3.5.1 Calling to Tawḥīd

The Heart of the Prophetic Call

The mission of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ began and ended with one central message, that only Allah deserves worship. Every other teaching, law, and instruction in his life serves this core message of Tawḥīd. When he was first commanded to convey the message, he did not begin with rules of food, clothing, or politics, but with a clear call to single out Allah in worship.

Allah summarized his mission in the Qur’an:

“Say, ‘It has only been revealed to me that your god is only One God. So will you be Muslims in submission to Him?’”
Qur’an 21:108

And about all messengers together, Allah said:

“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], ‘Worship Allah and avoid ṭāghūt (false gods).’”
Qur’an 16:36

The Prophet ﷺ called to the same Tawḥīd as all earlier prophets, but his mission was final and universal. His first and constant call in Makkah was: abandon every object of worship besides Allah and submit to Him alone.

“So know that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin.”
Qur’an 47:19

This short sentence, “Lā ilāha illa Allāh”, captures the essence of his daʿwah, the call to Tawḥīd.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, and give the zakah. If they do that, they have protected from me their lives and wealth except by right of Islam, and their account is with Allah.”
Al‑Bukhārī and Muslim

This hadith shows that the first and greatest requirement is the testimony of Tawḥīd. Everything else comes after this foundation.

Beginning with the Nearest People

The prophetic call to Tawḥīd began quietly and personally. Jibrīl عليه السلام brought the first revelation in the cave of Ḥirā’. After that, the Prophet ﷺ was ordered to begin warning, but first with those closest to him.

“And warn your closest relatives.”
Qur’an 26:214

He started with his own household. His wife Khadījah, his young cousin ʿAlī, his close friend Abū Bakr, and his freed servant Zayd were among the first to accept Tawḥīd. They did not enter Islam after hearing long sets of rules. They believed because they recognized the truth that only Allah deserves worship and that Muhammad ﷺ was His messenger.

Then he gathered his tribe and addressed them openly. In a famous narration, he stood on the hill of Ṣafā and called the clans of Quraysh by name. When they gathered, he asked them, if he told them that an army was behind the hill about to attack, would they believe him. They said they had never experienced him lying. Then he told them that he was a warner to them before a severe punishment, and he called them to worship Allah alone.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “O people of Quraysh, save yourselves from the Fire. O people of Banī ʿAbd Manāf, save yourselves from the Fire. O Fāṭimah daughter of Muhammad, save yourself from the Fire, for I can do nothing for you before Allah. I have nothing for you from Allah except that you have a bond of kinship which I will uphold.”
Muslim

This shows that the call to Tawḥīd put truth before tribe and lineage. Even his own daughter was not given special protection from Allah. Everyone must personally accept Tawḥīd.

The Message to Quraysh: Leave Every False God

The people of Makkah believed in Allah as Creator and Controller of the universe, but they did not worship Him alone. They took idols, saints, and “intercessors” that they hoped would bring them closer to Allah.

Allah describes their reasoning:

“And those who take protectors besides Him [say], ‘We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position.’”
Qur’an 39:3

The Prophet ﷺ confronted this idea directly. The problem was not that they did not know of Allah, but that they shared worship between Him and others. He called them to remove all partners from their worship, duʿāʾ, fear, hope, and love.

“Say, ‘O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, nor are you worshippers of what I worship … For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.’”
Qur’an 109:1–6

Their reaction shows how serious Tawḥīd is. They could accept him as a wise man, a judge, or a leader, but they refused to accept that all their idols and practices were false. Their pride, social traditions, and economic interests kept them from accepting that only Allah deserves worship.

“And they marvel that a warner from among themselves has come to them, and the disbelievers say, ‘This is a magician, a liar. Has he made the gods only one God? Indeed, this is something astonishing.’”
Qur’an 38:4–5

So the early Makkan period focused on correcting their understanding of worship, not on changing political structures or detailed laws. The goal was to free hearts from any form of worship to creation.

Patience and Steadiness upon Tawḥīd

The call to Tawḥīd brought mockery, boycott, and physical harm. Yet the Prophet ﷺ remained firm and did not soften the central message, even when offered worldly compromise.

