partner with Allah, is called mushrik and his religion will not be accepted according to the rules of Islam. But people have limited this shirk to only one attribute of Allah and that is He being a God. This means that the people think that only if we worship another deity along with Allah or other than Allah, he/she will be called a mushruik. But this is not the case according to the true teaching of Islam.

According to the Sunnah of our prophet Muhammad ﷺ, His ﷺ companions, and the true teaching of Islam and the Quran, any person who affiliates another deity (person or thing) with the attributes of Allah (i.e. the names of Allah The 99 Attributes of Allah (SWT) Categorized - My Islam) he/she will be considered as a mushrik.

CONCEPT OF VOW AND INTERCESSION

Even asking for someone’s intercession (the concept of shafa’at | calling dead people for asking dua or assistance from Allah) is not a part of Islam, and the concept of the conditional vow (nazr o’niyaz and mannat’muraad), our prophet Muhammad ﷺ restricted to do this in Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1538 and Sunan an-Nasa'i 3804 "Do not vow, for the vows do not prevent what is decreed at all, and it only causes the miser to spend (of his wealth)." https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:1538 and a similar statement is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari 6694 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6694 that restricts us from making conditional vows for anything. And it does make sense when Allah says in the Quran 40:60 “Call upon Me, I will respond to you.” Surah Ghafir - 1-85 - Quran.com This statement is without any condition, so why we should use any other way or the assistance of someone else to ask Allah’s help? This concept is baseless and absurd from its roots.

Allah clearly explained the concept of intercession in the Quran, whether it is believed within this world or in the afterlife. Allah mentioned in Quran 2:255 and in many other places, “Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission?” Surah Al-Baqarah - 1-286 - Quran.com This explains that the intercession of prophet Muhammad ﷺ on the day of judgment is also limited to the will of Allah. This means if Allah does not do any good for a person or if Allah wills hell fire for a person on the day of judgment, even if prophet Muhammad ﷺ comes for his intercession, it will not be accepted.

CALLING OTHERS BESIDE ALLAH

If a person calls any dead human being (such as prophets, saints, or pious people who died), or any tangible or non-tangible thing (such as sun, fire, angles, jins, etc.) for help and assistance other than or along with Allah, he/she will be a mushrik. This thing is so sensitive, that even the concept of using the nepotism of a dead person for calling Allah (concept of wasta and wasila) is also rejected in Islam according to Sahih al-Bukhari 1010 “Whenever drought threatened them, `Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin `Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain." And so, it would rain. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1010

However, we can use the wasila (assistance) of a living person or a thing according to Quran 05:02 “Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression.” Surah Al-Ma'idah - 1-120 - Quran.com

ALL ATTRIBUTES BELONG TO ALLAH

Similarly, in the Quran 59:22-24, while explaining who is Allah, He mentioned who is the sole owner of every beautiful name and attribute, and in the same verse, He mentioned all the attributes that mushrikeen of this age use for deities other than Allah. “He is Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him: Knower of the seen and unseen. He is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. He is Allah—there is no god except Him: The King, the Most Holy, the All-Perfect, the Source of Serenity, the Watcher of all, the Almighty, the Supreme in Might, the Majestic. Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him! He is Allah: the Creator, the Inventor, the Shaper. He ˹alone˺ has the Most Beautiful Names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth ˹constantly˺ glorifies Him. And He is the Almighty, All-Wise.” Surah Al-Hashr - 22-24 - Quran.com and in the last surah of the Holy Quran, Allah mentioned all the major 03 attributes of Him, that are related to the giver and provider of everything, these verses clarify who is the King of all kings, Lord of everything and the sole provider and originator of everything. Quran 114 Say, ˹O Prophet, ˺ “I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind, the Master of humankind, the God of humankind, Surah An-Nas - 1-6 - Quran.com

KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNSEEN

Using the example that the only source of knowledge of the seen and the unseen belongs to Allah can also help us understand that Allah does not share the knowledge with His most beloved people but only what He will or wants to share. Allah mentioned in Quran 2:255 and in many other places, “He knows what was before and what will be after (in future) and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.” Surah Al-Baqarah - 1-286 - Quran.com This shows us that no one, not even the prophets of the angels of the highest ranks knows what is in the future and what was in the past, except what Allah shares with them.

