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The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “On the Day of Judgment, Abraham will meet his father Āzar whose face will be dark and covered with dust. Abraham will say to him: ‘Did I not tell you not to disobey me?’ His father will reply: ‘Today I will not disobey you.’ Abraham will say: ‘O Lord, You promised me not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection; and what will be more disgraceful to me than cursing and dishonoring my father?’ Then, Allah Almighty will say: ‘I have forbidden Paradise for the disbelievers.’ Then, he will be addressed: ‘O Abraham, what is underneath your feet?’ He will look and there he will see a blood-stained hyena, which will be caught by the legs and thrown in Hellfire.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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Our merciful Lord will not accept the intercession of Abraham (peace be upon him) for his father, who died as a polytheist. This is because Allah Almighty forbade Paradise for all polytheists and disbelievers. However, since Allah promised Abraham that He would not disgrace him on the Day of Judgment, He will transform his father into a hyena, which will then be thrown into Hellfire. Thus, none will know this is Abraham’s father. In this way he will be safe from disgrace.
If the intercession of Abraham, the intimate friend of Allah, for his polytheistic father will not be accepted, then what about any such intercession of another person less in rank than Abraham (peace be upon him)?!
Allah Almighty says: {Surely Allah does not forgive that a partner be ascribed to Him, although He forgives any other sin for whomever He wills. He who associates anyone with Allah has indeed forged a mighty lie and committed a heinous sin.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 48]
Hence, the servant’s most important duty is to worship Allah Almighty alone, with no partner.
Allah Almighty praises Himself as the One and Only God. {Say: “He is Allah, the Only One.”} [Surat al-Ikhlās: 1] {...And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no god but Him...} [Surat at-Tawbah: 31]
Let’s pause and reflect upon these two noble names, perhaps Allah will enable us to have sincere faith and proper belief in His Oneness.
Our Lord is the Sole Possessor of the attributes of glory, majesty, greatness, pride, and beauty.
He is One in His essence, and there is none like Him.
He is One in His attributes, and there is none equal to Him.
He is One in His actions, and He has no partner or helper.
He is One in His divinity, and there is none equal to Him in terms of love, glorification, humility, and submission.
He is the One God Who has excellent and great attributes and uniquely possesses all traits of perfection. None in His creation can ever grasp something of His attributes, let alone equally possess one of them.
Monotheism is the core of the messengers’ call and the mainstay of their message: {Say: “It is revealed to me that your god is only one God. Will you then submit to His will?”} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 108]
Monotheism is the sound innate disposition upon which Allah Almighty created people; the covenant He took from people; the call of His messengers with which they were sent; and the message contained in the books He revealed.
For the sake of monotheism, Paradise and Hellfire are established, the Bridge will be erected, the Scrolls will fly around, the Scale will be put in place, the sword of religion is unsheathed, the flag of Jihad is raised, martyrs sacrifice their lives, and death becomes sweet. {Say: “I am only a man like you to whom it has been revealed that your god is but one God; so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness.” And woe to those who associate others with Allah.} [Surat Fussilat: 6]
Establishing monotheism and affirming the obligation of devoting the religion sincerely to Allah, Allah Almighty says: {And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and give Zakah. And that is the correct religion.} [Surat al-Bayyinah: 5]
Moreover, Allah Almighty ordained submission and humility to Him as the One and Great God: {...For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And give good tidings to the humble [before their Lord].} [Surat al-Hajj: 34]
Refuting the polytheists’ beliefs, Allah Almighty says: {And Allah has said: “Do not take for yourselves two deities. He is but one God, so fear only Me.”} [Surat an-Nahl: 51] {...Are separate lords better or Allah, the One, the Prevailing?} [Surat Yūsuf: 39]
He responds to those who say that Allah is the third of three saying: {...And do not say: “Three”; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God...} [Surat an-Nisā’: 171]
He negates the existence of anyone similar or equal to Him from any aspect. Indeed, He is the One God Who has no equal or peer. {...Do you know of any that is given His namesake?} [Surat Maryam: 65]
He has forbidden us from likening Him to any of His creation. He has informed us about Himself, and He knows Himself best.
Whatever occurs to people’s minds about Allah Almighty, He is surely different from that. None is similar, like, or equal to Him. {...There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.} [Surat ash-Shūra: 11] None of His creation resembles Him. To Him belong the beautiful names, sublime attributes, perfection, majesty, magnificence, glory, and pride.
The polytheists said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Describe your Lord to us. Is He of gold? Is He of copper or brass?” Some of them would say: “Name for us the lineage of your Lord, O Muhammad.”
The Jews used to say: “We worship ‘Uzayr, the son of God.” The Christians used to say: “We worship Messiah, the son of God.” The Magians used to say: “We worship the sun and the moon.” The polytheists used to say: “We worship idols.”
So, Allah Almighty responded to them saying: {Say: “He is Allah, the Only One.”} [Surat al-Ikhlās: 1]
They were bold enough to speak badly about Allah Almighty and commit such a heinous crime because of which the massive heavens would almost crack and the mountains collapse, as they ascribed a son to the Almighty Creator - far exalted is Allah above what they say!