The Quraysh suggested a compromise that they worship Allah one year, then return to their gods the next year, and he would do the same. The answer of Allah came clearly:

“Say, ‘O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship…’”
Qur’an 109:1–6

He refused to mix Tawḥīd with any part of shirk, even for social peace.

He was also pressured to stop criticizing their idols. They offered him wealth, leadership, and marriage to the best women if he would just stop calling to Tawḥīd. He replied, according to a famous narration, that if they placed the sun in his right hand and the moon in his left, he would not leave the message until Allah made it victorious or he perished.

Allah commanded him to be steadfast:

“So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, you and those who have turned back with you [to Allah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do.”
Qur’an 11:112

And also:

“So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is true. And let not those who lack certainty discourage you.”
Qur’an 30:60

Tawḥīd is not only a belief but a test of patience, especially when it brings opposition from family, society, and leaders.

Calling with Wisdom and Good Character

Although his message was firm, his method of calling to Tawḥīd was full of wisdom, gentleness, and mercy. His character attracted hearts to the truth even before his words.

Allah instructed him:

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good preaching, and argue with them in the best manner.”
Qur’an 16:125

And also:

“So by mercy from Allah, you were gentle with them. And if you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you.”
Qur’an 3:159

He did not begin by insulting people or simply shouting at them. He reasoned, gave examples, and appealed to their minds and hearts.

For example, the Qur’an, which he recited to them, used simple arguments to show the falsehood of worshipping anything besides Allah:

“O mankind, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you call upon besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the seeker and the sought.”
Qur’an 22:73

His personal conduct was itself a call to Tawḥīd. Before revelation, he was known as al‑Amīn, the Trustworthy. After revelation, his honesty and kindness continued and strengthened. Many accepted Islam because they saw that a man of such integrity would not lie about Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Make things easy and do not make things hard. Give glad tidings and do not make people run away.”
Al‑Bukhārī and Muslim

His simplicity, courtesy, and care for both weak and strong showed that Tawḥīd is not an empty claim, but a way of life defined by reverence for Allah and mercy toward His creation.

Explaining Tawḥīd Simply and Clearly

The Prophet ﷺ did not present Tawḥīd as a complicated philosophy. He expressed it in direct, simple language, suitable for everyone.

In a famous hadith, he explained the core right of Allah upon His servants:

The Prophet ﷺ said: “O Muʿādh, do you know what the right of Allah over His servants is, and what the right of the servants upon Allah is?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “The right of Allah over His servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, and the right of the servants upon Allah is that He will not punish the one who does not associate anything with Him.”
Al‑Bukhārī and Muslim

This shows the central rule of his call: worship Allah and do not commit shirk.

Another simple and powerful explanation is found when he summed up his mission in a short phrase:

The Prophet ﷺ said: “I have been sent before the Hour with the sword, so that Allah alone would be worshipped and no partner be associated with Him, and my provision was placed under the shade of my spear, and humiliation and lowliness were placed upon those who oppose my command; and whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Aḥmad

The focus at the beginning of the hadith is clear. His being sent is tied directly to making the worship of Allah alone established on earth.

He also used direct teaching with individuals. When he sent Muʿādh ibn Jabal to Yemen, he told him exactly where to start.

The Prophet ﷺ said to Muʿādh when sending him to Yemen: “You are going to a people of the Book, so let the first thing to which you call them be that they testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, then inform them that Allah has obligated upon them five prayers in every day and night…”
Al‑Bukhārī and Muslim

This hadith shows clearly that the first step in daʿwah is Tawḥīd, even before prayer, zakah, and other duties.

Rejecting All Forms of Shirk

Because Tawḥīd was the heart of his message, the Prophet ﷺ did not only call people to worship Allah, he also called them to actively abandon every form of shirk. It was not enough to say that Allah is the greatest, while still directing certain acts of worship to other beings.

Allah says:

“And worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.”
Qur’an 4:36

The Qur’an refuted their claims that idols, saints, or angels could act as intercessors without Allah’s permission:

“And they worship besides Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say, ‘Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?’ Exalted is He and high above what they associate [with Him].”
Qur’an 10:18

The Prophet ﷺ warned even against small and subtle forms of shirk such as showing off in worship.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is minor shirk?” He said, “Showing off.”
Aḥmad

This shows that his call to Tawḥīd reached every level: public idols, false intercessors, and hidden desires that corrupt intention. His daʿwah did not stop at telling people to say “Lā ilāha illa Allāh,” but taught them how to live it in practice.

