Table of Contents
Meaning and Centrality of Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah is the oneness of Allah in worship. It means to direct every act of worship, outward and inward, only to Allah, with love, fear, hope, humility, and complete submission. It is the practical side of tawḥīd, because it appears in what a person actually does for Allah.
Allah describes Himself as the only true deity who deserves worship.
“And your God is one God. There is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”
(Qur’an 2:163)
The word “ilāh” in the Qur’an means the one who is worshipped. Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah is to affirm that Allah alone is the ilāh in truth, so no one else is to be called upon, hoped in, feared with worshipful fear, or relied upon as an ilāh. This is the core of the message of all prophets.
“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], ‘Worship Allah and avoid false gods.’”
(Qur’an 16:36)
The first part of the testimony of faith, “Lā ilāha illa Allāh,” is a sentence that negates and then affirms. It negates every object of worship besides Allah, and then affirms that Allah alone is the true deity.
“Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah” is the exclusive right of Allah to every act of worship, so any worship directed to other than Allah contradicts it.
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah in the Shahādah
The words “Lā ilāha illa Allāh” are not only information, they are a pledge to live with exclusive devotion to Allah. The Arabs at the time of the Prophet ﷺ understood this. They did not reject the idea that Allah exists or that He creates. They rejected that worship must belong to Him alone.
“Indeed, they, when it was said to them, ‘There is no deity but Allah,’ were arrogant. And said, ‘Are we to abandon our gods for a mad poet?’”
(Qur’an 37:35–36)
The shahādah requires denial of all rivals, partners, or intermediaries taken as objects of worship, and then the affirmation of full, undivided worship for Allah alone.
“So whoever disbelieves in ṭāghūt and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break.”
(Qur’an 2:256)
Rejecting ṭāghūt means rejecting anything that is worshipped or obeyed in the place of Allah. Believing in Allah means accepting Him as the only ilāh and Lord.
Acts of Worship That Belong Only to Allah
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah covers all types of worship. Some are actions of the heart, some are actions of the tongue, and some are physical actions. What unites them is that they are done out of servitude and are meant as worship.
Allah commands:
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion.”
(Qur’an 98:5)
He also says:
“Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my 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.’”
(Qur’an 6:162–163)
Important examples of worship that must be for Allah alone include duʿā, fear and hope of the heart, trust, love of worship, prostration, sacrifice, vows, and seeking rescue in times of hardship.
Any act that Allah or His Messenger ﷺ described as ʿibādah must be given only to Allah. Directing such acts to another cancels tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah.
Duʿā and Calling upon Allah
Duʿā is one of the clearest signs of tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah, because to call upon someone in need is to treat him as an ilāh. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Duʿā is worship.”
(Jāmiʿ at Tirmidhī)
Then he recited:
“And your Lord said, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell humiliated.’”
(Qur’an 40:60)
Allah connects duʿā with worship in this verse. This shows that whoever directs his supplications to others besides Allah has made those others into false gods.
Allah also says:
“And who is more astray than one who calls upon, besides Allah, those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they are unaware of their supplication?”
(Qur’an 46:5)
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah requires that in distress and in ease, the believer turns directly to Allah, without believing that any created being can hear and answer duʿā independently.
Love, Fear, and Hope as Worship
Human beings naturally love, fear, and hope. Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah does not cancel natural feelings. It guides them. When love, fear, or hope become acts of worship, they must be directed uniquely to Allah.
Allah describes the believers:
“But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah.”
(Qur’an 2:165)
He criticizes those who equate others with Allah in love:
“And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they should love Allah.”
(Qur’an 2:165)
There is a type of fear that belongs only to Allah, which is to fear Him as the One who judges, punishes, and controls outcomes. Allah says:
“So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.”
(Qur’an 3:175)
There is also a type of hope that belongs only to Allah, hoping in His reward and mercy as the final judge.
“Indeed, those who believed and those who emigrated and strove in the cause of Allah, those hope for the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(Qur’an 2:218)
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah is complete when the heart’s greatest love, deepest fear, and strongest hope are all for Allah alone.
Reliance and Trust (Tawakkul)
Tawakkul is to rely upon Allah while taking lawful means. It is not laziness. It is a worship of the heart, so it must be directed only to Allah.
“And upon Allah let the believers rely.”
