February 24, 1995

MUSLIM JOURNAL

Tauheed: Oneness of God (Allah)

IMAM W. DEEN MOHAMMED

There is no partner or associate with Him in the Run or in. the Rule of the heavens and the earth. He (Allah) has no sharers in that. He is God Alone. And as Allah's Book (the Qur'an) says, "For Him is the creation and also the command." He creates and He also commands. That means that the One Who created us, we must also accept commands from Him. He is to command our life. He is to order our life. He is our Creator and the One to order our life.

We don't have someone else giving us orders. Although it is agreed He is the Creator, for some it is as if He (the Creator) has become mute and someone else will be giving us the orders. No. The same One (Creator) Who created us gives us orders.' And it is clear in the Qur'an that the Commands, the Orders of God are the Orders of the Creator (Allah). It is clear in the Qur'an. And we have to accept the Kalimah or the Shahadah.

Shahadatain (The Testimony)

Actually it (the testimony) is Shahadatain, although we say Shahadah. That Shahadatain (witnessing twice) of La ilaha iUallahu, MuhammedaMRasulullah" (There is no God, but Allah and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah) is saying clearly that Muhammed is not God; Muhammed is the Messenger of God. And although it does not say (in subject form) Muhammed is not God, it does say if in effect: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Muhammedan Rasulullah." I bear witness there is no God but, Allah and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah. Keep it clear, and it is very clear.

Why this strong emphasis? It is because we know of the Trimly and of all these other things that have created so many problems for the belief in One God. What has Allah said in the Qur'an, in the Holy Book? He (SWT) says, "The worst form of oppression is false worship."

The Biggest Enemy to Man is False Religion

We see in America, in Western society, so many humanists, so many sociologists, so many decent minded human beings who have been turned off from religion. They care less for religion. And what do many of them say? They say that religion is responsible for most of the misdeeds in the life of man on this earth. Now I have to agree with that. I don't think the biggest enemy to man is false religion. And Allah says, the worst oppression is "shirk" (false worship) in the Deen (religion). That (religious falsehoods) is the shirk that is worse (of all).

I believe that secularism in Western society and perhaps in the East too (but I am here and I know more about this secularism)is the child of "shirk." The corruption of the idea of God (Shirk) has produced all of these other evil possibilities (results). So that is the main evil and it has not changed. Whatever Allah established with Prophet Muhammed is the same now. The same strong emphasis was established then: "La ilaha illallah Muhammedan Rasuhillah.

But we have to do more than just say this or just recite this. We must know the implications, we must know the ramifications, we must know the impact of "La ilaha illallah, Muhammedan Rasulullah." We must become more educated in the, practical benefits and in the knowledge of the force (the powerful influence) of-that Kalimah, that Shahadatain (two-principled testimony).

Emphasis on Oneness and Unity

We see the universe and all of creation as one. It is one functioning system. The whole thing is one functioning system. Now, I have made discussion or talked on this subject- of Tauheed and have said that for us the emphasis is not on diversity and differences. It is on oneness and unity. Although we know that the role of diversity has to be recognized because it is by the principle of differences that we; have come into existence. One (Allah) created us but we multiply by differences... (by co-functioning opposites). The male and the female are not alike. Allah says in the Qur'an that "the male is not like the female." Therefore, it is more important for us to stress fee oneness and the unify than it is for us to dwell on differences or on variations.

I am addressing the concern now of ho w this oneness or this tauheed is all encompassing. We are to see ourselves first and most importantly as Muslim. We have to see as the most important identity for us the Muslim identity. That is the identity of us (belonging to) Tauheed.

We are one community. We are all brethren. We are "brothers" in this one community. That is the oneness (the single community) in which we are all brothers. And what makes us all brothers is that we are Muslim. And what is this Muslim? Is this a label like Christian? Is this a label like Buddhist or Jew? No! This "Muslim" names something that we are by the very fact of our existence. We are this in our creation and Allah has made us to understand that He created us to be this. And then He gives us the conscious (awareness) in the Muslim body.

That conscious (awareness) comes into the Muslim body and that conscious (awareness)can only come from the Qur'an and the Life of Prophet Muhammed (SAW). Then you (we) become the conscious Muslim - a Muslim body with light in it. The light, the conscious (awareness) of the Muslim is in it because he has the Qur'an in his mind and the Qur'an in his life. And his life is being disciplined by the Qur'an and the Life of Muhammed, the prayers and the peace be upon him (upon Muhammed, Allah's Messenger).

I am not trying to tell you anything, I am trying to point to something feat we all know already. If we understand this concept of the Muslim man, then we have a force for a successful revolution on this earth. No communist idea is better than that (Tauheed). No socialist idea, no Baa'th idea, no idea is better (than Tauheed). And believe me, I pay attention to all of them. Even if it (an ideology) is not impressive, if I hear about it, then I look at it. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid something is going to change my mind. Therefore, I : look at it and try to see fee worth of it (of the idea).

And I think that is important for us when we are dealing with American people too. When we are dealing wife fee American government, when we are dealing wife fee evils of the American people as a government and as a nation, we have to have courage to look at feat which we have serious trouble wife. Look at feat which we have real deep problems with and serious trouble Wife. We have to have the courage to look at it and not be afraid feat it is going to shake our faith. Look at -it and say, "Here are fee evils." But also look and recognize the good.

Recognize and Stress the Good

If we recognize the good, we will build upon the good and stress the good found in others, even in enemies, and make this a feature of our propaganda for America, in our propaganda for winning the West. Let us find good in fee life of America. Let us find good in fee Nation and in fee government of America. Let us find good in fee Constitution of the United States. 1 also have read feat Constitution. And I heard someone say fee Constitution wrote us off as "subhuman." Certainly it did. But understand feat was just something interjected. That was something put into the Constitution. That by itself is not fee Constitution.