Tawhid: The Oneness of God

What the Quran says about God

One short chapter of the Quran, Surah al-Ikhlas (Quran 112), is often described as a summary of tawhid. In four brief verses it says that God is One, that all things depend on Him while He depends on nothing, that He has no parent and no child, and that nothing is comparable to Him.

Many Muslims recite this chapter every day, and children often learn it among their very first surahs. Its title, al-Ikhlas, means sincerity or purity, because it frees belief in God from anything that does not belong to Him.

Elsewhere the Quran describes God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who gives life and takes it, and the One who is near to those who call on Him (Quran 2:186). He is beyond full human understanding, yet close enough to hear a whispered prayer.

Three ways of looking at oneness

Muslim scholars have explained tawhid in several ways. One common teaching method, especially in many Sunni circles, looks at God's oneness from three angles. Not every school frames it like this, but it is a helpful way for beginners to see what the belief covers.

• Oneness in lordship: God alone creates, owns, sustains and governs everything that exists.
• Oneness in worship: God alone deserves worship, prayer, devotion and complete trust.
• Oneness in names and attributes: God's qualities, such as His mercy, knowledge and power, are perfect and unlike those of any created being.

The names of God and the meaning of shirk

Muslims come to know God through the names He uses for Himself in the Quran. Among the most familiar are ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), al-Alim (the All-Knowing), al-Wadud (the Loving) and as-Salam (the Source of Peace). Muslims often speak of the ninety-nine names of God, and many people memorise them as an act of devotion.

The opposite of tawhid is called shirk, which means associating partners with God. This can mean worshipping idols, but it also includes treating any created thing as if it had God's power or deserved His worship. The Quran treats shirk as the most serious of wrongs, because it confuses the Creator with what He has created.

Many teachers also speak of a quieter, hidden form of shirk: doing good deeds mainly to impress other people rather than to please God. This reminds believers that tawhid is not only a statement of belief but also a matter of sincere intention.

Tawhid is shared by every Muslim tradition. In Shi'a teaching it is the first of the usul al-din (the roots of religion), and Shi'a theology places special emphasis on God's justice ('adl) as part of understanding His perfect nature. Sunni and Shi'a scholars may discuss the details of God's attributes differently, but both affirm that God is one and has no partner.

Living with tawhid

Tawhid is meant to shape everyday life, not just theology. When a person believes that only God is truly in control, they are freed from fearing or flattering other people too much. Wealth, status and approval lose their grip, because none of them can give or withhold what God has not willed.

It also brings a deep sense of equality. If every human being is a creation and servant of the same God, then no race, class or nation is inherently above another. What distinguishes people is their goodness and awareness of God, which only He can fully judge.

Finally, tawhid gives life a single centre. Prayer, work, family, study and rest can all be done for the sake of the one God. A Muslim who begins a meal with "in the name of God" is practising tawhid in a small and simple way.

A belief to grow into

For beginners, tawhid can seem very simple: God is one. Yet many Muslims spend their whole lives deepening their understanding of it. It is both the first lesson a child learns and the subject of great works of scholarship.

A good way to start is to read Surah al-Ikhlas with a translation, reflect on each line, and notice how the idea of God's oneness appears again and again across the Quran.