Then in one place in Quran 59:22, Allah mentioned that He is the knower of the seen and the unseen, “He is Allāh, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed.”  Surah Al-Hashr - 1-24 - Quran.com

And the verse of the Quran 06:59 explains in detail to whom the knowledge belongs. In this verse, Allah has mentioned the knowledge of every part of land, and sea, and even the knowledge of the falling of a leaf. Allah said: “And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.” Surah Al-An'am - 1-165 - Quran.com

There and several other verses that clear this point, that who knows everything, so no question can stand about the reality that every creation of Allah is dependent on Him. He gives the knowledge to whom He wills and no one can excess that knowledge except with His permission.

AUTHORITY OF PROPHETS

While understanding the concept of Tawhid, one must learn the authority and power of Allah are above every creation, and every creation is submissive to Him, willingly or unwillingly. The same is the case with the most pious creations of Allah, such as highly-ranked prophets and angels. This is one of the core beliefs of Islam and every person who has the correct understanding of Islam and follows the true teachings of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Quran, His ﷺ Sunnah, and the Sunnah of closest companions of Him ﷺ. Several verses support this claim, for example, Allah mentioned in Quran 7:188 “Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe." Surah Al-A'raf - 188 - Quran.com

In the Quran 03:128 Allah mentioned the authority of prophet Muhammad by saying that you do not have the authority to decide whether Allah will accept someone’s repentance or not, and amazingly, Allah in this verse is talking about the forgiveness of disbelievers. “Not for you, [O Muḥammad, but for Allāh], is the decision whether He should [cut them down] or forgive them or punish them, for indeed, they are wrongdoers.” Surah Ali 'Imran - 128 - Quran.com

The same was the belief of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ and He ﷺ taught the same to His ﷺ companions. He once ﷺ said to His family and the nearest kinship (uncle, aunt, etc.) when the verse Quran 26:214 “And warn, [O Muḥammad], your closest kindred.” Surah Ash-Shu'ara - 214 - Quran.com was revealed. This is narrated in Sahih Muslim 205 the authority of 'A'isha that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up on Safa' and said: O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad. O Safiya, daughter of 'Abd al-Muttalib, O sons of 'Abd al-Muttalib. I have nothing which can avail you against Allah; you may ask me what you want of my worldly belongings. https://sunnah.com/muslim:205

The purpose of the life of prophet Muhammad ﷺ was to guide people to the right path, the path of Allah. Allah said in Quran 28:56, that prophet Muhammad ﷺ cannot guide to whom He ﷺ wills, but Allah guides who He will. The Quranic verse said: “Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.” Surah Al-Qasas - 56 - Quran.com This verse shows that the prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not even have the authority to do what He ﷺ was sent for.

In Surah al-Ahqaf, Allah instructed prophet Muhammad ﷺ to say to the believers I don’t what will happen to me or you and I am just a clear warner. It is mentioned in Quran 46:09” Say, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner.” Surah Al-Ahqaf - 1-35 - Quran.com

Then in the starting verses of Surah al-Kahf, when Allah delayed the revelation, only because prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not say INSHALLAH (if Allah wills) while committing to provide an answer to the disbelievers. It is mentioned in Quran 18:23-24 “And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow, Except [when adding], "If Allāh wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct." Surah Al-Kahf - 23-24 - Quran.com

And in a hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari 7003 & 7004, prophet Muhammad ﷺ at the time of the death of `Uthman bin Maz'un said to Um Al-Ala “I do not know what Allah will do to me.” Narrated Kharija bin Zaid bin Thabit: Um Al-`Ala an Ansari woman who had given a pledge of allegiance to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) told me: "The Muhajirln (emigrants) were distributed amongst us by drawing lots, and we got `Uthman bin Maz'un in our share. We made him stay with us in our house. Then he suffered from a disease that proved fatal. When he died and was given a bath and was shrouded in his clothes. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came, I said, (addressing the dead body), 'O Aba As-Sa'ib! May Allah be Merciful to you! I testify that Allah has honored you.' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'How do you know that Allah has honored him?" I replied, 'Let my father be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! On whom else shall Allah bestow? His honor?' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'As for him, by Allah, death has come to him. By Allah, I wish him all good (from Allah). By Allah, in spite of the fact that I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I do not know what Allah will do to me.", Um Al-`Ala added, "By Allah, I will never attest the righteousness of anybody after that." https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7003