Tawḥīd in Every Stage of the Mission

From the secret stage in Makkah, to the open preaching, to the migration to Madīnah, and the establishment of the Islamic state, the call to Tawḥīd remained constant.

In Makkah, the Qur’an focused on proving Allah’s Oneness, His right to worship, and the reality of the Hereafter. In Madīnah, laws of worship, family, and society were revealed, but they were built upon the same foundation. Even when armies and treaties became part of the mission, the core was unchanged: invite people to worship Allah alone.

When letters were sent to emperors and kings, they were not only political messages. They were calls to Tawḥīd. For example, in the letter to Heraclius, the Prophet ﷺ wrote:

“Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him, and not take one another as lords besides Allah.”
Qur’an 3:64

The letter used this verse, again returning to the same central theme. The call to Tawḥīd was not only for the poor and weak of Makkah, but for rulers and nations.

Even in times of battle, the Prophet ﷺ did not forget the mission’s purpose. He warned fighters against excess, cruelty, and worldly motives, and reminded them that their goal was to make the word of Allah highest, not to gain wealth or status.

The Prophet ﷺ was asked about a man who fights out of bravery, or fights out of zeal, or fights to be seen. Which of these is in the path of Allah? He said: “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah is uppermost, then he is in the path of Allah.”
Al‑Bukhārī and Muslim

The “word of Allah” here is Tawḥīd, the declaration that none has the right to be worshipped except Him.

Transforming Hearts and Society through Tawḥīd

The call to Tawḥīd did not only change what people believed in their hearts, it changed their lives and the society around them.

Before Islam, many practices were common in Arabia: burying daughters alive, tribal revenge, unlimited polygamy without justice, alcohol, interest, and oppression of the weak. These evils did not disappear only by laws or punishments. They began to fade when people understood that Allah alone is their Lord and Judge, and that they will stand before Him.

“Have you not seen the one who takes his own desire as his god?”
Qur’an 45:23

The call to Tawḥīd teaches a person to remove all false gods, including ego, wealth, and status, from the center of life. When the Companions accepted Tawḥīd and loved Allah above all else, obedience, sacrifice, and good character followed naturally.

“But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah.”
Qur’an 2:165

The Prophet ﷺ nurtured this love of Allah in his followers together with fear and hope. He presented Allah as the Most Merciful, yet also the One who will call every soul to account. This balance created people who were both humble and brave, both gentle and firm upon truth.

With this inner transformation, the tribal society of ignorance slowly became a community united by faith instead of blood. People who once fought over the smallest insult now stood shoulder to shoulder in prayer. Former masters and slaves, Arabs and non‑Arabs, rich and poor became brothers in Tawḥīd.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the pre‑Islamic era and its boasting about ancestors. A believer who is pious and a wicked person, all people are the children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust.”
Abū Dāwūd and at‑Tirmidhī

This deep social change shows that calling to Tawḥīd was not a narrow or purely private message. It re‑ordered all of life around Allah.

The Lasting Model of the Prophetic Call

The way the Prophet ﷺ called to Tawḥīd sets a model for all later Muslims who invite others to Islam. His method included clear priorities, mercy, clarity, and firmness upon truth.

He began with the heart, not with secondary issues. He taught people to know Allah, love Him, fear His punishment, and hope for His reward. He used the Qur’an, simple words, and his own example. He did not hide parts of the message, even when they were unpopular. Yet he always chose the most gentle and wise way to present it.

Allah ordered him:

“Say, ‘This is my way; I invite to Allah with clear insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah, and I am not of those who associate others with Him.’”
Qur’an 12:108

Those who follow him, in any time or place, share this path. Calling to Tawḥīd means inviting to Allah with knowledge, sincerity, and insight, free from shirk and innovations, and trusting that guidance ultimately belongs to Allah alone.

“You do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills, and He is most knowing of the guided.”
Qur’an 28:56

The prophetic mission began with “Recite” and continued with “Warn your close relatives,” but its constant heartbeat was always one message: worship Allah alone. Understanding how he called to Tawḥīd prepares the way for understanding how he bore persecution, how he established the Muslim community, and how the final message was completed upon the same unchanging foundation.