(Qur’an 3:122)
“And whoever relies upon Allah, then He is sufficient for him.”
(Qur’an 65:3)
The Prophet ﷺ described seventy thousand of his ummah who will enter Paradise without reckoning. Part of their description is pure reliance upon Allah.
“They are those who do not seek ruqyah [from others], do not brand themselves, do not follow evil omens, and upon their Lord they rely.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
To rely on created things as causes is allowed, while knowing that Allah controls all outcomes. To rely on them in the heart as if they independently control benefit and harm breaks tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah.
Prostration, Sacrifice, and Vows
Certain visible acts are clear marks of worship. They cannot be given to anyone besides Allah, whether that is a prophet, a saint, a jinn, the dead, a stone, or anything else.
Allah commands exclusive prostration and sacrifice.
“So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].”
(Qur’an 108:2)
He says:
“Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.’”
(Qur’an 6:162)
Prostration is the highest physical form of humility. It can only be for the Creator, never for a created being.
“And of His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah, who created them, if it is Him that you worship.”
(Qur’an 41:37)
Vows, which are promises made in Allah’s name to do certain acts, are also worship.
“They fulfill their vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread.”
(Qur’an 76:7)
To vow for a grave or a righteous person, or to sacrifice for a saint, seeking his closeness or protection, contradicts tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah.
Prostration, sacrifice, vows, and similar visible acts of devotion cannot be offered to any created being. Doing so is worship of that being, and worship belongs only to Allah.
Sincerity as the Spirit of Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah
The inner spirit of tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah is ikhlāṣ, sincerity. It means to intend only Allah in one’s worship. A deed might outwardly be correct, but without sincerity it does not fulfill tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah.
Allah says:
“Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion.”
(Qur’an 39:3)
He also says:
“So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion. Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion.”
(Qur’an 39:2–3)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
The one who prays, gives charity, or fasts in order to be seen or praised by people has made people partners in his worship. This opposes the purity of tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah. Riyā, showing off in worship, is treated as a form of shirk because the servant splits his intention between Allah and the creation.
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah as the Mission of All Prophets
All prophets called their peoples to unite their worship for Allah alone. They did not only argue for Allah’s existence. They demanded that people leave their false deities and devote all worship to Allah.
Nūḥ عليه السلام said:
“Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day.”
(Qur’an 7:59)
Ibrāhīm عليه السلام said to his people:
“Do you worship that which you carve, while Allah created you and that which you do?”
(Qur’an 37:95–96)
The message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ continued the same call.
“Say, ‘O people, if you are in doubt about my religion, then I do not worship those whom you worship besides Allah, but I worship Allah, who causes your death. And I have been commanded to be among the believers, and [commanded], ‘Direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth, and never be of those who associate others with Allah.’”
(Qur’an 10:104–105)
The Prophet ﷺ summarized his mission:
“I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, and give the zakah. If they do so, their blood and wealth are safe from me except by right of Islam, and their account is with Allah.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
The aim was to remove worship from the feet of idols, tyrants, and desires, and to return it to Allah alone.
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah and Everyday Life
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah is not limited to rituals. It extends to the whole life of a believer. Every action can become worship if it is done seeking Allah’s pleasure and in the way that He allowed.
Allah says:
“Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.’”
(Qur’an 6:162)
The believer eats, works, studies, marries, and raises children while remembering Allah, obeying His limits, and seeking His reward. In this way, tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah transforms daily habits into acts of ʿibādah.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“You will not spend anything seeking thereby the Face of Allah except that you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel you put in your wife’s mouth.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
With this intention, life becomes a long act of worship directed only to Allah.
The Fruits of Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah
When a person lives with pure tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah, his heart finds peace and freedom. Instead of serving many masters, he serves only his Lord. Allah promises security and guidance to such people.
“They who believe and do not mix their belief with wrongdoing, for them there is security, and they are guided.”
(Qur’an 6:82)
The Prophet ﷺ said about the one who sincerely declares the oneness of Allah:
“Allah has forbidden the Fire for the one who says ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ seeking thereby the Face of Allah.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī)
Tawḥīd al Ulūhiyyah purifies the heart from fear of creation, from slavery to reputation, money, or desires, and from dependence on any false lord. It teaches the believer to love, fear, and hope only in Allah, to ask only Him, and to submit fully to His command.