The level of companions of prophet Muhammad ﷺ was judged according to their good deeds and actions and we can understand this through the hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari 4234 “Narrated Abu Huraira: When we conquered Khaibar, we gained neither good nor silver as booty, but we gained cows, camels, goods and gardens. Then we departed with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to the valley of Al-Qira, and at that time Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had a slave called Mid`am who had been presented to him by one of Banu Ad-Dibbab. While the slave was dismounting the saddle of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) an arrow the thrower of which was unknown, came and hit him. The people said, "Congratulations to him for the martyrdom." Allah's Apostle said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, the sheet (of cloth) which he had taken (illegally) on the day of Khaibar from the booty before the distribution of the booty, has become a flame of Fire burning him." On hearing that, a man brought one or two leather straps of shoes to the Prophet and said, "These are things I took (illegally)." On that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "This is a strap, or these are two straps of Fire.” https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4234

These and many other verses mentioned in the Quran show the authority and power of the most beloved person/creation of Allah, the prophet Muhammad ﷺ over the will of Allah. The same is the case of all the other prophets of Allah, and Allah has mentioned these events in the Quran, just to let us know who is the supreme authority. For example, Allah mentioned in the Quran 05:75 “The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. His mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food.” Surah Al-Ma'idah - 75 - Quran.com This verse is about the person who has been worshipped by the Christians, for thousands of years, and Allah is mentioning that He was just a messenger, just like many others who lived before Him, and He and His mother were dependent on food for living.

In the Quran 05:17 “They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allāh is Christ, the son of Mary. Say, "Then who could prevent Allāh at all if He had intended to destroy Christ, the son of Mary, or his mother or everyone on the earth?" And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. He creates what He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.” Surah Al-Ma'idah - 17 - Quran.com This shows the level of the creation vs the Creator.

WILL OF HUMAN BEINGS

The will of human beings is nothing and helpless in front of the will of Allah, so much so that Allah said in the Quran that we humans cannot even decide or will to do something unless Allah wills it. Allah mentioned in the Quran 81:29 “And you cannot intend (to do anything) unless it is so willed by Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.” Surah At-Takwir - 29 - Quran.com

The extreme of this reality is that Allah mentioned in the Quran about the prophet Muhammad ﷺ that Allah will make Him ﷺ recite and He ﷺ will not forget, except what Allah wills. Allah said in the Quran 87:06-07 “We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what Allah wills. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.” Surah Al-A'la - 6-7 - Quran.com This statement is about the person who is the best of all creation ﷺ and whose sole purpose of life ﷺ is to spread the word of Allah, and Allah is saying about Him ﷺ that He ﷺ will not forget except what Allah wills. This verse clearly states the power of the will of Allah over human beings.

BLAMING AND THREATENING VERSES

To understand the level of prophets and messengers in front of Allah who is the Almighty and the only independent entity upon which every creation is dependent. We know that the prophet Muhammad ﷺ was not only the best of mankind, but He ﷺ was the best of all creations. If Allah has threatened and blamed Him ﷺ when He ﷺ did something wrong, then you can imagine where we or the people we think are most pious stand in front of Allah. There are many verses in the Qur’an in which Allah SWT directly blamed Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for certain actions that he did, such as:

Quran 09:43 “Allāh has pardoned you, [O Muḥammad, but] why did you give them permission [to remain behind]? [You should not have] until it was evident to you who were truthful and you knew [who were] the liars.” Surah At-Tawbah - 43 - Quran.com

Quran 66:01 “O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allāh has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.” Surah At-Tahrim - 1 - Quran.com

Quran 80:01-02 “He [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] frowned and turned away because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting].” Surah 'Abasa - 1-2 - Quran.com

Quran 03:144 “Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So, if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allāh at all, but Allāh will reward the grateful.” Surah Ali 'Imran - 144 - Quran.com

Many verses in the Qur’an directly threaten Prophet Muhammad ﷺ if He ﷺ would have turned away from the signs or disbelieved after the Qur’an was sent down, and mentioning that Allah is the one who guided Him ﷺ. Below are some example verses in which Allah has directly threatened Muhammad SAW:

Quran 02:120 “And never will the Jews and the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allāh is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allāh no protector or helper.” Surah Al-Baqarah - 120 - Quran.com

Quran 72:22 “Says, "Indeed, there will never protect me from Allāh anyone [if I should disobey], nor will I find in other than Him a refuge.” Surah Al-Jinn - 22 - Quran.com

Quran 06:15 “Say, "Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day." Surah Al-An'am - 15 - Quran.com