They are all subject to His authority and power and will come to Him as individuals on the Day of Judgment. {Indeed you have brought forth a terrible evil thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation, that they attribute a son to the Most Compassionate. But it is not suitable for the Most Compassionate that He should take a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Compassionate as a slave. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Judgment.} [Surat Maryam: 89-95]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty said: ‘The son of Adam belied Me and he had no right to do so. And the son of Adam reviled Me and he had no right to do so.
As for his belying Me, it is his saying that I will not resurrect him as I created him in the beginning. Resurrecting him is not more difficult for Me than creating him in the first place.
And as for his reviling Me, it is his saying that Allah has taken a son, but I am Allah, the One, the Eternal Refuge, I do not beget nor was I begotten, and there is none like unto Me.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
Allah Almighty is one God, Who has no partner or anyone equal to Him in His essence, attributes, or actions.
All the creativity, order, consistency, and harmony existing in the universe indicate that their Creator and Director is One. If there were more than one creator and director, the universe would fall into disorder and its laws in turbulence. {Had there been other gods therein besides Allah, they both would have been ruined. Exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.} [Surat al-Anbiyā’: 22]
Consider the plants on earth, with all its different kinds, and have a close look at all the wonderful creatures in the world,
which clearly point to the One Creator, Who has no partner.
Allah Almighty alone is worthy of being worshiped. One should not turn to or devote any of his worship to other than Allah Almighty, be it prayer, supplication, sacrificial slaughter, vow, reliance, hope, fear, humility, or submission. {Say: “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.”} [Surat al-An‘ām: 162-163]
Our major concern should be devoting worship to Allah Almighty alone. {And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} [Surat adh-Dhāriyāt: 56] {...And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no god but Him...} [Surat at-Tawbah: 31]
Monotheism is the best, fairest, and purest thing ever. It can be scratched, tainted, and affected by the least thing.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “Allah Almighty said: ‘Whoever does an act and associates others with Me in it, I leave him and his polytheism.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is also reported to have said: “When Allah assembles the first and the last on the Day of Resurrection, a day concerning which there is no doubt, a caller will cry out: ‘Whoever associated anyone else in an action that he did for Allah, let him seek his reward from someone other than Allah, for Allah is so self-sufficient that He has no need for any associate.’” [Narrated by Ahmad in Al-Musnad; Hasan (sound)]
There are numerous authentic Hadīths that urge us to adhere to monotheism and point out its merit. Examples include the following:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever says a hundred times in a day: ‘La ilāha illallāh wahdahu la sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli sahy’in qadīr (There is no god but Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him belongs praise, and He is Omnipotent over all things),’ he will have a reward equivalent to that of emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be added to his record, a hundred of his sins will be erased, and he will be shielded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing good deeds except someone who said more than that.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man say: “Allāhumma inni as’aluka bi’annaka anta Allāh la ilāha illa ant, Al-Ahad As-Samad al-ladhi lam yalid wa lam yūlad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad (O Allah, I implore You by the fact that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Eternal Refuge, Who has not begotten nor was He begotten, and there is none like unto Him)!”
Thereupon, he said: “You have implored Allah by His greatest name, which when asked therewith He gives, and when supplicated therewith He answers.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dāwūd; Sahīh (authentic)]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque and heard a man supplicate Allah saying: “Allāhumma inni as’aluka ya Allāh Al-Ahad As-Samad al-ladhi lam yalid wa lam yūlad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad an taghfir li dhunūbi innaka anta Al-Ghafūr Ar-Rahīm (O Allah, I ask You, O Allah, the One, the Eternal Refuge, Who has not begotten nor was He begotten, and there is none like unto Him, to forgive my sins. Indeed You are the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful).”
Thereupon, he said: “He has been forgiven, he has been forgiven, he has been forgiven.” [Narrated by Ahmad in Al-Musnad; Sahīh (authentic)]
Al-Hāfizh ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Fulfillment of monotheism entails emancipation of slaves, which in turn entails emancipation from Hellfire.”
He (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Causes of forgiveness include monotheism, which is the greatest cause. Whoever lacks it misses out on forgiveness, and whoever fulfills it does possess the greatest cause for forgiving his sins.”
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Monotheism is the first thing by which a person enters Islam and the last thing with which he leaves this life. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘One whose last speech is: La ilāha illallāh (there is no god but Allah) will enter Paradise.’ This is the first and last duty. Indeed, monotheism is the beginning and the end.”
He (may Allah have mercy upon him) also said: “Nothing is like monotheism for warding off hardships.”
He (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “No polytheist will enter Paradise, only the monotheists will. Indeed, monotheism is the key to its gate.”
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Sufyān al-Thawri would go to Ibrahīm ibn Ad-ham and say: ‘O Ibrahīm, supplicate Allah to make us die as monotheists.’”
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man supplicating with two fingers of his, and he said to him: “One, One.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūdj; Sahīh (authentic)] So, whenever wants to point during supplication, he should do so with only one finger.
O Allah, we implore You, O the One and Only God, the Eternal Refuge, to make us among those who supplicate You and You answer their supplication, and among those upon whom You bestow Your mercy and refuge as they invoke You and seek Your refuge from Hellfire; O Allah, make our last speech in this world “there is no god but Allah”, for You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.