Quran 69:44-47 “And if he [i.e., Muhammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand; Then We would have cut from him the aorta. And no one of you could prevent [Us] from him.” Surah Al-Haqqah - 44-47 - Quran.com

Quran 17:74-75 “And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little. Then [if you had], We would have made you taste double [punishment in] life and double [after] death. Then you would not find for yourself against Us a helper.” Surah Al-Isra - 74-75 - Quran.com

CALL ALLAH ONLY

Many verses in the Quran directly teach us the concept of tawhid and the concept of asking only Allah for assistance in any way or form. Below are some of the verses that call upon those who ask other entities (dead people or any other creation of Allah) and challenge them to invoke them on the day of judgment against Allah for help:

Quran 46:05 “And who is more astray than he who invokes (يَدْعُوا۟) besides Allāh those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection [i.e., never], and they, of their invocation, are unaware.” Surah Al-Ahqaf - 1-35 - Quran.com

Quran 27:62 “Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth?¹ Is there a deity with Allāh? Little do you remember. Surah An-Naml - 1-93 - Quran.com

Quran 07:194 “Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allāh are servants [i.e., creations] like you. So, call upon them and let them respond to you if you should be truthful. Surah Al-A'raf - 1-206 - Quran.com

Quran 39:03 “And those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allāh in position." Indeed, Allāh will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allāh does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever.” Surah Az-Zumar - 1-75 - Quran.com

Quran 18:102 Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as allies/protectors? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging.” Surah Al-Kahf - 1-110 - Quran.com

أَفَحَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَن يَتَّخِذُوا۟ عِبَادِى مِن دُونِىٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۚ إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ نُزُلًۭا

Quran 04:53 “Or have they a share of dominion? Then [if that were so], they would not give the people [even as much as] the speck on a date seed.” Surah An-Nisa - 53 - Quran.com

Quran 35:14 “If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Aware [of all matters].” Surah Fatir - 14 - Quran.com

Quran 46:06 “And when the people are gathered [that Day], they [who were invoked] will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of their worship.” Surah Al-Ahqaf - 1-35 - Quran.com

Quran 07:191-194 “Do they associate with Him those who create nothing and they are [themselves] created? And they [i.e., the false deities] are unable to [give] them help, nor can they help themselves. Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allāh are servants [i.e., creations] like you. So, call upon them and let them respond to you if you should be truthful.” Surah Al-A'raf - 191-194 - Quran.com

Quran 23:117 “And whoever invokes besides Allāh another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.” Surah Al-Mu'minun - 117 - Quran.com

Even the person (Ali Ibn Abitalib A.S) who is called for help by people from both sects of Islam (Sunni and Shia) famously known as Mushkil Kushaa. In his Letters of Advise to both of His sons, Husnain, He mentioned that from Allah you should ask for everything because He is the giver of everything. This is mentioned in Letter 31 of Nahjul Balagha Part 02: “In all affairs resign yourself to Allah, because you will thus be resigning yourself to a secure shelter and a strong protector. You should ask only from your Lord because in His hand is all the giving and depriving. Seek good (from Allah) as much as you can. Understand my advice and do not turn away from it.” Letter 31: Advice to one of his sons after returning from the Battle of Siffin | Nahjul Balagha Part 2, Letters and Sayings | Al-Islam.org

RISALAT رسالت

Believe in the RISALAT of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ is one of the core belief systems in Islam. It is so important that Allah added it to the first requirement of being a Muslim and that is the testimony of faith (shahadah) this does make sense because everything we believe in Islam reaches us through the only channel that is the prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This is the basic belief system that every Muslim has. But unfortunately, most of the Muslims do not understand the true meaning of RISALAT. We know these prophets and messengers of Allah are the chosen people, and everything that Allah conveys to us is through prophets. Allah conveys these messages through revelations (wahy - through angles, direct revelation, or in dreams) and when there is no prophet, there is no person who can claim that he/she receives the revelations from Allah through any means.

This is the real definition of RISALAT, and this was the belief system and the teachings of all of the followers of prophets and messengers before the last prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the same was the belief and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions. Any person who has the smallest doubt about this fact will not fulfill the criteria of believing in RISALAT.

So RISALAT doesn’t only mean to believe in the final prophet and messenger Muhammad ﷺ but it also requires the belief of a person prophet Muhammad ﷺ being the last person from whom we get all the instructions of Allah without any addition. Anything that is in addition to the teaching of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ will not be acceptable.

WHO TO FOLLOW

Mishkat al-Masabih 165, Sunan Abi Dawud 4607, and many other hadith narrate “He also said that God’s messenger led them in prayer one day, then faced them and gave them a lengthy exhortation at which their eyes shed tears and their hearts were afraid. A man said, “Messenger of God, it seems as if this were a farewell exhortation, so give us an injunction.” He then said, “I enjoin you to fear God and to hear and obey even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must therefore follow my sunnah and that of the rightly guided Caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it (Bite on it with the molar teeth). Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but the last two did not mention the prayer.” https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4607 فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ

Sunan an-Nasa'i 1578 “It was narrated that Jabir bin 'Abdullah said: "In his Khutbah the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to praise Allah as He deserves to be praised, then he would say: 'Whomsoever Allah (SWT) guides, none can lead him astray, and whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide. The truest of words is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those that are newly invented; every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.' Then he said: 'The Hour and I have been sent like these two.' Whenever he mentioned the Hour, his cheeks would turn red, and he would raise his voice and become angry, as if he were warning of an approaching army and saying: 'An army is coming to attack you in the morning, or the evening!' (Then he said): 'Whoever leaves behind wealth, it is for his family, and whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, then these are my responsibility, and I am the most entitled to care for the believers.” https://sunnah.com/nasai:1578 وَشَرَّ الأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلاَلَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

Sunan Ibn Majah 204 “It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "A man came to the Prophet, who encouraged the people to give charity to him. A man said: 'I have such and such,' and there was no one left in that gathering who did not give him something in charity, to a greater or lesser extent. The Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever initiates a good practice that is followed, he will receive a perfect reward for that, and a reward equivalent to that of those who follow it, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.” https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:204

Quran 33:21 “There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - for the one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah profusely.” Surah Al-Ahzab - 21 - Quran.com

Quran 05:03 “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” Surah Al-Ma'idah - 3 - Quran.com

ROPE OF ALLAH

Quran 03:103 “And hold firmly to the rope of Allāh all together and do not become divided.” https://quran.com/ali-imran/103

Sahih Muslim 2408a “I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.” https://sunnah.com/muslim:2408a

The rope of Allah according to the teaching of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Quran and Sunnah. This is the only thing that unites us, and this is the only thing that the companions of Allah followed after the death of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Anything added to this will not and shall not be accepted by any Muslim, because we do have the authentication of this rope, but anything added to it does not have any authentication. But as we Muslims rejected this verse, unfortunately, we are now divided even after being the second largest and the top spreading religion in the world. According to this hadith Sunan Abi Dawud 4607 https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4607 mentioned above, we are instructed to follow only the sunnah of our prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the four Khalifa’e Rashid, anything or anyone conflicts with them, or with their teachings shall be rejected and must not be followed. فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ

These are the teachings of all the four Imameen of Ahl’e Sunnah (Imam al-Shafi’I, Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Imam Malik, and Imam Abu Hanifa) that if any of our teachings or Ijtehad/Fatwa conflicts with the teaching of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ, do not accept it and throw it on the wall, and I believe that all of the other Imameen from Ahl’ul Bait had the same though and teachings. So, eventually, all of the teachings of every Imam lead us to the teaching of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ, so, why should we not take the Quran, Sunnah (hadiths of prophet Muhammad ﷺ) as the last resort to get answers to our questions, and why should not hold that rope of Allah with our molar teeth, as mentioned in the hadith above, Sunan Abi Dawud 4607.

CONCLUSION

The mentioned references from the Quran and sahih Hadith clearly explain what is true TAWHID AND RISALAT, and the difference between our understanding and the reality of these topics is so vast that we have to revert to the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah which is the rope of Allah. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ left the Quran and Sunnah for us, this must only be the way to get in touch with Allah, anything added to it will not be acceptable, and this is the teachings of our beloved prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ shall only be accepted as the following (Imam, Murshad, Peer, or all the other terms affiliated with this), because He ﷺ was sent for this purpose, if we follow another entity (person or thing) it will be a disrespect and not fulfilling the purpose of the last prophet and messenger ﷺ. May Allah make us the true followers of the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah, and help us guide others to the same path. Ameen!

Spread the word, this is our duty according to the hadith of prophet Muhammad ﷺ Sahih al-Bukhari 3461 “Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence, and tell others the stories of Bani Israel (which have been taught to you), for it is not sinful to do so. And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire.” https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3461 JazakAllah!